The first thing that comes to mind🤔 after listening the word Singapore, is the image of a lion’s head mounted upon the body of a fish with water coming out of the lion’s mouth.
This is the Merlion, Singapore’s national symbol, which has been inspired by the city’s name. But it’s not just this symbol, which is fascinating about Singapore, there’s lot more. Let’s explore.🤓
Singapore was founded as a British colony by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1819. During World War II, Singapore was occupied by the Japanese for almost three years. It became independent in 1965.🇸🇬
Singapore was previously named Temasek before the 14th century. The word Temasek meant “Sea Town”🌊 in the Javanese language. But in the 14th century, the island was renamed to Singapura. A prince🤴 once saw a creature which he thought was a lion and named the island “Singapura” which means “Lion City”🦁 in Sanskrit.
Singapore used to be a sleepy fishing town till 1960s. That’s when the founding father of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew decided to transform it. Now, Singapore is financial capital of Asia and is known for very high standard of living.💰
Fun Facts
👉 It is also one of the three countries in the world to be considered a city-state, with the other two being Monaco and Vatican City.
👉 The license to drive a car costs much more than the car in Singapore. So, everyone travels by public transport.
👉 The tiny city-state is the least corrupt in Asia and the 5th least corrupt country in the world.
👉 In Singapore, stop chewing your gum if you see the police. Or simply don’t carry one. Currently, it is banned except without medical prescription.
👉 It’s a crime to not flush the public toilet after use in Singapore.
You can refer to the video