Happy 56th Birthday SG! Here Are 10 Interesting Facts You Did Not Know About Singapore

08 Aug 2021
Singapore's Festive Seasons

Happy 56th Birthday SG! Here Are 10 Interesting Facts You Did Not Know About Singapore

Singapore’s National Day is celebrated every year on August 9, in commemoration of Singapore's independence from Malaysia in 1965. This public holiday features a National Day Parade, an address by the Prime Minister of Singapore, before ending it off with fireworks celebrations.

Here are 10 interesting facts about Singapore that we bet you did not know!

1. Our national anthem is in micro-text on the back of the $1000 note.

2. Singaporeans are the fastest walkers on the planet! According to a study by the British Council, we have the fastest walking speed; we can walk about 6.15km in an hour on average.

3. Singapore is among the 20 smallest countries in the world, with a total land area of only 682.7 square kilometers.

4. Ever wondered what the symbols on our national flag represent? Red symbolises universal brotherhood and equality of man while white signifies purity and virtue. The crescent moon represents a young nation on the rise and the five stars signify the ideals of democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality.

5. The national flower of Singapore, Vanda Miss Joaquim, was first discovered in 1893 by Agnes Joaquim, an Armenian.

6. Surprisingly, our local blend of Singlish is actually pretty well-known internationally. We have two words – lah and sinseh – in the online version of the Oxford English Dictionary.

7. Despite our relative lack of farmland and agriculture, Singapore is the largest exporter of ornamental fish (contributing to 25% of the world market).

8. Buildings in Singapore cannot be higher than 280 metres. There are presently three buildings of that height: OUB Centre, UOB Plaza and Republic Plaza.

9. More Singaporeans are born in the month of October than any other month of the year.

10. The most common Chinese surnames in Singapore are Tan, Lim and Lee.

 

And there you have it, we hope you managed to learn more about our little red dot on her birthday!