ower - military age and obligation:
18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 1,265,140 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 614,338 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$11.7 million (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.5% (2003)

Transnational Issues Sierra Leone

Disputes - international:
domestic fighting among disparate rebel groups, warlords, and youth
gangs in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone have created
insurgencies, street violence, looting, arms trafficking, ethnic
conflicts, and refugees in border areas; in 2003, Guinea and Sierra
Leone established a boundary commission to resolve a dispute over
the town of Yenga

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 67,000 (Liberia) (2004)

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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@Singapore

Introduction Singapore

Background:
Singapore was founded as a British trading colony in 1819. It
joined the Malaysian Federation in 1963 but separated two years
later and became independent. It subsequently became one of the
world's most prosperous countries with strong international trading
links (its port is the world's busiest in terms of tonnage handled)
and with per capita GDP equal to that of the leading nations of
Western Europe.

Geography Singapore

Location:
Southeastern Asia, islands between Malaysia and Indonesia

Geographic coordinates:
1 22 N, 103 48 E

Map references:
Southeast Asia

Area:
total: 692.7 sq km
water: 10 sq km
land: 682.7 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly more than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
193 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: within and beyond territorial sea, as
defined in treaties and practice

Climate:
tropical; hot, humid, rainy; two distinct monsoon seasons -
Northeastern monsoon from December to March and Southwestern monsoon
from June to September; inter-monsoon - frequent afternoon and early
evening thunderstorms

Terrain:
lowland; gently undulating central plateau contains water catchment
area and nature preserve

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Singapore Strait 0 m
highest point: