Secret facts of Singapore
Most of us have our lobangs to get the cheapest kopi o kosong and can navigate the elaborate layouts of our huge local malls. But that doesn’t mean we truly know Singapore inside and out, especially when there are plenty of secret facts that even longtime residents might not have realised.
From the truth about our beloved iced gem biscuits to a ban on the most unexpected human body part, here are secret facts of Singapore that can be a potential “today I learnt” moment even for trivia masters.
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Table of Contents
- Secret facts of Singapore
- 1. We’re living in the wrong time zone
- 2. Our buildings cannot built taller than 280m
- 3. There is a lighthouse on top of a condo at East Coast
- 4. Our zoo doesn’t have gorillas because of a bacteria in our soil
- 5. The “S” & “T” in your NRIC is based on the century you were born in
- 6. Singapore has 3 world records for indoor waterfalls
- 7. The Swan Lake at the Singapore Botanic Gardens can be drained entirely of its water
- 8. Long hair was once banned in Singapore during the 1970s
- 9. Our iconic iced gem biscuits are actually from Britain
- 10. Gardenia’s coloured bread tags tell you how fresh the loaves are
- 11. We have an official cat & it’s not the lion
- 12. The World Toilet Organisation is headquartered in Singapore
- Bonus: Singapore is made up of 63 islands including the mainland
1. We’re living in the wrong time zone
It’s not uncommon for Singaporeans to spend the weekend in Malaysia or to even have friends commute across the causeway on a daily basis to live in JB. And it’s not just the e-gates in Malaysia that have made it so seamless to travel between the 2 countries.
One other reason is the fact that Singapore and Malaysia are in the same time zone, GMT+8. However, Singapore is technically half an hour behind Malaysia.
Geographically speaking, Singapore is closer to the GMT+7.5 time zone. But in 1981, the government decided that we should match Malaysia’s GMT+8 time zone to facilitate trade and relations. Singapore officially started the new year on 1st January 1982 in the GMT+8 time zone.
So, technically, I guess you can say that we’re living in the future, 30 minutes ahead of time.
2. Our buildings cannot built taller than 280m
Singapore is known for its towering skyscrapers but no matter how tall they are, they will never be built taller than 280m. The rationale behind this rule is simple; the height is needed for air traffic clearance, seeing as many of our buildings are within proximity of Changi Airport. The height limit ensures there’s sufficient space for planes to take off and land safely.
The only exception to this rule thus far is Guoco Tower, which stands at 283.7m. But it won’t be the tallest building in Singapore for much longer. There are rumours that the redevelopment of AXA Towers will see the completed building top off at 305m in 2028.
Permissions had to be granted for the buildings to be built above the height limit. While never explicitly stated, it’s likely that these buildings are far away enough from the airport to not cause any disruptions to air traffic.
3. There is a lighthouse on top of a condo at East Coast
The Bedok Lighthouse’s beam can be seen 42km away and is 76m above sea level.
Image credit: @of_learning via Instagram
Of the lighthouses in Singapore, one of them is not quite the typical picturesque tower by the pier. Enter Bedok Lighthouse, Singapore’s first unmanned and automated lighthouse that’s also the only one situated on top of a condo.
It was built to replace the Fullerton Lighthouse after the skyscrapers at Marina Bay started rising higher and higher. Bedok Lighthouse’s strategic location on Lagoon View condo’s rooftop was then chosen because of its clear sightline to the seas, and it wasn’t disruptive to the residents around the area.
The Bedok Lighthouse first started operations on National Day in 1978.
Image credit: @terrylimkopi via Instagram
Today, the Bedok Lighthouse still sends out a 600,000-candle light beam every 5 seconds to guide ships navigating to our shores.
4. Our zoo doesn’t have gorillas because of a bacteria in our soil
Image credit: Anthony Yin via Unsplash
Have you ever noticed that the Singapore Zoo doesn’t have any gorillas? Neither have we, but that’s because the soil in our country is fatal to these apes. How this was discovered is unfortunately quite tragic.
