archipelago has expanded to roughly seven times the
pre-independence, near-subsistence level, moving the island into the
upper-middle income group of countries. Growth has been led by the
tourist sector, which employs about 30% of the labor force and
provides more than 70% of hard currency earnings, and by tuna
fishing. In recent years, the government has encouraged foreign
investment to upgrade hotels and other services. At the same time,
the government has moved to reduce the dependence on tourism by
promoting the development of farming, fishing, and small-scale
manufacturing. Sharp drops illustrated the vulnerability of the
tourist sector in 1991-92 due largely to the Gulf War and once again
following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the US.
Economic growth slowed in 1998-2002 and fell in 2003-04, due to
sluggish tourist and tuna sectors, but resumed in 2005-07. Real GDP
grew by 5.8% in 2007, driven by tourism and a boom in
tourism-related construction. The Seychelles rupee was allowed to
depreciate in 2006 after being overvalued for years and fell by 10%
in the first 9 months of 2007.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$1.378 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$710 million (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5.3% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$16,600 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 2.1%
industry: 28.3%
services: 69.6% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
39,560 (2006)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 3%
industry: 23%
services: 74% (2006)
Unemployment rate:
2% (2006 est.)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Investment (gross fixed):
8.9% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $372.3 million
expenditures: $362.2 million (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Public debt:
92.3% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5.3% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
5.13% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
10.89% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$330.8 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$249 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$660.2 million (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
coconuts, cinnamon, vanilla, sweet potatoes, cassava (tapioca),
bananas; poultry; tuna
Industries:
fishing, tourism, processing of coconuts and vanilla, coir (coconut
fiber) rope, boat building, printing, furniture; beverages
Industrial production growth rate:
7% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
208 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
193.4 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
6,560 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2006)
Oil - imports:
5,722 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2006)
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance:
-$272 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$395 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
canned tuna, frozen fish, cinnamon bark, copra, petroleum products
(reexports)
Exports - partners:
UK 23.7%, France 19.8%, Mauritius 10%, Japan 8.3%, Italy 5.7%, Spain
5.1% (2007)
Imports:
$823 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals
Imports - partners:
Saudi Arabia 17.6%, Germany 10.8%, France 8.1%, Spain 7.6%, South
Africa 6.4%, Singapore 5.8% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
$18.81 million (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$40.8 million (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$1.059 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
Currency (code):
Seychelles rupee (SCR)
Currency code:
SCR
Exchange rates:
Seychelles rupees (SCR) per US dollar - 6.5 (2007), 5.5 (2006), 5.5
(2005), 5.5 (2004), 5.4007 (2003)
Communications
Seychelles
Telephones - main lines in use:
22,700 (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
77,300 (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: effective system
domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity is
nearly 125 telephones per 100 persons; radiotelephone communications
between islands in the archipelago
international: country code - 248; direct radiotelephone
communications with adjacent island countries and African coastal
countries; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 2 (2001)
Radios:
42,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
2 (plus 9 repeaters) (1997)
Televisions:
11,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.sc
Internet hosts:
284 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)
Internet users:
32,000 (2007)
Transportation
Seychelles
Airports:
15 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 9
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 6
under 914 m: 2 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 4 (2007)
Roadways:
total: 458 km
paved: 440 km
unpaved: 18 km (2003)
Merchant marine:
total: 8
by type: cargo 1, carrier 1, chemical tanker 6
foreign-owned: 3 (Hong Kong 1, Nigeria 1, South Africa 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Victoria
Military
Seychelles
Military branches:
Seychelles Defense Force: Army, Coast Guard (includes Naval Wing,
Air Wing), National Guard (2005)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary military service (younger with
parental consent); no conscription (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 23,598
females age 16-49: 24,424 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 17,942
females age 16-49: 20,436 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 770
female: 750 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
2% of GDP (2006 est.)
