10 Interesting Facts about Singapore

If you think you know everything about Singapore, think again. This little red dot has many not-so-little secrets. Check out these facts and see how much you really know (or didn’t know)!

1. Singapore consists of the main island, and 63 other offshore islands, both natural and man-made. Sentosa is the largest of the 63 islands. Man-made Jurong Island is a hub for chemical companies, including some of the biggest in the world. But most are unoccupied or used for military exercises. Island city, indeed.

2. Singapore is only one of 3 modern city-states in the world. The other two city-states are The Vatican City, the seat of Roman Catholicism and Monaco, located on France’s Mediterranean coastline.

3. Usain Bolt may be the fastest sprinter in the world but Singaporeans are the fastest walkers, clocking in at approximately 6.15km per hour.

4. Did you know all Singapore citizens can vote in the British elections? You can even run for public office in the United Kingdom! Because Singaporeans are Commonwealth citizens, they are entitled to certain rights in the UK and other Commonwealth countries.

5. Although lovingly dubbed “The Durian” by locals, the Esplanade was not actually designed to resemble any kind of fruit. The sunshades were designed and placed that way to let natural light in, while also allowing unobstructed views of the city landscape from the inside.

6. The Esplanade has more than 7,000 triangular aluminium sunshades, and are hand-cleaned by professionals. It takes almost 2 months to completely clean the Esplanade’s two spiked domes.

7. If you somehow forget our National Anthem, and just happen to have a $1000 note in your wallet, you’re in luck! The lyrics are printed in micro-text on the back of the note.

8. Did you know that there’s a famous ghost town in Michigan also called Singapore? It was founded in 1836 by Oshea Wilder, but unfortunately the town was buried in shifting sand dunes in the 1970s.

9. Singapore may be small in terms of land mass, but it makes up for it by having really large… man-made water features!

The Fountain of Wealth in Suntec City is the world’s largest fountain, standing at 13.8 metres, sprawled across almost 1,700 square metres.

That waterfall in the Jurong Bird Park you probably visited for primary school excursions is one of the world’s tallest man-made waterfalls at 30 metres.

The Cloud Forest at Gardens by the Bay has the world’s tallest indoor waterfall at 35 metres, but it may not stay that way for long. Changi Airport’s The Jewel, which will be opened to public in early 2019, has unveiled plans for a 40 metre indoor waterfall inside the terminal.   

10. South-east Asia’s first underground oil storage facility lies beneath the Banyan Basin on Jurong Island. The Jurong Rock Caverns are 27 metres high, 20 metres wide, and 340 metres long, and frees up 60 hectares (about 84 football fields) usable land for other purposes.