Sentosa

Sentosa, which means Tranquillity in Malay, is a popular island resort in Singapore, visited by some two million people a year. A major tourist attraction, it hosts a sheltered beach of more than two kilometres in length on its southern coast, a musical fountain replete with the latest in lighting display technologies, and historical fortifications in Fort Siloso, dating from World War II. There are also two golf courses and two 5-star hotels.

History

This island was once a fishing village known as Pulau Belakang Mati, which in Malay means the "Island Where Death Lurks From Behind". During the Second World War, it was a British military fortress. The British set up defending artillery guns in Fort Siloso then were pointed to the south, facing the sea in expectation of a seaward Japanese assault. However, the Japanese eventually invaded and captured Singapore from the north, after having done the same to Malaya (now known as West or Peninsular Malaysia).

In 1967, the island was handed back to the newly independent Singapore government. A year later, the government decided to develop the island into a holiday resort for local visitors and tourists. It was renamed “Sentosa”, which means Tranquillity in Malay, from a suggestion by the public.

Geography

The island has an area of 500 hectares. It lies just half a kilometre (a quarter of a mile) away from the southern coast of the main island of Singapore. It is Singapore’s fourth largest island (excluding the main island). 70 per cent of the island is covered by secondary rainforest, the habitat of monitor lizards, monkeys, peacocks, parrots as well as other native fauna and flora. The island also has 3.2 kilometre stretch of white sand beach.

Sentosa can be reached via a short causeway or cable car, which originates on Mount Faber and passes through HarbourFront en route. In the future, it will also be accessible by a SGD$140 million Sentosa Express between Sentosa and the main island's train system. When it becomes operational in 2006, visitors can easily transfer from the North-East MRT Line at HarbourFront Station onto the Sentosa Express, which will bring them directly into the island in well under 4 minutes.

Attractions

Sentosa offers a variety of attractions and museums providing different experiences to visitors.

• In the living museum of Butterfly Park, one can stroll through a landscape garden and experience the fluttering of over 1,5000 live butterflies, representing more than 50 species. Houses in a cool outdoor conservatory, these butterflies range from the 25-millimetre (one-inch) Eurema sari to the 15-centimetre (six-inch) Papilio iswara.
• The Insect Kingdom houses some 3,000 species of beautiful and rare insects from around the world, including a 16-centimetre size Dynastes Hercules beetle.
• Another living museum, the Underwater World oceanarium, contains 2,500 fishes of 250 different species, including starfish, stingrays, giant turtles, and baby sharks.
• The Dolphin Lagoon is home to some Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphins where visitors can observed their intelligent skills in the water.
• A Musical Fountain entertains visitors with dancing jets of water, laser, and song while introducing the history of Sentosa.
• In the west of the island stand the guns of preserved Fort Siloso which guarded the western approaches to Singapore during World War II. One can also explore a complex of ammunition bunkers, tunnels, and gun emplacements.

Recently, the Carlsberg Sky Tower was opened, and the Merlion was revamped with an all-new laser projection system.

Future Development

Future plans for Sentosa aim to establish it as one of the world's most luxurious holiday locations, with a SGD$10 billion masterplan for the future involving the construction of private housing, the aforementioned partial redevelopment of Siloso Beach, and Asia's first tourism academy. This large scale island redevelopment projects are expected to complete in 2012.

External links

• Sentosa official website

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