Transnational Issues
Seychelles
Disputes - international:
together with Mauritius, Seychelles claims the Chagos Archipelago
(UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory)
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Sierra Leone
Introduction
Sierra Leone
Background:
Democracy is slowly being reestablished after the civil war from
1991 to 2002 that resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the
displacement of more than 2 million people (about one-third of the
population). The military, which took over full responsibility for
security following the departure of UN peacekeepers at the end of
2005, is increasingly developing as a guarantor of the country's
stability. The armed forces remained on the sideline during the 2007
presidential election, but still look to the UN Integrated Office in
Sierra Leone (UNIOSIL) - a civilian UN mission - to support efforts
to consolidate peace. The new government's priorities include
furthering development, creating jobs, and stamping out endemic
corruption.
Geography
Sierra Leone
Location:
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea
and Liberia
Geographic coordinates:
8 30 N, 11 30 W
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 71,740 sq km
land: 71,620 sq km
water: 120 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than South Carolina
Land boundaries:
total: 958 km
border countries: Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km
Coastline:
402 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter
dry season (December to April)
Terrain:
coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland
plateau, mountains in east
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Loma Mansa (Bintimani) 1,948 m
Natural resources:
diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite
Land use:
arable land: 7.95%
permanent crops: 1.05%
other: 91% (2005)
Irrigated land:
300 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
160 cu km (1987)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.38 cu km/yr (5%/3%/92%)
per capita: 69 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to
February); sandstorms, dust storms
Environment - current issues:
rapid population growth pressuring the environment; overharvesting
of timber, expansion of cattle grazing, and slash-and-burn
agriculture have resulted in deforestation and soil exhaustion;
civil war depleted natural resources; overfishing
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea,
Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
Geography - note:
rainfall along the coast can reach 495 cm (195 inches) a year,
making it one of the wettest places along coastal, western Africa
People
Sierra Leone
Population:
6,294,774 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 44.6% (male 1,377,981/female 1,429,993)
15-64 years: 52.2% (male 1,573,990/female 1,708,840)
65 years and over: 3.2% (male 94,359/female 109,611) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 17.5 years
male: 17.2 years
female: 17.8 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.282% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
45.08 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
22.26 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: refugees currently in surrounding countries are slowly
returning (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 156.48 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 173.59 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 138.85 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 40.93 years
male: 38.64 years
female: 43.28 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
5.95 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
7% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
170,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
11,000 (2001 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,
hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: Lassa fever (2008)
Nationality:
noun: Sierra Leonean(s)
adjective: Sierra Leonean
Ethnic groups:
20 African ethnic groups 90% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%, other 30%),
Creole (Krio) 10% (descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were
settled in the Freetown area in the late-18th century), refugees
from Liberia's recent civil war, small numbers of Europeans,
Lebanese, Pakistanis, and Indians
Religions:
Muslim 60%, Christian 10%, indigenous beliefs 30%
Languages:
English (official, regular use limited to literate minority), Mende
(principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal vernacular in
the north), Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by the descendants of
freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area, a
lingua franca and a first language for 10% of the population but
understood by 95%)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write English, Mende,
Temne, or Arabic
total population: 35.1%
male: 46.9%
female: 24.4% (2004 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 7 years
male: 8 years
female: 6 years (2001)
Education expenditures:
3.8% of GDP (2005)
Government
Sierra Leone
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Sierra Leone
conventional short form: Sierra Leone
local long form: Republic of Sierra Leone
local short form: Sierra Leone
Government type:
constitutional democracy
Capital:
name: Freetown
geographic coordinates: 8 30 N, 13 15 W
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
3 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western*
Independence:
27 April 1961 (from UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 27 April (1961)
Constitution:
1 October 1991; subsequently amended several times