4 male gorillas were brought into Singapore from Europe in the 1980s to be exhibited in a lush, green enclosure. But one by one they succumbed to a rare disease called melioidosis, caused by a bacteria that was found in our soil.
The zoo then tried again with 2 more gorillas in the 1990s. Unfortunately, one of the gorillas still died after wind blew in fine soil particulars through the ventilation windows of the enclosure. The other gorilla was immediately sent back to the Netherlands with antibiotics in the hopes that he can live a better and longer life. Thankfully, he survived!
5. The “S” & “T” in your NRIC is based on the century you were born in
Image credit: BBC
There was once a time when we thought that the S in our NRIC stood for “Singaporean,” and 2000s kids had to use T because the numbers ran out. Apparently, that’s not the case.
S was used for those born in the 1900s because it’s the 19th letter of the alphabet. Likewise with T, it’s the 20th letter of the alphabet and used for Singaporeans born in the 2000s.
6. Singapore has 3 world records for indoor waterfalls
We might not hold the record for the tallest waterfall in the world – that goes to Angel Falls in Venezuela at 979m tall – but we can proudly say that we’ve held 3 world records for the tallest indoor waterfalls.
Image credit: @bellydancetheworld via Instagram
The first time we broke the record was in 1971 with the 30mM-tall Jurong Falls that’s one of the main attractions at the original Jurong Bird Park’s Waterfall Aviary. This recordThen, it was beaten when the Cloud Dome opened at Gardens By The Bay with its 35mM-tall waterfall.
But in typical Asian one-upping fashion, we just had to break our own record again in 2019 when Jewel Changi Airport debuted its iconic Rain Vortex that splashes down from 40m high. I wouldn’t be surprised if we make the news in a couple of years for boasting the world’s tallest indoor waterfall for the fourth time.
7. The Swan Lake at the Singapore Botanic Gardens can be drained entirely of its water
Image credit: NParks
Swan Lake at the Singapore Botanic Gardens is home to the oldest ornamental water feature in the country. It’s almost always filled with water, except on 2 occasions in 1892 and 1961.
The former incident was particularly disturbing: a British colonel’s pet crocodile escaped and decided to make the warm waters its home. For a time, it was content to just chill there, until it attacked a gardener. The lake was drained to then flush it out. But when they did, the crocodile had mysteriously vanished and escaped yet again.
Then in 1961, the lake’s waterlily population completely disappeared. When the park keepers drained the lake again, 6 herbivorous terrapins that were obviously the culprits were caught in the act and removed to restore balance in the lake.
8. Long hair was once banned in Singapore during the 1970s
Expect to be treated last at government facilities if you had long hair in the 1970s.
Image credit: National Archives Of Singapore
Operation Snip Snip were 3 words that would’ve struck fear into the hearts of any Singaporean son with long hair in the 1970s. As absurd as it sounds, long hair on men wasn’t just looked down upon, but outrightly banned in Singapore thanks to a government initiative.
The government at that time attributed the disruption of social order to the hippie movement.Their solution to maintain some semblance of decorum amongst youth was to restrict the length of their hair.
Hippies be gone!
Image credit: National Archives Of Singapore
This ruling not only affected civil servants who could be fired for keeping long hair, but also visitors from all around the world. There were even barbershops set up near Woodlands Checkpoint so those crossing in from Malaysia could get a quick cut lest they be turned away.
There were also some who defied this operation, most famously Led Zeppelin, the Bee Gees, and Kitaro. These world-famous musicians were set to perform in Singapore but decided to cancel their concerts in Singapore because they didn’t want to snip their precious locks.
9. Our iconic iced gem biscuits are actually from Britain
Iced gem biscuits have been a staple at mama shops and old-school confectionaries since the dawn of time. But despite their legacy in primary school lunchboxes and office pantries, they’re not a snack that’s native to our shores.
First, the biscuit was “accidentally” invented by British biscuit makers Huntley & Palmer in the 1850s. After an experiment went wrong, the biscuits came out smaller than intended. A couple of decades later in the 1910s, they added the colourful sugar gems on top to make it more appealing to kids, and it has not changed since.
