Introduction to various aspects of Singapore

The name of the country is The Republic of Singapore.

Area 682.7 square kilometers (Singapore Yearbook 2002).

Population: 3.3191 million (as of June 2001). Chinese account for 76.7%, Malays 13.9%, Indians 7.9%, and other races 1.5%. Malay is the national language, English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil are the official languages, and English is the administrative language. The main religions are Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Christianity and Hinduism.

The capital is Singapore.

The head of state, President S. R. Nathan, took office on September 1, 1999 for a six-year term.

Important holidays Chinese New Year: the same as the Chinese Spring Festival. Eid al-Fitr: When the new moon appears in October of the Hijri calendar. Tamil New Year: April and May. Vesak Day: The full moon day in May. National Day: August 9. Christmas: December 25th.

The statutory public holidays in Singapore last for 11 days. In addition to the above, there are also New Year, Easter, Hari Raya Hari Raya Hari Festival, Labor Day, etc.

Brief Profile Tropical city-state. It is located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, at the entrance and exit of the Strait of Malacca, adjacent to Malaysia across the Strait of Johor to the north, and facing Indonesia across the Strait of Singapore to the south. It consists of Singapore Island and 63 nearby small islands, of which Singapore Island accounts for 91.6% of the country's area. The terrain is low and flat, with an average altitude of 15 meters and a maximum altitude of 166 meters. The coastline is 193 kilometers long. It has a tropical maritime climate with high temperature, humidity and rain all year round. The annual average temperature is 24-27°C, the daily average temperature is 26.8°C, the annual average precipitation is 2345 mm, and the annual average humidity is 84.3.

It was called Temasek in ancient times. The country was founded in the 8th century and belonged to the Srivijaya Dynasty (Indonesia). It was part of the Kingdom of Johor in Malaya during the 18th and 19th centuries. In 1819, the Englishman Stamford Raffles arrived in New Zealand and contracted with the Sultan of Johor to establish a trading post. It became a British colony in 1824 and became Britain's entrepot trading port in the Far East and its main military base in Southeast Asia. Occupied by Japan in 1942. After Japan surrendered in 1945, Britain resumed colonial rule and designated it as a direct colony the following year. In 1959, it implemented internal autonomy and became an autonomous state. Britain retained the power of national defense, foreign affairs, amending the constitution, and promulgating "emergency decrees". It was merged into Malaysia on September 16, 1963. On August 9, 1965, it broke away from Malaysia and established the Republic of Singapore. It became a member of the United Nations in September of the same year and joined the Commonwealth of Nations in October.

Politics The first popular presidential election after independence was held in 1993. Former Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the Singapore Trade Union Congress, Ong Teng Cheong, was elected as the first democratically elected president. On January 2, 1997, Singapore held its eighth general election after independence. The People's Action Party won 65% of the support rate, won 81 of 83 parliamentary seats, and was re-elected in power. Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong formed Singapore's ninth cabinet after independence. In 2001, the political situation continued to remain stable. On November 3, 2001, Singapore held its ninth general election. The People's Action Party won 75% of the support rate, won 82 of the 84 elected seats in Congress, and was re-elected in power. The new cabinet was sworn in on November 23, and Goh Chok Tong was re-elected as Prime Minister. The Singaporean government attaches great importance to maintaining racial harmony internally and is preparing to adjust its economic development strategy. Externally, it pursues an all-round foreign policy based on ASEAN and balancing major powers.

The political situation continued to remain stable in 2002. The new government has intensified domestic efforts to combat terrorism, strengthened the national anti-terrorism mechanism, and successively uncovered multiple cases in which the "Jemaah Islamiyah" (Jemaah Islamiyah) planned to carry out terrorist attacks on new personnel and institutions in the United States, and arrested a number of "Jemaah Islamiyah" Member of the "Return to Prayer Group". In January 2003, the new government issued the "White Paper on Jemaah Islamiyah and the Threat of Terrorism" to raise the public's awareness of counter-terrorism. At the same time, the new government has also taken a number of measures to maintain the unity of various religions and ethnic groups, enhance social cohesion, and eliminate the negative impact of the "9.11" incident on domestic stability.

Constitution The Singapore State Constitution was promulgated after it was merged into Malaysia in September 1963. In December 1965, the state constitution was revised to become the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore, and stipulated that some provisions of the Malaysian Constitution still apply to Singapore. The Constitution stipulates: the implementation of parliamentary rule. The president is the head of state and is elected by the parliament. In January 1991, Congress passed a constitutional amendment, and in 1992 the Democratically Elected President Act was promulgated, stipulating that starting from 1993, the president would be elected by the people, and his term would be changed from 4 years to 6 years. The president appoints the leader of the majority party in the parliament as the prime minister; the president and the president of the parliament jointly exercise legislative power. The president has the power to veto the government's budget and public sector job appointments; he can review the government's exercise of the powers conferred by the Internal Security Act and the Religious Harmony Act and investigate corruption cases. The President must first seek the advice of the Presidential Advisory Council before exercising his powers such as making major civil servant appointments.