Legal system:
based on English law and customary laws indigenous to local tribes;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Ernest Bai KOROMA (since 17 September
2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President Ernest Bai KOROMA (since 17 September
2007)
cabinet: Ministers of State appointed by the president with the
approval of the House of Representatives; the cabinet is responsible
to the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term
(eligible for a second term); election last held 11 August 2007 and
8 September 2007 (next to be held in 2012)
election results: second round results; percent of vote - Ernest Bai
KOROMA 54.6%, Solomon BEREWA 45.4%
Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament (124 seats; 112 members elected by popular
vote, 12 filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate elections;
to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 11 August 2007 (next to be held in 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
APC 59, SLPP 43, PMDC 10
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Appeals Court; High Court
Political parties and leaders:
All People's Congress or APC [Ernest Bai KOROMA]; Peace and
Liberation Party or PLP [Darlington MORRISON]; People's Movement for
Democratic Change or PMDC [Charles MARGAI]; Sierra Leone People's
Party or SLPP [Solomon BEREWA]; numerous others
Political pressure groups and leaders:
other: student unions; trade unions
International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM,
IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU,
ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIT,
UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Bockari Kortu STEVENS
chancery: 1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 939-9261 through 9263
FAX: [1] (202) 483-1793
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador June Carter PERRY
embassy: Southridge-Hill Station, Freetown
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [232] (22) 515 000 or [232] (76) 515 000
FAX: [232] (22) 515 355
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of light green (top), white, and light
blue
Economy
Sierra Leone
Economy - overview:
Sierra Leone is an extremely poor nation with tremendous inequality
in income distribution. While it possesses substantial mineral,
agricultural, and fishery resources, its physical and social
infrastructure is not well developed, and serious social disorders
continue to hamper economic development. Nearly half of the
working-age population engages in subsistence agriculture.
Manufacturing consists mainly of the processing of raw materials and
of light manufacturing for the domestic market. Alluvial diamond
mining remains the major source of hard currency earnings accounting
for nearly half of Sierra Leone's exports. The fate of the economy
depends upon the maintenance of domestic peace and the continued
receipt of substantial aid from abroad, which is essential to offset
the severe trade imbalance and supplement government revenues. The
IMF has completed a Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility program
that helped stabilize economic growth and reduce inflation. A recent
increase in political stability has led to a revival of economic
activity such as the rehabilitation of bauxite and rutile mining.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$3.991 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$1.664 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
7% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$600 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 49%
industry: 31%
services: 21% (2001 est.)
Labor force:
1.369 million (1981 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Population below poverty line:
70.2% (2004)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 0.5%
highest 10%: 43.6% (1989)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
62.9 (1989)
Budget:
revenues: $96 million
expenditures: $351 million (2000 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
11.7% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
NA (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
25% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$184.6 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$177.7 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$162.9 million (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
rice, coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, palm oil, peanuts; poultry,
cattle, sheep, pigs; fish
Industries:
diamond mining; small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles,
cigarettes, footwear); petroleum refining, small commercial ship
repair
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
250 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
232.5 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Oil - production:
0.7008 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
8,430 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
432.3 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
8,271 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance:
-$63 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$216 million f.o.b. (2006)
Exports - commodities:
diamonds, rutile, cocoa, coffee, fish
Exports - partners:
Belgium 49.3%, US 20.5%, Netherlands 4.5%, Canada 4.1% (2007)
Imports:
$560 million f.o.b. (2006)
Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels and lubricants, chemicals
Imports - partners:
Cote d'Ivoire 10%, China 10%, US 9.5%, UK 6.2%, Netherlands 5.1%,
India 4.7% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
$343.4 million (2005 est.)