Image credit: @the_breadtag_project via Instagram
Have you ever noticed that the tags on your bread loaves have different colours? They actually indicate the day the bread was baked. If you’re picking up your loaf from Gardenia, these are the colours that they use:
- Monday: Beige
- Tuesday: Orange
- Wednesday: Yellow
- Thursday: Blue
- Friday: Green
- Saturday: Red
- Sunday: White
Unfortunately, the many bread makers in Singapore don’t adhere to a universal colour coding. So while Gardenia might use orange for Tuesday loaves, other manufacturers might use green instead. When in doubt, you can always check the expiry date to confirm that your loaf isn’t going to start moulding the next day.
11. We have an official cat & it’s not the lion
The Kucinta Cat is also known as the Singapura.
Image credit: Straits Singapuras via Facebook
We might be known as the Lion City, but there is another feline that rules our streets: the Kucinta Cat, also known as the Singapura.
The Singapore Tourism Board initially planned for them to be the nation’s mascot back in the 1990s. Some controversy surrounding the origins of the species halted the project, but the Cat Fanciers’ Association squashed the drama by giving it pedigree status and officiating its breed.
Its name can be credited to a Mdm Ang Lian Tin who coined the name Kucinta in a “Name The Singapore River Cats” competition. It’s a play of the Malay words kuching and cinta, which mean “cat” and “love” respectively.
The Kucinta Cat was initially thought to be a drain cat.
Image credit: Wahj via Flickr
This breed of adorable furballs are smaller than regular cats, with a fully-grown adult female Kucinta cat weighing only 1.8kg. But what they lack in size, they surely make up for in zest and energy – this breed has a naturally playful attitude and adores the company of humans.
12. The World Toilet Organisation is headquartered in Singapore
Where else in the world can you find toilets with a view like this?
There’s probably a good reason why public toilets in Singapore are so much cleaner than most toilets overseas. That’s because we’re home to the World Toilet Organisation (WTO). Yes, there is an association dedicated to global sanitation standards, and it was founded by a Singaporean back in 2001.
To date, the WTO has advocated for improving poor sanitary conditions that plague over 1 billion people in developing countries. Some of their ongoing projects include SaniShop, a social enterprise that has locals building toilets in Cambodia, India, and Mozambique.
Fun fact: World Toilet Day is celebrated on 19th November every year.
Bonus: Singapore is made up of 63 islands including the mainland
Singapore doesn’t just comprise the mainland, Sentosa, Pulau Ubin, and Pulau Tekong. We have a claim to over a whopping 62 other islands – excluding the mainland – from some dedicated to landfills like Pulau Semakau and others that are perfect for a weekend getaway on a ferry.
Some Singapore islands have also been “cannibalised” with bigger islands over the years, like how Pulau Sejahat Kechil was reclaimed to become part of Pulau Tekong. But nevertheless, it’s quite endearing to know that we’re more than just a Little Red Dot. We’re many little red dots.
Secret facts of Singapore you might not know
Hopefully after learning more about these lesser-known Singaporean facts, you can whip them out and impress your friends or a date the next time you’re at the Zoo or Botanic Gardens. But we might still not be able to hold a candle to the massive brains of the contestants that go on to flex their knowledge on the game show We Are Singaporeans.
Image credit: We Are Singaporeans via Facebook
Hosted by Hossan Leong, each episode of the game show has two contestants competing with each other on how much they know about Singapore. Whether it’s answering the location of the iconic Dragon Playground to the history of Pearl’s Hill City Park in Chinatown, the person who scores the most points by the third round will stand a chance to win the grand prize of $10,000.
History buffs and trivia enthusiasts will surely love the more localised aspect of this game show, especially since there’s so much more to learn about our young city.
If you think you know more than the game show participants, put on your thinking caps and watch along as they figure out the questions posed to them.
Catch We Are Singaporeans for free on meWATCH here
This post was brought to you by Mediacorp.
Cover image adapted from: Anthony Yin via Unsplash, @the_breadtag_project via Instagram