Singapore (The Republic of Singapore) is a city-state, an island nation to the south of the Malay Peninsula, consisting of more than 50 islands, of which Singapore Island is the largest. Singapore is a small country with an area of 641.4 square kilometers. It has a population of more than 3.1 million, with a population density of 4,740 people per square kilometer, and more than 20 ethnic groups, including Chinese, Malays and Indians. English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil are the official languages.
Singapore is bordered by Malaysia to the north, separated by the 1.2-kilometer wide Straits of Johor, with a seawall leading to Johor Bahru in Malaysia. In the south, it is separated from Indonesia by the Straits of Singapore. Because it is located in the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean shipping lanes - the entrance and exit of the Strait of Malacca, the geographic location is very important. Singapore has a high temperature and rainy year-round, with an average annual temperature of 24-27 degrees Celsius and an average annual rainfall of about 2,400 millimeters. Singapore has two different monsoon seasons, the northeast monsoon from December to March, which is quite humid, and the southwest monsoon from June to September, which is the driest.
Singapore has a well-developed tourism industry, with the number of tourists reaching more than 4 million (more than the number of people in the country) every year, and the revenue from tourism amounting to more than 7 billion dollars. Specialty products are: Malay batik cloth, jewelry, antiques and so on. Singapore has a beautiful environment, clean city, fresh air, the government and residents are very concerned about cleanliness and hygiene, is the famous "Garden City", is also a bright tourism pearl in the Asia-Pacific region.
Supreme Court
Built in 1939, the Supreme Court, with its Corinthian columns and frescoes by the Italian artist Noli, is one of the most elaborate buildings of the British colonial period. Government House Next to the Supreme Court, it was the site of the Japanese surrender to Lord Mountbatten in 1945. The Public **** Corridor is open to the public and visitors can tour the building, but they cannot wear flip-flops or shorts and turn off their cell phones. Reservations must be made two weeks in advance for a tour of the inside of Government House.
Parliament House
The parliamentary seat of Singapore's elected representatives. It is open to the public to observe when Parliament is in session. Interpretation is available in the four official languages. Bronze Statue of Sir Stamford Raffles The bronze statue of Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of Singapore, stands in front of the Victoria Theatre, while a replica of the statue is placed north of the Barge Quay, where Raffles is said to have landed in Singapore. It is commonly referred to as the Raffles Landing Site.
Sentosa
Sentosa
Located in the southern sea of Singapore, a small island in the sea, before 1970 was a British military base, has now become Singapore's main sightseeing and vacation resort, with a cross-sea bridge and the main island of Singapore connected. The island has beautiful beaches, tall palms, a variety of exhibition halls, such as the wax museum exhibiting more than 90 Singapore pioneers, the world's first-class butterfly exhibition hall, exhibiting more than 4,000 kinds of butterflies, beetles, moths, cockroaches, live insects and specimens of Asia's largest insectarium and so on. The most notable feature of the island is the Underwater World, which is said to be the largest in Southeast Asia. After riding an electric conveyor belt through the intricate tunnels, you can see thousands of marine animals with a wide variety of names. There are also recreational facilities such as artificial lakes, roller skating rinks, tennis courts, golf courses, etc., where visitors can play various sports, and musical fountains are performed at night. The island's monuments include Fort Siloso, built in 1880, which preserves an ancient cannon from the 5th century AD. The island is also served by a monorail, which runs around the island in 45 minutes.
Cow Che Shui
Chinese settlement, also known as Chinatown, is located on the south bank of the Singapore River, between South Bridge Road and New Bridge Road, and is named after the oxcarts used by the Chinese to haul water. Covering an area of only 2 square kilometers, the old buildings, stores and temples here have retained their strong traditional Chinese colors, and a variety of craftsmen, such as herbalists, statue carvers, calligraphers and portrait makers, are still making a living quietly with their traditional skills here. Ancient temples are filled with pious men and women of good faith who come to pray for blessings. Weaving in and out of modern shopping centers and narrow, quaint old-fashioned stores, Chinatown is enough to trigger nostalgia in visitors.
"Little India"
Located along Serangoon Road, south of the Singapore River, it is home to a large Indian population. The area is filled with a strong Indian lifestyle, with Indians everywhere on the streets and stores selling mainly Indian household items. Bamboo Foot Mansion is the most famous shopping complex in the area. Crawford Road is a good place to taste authentic Indian curry. "There is also a famous Chinese temple in Little India called the Thousand Lights Temple, which houses a 1.5-meter tall statue of Siddhartha Gautama.
Fishtail Lion Park
Located on the north side of the Red Light Quay, it is a small park with a white fishtail lion statue, the symbol of Singapore. Jurong Park has become a new tourist attraction. It is 13.5 hectares in size in the heart of Jurong River. It was designed and constructed in the shape of the Summer Palace in Beijing with the characteristics of the courtyards that were prevalent in China during the Song Dynasty, and fully expresses the traditional Chinese architectural style. The whole garden ***31 scenes, each with its own characteristics. Among them, the White Rainbow Bridge and the Moon Boat are modeled after the 17-hole Bridge and the Stone Boat of the Summer Palace in Beijing. The tallest building is the Cloud Pagoda, which is 145 feet high and hexagonal in shape.
