WELCOME TO SINGAPORE

ABOUT SINGAPORE Singapore is a tiny island located near the Equator, at the southern tip of Peninsula Malaysia.  If you look it up in the Atlas, it is just a small tiny dot on the map! Singapore is also known as "Singapura" in Malay.  "Singa" means LION and "pura" means CITY hence the name "Lion City". The total land area, including that of the smaller islands, is about 641 sq km.

This is the famous grand old lady of Singapore ~ The Raffles Hotel.  It is situated along Beach Road.  The building is more than a century old. Copyright: 22Feb1999, D. van Stuijvenber

"SINGLISH" Communication between most Singaporeans of whatever race commonly employs Singlish, an interesting blend of English with the dialects of Cantonese, Hokkien and Malay. Singlish is truely indigenous and has a somewhat entertaining ring to it.  Don't be surprised if you hear the taxi driver say "Okay, lah?" ("Lah" is often added at the end of the sentence)

Dick van Stuijvenberg of the Netherlands on his first visit to the Far East, in Feb 1999.

A  bird's eye view of Mount Faber.   This picture was taken from a cable car.  From Mount Faber, you can see a beautiful panoramic view of Singapore's skyline - the financial district, the public housing, the Singapore harbour, etc. Copyright: 23 Feb 1999, D. van Stuijvenberg

CRIME-FREE COUNTRY Singapore has earned the distinction of being one of the most crime-free countries in the world. The streets are quite safe at all times of the day and usually even at night. But Singapore is a "Fine City" and the severity of some of Singapore's laws may surprise foreigners.  Trafficking in narcotics (drugs) is punishable by death. The sale and importation of chewing gum is also banned, but you can bring small quantities into Singapore for your own personal use --- possession of chewing gum is NOT an offence! Smoking in air-conditioned areas is illegal. You can be fined for littering and jaywalking too !!

This picture was taken from the Esplanade.  This is the mouth of the Singapore River and the white creature is the Merlion.  It has a head of a lion and a body of a fish!  You can find a larger version on the Island of Sentosa. Copyright : 20 Feb 1999, D. van Stuijvenberg

The Fountain of \Wealth at Suntec City was designed by I. M. Pei.

Would you like to find out more about Singapore and its local customs?  Because Singapore is made up of a multi-racial society, there are many  local festivals celebrated by the ethnic groups such as the Mooncake Festival, the Hungry Ghost  Festival, Fire-walking Festival, Thaipusam, etc. Just click this Festivals of Singapore link and enjoy your reading......

Created on 26 July 1998.  Updated on 22 December 2002. Copyright  (c) 1998-2002, Agnes Tan