Singapore
The Country of the Week
Quick Facts
- Capital
- Singapore
- Population
- 6,080,545 (2025 est.)
- Area
- 719 sq km
- Government
- parliamentary republic
- Religions
- Buddhist 31.1%, Christian 18.9%, Muslim 15.6%, Taoist 8.8%, Hindu 5%, other 0.6%, none 20% (2020 est.)
- Ethnic Groups
- Chinese 74.2%, Malay 13.7%, Indian 8.9%, other 3.2% (2021 est.)
- Currency
- Singapore dollars (SGD)
- Life Expectancy
- 86.7 years (2024 est.)
- Internet Domain
- .sg
- 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
- lowlying, gently undulating central plateau
- Natural Resources
- fish, deepwater ports
- Major Exports
- integrated circuits, refined petroleum, machinery, vaccines, gold (2023)
Source: CIA World Factbook (public domain)
Overview
A Malay trading port known as Temasek existed on the island of Singapore by the 14th century. The settlement changed hands several times in the ensuing centuries and was eventually burned in the 17th century, falling into obscurity.