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Geographical Info
Location: Southeastern Asia, islands between Malaysia and Indonesia. Geographic coordinates: 1 22 N,
103 48 E. Total are 647.5 sq km.
Climate: tropical; hot, humid, rainy; no pronounced rainy or dry seasons; thunderstorms occur on 40%
of all days (67% of days in April).
Population: 3,531,600 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 21% (male 387,786; female 364,018)
15-64 years: 72% (male 1,265,291; female 1,268,458)
65 years and over: 7% (male 109,418; female 136,629) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.15% (1999 est.)
Ethnic groups: Chinese 76.4%, Malay 14.9%, Indian 6.4%, other 2.3%
Religions: Buddhist (Chinese), Muslim (Malays), Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Taoist, Confucianist
Languages: Chinese (official), Malay (official and national), Tamil (official), English (official)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 91.1%
male: 95.9%
female: 86.3% .
Government type: republic within Commonwealth
Capital: Singapore
Independence: 9 August 1965 (from Malaysia)
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
Economy—overview: Singapore has an open economy with strong service and manufacturing sectors and excellent
international trading links derived from its entrepot history. Extraordinarily strong fundamentals allowed Singapore
to weather the effects of the Asian financial crisis better than its neighbors, but the crisis did pull GDP growth
down to 1.3% in
1998 from 6% in 1997. Projections for 1999 GDP growth are in the -1% to 1% range. Rising labor costs and appreciation
of the Singapore dollar against its neighbors' currencies continue to be a threat to Singapore's competitiveness.
The government's strategy to address this problem includes cutting costs, increasing productivity, improving infrastructure,
and
encouraging higher value-added industries. In applied technology, per capita output, investment, and labor discipline,
Singapore has key attributes of a developed country.
Illicit drugs: transit point for Golden Triangle heroin going to the US, Western Europe, and the Third
World; also a money-laundering center.
Key Features Table
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General
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Political Stability
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Good
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British Based Legal System:
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Yes
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Type of Company:
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Ltd
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Disclosure of Beneficial Owner:
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Yes
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Migration of Domicile Permitted:
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No
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Tax on Offshore Profits:
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Nil
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Chinese Names Allowed:
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Yes
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Corporate Requirements
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Minimum number of shareholders:
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2
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Minimum number of Directors:
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2
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Bearer shares common:
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NO
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Corporate Directors permitted:
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NO
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Secretary required:
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Yes
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Standard authorised capital:
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S$100,000
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Local Requirements
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Regd Office/Agent:
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Yes
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Company Secretary:
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Yes
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Local Directors:
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1
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Local Meetings:
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Yes
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Gov't Register of Directors:
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Yes
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Gov't Register of Shareholders
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Yes
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Annual Requirements
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Annual Return:
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Yes
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Audited Accounts:
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Yes
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Recurring Costs
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Annual tax/licence fees:
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S$50
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Normal local annual fees:
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N/A
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Normal annual cost from second year:
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N/A
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