Social Studies Notes 8 :

Singapore’s flag was adopted in 1959 when it

became a self-governing country within the

British Empire. It remained as the national flag

upon the country’s independence from Malaysia

on August 9, 1965. Singapore is located on the

north of the equator and off the southern tip of

the Malay peninsula, bordering Straits of

Malacca to the west, Riau islands to the south,

South China Sea to the east. Singapore dollar

is the official currency of Singapore. It is divided

into 100 cents, and is issued by the Monetary

Authority. The national language is English,

Malay, Mandarin, and Tamil. (English is the

most widely spoken) Most people there are

Buddhist, the order goes like this Buddhist >

Christian > No religion > Muslim > Taoist >

Hindu. The name Singapore comes from its

Malay name Singapura, which is believed to

have been derived from Sanskrit meaning "Lion

City". Singa comes from the Sanskrit word

siṃha, which means "lion", and pūra means

"city" in Sanskrit. Singapore was known in the

13th to 14th century as Temasek, the city-state

Singapore has its main island separated

from Peninsular Malaysia to the north by Johor

Strait. Singapore is situated near the equator

and has a typically tropical climate and its

economy is mainly driven by exports in

electronics manufacturing and machinery,

financial services, tourism, and the world's

busiest cargo seaport. Its contemporary modern

culture consists of a combination of Asian and

European cultures, mainly by Malay, South

Asian, East Asian and Eurasian influences.

Top 5 tourist destinations :

1. Marina Bay Sands An integrated resort

notable for transforming Singapore’s city

skyline, it comprises three 55-storey

towers of extravagant hotel rooms and

luxury suites.
2. Orchard Road A famous tourist

attraction, it is an upscale shopping area

located in the central area of Singapore

3. Resorts World Sentosa is an integrated

resort on the island of Sentosa

4. Gardens by the bay is a nature park in

the central region of Singapore.

5. Singapore flyers an observation wheel at

the Downtown Core district of Singapore