Singapore Island

Singapore Island, also known as mainland Singapore and Pulau Ujong, is the main constituent island of the sovereign island country and city-state of the Republic of Singapore. It is located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, between the Straits of Malacca and the South China Sea. The Singapore Strait lies to the south, while the Johor Strait lies to the north.

The island forms the bulk of the country in terms of area, population, and prominence since areas situated on the country's smaller islands consist of military or industrial areas, except for Sentosa and Ubin Islands. As of 2023, Singapore's population stood close to six million, and the mainland has a land area of approximately .

Etymology

Temasek was the early recorded name of a settlement on the site of today's Singapore, although the island itself wasn't specifically defined. Meanwhile, Pulau Ujong was one of the earliest references to Singapore Island. The 3rd-century Chinese reference to Pú Luó Zhōng (Template:Zh) corresponds to the local reference Pulau Ujong (Malay for "Island at the End").

Travellers and merchants from around Asia arriving at the Singapore Strait to the South China Sea would have to pass by the island, hence the name Pulau Ujong. Similarly, Orang Laut tribes called Singapore the "End Island". Ujong Tanah ("Land at the Furthest") or its variants were also used in European sources as a name for Singapore.

The Kristang name for the island, Pedra Draku ("Rock of Dragons" or "Dragonsrock"), comes from the Dragon's Tail Peninsula found in older maps of the world, identified as the former sub-continent of Sundaland that the island of Singapore now sits on top of. The name Pedra Draku thus also has supposed parallels with the Dragon's Teeth Gate or Long Ya Men (Template:Zh) that once stood at the front of Keppel Harbour, and also with the Malay name Pulau Ujong, identifying Singapore as the island at the end of the Dragon's Tail Peninsula.

Legend

According to the mythical third-century book Record of Foreign Countries during the Eastern Wu Period (呉時外國傳), the island was inhabited by cannibals with five- to six-inch tails, which may have had racial connotations and provokes skepticism.

Geography

On a straight line, the island measures approximately from east to west and from north to south, with of coastline. The highest point of Singapore is Bukit Timah Hill, which is made up of igneous rock and granite and is high. Hills and valleys of sedimentary rock dominate the northwest, while the eastern region consists of sandy and flatter land.

Since 1822, there have been land reclamation works, first by the British, who then controlled the island as a colony. Since independence, the contemporary government of Singapore has continued to increase the size of the island, having increased the area of the main island from in the 1960s to today. A further of land is also expected to be added to the main island.

Extreme points

The northernmost of Singapore island is Sembawang. The westernmost and southernmost points are at Tuas. The easternmost is Changi Bay.

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