Singapore The Lion City

Singapore derives its name from the Malay words singa (lion) and pura (city) which is why it is also known as the Lion City. Folklore has it that Malay a prince named Sang Nila Utama saw a lion as the first living creature on the island and decided to name it Singapura as a result.

The Lion City was originally a British trading colony in 1819 and joined the Malaysian Federation in 1963; however, Singapore separated two years later and became independent. It subsequently became one of the world's most prosperous countries with strong international trading links (its port is one of the world's busiest in terms of tonnage handled) and with per capita GDP equal to that of the leading Western European nations.

ENTRY REGULATIONS
All who enter Singapore require a passport valid for at least 6 months beyond date of departure. Visa is not required if visitors plan to stay no more than 14 days; most tourists are given a 14-day Social Visit Pass on arrival at Changi International Airport.

CLIMATE
Singapore’s climate is equatorial, warm and humid all year round with intermittent rains throughout the year.

LANGUAGE
Several languages are spoken in Singapore but majority speak Mandarin and English including Malay, Hokkien, Cantonese, Teochew, Tamil and other Chinese dialects.

CURRENCY
The currency unit is the Singapore dollar (S$). Approximately S$1.50 = US$1

DOMESTIC TRANSPORT
Singapore’s Metro Rail Transit and the Light Rail Transit services serve domestics travel.
Air-conditioned taxis and buses regularly ply the city.

COMMUNICATIONS FACILITIES
International Direct Dial Country Code = 65
Fixed Lines = 2,000,000
Mobile Cellular = 4,500,000

Singapore Telecommunications Limited SGX, commonly known as SingTel is Singapore's largest telecommunications company and the largest mobile network operator in Asia Pacific outside of the People's Republic of China. A former government monopoly privatized in 1992, SingTel divested its postal operation SingPost in 2003 and now concentrates on providing internet service provider, mobile phone and fixed line telephony services.

Other cellular service providers in Singapore are MobileOne, SingTel 1800 and Starhub.

Several prepaid calling card and phone card companies are available to call both to and from Singapore.

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