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- Whip out your magnifying glasses!
Did you know that you can find the national anthem in microtext on the back of the S$1,000 note? So if you have trouble memorising the national anthem, you can try to get your hands on a S$1,000 note and a magnifying glass! - "What time is it again?"
Singapore has changed time zones 6 times since 1905.
From 1933 to 1941, we moved our clocks forward 20 minutes for daylight savings, but then changed it to 30 minutes.
During the Japanese occupation in World War II, our clocks were synced with Tokyo, to become 1 hour and 30 minutes ahead of the previous time zone. The most recent switch was in 1982, when our clocks were synchronised with neighbouring Malaysia. - Speedsters on the pavement
Singaporeans are the fastest walkers on this planet. On average, we walk a distance of 18 metres in 10.55 seconds – approximately 6.15km an hour! Following in our footsteps are residents of Copenhagen (Denmark) and Madrid (Spain). - Not so Uniquely Singapore?
Ever been to Singapore, Michigan? That’s right, there is another Singapore in the world! Sadly, our namesake is currently buried beneath the shifting sands of Lake Michigan. - Long before your time…
Long before CHIJMES was a cool hangout with bars and restaurants, it was a convent and a safe haven for unwanted children. - As for what it REALLY stands for…
The “MES” of CHIJMES is less known than the first four letters standing for “Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus.” CHIJMES’s full name is actually “Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus Middle Education School.” - Not just a fort or a hill
Our first botanic garden isn’t the one you find at Bukit Timah Road today. The first botanic garden actually opened in Fort Canning Hill in 1822, and closed in 1829. It reopened in 1836, and was finally abandoned in 1846. - Preserving Singapore’s flora and fauna
The Bukit Timah Nature Reserve in Singapore contains over 840 species of flowering plants and over 500 species of fauna. The forest reserve was formally declared as an ASEAN Heritage Park on 18 October 2011. - Not too high, please?
Buildings in Singapore cannot be higher than 280 metres. There are presently three buildings of that height: OUB Centre, UOB Plaza and Republic Plaza. - Cool as a cucumber…
The lowest temperature ever recorded in Singapore is 19.4°C. The rather chilly temperature was recorded in 1934. - So big!
The largest fountain in the world is located in Singapore at Suntec City. Made of cast bronze, it cost an estimated US$6 million to build in 1997. - So high!
The world's highest man-made waterfall, standing at 30 metres, is located at Jurong BirdPark. - Fancy a drive to… Hong Kong?
Singapore has more than 3,000 kilometres of roads. Stretched end to end, they can cover the distance from Singapore to Hong Kong. - A really long pie…
The longest stretch of road in Singapore is the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE), at 42.8km. - Money makes the world go round
If all of Singapore's notes and coins in circulation are joined together, they can go round the world five times! - A share of the (Singapore) fortune
If all of Singapore's currency in circulation is shared equally among Singaporeans, each of us will receive S$4829.06! - A trail of money
If all the notes in circulation are put side by side, they would go round Singapore's coastline 633 times. - It’s coin stacking time!
If all the coins in circulation are stacked one on top of another, they would be 710 times higher than Mt Everest. - An expensive piece of paper
The highest price paid for a single note in an auction was the S$1,000 paper Portrait circulation note bearing the serial number 2AA000001, signed by then MAS Chairman Mr Goh Chok Tong. It was sold for a whopping S$155,000. - More valuable than gold?
The first platinum coin was the S$500 Platinum Proof Coin issued in 1990 to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of Singapore's Independence. - Not your traditional coin
Singapore's first rectangular coin is the S$5 Silver Proof Colour Coin issued in 2010, commemorating Singapore's 45 years of independence. - Who says that Singapore has no talent?
Singapore is home to the youngest iPhone developer in the world. Lim Ding Wen developed an iPhone app called Doodle Kids which allows users to paint on the iPhone using shapes like triangles, circles and squares composed of random colours and sizes. Within a week of Doodle Kids' release through the App Store, it was downloaded more than 1,100 times. Ding Wen is now busy porting his Apple IIGS title Invader Wars to the iPhone. So whats the big deal about his achievements, you ask? Well, he was just nine years old when he developed the app in 2009! - An orchid by any other name would smell as sweet
The tombstone of Agnes Joaquim – the person behind our national flower, Vanda Miss Joaquim – lies on the church grounds of the Armenian Church of Saint Gregory the Illuminator. Agnes was an avid gardener who specialised in breeding orchids. She discovered the first hybrid orchid in 1893, which would later become the national flower of Singapore. - Don’t forget to flush the toilet…
There is a Restroom Association of Singapore (RAS) that combs the island to eradicate messy areas and spread the gospel of good toilet etiquette. - … And have good aim too!
Singapore started the world’s first international organization for toilets. Jack Sim founded the World Toilet Organisation (WTO) in 2001. Its goal is to provide proper sanitation to less developed areas of the world, and make sure that no one gets away without flushing!
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© 2024 Government of Singapore. Last updated on 26 Apr 2024