City guide · Singapore 新加坡
Singapore
From Temasek to the Lion City: a garden city where Chinese, Malays and Indians live together
Singapore is small, yet holds the futuristic architecture of Marina Bay, the old streets of Chinatown and Little India, and cheap, authentic hawker-centre food. The city is clean and orderly, and famous for its strict fines.
History
Los orígenes de la ciudad
Early Singapore was a maritime trading port called Temasek, mentioned in a Javanese eulogy of 1365; the 'Danmaxi' visited around 1330 by the Yuan traveller Wang Dayuan may also have been here. The name 'Singapura' comes from the Sanskrit for 'lion city'. In 1819 Raffles established Singapore as a British entrepôt, beginning its modern history. Japan occupied Singapore in 1942, and it returned to British rule after Japan's surrender in 1945. It became self-governing in 1959, joined the Federation of Malaysia in 1963, was expelled two years later and became an independent nation in 1965.
- c. 1330Wang Dayuan visited 'Danmaxi' (Temasek)
- 1819Raffles founded a British trading port
- 1942Occupied by Japan
- 1963Joined the Federation of Malaysia
- 1965Became an independent nation
- 1972The Merlion statue was unveiled at the mouth of the Singapore River
Stories
Historias de la ciudad
Historia · Merlion Park
The Lion City's name and the Merlion
The name 'Singapura' comes from the Sanskrit for 'lion city'; earlier, this maritime trading port was called 'Temasek'. In 1819 Raffles established a British trading port here, beginning Singapore's modern history. The Merlion is a much later symbol: in 1964 Fraser Brunner, curator of the Van Kleef Aquarium, designed this lion-headed, fish-bodied emblem for the Singapore Tourism Board; in 1971–1972 the sculptor Lim Nang Seng made the Merlion statue at the mouth of the Singapore River, unveiled by Lee Kuan Yew on 15 September 1972. In 2002 the statue was moved in one piece to its current site in Merlion Park.
People
Personajes vinculados a Singapore
Must see
Lugares imprescindibles
Marina Bay Sands
Three legs holding up a 'ship in the sky': the Lion City skyline's futurist manifesto
Merlion Park
An 8.6-m water-spouting Merlion, Singapore's 'city totem'
Sentosa
An island of fun with Universal Studios and sunny beaches: the Lion City's 'back garden'
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Chinatown
Pioneering traces of Chinese forebears: an old district where tradition meets trend
Local life
Gastronomía y vida cotidiana
Before you go
Normas que debe conocer en Singapore
Singapore: chewing gum, e-cigarettes and littering
- Clear chewing gum out of your luggage before arrival (except medical and dental gum approved by the Health Sciences Authority)
- Put rubbish in the bin
- Carrying or using e-cigarettes; bringing them in for personal use is also illegal
- Littering
E-cigarettes are completely illegal; police can fine you on the spot for littering.
Verificado el 19 oct 2026Fuente: GOV.UK: Singapore travel advice