This country houses the most amazing natural resources that you could ever imagine. The Loma Mountains, Tiwai Island, Lake Sonfon and Tingi Hills Forest reserve are just a few of the main attractions in Sierra Leone that will leave you in awe. Another National Park, which is named Outamba-Kilimi has the most beautiful jungle and the diversity and multitude of wildlife primates such as colobus monkeys and chimpanzees that you cannot see elsewhere. Once you have your fill of nature, and wanted to see how the nightlife goes in this country, you may visit Freetown where you get to experience how to be a local in Sierra Leone.
Important and Interesting Facts about Singapore
- The country sits just 85 miles North of the equator and the temperate is always hot (though it was cooler than Thailand). Their seasons are hot & dry and hot & rainy and when the rain comes, it’s extremely heavy.
- Singapore is a rapidly growing city-state of nearly 6 million people.
- Singapore is one of the smallest countries in the world.
- Singapore has transformed itself from a third-world, swampy island to a first-class, modern city in just fifty years. It’s a regional hub for corporations, with its own high tech centers, biomedical facilities and so on.
- There are four official languages in Singapore: English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil, reflecting the different ethnic make-up of the city.
- Singapore is often referred to as a “fine city” because of the number of big-dollar fines that one can receive for infractions. For example, you can be fined for not flushing a public toilet or for chewing gum!
- Most of the population, about 85%, live in public housing developments and, of these, 95% own their flats. Living in public housing is not considered a sign of poverty and some sell for more than one million $US.
- The largest tropical orchid garden in the world is found in Singapore Botanic Gardens.
- Kallang River, the longest river in Singapore, is just 10 km long.
- Singapore permits buildings to be constructed only up to a maximum height of 280 metres as a safety measure for planes landing and taking off from the Changi Airport.
- Singapore consists only of one main island and 63 other tiny islands. Most of these islands are uninhabited
- The highest natural point in Singapore is Bukit Timah Hill, which is only 164 metres high (Singapore has a very flat terrain).
Cool, Funny, and Fun Facts about Singapore
- You can find the national anthem in microtext on the back of the $1000 note.
- Singapore has the biggest Yakult bottles in Southeast Asia.
- There were no lions in this Lion City.
- Singapore is one of three surviving city-states in the world.It’s weird to think that ▪Singapore don’t have a capital.
- There’s a ‘Hug Me’ Coca-Cola machine in Singapore,Hug Me’ Coca-Cola machine dispenses a bottle of Coke when a person wraps his or her arms around the machine!
- Cartoon Network thought Singapore was in Malaysia,In Season 3 Episode 5 of Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, Terrence and Mac battle it out as to where Singapore was.
- According to a research by the British Council, Singaporeans have the fastest walking speed. On average, they walk a distance of 18 metres in 10.55 seconds. That’s approximately 6.15km in an hour!
- Most people speak English, often very well. The schools educate children primarily in English, with a small portion of the day in “Mother Tongue” (e.g. if you are Chinese, you learn in Mandarin).
- Many Singaporeans have a habit of adding “la” to the end of their sentences. For example, “okay-la,” is one example of Singlish.
- In spite of its small size, the city has six digit zip codes!
Historical and Cultural Facts about Singapore
- Sang Nila Utama, a Srivijayan prince from Palembang (of present day Indonesia) went to the island of Temasek for hunting and saw a strange animal with an orange body, black head. He was told that it probably was a lion. He believed it to be a good omen and founded a city in 1324. He named the city “Singapura” (“Singa” is a Sanskrit word for lion, and “Pura” means city in Sanskrit – The name thus means the “Lion City”
- During World War II,Singapore was considered an impregnable fortress, but the Japanese overran the island in 1942. After the war, Singapore became a Crown Colony.
- The growth of nationalism led to self-government in 1959 and on 9 August 1965, Singapore became an independent republic.
- Upon full independence in 1965, Majulah Singapura was formally adopted as Singapore’s national anthem. By law the anthem may only be sung with its original Malay lyrics.
- Singapore became the 117th member of the United Nations on 21 September 1965.
- In 1981, Malaysia moved its clocks in West Malaysia ahead by 30 min. That forced Singapore to follow suit, as it is heavily dependent on Malaysian imports
- Many families, both foreign and local, employ a live-in “helper”. The hard-working helpers are usually a woman from The Philippines and it’s quite affordable.
- Caning is a form of corporal punishment still practiced in Singapore. One can be caned for relatively minor offenses such as vandalism and petty theft. You must be physically awake for the caning and if you pass out, they will stop the caning and let you heal before recommencing the punishment. Only young men are caned.
- Homosexual acts are illegal.
- Older people ideally are treated with respect, but wealth and status may supersede age distinctions. A social superior or an authority is treated with much formality.
- There are great differences between formal and informal events, situations, and places. In social interaction, a certain physical distance is kept, especially between men and women. Food rules of the ethnic groups are always respected.
