Interesting facts about Singapore - Little-known things about a well-known country

The name Singapore is derived from the name “Singapura”, meaning the land of the lion. Legend has it that Prince Sang Nila Utama of Palembang thought he saw a lion in the area and decided to name it the land of the lion. However, no lions have been recorded in Singapore outside captivity. Yet, the lion-mermaid hybrid, the Merlion is a popular symbol of the country and can be found all over the place. From hotel chains like Pan Pacific Hotels and many other hotels in Singapore to every street function, you are sure to find the Merlion on some part of it.

Countries are usually a collection of cities and towns. Singapore, however, is one of the rare cities that is also a country. There are only two others like that in the world: the Vatican and Monaco. Although a single city that is also a State, Singapore is a collection of islands. There are 64 islands in addition to the main island of Singapore. Most of these smaller islands are uninhabited.

The Singaporean flag represents its shorter history in that values of governance that are more modern are a key part of it. The red colour on the Singapore flag represents the equality of humans and universal brotherhood. As is the case in most countries, white is symbolic of virtue and purity. The moon that is not full is symbolic of the youth of the nation, one that is still on the rise to its full glory. The five stars are for five values: equality, democracy, justice, peace, and progress.

Although a giant in economy and quality of life, Singapore is among the twenty smallest countries in the world. Its total land area is only 682.7 square kilometres. Although small, it has over 3000km of roads. If laid end to end, this would extend all the way to Hong Kong from Singapore. The highly developed roads and the small size of the country means that you can easily travel within the country on your own. They have a highly developed public transport system and you can travel from one end of the country to the other in a matter of hours with minimal hassle.

A small city-state that has a high population, Singapore has tried its best to make sure that the city remains green in the face of development. To this end, you will see architectural masterpieces in Singapore, Gardens by Bay being one of the key achievements. An entirely man-made garden, a large part of this is suspended above ground allowing the business as usual below. It is not unusual to find entire buildings covered with plants or rooftop gardens in most skyscrapers in the country.