Amazing Facts about Sentosa Island (Singapore)

With a host of activities and a number of eye-catching sceneries, Sentosa Island can be easily described as one of the best tourist destinations in the world. Located off the southern coast of Singapore, this wonderful island resort is well-known for its artificially constructed beaches. Here are some very, very exciting facts about this extremely beautiful tourist center.

Facts about Singapore’s Sentosa Island

1. Did you know that the original name for this island was “Pulau Blakang Mati”? It is a Malay dialect that translates into English as the “Island of Death Behind”.
2. There are several accounts on how this island became associated with its original moniker – Pulau Blakang Mati. One of them suggests that this island was once noted for high piracy attacks. Another theory has it that there was an outbreak of a deadly disease on the island during the early 19th century.
3. Did you know that this popular tourist destination center received its current name, Sentosa, quite recently? Well, this island was given its current moniker during the early 1970s when the Singaporean government decided to develop the place into a first-class holiday resort.
4. Have you ever wondered what the current name of this wonderful island actually means? “Sentosa” in the Malay language translates as the “Isle of Tranquility”.
5. Amazingly, at a size of approximately 5 kilometers square, this little island is regarded as the 4th largest of Singapore’s numerous islands. Sentosa Island is roughly 500 meters from the nation’s major island.
6. Before it was developed into an amazing resort, this island was initially used for several purposes. Some of the well-known usages of this island include serving as a military fortress for the British, who ruled over Singapore for more than a century. This now-famous resort was once upon a time used an encampment for Japanese prisoners’ of war during the period of their (Japanese) invasion of Singapore. It is also believed that this island was once a popular fishing village.
7. Did you know that Sentosa is one of the world’s most popular tourism centers? It is estimated that this amazing island receives up to 20 million visitors every year.
8. In addition to its numerous luxurious and affordable accommodation options for humans, this wonderful resort also serves as home to a host of animals.
9. This resort can boast of one of the biggest aquariums in the world. The S.E.A Aquarium Singapore is estimated to contain more than 100,000 varieties of sea animals. From dolphins to stingrays, if it is ocean life you are seeking, you are assured to find everything on this beautiful resort.
10. The Singapore Cable Car, which was constructed in 1974, is a great way to get to this amazing island. It links Sentosa to Mount Faber (originally known as Telok Blangah Hill).  
11. Aside from the popular cable car, there are several means of accessing this tiny island from the main island. Some of the other ways to reach this resort from the mainland include road (public bus services), monorail (the Sentosa Express), and a pedestrian boardwalk.
12. Some of the largest groups of attractions in Singapore can be located in this holiday resort. Most of these attractions can be found on the Sentosa Beachfront, Resorts World Sentosa, and the Imbiah Lookout.
13. After his release from prison in 1989, Chia Thye Poh, who is Singapore’s longest-serving political detainee and a Noble prize nominee, spent several years in exile on this island. He was banned from the Mainland Singapore.
14. This island was adjudged as the winner of the Tripzilla Excellence Awards for the category of the Best Singapore Destination in 2017.
15. This popular island famously served as a host ground for the North Korea-United States Singapore Summit (popularly known as the Singapore Summit). This summit meeting, which was held at the Capella Hotel in June 2018, was between the president of the United States, Donald Trump and the Supreme Leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un. The summit marked the first-ever meeting between leaders of the two nations.