Government website www.gov.sg

The judicial branch consists of the Supreme Court and the Attorney-General's Chambers. The Supreme Court consists of the High Court and the Court of Appeal. In 1994, the requirement to appeal to the Privy Council was abolished and the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court was established as the court of last resort. Supreme Court justices are recommended by the Prime Minister and appointed by the President.

The economy is a foreign trade-driven economy, dominated by electronics, petrochemicals, finance, shipping, and service industries. The manufacturing and service industries are the twin engines of economic growth. It has great influence on the United States, Japan, Europe and surrounding markets. China is highly dependent on China, with its total foreign trade volume nearly three times its GDP. The economy has maintained rapid growth for a long time, with an average annual GDP growth of 9% from 1960 to 1984, making it one of the "Four Little Dragons" of the Asian economy. In the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the impact was not significant. In 2001, affected by the global economic slowdown and the decline in demand for electronic products in the international market, Singapore's economy fell into the most serious economic recession since independence, with negative economic growth for the whole year. In the global competitiveness rankings released by the World Economic Forum, Singapore ranked first in 2000. dropped from second place to fourth place.

In order to stimulate economic development, the new government proposed a strategic plan to "build a new Singapore" and move from a traditional economy to a knowledge economy. It established an economic restructuring committee led by Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to comprehensively review Singapore's economic development. policy, vigorously promote entrepreneurial culture, and actively negotiate and sign bilateral free trade agreements with Japan, the United States and other countries. However, affected by regional and world conditions, economic recovery has been slow and the prospects are still full of uncertainties. According to figures released by the new Ministry of Trade and Industry, the full-year growth in 2002 was only 2.2, and the expected growth in 2003 is 2-5. According to the global competitiveness ranking released by the World Economic Forum, China still ranked fourth in 2002.

Gross domestic product (2002): S$155.727 billion.

Gross domestic product growth rate (2002): 2.2.

Inflation rate (2002): -0.4.

Currency: Singapore Dollar.

Exchange rate against the US dollar (end of 2002): 1 US dollar = 1.7365 Singapore dollars.

Unemployment rate (2002): 4.4.

Resources Natural resources are scarce.

Industry mainly includes manufacturing and construction industries. In 2001, the output value was S$44.945 billion, accounting for 32.41% of the GDP. Manufacturing products mainly include electronic products, chemicals and chemical products, machinery and equipment, transportation equipment, petroleum products, oil refining and other sectors. It is the third largest oil refining center in the world.

2000 2001 2002

Output value growth Output value growth

(S$100 million) (S$100 million) (S$100 million)

p>

Manufacturing industry 369.74 15.1 327.22 -11.5 354.36 8.3

Construction industry 95.55 -1.8 92.49 -3.2 82.51 -10.8

(Source: Singapore 2002 Annual Economic Report)

Agriculture accounts for less than 1% of the national economy. Mainly poultry farming and aquaculture. All food is imported. Only 5% of the vegetables are produced in-house, and most of them are imported from Malaysia, China, Indonesia and Australia.

The service industry is the leading industry for economic growth. Including retail and wholesale trade, hotel tourism, transportation and telecommunications, financial services, business services, etc. In 2001, the output value was S$96.124 billion, accounting for 69.3% of the GDP.

Tourism is one of the main sources of foreign exchange. In 2002, it received 7.566 million foreign tourists, an increase of 0.6% from 2001, mainly from Indonesia, Japan, China, Malaysia, Australia and other countries. There are more than 32,000 hotel rooms, and the hotel occupancy rate is 74.4. The main attractions are: Sentosa Island, Botanical Garden, Night Zoo, etc.

Transportation The transportation is developed and the facilities are convenient. It is an important entrepot in the world and an aviation center connecting Asia, Europe, Africa and Oceania.

Railway: Mainly subway, with 49 stations and a total length of 91 kilometers. In November 1999, a light rail railway was built and connected to the subway.

Highways: The total length is about 3109 kilometers, including 111.6 kilometers of expressways. By the end of 2001, the total number of vehicles was 708,400, including 407,600 passenger vehicles and 137,200 freight vehicles.

Water transport: It is the busiest port in the world and one of the major re-export hubs in Asia. There are more than 300 routes connecting 740 ports around the world. As of the end of 2001, the country had a total of 3,353 merchant ships with a total tonnage of 23.1673 million tons, ranking 7th among the world's largest merchant fleets. In 2002, the tonnage of ships arriving at the port was 960 million tons, and the total throughput was 16.9 million boxes.

