Top 50 Amazing Facts About Singapore | Amazing Facts 4U
Land & Geography
- Singapore has a population of 6 million. It consists only of one main island and 63 other small islands most of which are uninhabited.
- Singapore is one of three city-states in the world others being Monaco and Vatican City.
- The fact is it has a total land area of only 682.7 square km. The USA is about 15,000 times bigger.
- Singapore was ranked 3rd in terms of population density. It has got nearly 7200 people per sq km.
- The country sits just 85 miles North of the equator and the temperate is generally hot. The lowest minimum recorded temperature ever is 68F recorded 80 years ago!
- Amazingly it is actually 25 % bigger than what it was when it became independent in 1963 due to land reclamation. Singapore bought billions of cubic feet of sand from Cambodia which has been turned into new Singapore territory.
- Singapore is one of the few countries in the world to be considered an island, a city, and a state all at the same time.
- Singapore has relatively flat terrain, the highest natural point being Bukit Timah Hill, which is only 164 meters high.
- The flying fox, the world’s largest bat with a wingspan of up to 1.5 meters, is found on Pulau Ubin, one of the islands off mainland Singapore.
History
- Sang Nila Utama, a Srivijayan Prince from Palembang saw a creature he thought was a lion and named the island Singapura which means Lion City in Sanskrit. But truth is that there were no lions ever in Singapore.
Places / Architecture
- The largest fountain in the world Made of cast bronze is located in Singapore at Suntec City. it was built at the cost of US$6 million in 1997.
- The Singapore Flyer is the world’s tallest observation wheel having a height of 165 Mtrs.
- The world’s highest manmade waterfall, standing at 30 meters, is located at Jurong Bird Park.
- The world’s first night zoo, The Night Safari, is located in Singapore.
- The amazing fact is that the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve in Singapore contains more species of trees than the entire North American continent.
- The largest tropical orchid garden in the world is in Singapore Botanic Gardens.
- The buildings of Suntec City have been built in the shape of a palm of a hand symbolizing good “feng shui”.
People Customs & Culture
- Although English is the official working language and the most widely used language in Singapore, the national anthem is actually sung in Malay.
- There are four official languages in Singapore: English, Mandarin, Malay, and Tamil, reflecting the different ethnic makeup of the city.
- Many Singaporeans have a habit of adding “la” to the end of their sentences. e.g. “okay la” is one example of Singlish.
- Amazingly in Singapore 1 out of every 6 households has $1 million or more in disposable income, the highest ratio in the world!
- Most of the population, about 85%, live in public housing developments and of these, 95% own their flats. Amazingly living in public housing is not considered a sign of poverty.
- With 73 percent of the population afflicted, Singapore has one of the highest rates of myopia or short-sightedness, in the world.
- With one link card, you can pay for the metro, commuter rail, the bus, and even taxis!
- Located at the National University of Singapore, the first ‘Hug Me’ Coca-Cola machine dispenses a bottle of Coke when a person wraps his or her arms around the machine!
- Singaporeans are believed to have the fastest walking speed in the world approx. 6.15 km in an hour!
- All schools up to the 12th grade would require their students to wear the school’s distinctive uniform.
- Singapore’s Electronic Road Pricing System (ERP) is the first in the world to use RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology to effectively track and manage road traffic volume at different times of the day. This serves as an electronic toll system that automatically deducts the prescribed road price from a stored value smart card inserted in an RFID-based in-vehicle unit.
Politics/ Legal
- Singapore became the 117th member of the United Nations on 21 September 1965.
- Since 1967, all male Singaporeans are required to join the army for 2½ years upon reaching 18 years of age.
- The amazing fact is that the entire lyrics of the Singapore national anthem are printed in the micro text on the back of the $1,000 note.
- A litter law dating from 1968 is the country’s way of keeping clean. Disregard the law, drop trash on the ground in this Southeast Asian city, and you’ll pay $1,000.
- Amazingly it is against the law and offense to not flush the toilet after using it. You are liable to fine around $150.
- The amazing fact is that chewing gum sale forbidden in Singapore since 1992. Weird thing is, Singapore allows you to actually chew gum. Just make sure you stick it at the trash can, otherwise pay large fines.
- If you’re introducing a stranger as your good friend, speak well of him and it proves to be false, you’ll be convicted for abetment.
- Connecting on unsecured Wi-Fi hotspots amazingly means hacking which is liable for punishment. You better go to an Internet cafe shop to use the internet rather than logging in on an unsecured network.
- The amazing fact is that it is considered an offense to enter the country with cigarettes. Cigarettes are illegal in all public places.
- In Singapore, you can be sentenced to death for drug trafficking, kidnapping, and importing of firearms.
- The amazing fact is that to own a car, you must purchase a Certificate of Entitlement (COE) which gives you the right to drive a car on the streets. The COE charge, valid for 10 years varies depending on the size of the vehicle and the demand.
- The COE for a small car could be the US $50000 to $75000 in addition to the cost of the car. After 10 years, most people decide that it is not worth it to renew the COE on an old car.
- Singapore has a law stating that “shouting and other forms of unruly behavior are prohibited; Participants shall not paint their faces or bodies or wear any form of disguise even for religious reasons.”
- Caning is a form of corporal punishment still practiced in Singapore. One can be caned for offenses such as vandalism and petty theft. Only young men are canned and You must be physically awake for the caning.
- Anyone caught with more than 15 grams (weight of a quarter coin) of heroin faces a mandatory death penalty.
- Amazingly Singapore enforces a casino entry fee of S$100 exclusively for locals. Foreigners are exempted.
- Social Development Unit (SDU) is a government-sponsored dating agency. You get an exclusive membership invitation at an annual fee of only S$10 from the SDU if you are above 30 and still not married.
- The Time Zone of Singapore has been changed 6 times since 1905. It was was 7.5 hours ahead of GMT when in 1982 it was made 8 hours ahead of GMT to match East Malaysia GMT.
Economy & Corporates
- The fact is that Singapore is also the only Asian country to have AAA credit ratings from Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s, and Fitch.
- The amazing fact is that it takes three days to start a business in Singapore while the world’s average is thirty-four days.
- Singapore’s banking system is considered to be among the strongest in the world. Singapore has the fourth largest foreign exchange market in the world after London, New York, and Tokyo.
- The amazing fact is that Singapore is ranked as the best country in the world to do business ahead of Hong Kong and New Zealand.
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