City Snapshot – Singapore

Population: 5.08 million

International Airport: Singapore Changi Airport
2010 GDP: US $291.9 billion.

Notable Foreign Investors: Citi, Proctor & Gamble, Dow Chemical, Colgate-Palmolive, Philip Morris

Description: Singapore is one of the business capitals of the world, with an advanced healthcare system and infrastructure. It is the 4th leading financial center in the world, and possesses the world’s tenth largest foreign reserves. The country is the world’s fourth largest foreign-exchange trading center after London, New York, and Tokyo. Poverty is low, and almost the entire population has access to clean water and sanitation facilities.

Weather: Singapore has tropical rainforest climate with no distinctive seasons. Temperatures range from 23-32 degrees C (73-90 degrees F). Humidity averages 79% in morning and 73% in the afternoon. April and May are the hottest months, with monsoon season from November to January.

Fast Facts:
01. Five million people live in Singapore, 2.91 million of whom were born locally.
02. Most are of Chinese, Malay, or Indian decent.
03. The four official languages are English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil.
04. Singapore consists of 63 islands, the main island is known as Singapore Island, or Pulau Ujong.
05. The country is home to more US millionaire households per capita than any other country.
06. Buddhism is the most widely practiced religion in Singapore (next in order of size, are Christianity, Islam, Taoism, and Hinduism).

Infrastructure
 Singapore has an extensive road and railway system that makes travel around the island much easier. Its international airport also makes it an important link for air travel within Southeast Asia.

Road
The island has a road system covering 3.356 km (2,085 mk) which includes 161 km (100 mi) of expressways. The public road system is served by buses and licensed taxi operating companies. There are two bridges that link Singapore to Malaysia – the Causeway and the Second Link.

Railways
 Since 1987, the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) metro system has been in operation. The Light Rail Transit runs within a few neighborhoods. The Sentosa Express monorail links Sentosa Island to mainland Singapore. The main island is connected to other islands by ferryboat.

Air
 Singapore is an aviation hub for the Southeast Asian region and a stopover between Sydney and London. There are a total of 8 airports in the country, the Singapore Changi Airport being the international airport.

Port and waterways
 The Port of Singapore was the world’s second busiest port in 2005.

Economy and investment climate
Singapore’s GDP grew by 2.2% in 2001. The Economic Review Committee was set up in December 2001 and recommended several policy changes to revitalize the economy. Since then, improvements in the world economy has helped Singapore greatly; the economy grew by 8.3% in 2004, 6.4% in 2005, and 7.9% in 2006. From 2009 to 2010, Singapore experienced a GDP growth of 14.5%. Singapore possesses the world's tenth largest foreign reserves. Singapore's external trade has a higher value than its GDP, making trade a vital component to its economic well-being. In 2009, Singapore's economy was ranked the world's most open, competitive and innovative. Singapore is also rated the most business-friendly economy in the world.

Resources:
Government Organizations
Singapore Government Website:  www.gov.sg