Singapore - City of the Lion

It is worthwhile to explore the eventful history of Singapore, which includes associated with the names Sang Nila Utama and Thomas Stamford Raffles. The first founded an empire in this region in 1299, which he called Singapura: Lion City. The name "Singapura" comes from Sanskrit and is composed of Singha (Siṃha: lion) and Pura (Pura:city). According to legend, when he arrived the prince saw a lion (who was probably a tiger since there were no lions living here) and took this as a good omen and inspiration for the naming. Closely linked to this legend, Singapore's symbol from 1964 is a Merlion, a mythical creature with a lion's head and a fish body. Its name is made up of the English words mermaid and lion.

Around 500 years later after the founding of Singapura, Raffles arrived here on January 29, 1819, to conclude a contract after brief negotiations with Sultan Hussein, in which the British East India Company was given control of the island of Singapore. A small British military presence and a trading post have now been established.

Today Singapore is one of the cleanest cities in the world, which is achieved not least by harsh penalties for almost all types of pollution. Excursions to the neighboring islands with old fishing boats are adventurous, but visits to the island of Sentosa are also, at least for those who feel a little excited when looking out of the gondolas of the cable car high above the water.