Air transport: Mainly Singapore Airlines and its subsidiary SilkAir, operating 91 aircraft. 60 airlines from various countries provide more than 3,258 scheduled flight services every week, with routes connecting 139 cities in 50 countries around the world. In 2001, it carried 28.1 million passengers and carried 1.5 million metric tons of air cargo. Changi Airport has been rated the best airport in the world for many years in a row.

(Source: Singapore Yearbook 2002)

Information and Communication In June 1998, the island-wide Singapore Integrated Network was launched, using optical fiber cables to connect the Internet and multimedia interactive services. In September 1999, the Singaporean government launched an electronic business plan to encourage various industries to set up online institutions. Singapore has launched the world's first nationwide broadband network, the Singapore Integrated Network, which provides 200 interactive applications. More than 99% of the island is connected to the Internet, half of households own a personal computer, and 58% of Internet users have shopped online. It has established high-speed telecommunications network connections with more than 80 countries through three international digital telephone networks, three ground satellite relay stations and submarine pipeline and cable networks. As of November 2001, mobile phone users accounted for approximately 71.5% of the total population.

The financial revenue and expenditure in the past three years are as follows:

2000, 2001, 2002

(S$100 million) (S$100 million) (S$100 million) SGD)

Income 335 315 291

Expenditure 280 339 292

Surplus 55 -24 -1

2002 Balance of Payments A surplus of S$2.287 billion. As of the end of 2002, foreign exchange reserves stood at S$142.7 billion, equivalent to 8.2 months of imports. Domestic debt is S$156.75 billion. No foreign debt.

Foreign trade is an important pillar of the national economy. Foreign trade volume is nearly three times its GDP. The foreign trade situation in the past three years is as follows (100 million Singapore dollars):

2000, 2001, 2002

Import volume 2321.75 2076.92 2083.11

Export volume 2378.26 2180.36 2239.01

Difference 56.51 103.34 155.90

Mainly exports electronic vacuum tubes, data processors, processed petroleum products and telecommunications equipment, etc., and imports electronic vacuum tubes, office and data processor parts, crude oil, and processed petroleum products etc. The main trading partners and their proportion of total foreign trade in New Zealand are: Malaysia accounts for 17.8, the United States 14.4, the European Union 12.2, Japan 9.9, China 6.5, Hong Kong, China, 5.9, and Taiwan, China, 4.8.

Overseas investment: Promote the "regional economic development strategy" and vigorously invest overseas. As of the end of 2000, China's overseas direct investment was approximately US$91.9 billion, mainly in finance, manufacturing and service industries. The main investment targets are Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Vietnam, Myanmar and other countries. As of January 2003, the cumulative new investment agreement amount in China was US$40.15 billion, with actual investment of US$21.47 billion. Important cooperation projects between the two countries include Suzhou Industrial Park, Wuxi Industrial Park, Shanghai Sanlin City residential development project, Dalian Container Terminal, etc.

Foreign Capital In 2000***, it attracted S$7.235 billion in foreign capital. In 2001, it attracted S$6.712 billion (approximately US$3.688 billion) in foreign capital. In 2002, it attracted S$7.039 billion in foreign capital. Most of them are concentrated in the electronics, chemical, transportation, mechanical equipment and other industries, mainly from the United States, Japan, the European Union, etc.

Famous company Temasek Holding Pte Ltd is one of the most famous state-owned holding companies in the world. Established in 1974, it is wholly owned by the Ministry of Finance and reports directly to the Minister of Finance. It directly controls 23 companies and indirectly controls about 2,000 companies, with total assets exceeding S$70 billion. The industries include transportation, ship repair and engineering, electricity and natural gas, communications, media, financial services, real estate and hotels, real estate management and consulting. , Architecture, Leisure and Entertainment. The chairman of the company is now Tanabalam, and the executive director is Ho Ching.

People’s Life In 2002, the per capita GDP was 37,401 Singapore dollars. The government pays attention to improving people's living conditions, and 85% of residents across the country have moved into public housing flats built by the government. The literacy rate is 93.2 (over 15 years old). The average life expectancy is 78.4 years. There are 14 doctors and 3,530 home telephone lines per 10,000 people.

Cultural education While retaining the traditional culture of various ethnic groups, encourage the evolution towards a unified national culture in Singapore.

Education Singapore's education system emphasizes literacy, numeracy, bilingualism, physical education, moral education, innovation and independent thinking skills. The bilingual policy requires students to not only learn English but also their mother tongue.

The government also promotes "information technology education" to help students master computer knowledge. Singapore*** has 197 primary schools, 165 secondary schools, 2 senior secondary schools and 15 junior colleges. There are three universities: National University, Nanyang Technological University and Singapore Management University. In addition, there are 4 polytechnics and 33 technical/commercial training colleges.