Geography

Area	:	685 sq. km (264 sq. miles)
Capital	:	Singapore (country is a city-state)
Terrain	:	Lowland
Climate	:	Tropical

People

Population (2006):
4.48 million (including permanent residents, foreign workers)

Annual growth rate:
3.3%

Ethnic groups:
Chinese-77%; Malays-14%;Indians-8%

Religions:
Buddhist, Taoist, Muslim, Christian, Hindu

Languages:
English, Mandarin and other Chinese dialects, Malay, Tamil

Education:
Years compulsory-six; Attendance-94%; Literacy-94.6%

Health:
Infant mortality rate-2.11,000; Life expectancy-78 yrs (male), 82 yrs (female)

Work force (2006, 2.49 million):
Manufacturing-21%; Services-68%, Construction-10%, Others-1%

Government

Singapore, an independent republic since 1965, has a unicameral parliament which serves a term of five years after its first sitting. Elections must be held within three months of a dissolution of parliament. There is universal and compulsory suffrage. For more information, visit SINGOV (http://www.gov.sg), the official Singapore Government website.

Local Time, Business Hours, and Holidays

Singapore is twelve hours ahead of Eastern Daylight Savings or thirteen hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time.  Normal business hours are 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Monday-Friday.  Government of Singapore agencies and many private sector companies are closed for business on Saturday.  Shops are normally open everyday from 10:00 am – 9:00 p.m.

The American Embassy closes on American and local holidays.  The dates on which holidays are observed in 2009 are listed below:

January 1, Thursday - New Year's Day 

January 19, Monday - Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.

January 26-27, Monday-Tuesday - Chinese New Year

February 16, Monday - Washington’s Birthday

April 10, Friday - Good Friday 

May 1, Friday - Singapore Labor Day

May 9, Saturday - Vesak Day

May 25, Monday - Memorial Day

July 3, Friday - Independence Day

August 10, Monday - National Day

September 7, Monday - Labor Day

September 21, Monday - Hari Raya Puasa

October 12, Monday - Columbus Day

November 11, Wednesday - Veteran's Day

November 16, Monday - Deepavali

November 26, Thursday - Thanksgiving

November 27, Friday - Hari Raya Haji

December 25, Friday - Christmas

Transportation

Changi Airport and Singapore's seaport are among the best facilities in the world. There is an extensive road network and a modern, efficient Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system serving major business and shopping districts as well as several residential districts.

Website

Find more information about Singapore at: http://www.sg