7 Super Facts About Singapore

Singapore is a group of islands located in Southeast Asia. Its total area is 719 square km and it is the world’s third most densely populated country. Singapore has a fabulous reputation for being a super clean country, having one of the least corrupt governments, and being one of “the easiest place to do business” a phrase coined by the World Bank. One great fact about Singapore is that it boasts a 156-year-old botanical garden that is the only tropical garden in the world with a UNESCO World Heritage Site recognition. Read on for more fun Singapore facts!

7 Singapore Facts

1. 1. Singapore’s entire national anthem is written in extremely small text on the back of their $1,000 banknote. (source)

2. 2. The word Singapore means ‘lion-city’ in ancient Sanskrit. (source) It is hypothesized the the name came from early travelers to the island that mistook local tigers for lions. It is unlikely that lions ever inhabited the island but there were hundreds of human deaths due to tigers during the 19th century.

3. 3. Singapore is actually a nation of 63 islands altogether. (source) Although most of the islands are uninhabitable.

4. 4. Singapore is the country with the fastest broadband Internet speed. (source) With average speeds of 238.59 megabits per second a whopping 139.92 MBPS over the global average.

5. 5. Singapore is famous for having the world’s first night zoo. (source) In 1994, Night Safari, as it’s called, was open, featuring over 1,000 animals living in their naturalistic nocturnal environments.

6. 6. To clean up the city sidewalks and transit system, a ban on chewing gum was put in place in 1992. (source) You cannot buy gum in any grocery or convenient stores in Singapore and it is a fineable offense if you are caught with a pack or accused of spitting it out on the sidewalk.

7. 7. Singapore also has a law about flushing the toilet. (source) It has undercover officers that check toilets after they’ve been used, and the country even installs security cameras if they receive numerous complaints on a public toilet being dirty so they can catch the offenders.

Add a comment below if you have any additional facts about Singapore to share!