Singapore Island

Singapore Island or Mainland Singapore, also historically known by its indigenous name Pulau Ujong (Malay: literally 'island at the end'), is the main constituent island of the city-state of Singapore. It is part of the Malay Archipelago and is located at the southern tip of Peninsular Malaysia. The island forms the bulk of the country in terms of area and population, since there are hardly any other residential areas situated on the smaller islands.[2] With a population of 5,469,700 and an area of 710 square kilometres (270 sq mi), Mainland Singapore is the 20th most populous island in the world and the 31st most densely populated island in the world.[1]

Singapore Island
Native name:
Pulau Ujong
A CIA map of Singapore Island from 1994
Geography
LocationSoutheast Asia
ArchipelagoMalay Archipelago
Adjacent bodies of waterSouth China Sea
Area710 km2 (270 sq mi)
Highest pointBukit Timah Hill - 164 metres (537 feet)
Administration
Demographics
Population5,469,700 (2018)[1]
Pop. density7,704/km2 (19953/sq mi)
Ethnic groupsChinese Singaporeans
Malay Singaporeans
Indian Singaporeans
Eurasian Singaporeans
Orang Seletars

Etymology

Pulau Ujong was the earliest reference to Singapore Island. The 3rd-century Chinese reference to Po Lo Chung (蒲羅中) corresponds to the Malay reference known as Pulau Ujong.[3] Travellers from the Straits of Malacca to the South China Sea would have to pass by the island, hence the name Pulau Ujong. Like Johor's old name, Ujong Tanah meaning "Land's End", the island was known better by the Orang laut as Pulau Ujong literally meaning "End Island". Ujong Tanah or its variants were also used in European sources as a name for Singapore.[4]

Legend

According to a third-century book Record of Foreign countries during the Eastern Wu Period (吴时外国传), Pu Luo Jong (Pulao Ujong) was inhabited by cannibals with five to six-inch tails.[5]

Geography
Main article: Geography of Singapore

The island measures 50 kilometres (31 mi) from east to west and 26 kilometres (16 mi) from north to south with 193 kilometres (120 mi) of coastline.[6] The highest point of Singapore is Bukit Timah Hill, with a height of 165 m (538 ft) and made up of igneous rock, granite. Hills and valleys of sedimentary rock dominate the northwest, while the eastern region consists of sandy and flatter land. Since 1822, there were land reclamation works by British, who at that time controlled the island and the government of Singapore has continued to increase the size of the island after independence, which increased the area of the island from 580 km2 (224 sq mi) in the 1960s to 710 km2 (274 sq mi) today.[7]

Extreme points
Main article: List of extreme points of Singapore

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

References
Citations
  1. "2014 Population in Brief". Population SG. Archived from the original on February 18, 2015. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  2. "Pulau Ubin Stories". National University of Singapore. May 24, 2004.
  3. Xu Yunqiao History of South East Asia 1961 Singapore World Publishing Co. 许云樵 《南洋史》 星洲世界书局 1961年
  4. Peter Borschberg, ed. (December 2004). Iberians in the Singapore-Melaka Area and Adjacent Regions (16th to 18th Century). Harrassowitz. p. 98. ISBN 978-3447051071.
  5. Record of Foreign Countries during the Eastern Wu Period, section on Pu Luo Jong 许云樵 《康泰吴时外国传辑注》 四十四-四十五页 1971 新加坡南洋研究所出版
  6. "Yearbook of Statistics Singapore 2012" (PDF). Department of Statistics Singapore. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  7. Gillis, K., & Tan, K. (2006). The book of Singapore’s firsts (p. 96). Singapore: Singapore Heritage Society. Call no.: RSING 959.57 GIL-[HIS].
Bibliography
  • Victor R Savage; Brenda Yeoh (2004). Toponymics A Study of Singapore's Street Names. Eastern University Press. ISBN 981-210-364-3.

Further reading
  • Kwa Chong Guan; Peter Borschberg (2018). Studying Singapore before 1800. NUS Press. ISBN 978-981-4722-74-2.

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