Jurong Bird Park
One of the world's most famous bird parks. It is located on the slopes of VIP Hill in Jurong Town in the western part of Singapore. It covers an area of 0.2 square kilometers. In 95 birdhouses, 6 ponds and 10 paddocks where birds can fly and roost at will, there are about 8,500 birds (of more than 360 species) from the tropics and frigid zones, swamps and deserts, oceans and mountains.
Traveling in Singapore
Languages: The official languages of Singapore are English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil. Most of the Chinese in Singapore are fluent in Cantonese, making it a friendly place for tourists to visit.
Currency: The currency is the Singapore dollar. Traveler's checks and foreign currencies can be exchanged at most banks.
Sanitation: Littering is punishable by a fine of up to S$2,000, and repeat offenders are fined and required to perform social services to clean up public places. The importation, sale and possession of chewing gum (except in reasonable quantities for private use) is strictly prohibited in Singapore to keep the place clean.
Tipping: The government prohibits tipping at the airport and discourages tipping by tourists at hotels and restaurants.
Climate: The climate is warm and humid, with average daytime highs of 32 degrees Celsius, average nighttime highs of 24 degrees Celsius, and an average midday temperature of 30.8 degrees Celsius, which makes light summer clothing appropriate for the local climate.
No smoking: Smoking is prohibited in buses, subways, elevators, theaters and government office buildings, as well as in restaurants and air-conditioned shopping centers. Smoking is not permitted in restaurants and air-conditioned shopping centers, except in air-conditioned lounges, dance halls and other nighttime venues.
Drinking water: Singapore's water is clean and safe to drink raw, so visitors can drink it without boiling.
Malaysia Travel Notes
Entry Visitors must be in possession of their national passports and a tourist visa authorized to enter Malaysia. Tourists are not allowed to overstay in Malaysia. Customs Procedures Visitors must be vaccinated whenever they come from yellow fever infected areas or endemic areas, excluding children under l years of age. Duty-free items that tourists are allowed to bring into the country include 225 grams of tobacco or cigars, or 200 cigarettes, and l liter of alcohol. An airport tax is payable on departure. Currency The name of the Malaysian currency is the Malaysian Ringgit (RM) (i.e. Malaysian Dollar), with one Ringgit equal to 100 cents (SEN). Coins are 1 cent, 5 cents, 10 cents (known as "l cents"), 20 cents (known as "20 cents"), 50 cents (known as "50 cents") and 1 ringgit. Banknotes are available in denominations of RMl, RM2, RM5, RMl0, RM20, RM50, RMl00, RM500 and RMl000. Foreign currencies and traveller's cheques can be exchanged at banks or authorized money changers throughout the country. When traveling to remote areas, bring sufficient cash with you. Passports should be presented when cashing traveler's checks. Tipping It is not customary to tip in Malaysia. In hotels and restaurants, tipping is not necessary as a 10% service charge is added to the bill. If a service charge is added to the bill, a tip of about 10% is allowed. Travelers may give a small tip to hotel bellboys and baggage handlers as appropriate. Hotel doormen and taxi drivers do not need to be tipped. Working hours in Malaysia are generally eight hours, with half a day on Saturday and Sunday off. Government offices are open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Half days are from 8:00 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Banks are open from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. on Saturdays. Department stores and supermarkets are open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Local calls can be made from any phone booth with coins or a phone card. International calls can only be made from phone booths or telecommunication offices that accept calling cards. International calls can only be made from phone booths or telecommunication offices where cards can be used. Hotels and hostels generally have direct IDD services for a small service charge. Postal Services Post offices are open from 1:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and are closed on Sundays and public holidays. The Kuala Lumpur Post Office is open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Most star hotels provide mail services at their desks. Customs and Taboos The Malays are a warm, humble and generous people who emphasize etiquette. When you are a guest in a Malay home, you should pay attention to your demeanor and respect the elders. Islam is the national religion of Malaysia, Malaysians believe that the left hand is unclean, so tourists do not touch objects with the left hand, and can not reach out to the first lady to ask for a handshake, not to touch the head of others. Malay customs and our country are very different, so we must pay attention to avoid inadvertently violating taboos, resulting in rudeness, or cause misunderstandings and unnecessary disputes. Gambling scams The trick is to trick foreign tourists into their homes with clever words, luring them to play black jack and other card games, at first feigning to lose, and then finally letting the tourists lose big time and empty-handed. Victims continue to appear. Most of the victims are young, adventurous people such as college students. The scammers pretend to be very welcoming and come up to them, so the tourists follow them to their homes without thinking about it. These people are professional scammers, so travelers should not be careless. Stealing - usually occurs on the following occasions: 1. After getting off the airplane, when you leave your luggage on the floor to be exchanged. 2. 2．When you eat in a restaurant and put your backpack behind your back． 3. When you ask a friend to take care of your luggage and leave your seat by yourself. There has been a case where luggage was stolen from a tour group of 8 people in full view of the public. It is inevitable that something will go wrong when you are traveling. Always keep an eye on your valuables. If your credit card is stolen, you should contact your card-issuing bank immediately.