Named examples: Small island city-state

A named place with a date or figure, linked to your point, turns a general answer into a developed one.

This lesson collects the 12 named examples from the lessons in this chapter, so you can revise them in one place. Each one is also a recall card below, so you can save the whole set and review it before an exam.

People, economy and sovereignty: Forum of Small States, 1992; Law of the Sea and the Singapore Convention; Paris Agreement pledges; ASEAN haze agreement.

Land, food, water and energy: Food; Energy; Water.

Ageing, diversity and external shocks: Ageing and low birth rates; Asian financial crisis, 1997 to 1998; SARS, 2003; Global financial crisis, 2008 to 2009; COVID-19, 2020.

To use a case, name the place or organisation, give its date or a figure, then say what it shows about the question. One developed case earns more than a list of names.

Forum of Small States, 1992

Singapore set up this informal group at the United Nations in 1992 and has chaired it since. It is open to countries with fewer than 10 million people and now has 108 members. Small states use it to share ideas and speak together at the UN.

Law of the Sea and the Singapore Convention

Singapore's diplomat Tommy Koh chaired the UN conference that finished the Law of the Sea treaty in 1982. These rules protect free passage through straits such as the Strait of Malacca, which Singapore's port depends on. In 2019, a UN treaty on settling business disputes by mediation was signed in Singapore and named after it.

Paris Agreement pledges

Singapore ratified the Paris Agreement in 2016. In February 2025 it pledged to cut its yearly emissions to between 45 and 50 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2035. Its long-term goal is net zero by 2050.

ASEAN haze agreement

ASEAN members signed the Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution in 2002. After fires in Indonesia pushed Singapore's PSI to a record 401 on 21 June 2013, Singapore also passed the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act in 2014. It lets Singapore take action against companies whose fires abroad cause haze at home.

Food

Singapore imports over 90% of its food, from more than 170 countries and regions. Buying from many sources reduces the risk if one supplier is cut off.

Energy

About 95% of Singapore's electricity is generated from natural gas, almost all of it imported.

Water

Singapore gets water from four "national taps": local catchments, water imported from Johor, NEWater and desalinated seawater.

Ageing and low birth rates

Singapore's resident total fertility rate fell to 0.97 in 2023, well below the 2.1 needed to replace the population. By 2030, about one in four citizens will be aged 65 or over.

Asian financial crisis, 1997 to 1998

Currencies and demand collapsed across the region, and Singapore's exports and property prices fell. To save jobs, the employer CPF contribution rate was cut from 20% to 10% in 1999, lowering business costs. It was partly restored from 2000 as the economy recovered.

SARS, 2003

238 people in Singapore caught SARS and 33 died. In the first week of April 2003, visitor arrivals fell by 56% compared with a year before. Strict measures, including home quarantine, screening of travellers and school closures, contained the outbreak by May 2003.

Global financial crisis, 2008 to 2009

Overseas orders for Singapore's exports dropped sharply. The 2009 Budget's S$20.5 billion Resilience Package included the Jobs Credit scheme, which helped employers keep workers. For the first time, the government drew on past reserves, setting aside S$4.9 billion.

COVID-19, 2020

Border closures cut visitor arrivals by 85.7% and caused Singapore's worst recession since independence. Four budgets in 2020 committed close to S$100 billion, about S$52 billion of it from past reserves. Most of it protected jobs, through schemes such as the Jobs Support Scheme.