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| Official name: Repablik Singapura, Xinjiapo Gongheguo, Singapur
Kutiyarasu, Republic of Singapore Head of State: President Sellapan Ramanathan (S R Nathan) (since Sep 1999) Head of government: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (sworn in 12 Aug 2004) Ruling party: People's Action Party (PAP) (since 1965; re-elected Nov 2001) Area: 636 square km Population: 4.22 million (2004) Official language: English, Mandarin Chinese, Malay, Tamil. Currency: Singapore dollar (S$) = 100 cents Exchange rate: S$1.65 per US$ (Nov 2004); the S$ is pegged to US dollar by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) GDP per capita: US$21,821 (2003) GDP real growth: 0.50% (2003) Labour force: 2.19 million (2003) Unemployment: 4.90% (2003) Inflation: 0.60% (2003) Balance of trade: US$16.24 billion (2003) Foreign debt: US$8.20 billion (2003) Visitor numbers: 6.13 million (2003) |
Historical profile
The Republic of Singapore consists of Singapore Island, where Singapore City
is located, and 57 smaller islands. One of these, Pedra Branca (Batu Putih),
is claimed by Malaysia.
1819 Sir Stamford Raffles established a trading station in Singapore for the British East India Company. Singapore's free trade policy with no taxation attracted merchants from the entire region. The port captured much of the entrepôt trade of the East Indies. During the nineteenth century thousands of immigrant Chinese, Indians, Indonesians and Malays emigrated there.
1824 The Sultan of Johore allowed the British East India Company full control of the territory.
1826 Singapore, Malacca and Penang were incorporated into the Straits Settlements, part of the British East India Company.
1867 The Straits Settlements became a crown colony.
1942 During the Second World War, the island was captured and controlled by the Japanese.
1945 The British regained control of Singapore.
1946 The Straits Settlement dissolved. Penang and Malacca became part of Malaya while Singapore was made into a British Crown Colony.
1954 Lee Kuan Yew founded the People's Action Party (PAP). It attracted a strong following among the poor and the non-English speaking population.
1959 Singapore achieved internal self-government. The PAP won the election and Lee Kuan Yew became the first prime minister. Under Lee Kuan Yew, government opposition was suppressed. Lee's government attracted much international critisism for its authoritarian approach. Under Lee's leadership however, Singapore became a financial and industrial powerhouse.
1963 Singapore became a state of the Federation of Malaysia.
1965 The Republic of Singapore was legally declared an independent, sovereign state.
1967 Singapore was a founder member of the Association of Southeast Asian nations (Asean).
1971 The last British troops were withdrawn from Singapore.
1984 For the first time in Singapore's political history, two opposition MPs were elected to parliament.
1990 Goh Chok Tong took over from Lee Kuan Yew as prime minister.
1993 In the first direct presidential election, the PAP candidate, Ong Teng Cheong, secured the post.
1997 The PAP was re-elected.
1999 Sellapan Ramanathan (S R Nathan) was declared president.
2001 A political rally by parliamentarian J B Jeyaretnam of the Workers' Party of Singapore (WPS) was allowed by the government to take place -- the first permitted outside an election period. The PAP was re-elected.
2003 The Sars virus affected Singapore early in the year, infecting 206 people and killing 31. By the end of May, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared that Singapore was free of Sars. A free trade agreement between Singapore and the US came into effect.
2004 After 14 years, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong stood down and Lee Hsien
Loong was sworn in as prime minister on 12 August.
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