Lifestyle: Singapore Zoo. Singapore, the Lion City.

Singapore, known as "Temasek" in the 14th century, was a small fishing village of few hundred people. One of the many versions of how Singapore got its name:

“… As the story goes, Sang Mila Utama (or Sri Tri Buana), ruler of Palembang, landed at Temasek one day while seeking shelter from a storm. Sighting an animal that his followers called a lion, he decided to establish a settlement and named it Singapura - Lion City. The island became commonly known as Singapura by the end of the 14th century.” (1)

Singapore was later founded in the 18th century by Sir Stamford Raffles when he set up a trading post in 1819. Singapore became an independent republic in 9th August 1965.

In 1965, 99,000 visitors came to Singapore. According to the Singapore Tourism Board, in 2010, Singapore received more than 11.6 million visitors. The number of visitors is twice its population of 5.07 million people. Singapore is now a leading tourist destination and is ranked among the top ten tourist destinations in Asia.

The legendary Merlion

The Merlion, a popular tourist icon, is a mystical creature with the head of a lion and body of a fish. The lion's head represents Singapore's original name - Singapura - meaning "lion city" or "kota singa."

Singapore has many attractions for its visitors, including its numerous parks, museums and colonial monuments and building

Others may like to visit the Singapore Flyer, Marina Bay Sands Skypark, Raffles Hotel, Universal Studios, Chinatown, Science Centre Singapore, Singapore Night Safari, Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, Little India and Singapore Botanic Gardens. For more attractions, Singapore Attractions, A - Z

Lets discover and explore Singapore through these pictures, taken during trips to the Lion City. The Fullerton Hotel, a 5 star hotel was previously the Singapore General Post office, built during the colonial days.

Today's destination - Singapore Zoo

The Singapore Zoo is part of the Singapore Zoological Gardens, Widlife Reserves Singapore Group. The 28-hectares awarding winning zoo was opened on 27 1973.

Visitors are welcome, daily from 8.30am to 6.00pm. The Zoo registered 1.6 million visitors in 2010. Entrance fees are charged. Expect to stay in this lush tropical environment at least 4 hours or more to view exhibits and watch some of the shows.

The zoo is "... set in a rainforest environment, Singapore Zoo's world famous "Open Concept” offers the opportunity to experience and be inspired by the wonders of nature. Home to over 3,000 specimens from 316 species…" (Singapore Zoo).

Map of Singapore Zoo

Show time - check it out

Long-Tailed Macaques

To learn more about each species

Since its opening, the Zoo has evolved into an "Open, Learning Zoo."It is not just place a for watching the animals only. As part of this learning concept, exhibits with educational content are designed in an interactive mode.

"The orang utan is the flagship species of the Singapore Zoo. A total of 24 of these charismatic apes call the zoo home and are displayed as a large social group in a spacious naturalistic enclosure. Though not the only zoo in the world to display a social group of orang utans, we are the only ones who have done so on such a large scale." (Singapore Zoo)