Singapore

Abstract

[Extract] The city-state of Singapore covers a mere 622 square kilometres. It consists of a main island plus a few islets at the southern tip of the Malayan Peninsula and it is separated from the peninsula by a causeway carrying road and rail traffic to and from Malaysia. Its equatorial and maritime climate is benign, but other than a deep natural harbour and a strategic location at the southern end of the Straits of Malacca, the country has scant natural resources.

In 1989 Singapore's population stood at 2.7 million. Ethnically, the population is composed of 76 per cent Chinese, 15 per cent Malays, 6 per cent Indians and a small percentage of Europeans, Arabs and mixed races. While the government has decided that Mandarin should be the official Chinese language, English remains the language of administration, and Malay and Tamil have official status. Overall literacy was estimated to be 86 per cent in 1986 (Ministry of Communications and Information, 1988: 3).