The most interesting facts about Singapore, from the world’s tallest indoor waterfall to the founding of World Toilet Day.
Fast facts
Official name: Republic of Singapore
Population: 6 million people
Area: 719 sq km
Capital city: Singapore
Major languages: English, Mandarin, other Chinese dialects
Major religions: Buddhist 31.1%, Christian 18.9%, Muslim 15.6%, Taoist 8.8%, Hindu 5%
Time zone: UTC+8 (Singapore Standard Time)
Interesting facts about Singapore
1. Singapore is an island nation and city-state located in Southeast Asia.
2. The island of Singapore used to be known as Temasek as early as the 14th century. Inhabited by fishermen and pirates, it served as an outpost for the Sumatran empire.
3. Singapore is connected to Peninsular Malaysia on the Asian continent’s mainland by two causeways spanning the Johore Strait: the Johor Causeway and the Malaysia–Singapore Second Link. There have also been suggestions that a third bridge could be built to ease congestion, although nothing has materialized yet.
4. Modern Singapore was essentially founded by Sir Stamford Raffles of the British East India Company in 1819 when he established a trading post on Singapore Island.
5. Singapore was briefly part of Malaysia when it, along with other former British colonies, joined the Federation of Malaya to form Malaysia in 1963. However, in 1965 Singapore declared independence from the Federation of Malaysia.
6. The Singapore flag is red and white, horizontally striped with a white crescent and five stars in the upper left corner. The red and white stand for universal brotherhood and equality and purity and virtue; the crescent for the growth of a young country; and the five stars for democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality.
7. From 1819, Singapore was a British colony known as the “Gibraltar of the East” due to its strategic importance as a British stronghold similar to Gibraltar on the Iberian Peninsula.
8. Singapore’s Changi Airport has repeatedly won the world’s best airport award. In fact, the airport has won the award 11 times since 2000 and won the award eight times in a row from 2013 to 2020.
9. The world’s tallest indoor waterfall is located in Singapore. The Rain Vortex is 40m (131ft) high and pumps 500,000 liters of rainwater through the roof of the Jewel building at Changi Airport.
10. Singapore hosted the first-ever Formula One night race. In 2008, the Marina Bay Street Circuit hosted F1’s inaugural nighttime race, with the circuit illuminated by floodlights.
11. Singapore is home to the world’s first nocturnal zoo. The Singapore Night Safari opened in 1994 and is the world’s first zoo that opens exclusively at night.
12. Singapore is home to the UNESCO-listed Singapore Botanic Gardens: “Situated at the heart of the city of Singapore, the site demonstrates the evolution of a British tropical colonial botanic garden that has become a modern world-class scientific institution used for both conservation and education.”
13. In 2017, Singapore’s first female president, Halimah Yacob, was sworn in. As a member of the Muslim Malay minority, she is also the country’s first Malay leader in 47 years.
14. In addition to the main island, Singapore also has 64 offshore islands.
15. In 2020, Singapore’s street food was inscribed on the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The inscription represents the community of vendors who cook and sell meals in the 114 hawker centres across the city-state.
16. In 1942, Japan invaded Singapore and occupied the island during the Second World War. It was liberated and returned to British rule in 1946.
17. Singapore has expanded its surface area by more than a fifth (22%)since its independence in 1965 from 581 sq km to 719 sq km. It has done this by reclaiming land from the sea and by controversially importing large quantities of sand from countries such as Cambodia.
18. In 2013, Singapore founded World Toilet Day when it tabled a UN resolution, Sanitation for All, to raise awareness of the global challenge of sanitation and toilets. World Toilet Day is celebrated annually on 19th November.
19. Singapore has been named the second safest city in the world according to the latest Safe Cities Index report.
20. Singapore is one of the least corrupt countries in the world. In 2023, it was ranked as the world’s fifth and Asia’s least corrupt country, according to the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index.
21. The national symbol of Singapore is the lion or merlion – a mythical half-lion-half-fish creature.
22. The name Singapore comes from the Sanskrit words “simha” (lion) and “pura” (city) which describe the country’s lionlike symbols.
23. Singapore has the third-lowest murder rate in the world, with just 0.1 cases of intentional homicides per 100,000 people.
24. Singapore has been ranked the world’s fifth most powerful city in the annual Global Power City Index in 2023 and is also known as Asia’s smartest city.
25. Singapore’s Bukit Timah Nature Reserve supposedly holds more tree species than the entire North American continent.
26. Singapore calls itself the Garden City and has stated its intention to become the “world’s greenest city” through a number of initiatives which include expanding its green spaces and insisting that developments must include plant life such as green roofs, vertical gardens and verdant walls.
27. Singapore has the world’s second-lowest fertility rate, with 0.97 children born per woman on average.
28. Singapore has the world’s joint-most powerful passport. Along with the Japanese, the Singaporean passport can easily access 192 destinations.
Every effort has been made to verify these facts about Singapore using primary sources. However, if you find an error or have any questions, please contact us.
Caitriona Maria is an education writer and owner of The Facts Institute. A teacher for seven years, she has been committed to providing students with the best learning opportunities possible, both domestically and abroad. Dedicated to unlocking students' potential, Caitriona has taught English in several countries and continues to explore new cultures through her travels.