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Singapore Facts

Several Interesting Facts About Singapore

Here are a few Singapore Facts that you may be interested to know about this “little-red-dot” that we so adore.

Singapore History

Legend has it that a Sumatran prince sighted a beast that resembled a lion when he first set foot on the island in the 14th century. Hence the name Singapura, or Lion City

In 1819, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, governor of Bencoolen, Sumatra, identified and established a British trading post on this island. Singapura flourished in the presence of Sir Raffles and attracted many traders from all over Asia. In 1963, Singapore was included into Malaysia but on 9 August 1965, Singapore left Malaysia to become a sovereign, democratic and independent nation. On 22 December, Singapore became a republic.

More details on History of Singapore

Area

Singapore is among the 20 smallest countries in the world, with a total land area of 710.2 sq km. It consists of one mainland and 63 other small islands.

Weather in singapore

With close proximity to the equator, Singapore has a tropical climate with a uniformly high average daytime temperature of 31C and a minimum of 23C at night. Relative humidity is around 85%. Rainfall is heaviest during the northeast monsoon season (November to January) and the driest month is July.

For the current 5 Day Weather Forecast Singapore,just click this link.

People

Singapore’s population is estimated to be about 4.8 million. Its people are mainly descendants of immigrants from China, India, Indonesia, the Malay Peninsula and the Middle East. Singapore’s resident population is comprised of 74.7% Chinese, 13.6% Malays, 8.9% Indians and 2.8% others.

Language

There are 4 main languages – English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil. Malay is the national language and English is the official working language in Singapore. Singlish, Singapore’s unique language, is a mixture of English and local dialects.

National Symbols

The Singapore Flag
Red symbolises universal brotherhood and equality of man while white signifies purity and virtue. The crescent moon represents a young nation on the rise and the five stars signify the ideals of democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality.

The Merlion
A half-fish, half-lion beast, is the fitting symbol of Singapore. The "Singa" or lion represents the animal that a Sumatran prince saw which resembled a lion, and the fish is a tribute to Singapore's history as "Temasek", the ancient sea town. There are several Merlion statues around Singapore, the most famous of which is located at Merlion Park.

National Flower
Singapore National Flower The national flower of Singapore, Vanda Miss Joaquim, was first discovered in 1893 by Agnes Joaquim, an Armenian. The orchid is a natural hybrid between V. teres and V. hookeriana.

Other Interesting Singapore Facts

Chewing Gum was banned in Singapore in 1992 - you can still chew but you are not allowed to bring it into Singapore in large quantities.

The largest fountain in the world is located in Singapore at Suntec City.

The world’s highest man-made waterfall, at 30 meters, is located at Jurong Bird Park.

Chinese firecrackers are also banned in Singapore.

Drugs are strictly forbidden. There is a mandatory death sentence if you traffic drugs in Singapore!

I hope this short list of interesting Singapore facts will help you in planning for your trip here, we will keep adding to the facts over the coming months.

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