r Christian 9.8%, other 0.7%, none 14.8% (2000 census)

Languages:

Mandarin 35%, English 23%, Malay 14.1%, Hokkien 11.4%, Cantonese
5.7%, Teochew 4.9%, Tamil 3.2%, other Chinese dialects 1.8%, other
0.9% (2000 census)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 92.5%
male: 96.6%
female: 88.6% (2000 census)

Education expenditures:

3.7% of GDP (2001)

Government
Singapore

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Singapore
conventional short form: Singapore
local long form: Republic of Singapore
local short form: Singapore

Government type:

parliamentary republic

Capital:

name: Singapore
geographic coordinates: 1 17 N, 103 51 E
time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

none

Independence:

9 August 1965 (from Malaysian Federation)

National holiday:

National Day, 9 August (1965)

Constitution:

3 June 1959; amended 1965 (based on preindependence State of
Singapore Constitution)

Legal system:

based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Suffrage:

21 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch:

chief of state: President S R NATHAN (since 1 September 1999)
note: uses S R NATHAN but his full name and the one used in formal
communications is Sellapan RAMANATHAN
head of government: Prime Minister LEE Hsien Loong (since 12 August
2004); Senior Minister GOH Chok Tong (since 12 August 2004);
Minister Mentor LEE Kuan Yew (since 12 August 2004); Deputy Prime
Ministers Shunmugam JAYAKUMAR (since 12 August 2004) and WONG Kan
Seng (since 1 September 2005)
cabinet: appointed by president, responsible to parliament
elections: president elected by popular vote for six-year term;
appointed on 17 August 2005 (next election to be held by August
2011); following legislative elections, leader of majority party or
leader of majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by
president; deputy prime ministers appointed by president
election results: Sellapan Rama (S R) NATHAN appointed president in
August 2005 after Presidential Elections Committee disqualified
three other would-be candidates; scheduled election not held

Legislative branch:

unicameral Parliament (84 seats; members elected by popular vote to
serve five-year terms); note - in addition, there are up to nine
nominated members; up to