Where is Singapore?

Hi, I'm Moondancer. See how closely I resemble the Singapore flag? Let me take you on a short tour to Southeast Asia to see where on earth do Magic Star and her fellow Singaporean friend Wiggles live.

First, we fly to the South China Sea which lies west of the Pacific Ocean. There we see tiny Singapore being surrounded by the much larger neighbouring countries of Malaysia and Indonesia.

Now that we have spotted Singapore, let's zoom in on the location to take a closer look. Singapore is a tiny island that lies at the southern tip of the Malaysia Peninsula. In fact, Singapore is so close to her neighbours that it is possible to see their shores on a clear day.  

Here we have mainland Singapore in pale orange surrounded by her islands in the same color. The green-shaded part is the Central Business District and the city area. Singapore island has a land area of only 620 sq km or 239 sq miles that supports a population of 3.5 million people. It has a hot and humid climate with an almost constant temperature of 30°C or 86°F. Sunshine and rainfall are plentiful throughout the year with more rain falling between November and January.

How did Singapore get her name?

Once upon a time, an Indonesian prince called Sang Nila Utama stopped over at the then unknown island for shelter. There he spotted a strange creature which his followers claimed was a "singa" (the Malay word for lion). Thinking that it was a good sign, the prince named the island Singapura, meaning "lion city". Over the next few centuries, Singapura remained a tiny fishing village until the British led by Sir Stamford Raffles arrived in 1819. The British later renamed the island as Singapore and she became a British colony until her independence in 1965. Experts say that the prince probably saw a tiger since lions did not exist in the region but "lion city" had been readily accepted as the name for the island.

Here is the Clarke Quay flea market where many unfortunate ponies had been rescued over the past 4 years. Some lucky ones have found new homes with local collectors like Magic Star and Wiggles, while others were more fortunate to migrate overseas to USA, UK, France, Holland and Australia. Many are still waiting at the Trade/Sale Counter for new homes. Of course not all the ponies there are flea market finds and ponies are getting scarce these days. Nevertheless, the weekly trips to the flea market still produce many interesting discoveries of other 80's toys. Clarke Quay is now more of a weekly second hand toy market frequented by regular buyers and sellers.

Some interesting facts about Singapore.....

• Singapore is a "Fine City". You get fined for many offences like littering, smoking, eating and drinking at restricted areas, speeding, road hogging, plucking public flowers and fruits, and many other minor offences.

• Repeat offenders for littering will be called up for Corrective Work Order. This means that the offender wears a bright orange jacket with the words "CWO" and clean up public areas for a few hours. 

• Chewing gum is banned in Singapore, yes chewing gum. You won't be caught for eating it but you will be for selling it. 

• Eating is the favourite pastime of Singaporeans. Food from almost all cultures are easily available, especially hot and spicy Asian cuisines. Most Singaporeans love spicy food. 

• Shopping is the next favourite pastime. Sales are always crowded but the crowds are still orderly. 

Other facts about Singapore.....

• The Singapore population is made up of approximately 76% Chinese, 15% Malay, 6% Indian and the rest are other various races. There is also a huge expatriate community living here and majority are from USA, UK, Australia and Japan.

• There are 4 main languages in Singapore. As you probably can guess, English is one of the main languages. The other 3 are Chinese, Malay and Tamil (Indian). English is compulsory in school and is used to communicate with other ethnic races.

• The major industries in Singapore are shipping, banking, tourism, electrical & electronics, chemicals and oil refining. Singapore's largest trading partners are the USA and Malaysia.

Hope  you have have enjoyed this little introduction and tour of Singapore. For further insights into the island nation, you may click on the above maps and photos to other commercial and personal websites about Singapore.

Or you can follow Baby Moondancer on a kids' friendly cyber tour of Singapore.

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