Debt - external:
$1.61 billion (2003 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
Currency (code):
leone (SLL)
Currency code:
SLL
Exchange rates:
leones (SLL) per US dollar - NA (2007), 2,961.7 (2006), 2,889.6
(2005), 2,701.3 (2004), 2,347.9 (2003)
Communications
Sierra Leone
Telephones - main lines in use:
24,000 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
776,000 (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: marginal telephone service
domestic: the national microwave radio relay trunk system connects
Freetown to Bo and Kenema; mobile-cellular service is growing
rapidly from a small base
international: country code - 232; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 9, shortwave 1 (2001)
Radios:
1.12 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
2 (1999)
Televisions:
53,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.sl
Internet hosts:
8 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2001)
Internet users:
13,000 (2007)
Transportation
Sierra Leone
Airports:
10 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 9
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 2 (2007)
Heliports:
2 (2007)
Roadways:
total: 11,300 km
paved: 904 km
unpaved: 10,396 km (2002)
Waterways:
800 km (600 km year round) (2005)
Merchant marine:
total: 182
by type: bulk carrier 4, cargo 143, carrier 2, chemical tanker 3,
container 6, liquefied gas 2, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 6,
petroleum tanker 10, roll on/roll off 3, specialized tanker 2
foreign-owned: 95 (Belgium 1, China 15, Egypt 3, Greece 1, Hong Kong
1, Lebanon 1, Nigeria 1, Panama 1, Romania 3, Russia 11, Syria 18,
Taiwan 1, Turkey 15, Ukraine 10, UAE 8, UK 2, US 1, Yemen 2) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Freetown, Pepel, Sherbro Islands
Military
Sierra Leone
Military branches:
Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF): Army (includes Navy
(Maritime Wing), Air Wing) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
17 years 6 months of age for voluntary military service (younger
with parental consent); no conscription (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,315,561 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 671,418 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 70,068
female: 73,930 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
2.3% of GDP (2006)
Transnational Issues
Sierra Leone
Disputes - international:
as domestic fighting among disparate ethnic groups, rebel groups,
warlords, and youth gangs in Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, and
Sierra Leone gradually abate, the number of refugees in border areas
has begun to slowly dwindle; UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL)
has maintained over 4,000 peacekeepers in Sierra Leone since 1999;
Sierra Leone considers excessive Guinea's definition of the flood
plain limits to define the left bank boundary of the Makona and Moa
rivers and protests Guinea's continued occupation of these lands
including the hamlet of Yenga occupied since 1998
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 27,311 (Liberia) (2007)
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Singapore
Introduction
Singapore
Background:
Singapore was founded as a British trading colony in 1819. It joined
the Malaysian Federation in 1963 but separated two years later and
became independent. Singapore subsequently became one of the world's
most prosperous countries with strong international trading links
(its port is one of the world's busiest in terms of tonnage handled)
and with per capita GDP equal to that of the leading nations of
Western Europe.
Geography
Singapore
Location:
Southeastern Asia, islands between Malaysia and Indonesia
Geographic coordinates:
1 22 N, 103 48 E
Map references:
Southeast Asia
Area:
total: 692.7 sq km
land: 682.7 sq km
water: 10 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly more than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
193 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: within and beyond territorial sea, as
defined in treaties and practice
Climate:
tropical; hot, humid, rainy; two distinct monsoon seasons -
Northeastern monsoon (December to March) and Southwestern monsoon
(June to September); inter-monsoon - frequent afternoon and early
evening thunderstorms
Terrain:
lowland; gently undulating central plateau contains water catchment
area and nature preserve
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Singapore Strait 0 m
highest point: Bukit Timah 166 m
Natural resources:
fish, deepwater ports
Land use:
arable land: 1.47%
permanent crops: 1.47%
other: 97.06% (2005)
Irrigated land:
NA
Total renewable water resources:
0.6 cu km (1975)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.19 cu km/yr (45%/51%/4%)
per capita: 44 cu m/yr (1975)
Natural hazards:
NA
Environment - current issues:
industrial pollution; limited natural fresh water resources; limited
land availability presents waste disposal problems; seasonal
smoke/haze resulting from forest fires in Indonesia
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
focal point for Southeast Asian sea routes
People
Singapore
Population:
4,608,167 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 14.8% (male 353,333/female 329,005)
15-64 years: 76.5% (male 1,717,357/female 1,809,462)
65 years and over: 8.7% (male 177,378/female 221,632) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 38.4 years
male: 38 years
female: 38.8 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.135% (2008 est.)
Birth rate: