Map of Singapore

  The city of Singapore is the capital of the Singapore island nation. The country is situated at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula and claims to be the smallest nation of the Southeast Asia. The archipelagic nation consisting of 63 islands is spread over an area of 272 square miles.

Total population of the island nation is estimated to be around 4.68 million comprising of 3.7 million Singaporean citizens. Singapore has made immense strides in terms of economic, educational and industrial growth in a comparatively short span of time. The island nation is the 17th richest in terms of GDP per capita with more than 10% of the GDP being contributed by the nation's flourishing transportation industry alone.

INTRODUCTION

The Merlion

       The Merlion was designed as an emblem for the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) in 1964. The designer was Mr Fraser Brunner, a member of the souvenir committee and a curator of the Van Kleef Aquarium.

The Merlion has a lion head and a fish body resting on a crest of waves. The lion head symbolises the legend of the rediscovery of Singapura, as recorded in the "Malay Annals". In ancient times, Singapore was known as Temasek, a Javanese word for sea. In the 11th century A.D, Prince Sang Nila Utama of the Sri Vijaya Empire rediscovered the island. When the Prince first landed on Singapore's shores, he sighted a mystical beast which he later learnt was a lion. The Prince then decided to name the island "Singapura" which in Sanskrit means Lion (Singa) City (Pura). The fish tail of the Merlion symbolises the ancient city of Temasek and represents Singapore's humble beginnings as a fishing village.