Lite (o)nödigt vetande om S'pore

I väntan på att, den numera ständigt närvarande, 'Hazen' ska försvinna får man passa på att läsa på lite om S'pore... Vad, när, hur är alltid bra att ha koll på och dessutom ramlar man över en och annan mindre viktig, men ändå matnyttig information. Bjuder här på 15 roliga små fakta:

1. Singapore consists only of one main island and 63 other tiny islands. Most of these islands are uninhabited.
2. Singapore is among the 20 smallest countries in the world, with a total land area of only 682.7 square kilometres. The USA is about 15,000 times bigger.
3. Apart from Monaco, Singapore is the most densely populated country in the world, with 6,430 people per square kilometre.
4. Symbolism of the National Flag: Red symbolises universal brotherhood and equality of man while white signifies purity and virtue. The crescent moon represents a young nation on the rise and the five stars signify the ideals of democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality.
5. The Merlion, a half-fish, half-lion beast, is a fitting symbol of Singapore. The "Singa" or lion represents the animal that a Sumatran prince saw which resembled a lion, and the fish is a tribute to Singapore's history as "Temasek", the ancient sea town.
6. Singlish, a Singaporean patois mixing English with the odd phrase of Chinese, Malay and even Tamil, has two entries - lah and sinseh - in the online version of the Oxford English Dictionary.
7. Although English is the official working language and the most widely used language in Singapore, the national anthem 'Majulah Singapura' is actually sung in Malay.
8. The world's first night zoo, The Night Safari, is located in Singapore.
9. The Bukit Timah Nature Reserve in Singapore contains more species of trees than the entire North American continent.
10. The world's highest man-made waterfall, standing at 30 metres, is located at the Jurong BirdPark.
11. 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.
12. The buildings of Suntec City have been built in the shape of a palm of a hand symbolising good "feng shui".
13. The most common Chinese surnames in Singapore are Tan, Lim and Lee.
14. Singapore has more than 3,000 kilometres of roads. Stretched end to end, they can cover the distance from Singapore to Hong Kong.
15. The Singapore Sling was first served in 1915 at the Long Bar of the Raffles Hotel. The ingredients are gin, Cointreau, cherry brandy, Dom Benedictine, pineapple juice, Grenadine, Angoustura bitters and limes.