 |
Singapore is a young country - only founded in 1819 when Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles landed at Singapore and signed a treaty with the Malay sultan Hussein Shah. Since then Singapore has grown from strength to strength. As a free-trade port it initially gained its reputation and placed itself firmly on the world map.
In 1959, Singapore became independent of the United Kingdom and slowly flourished to form the amazing metropolis and economic power it has become today. A modern and meticulously clean city state its reputation for efficiency is well-deserved. |
|
| Singapore is the only city in the world to have rainforest in its city limits. Get away from the city and enjoy nature at one of several nature reserves in Singapore. Enjoy the treetop walk and MacRitchie reservoir, or perhaps the mangrove swamps of Sungei Buloh (boots not required!). Or perhaps enjoy the amazing Zoo with one of the worlds largest collections of primates, whilst next door is the unique 'Night Safari' where you can observe nocturnal animals during the night. |
|
Singaporeans know how to shop. It is a little joke in Singapore that if shopping were an olympic sport Singapore would win gold!
Orchard Road is the first stop for shopaholics - a road packed with shopping malls from one end to the other. Take in the luxury brands at Ngee Ann City and Paragorn, or perhaps search the boutiques for unusual bargains at Far East Plaza or Lucky Plaza. In fact there are so many malls some malls only deal in a single type of product! The IT seeker should search out Funan IT mall and Sim Lim Square. Whilst the sports fanatic should head to Queensway mall. |
|
Singapore is a melting pot of different cultures. The main population originated from Southern China and was joined by a sizeable number of Malay people from Malaysia as well as an Indian community. Today, people of Chinese origin make up 75% of Singapore, Malays 14% and Indians 9%.
But the best bit is they all brought their own food with them. Meaning Singapore is possibly the only place you can have authentic Malay Nasi Lemak (Coconut rice) food for breakfast, Chinese Dim Sum (Cantonese delicacies) for lunch followed by a spicy Indian Mutton Briyani (Curry) for dinner. As well as this local fusions of food have also emerged, marrying Malay food with Indian food as well as Chinese food.
In more recent times a large Western ex-pat community also provides local colour. Food from around the world is available throughout Singapore, savour Italian delights, Mexican Food by the river, even locally brewed beer as well as the tastes of Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and all of South East Asia.
It is all here in Singapore, cuisine from all over the world fused into local forms and tastes. |
|
| Only a short distance from the equator it's always hot in Singapore! It has three seasons: Hot. Hotter. Hot and wet. If you love hot weather you will be in your element here. It never gets cold, not even at night. Jumpers and coats you can safely leave at home! |
|
| Singapore is rightly famed for the superb quality of its public transport. Taxi's are plentiful and cheap. The MRT (the underground train system) runs like major arteries through all the major locations through Singapore making it simple to get around. Singapore is only 40 km from West to East and only 20 km from North to South. It never takes a long time to get anywhere in Singapore and you can easily get from one extreme of the island to the other in less than an hour! |
|
www.VisitSingapore.com - Singapore tourist website. Discover a world of unique contrasts
WildSingapore - Getting in touch with nature, Singapore style.
Also go here for more external links |
|
|
|
