HAMZA

ALDAIF
7A
SINGAPORE
• Singapore, city-state located at the southern tip of the
Malay Peninsula, about 85 miles (137 kilometres) north of the Equator.
It consists of the diamond-shaped Singapore Island and some 60 small
islets; the main island occupies all but about 18 square miles of this
combined area. The main island is separated from Peninsular Malaysia
to the north by Johor Strait, a narrow channel crossed by a road and
rail causeway that is more than half a mile long. The southern limits of
the state run through Singapore Strait, where outliers of the Riau-
Lingga Archipelago—which forms a part of Indonesia—extend to within
10 miles of the main island.
The land
Relief

• Nearly two-thirds of the main island is less than 50 feet (15 metres)
above sea level. Timah Hill, the highest summit, has an elevation of only
531 feet (162 metres); with other peaks, such as Panjang and Mandai
hills, it forms a block of rugged terrain in the centre of the island. To the
west and south are lower scarps with marked northwest-southeast trends,
such as Mount Faber. The eastern part of the island is a low plateau cut
by erosion into an intricate pattern of hills and valleys. These physical
units reflect their geologic foundations: the central hills are formed from
granite rocks, the scarp lands from highly folded and faulted sedimentary
rocks, and the eastern plateau from uncompacted sands and gravels.
Drainage and soils

• A dense network of short streams drains the island, but floods are locally
severe because the streams have low gradients and because of excessive
water runoff from cleared land. Many streams, especially those draining
northward, have broad mangrove-fringed estuaries that extend far inland.
None of the soils is even reasonably fertile, but those derived from the
granites tend to be better than most. Soils developed from the sedimentary
rocks are variable, but many contain hardpans (compacted layers) that
restrict plant roots and impede soil drainage. The soils of eastern
Singapore are extremely infertile. All have suffered extensive degradation
through erosion as a result of generations of careless human exploitation.