Dbinni

Districts

Sometimes referred to as the Little Red Dot (originally coined as a pejorative by the late former Indonesian president B. J. Habibie) or the Lion City (a literal translation of the original Sanskrit name), Singapore is a small country on a small island with close to six and a half million people. It is a fairly crowded city and in fact, it is second only to Monaco as the world's most densely populated country. Unlike many other densely populated countries, Singapore has over 50% of its area covered in greenery and with over 50 major parks and 4 nature reserves; it is an enchanting city in a garden. Large self-contained residential towns have mushroomed all over the island, around the clean and modern city centre. The centre of the city is in the south and consists roughly of the Orchard Road shopping area, the Riverside, the new Marina Bay area and also the skyscraper-filled Shenton Way financial district. All of this is known in acronym-loving Singapore as the CBD (Central Business District).

Singapore CBD

Riverside (Civic District) Singapore's colonial core, with museums, statues and theatres, not to mention restaurants, bars and clubs, centred along the banks of the Singapore River at Boat Quay and Clarke Quay.

Orchard Road Miles and miles of shopping malls in air-conditioned comfort. At the eastern end, the Bras Basah District is an arts and culture project in progress.

Marina Bay Dominated by the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort (hotel, casino, shopping mall, convention centre and museum), the futuristic Gardens by the Bay, and the Marina Barrage. Along with the Singapore Flyer and the Esplanade Theatres, Marina Bay makes up the new iconic skyline of Singapore.

Bugis and Kampong Glam Bugis and Kampong Glam are Singapore's old Malay district, good for shopping in the day but especially coming to life at night.

Chinatown The area was designated for Chinese settlement by Raffles, and is now a Chinese heritage area popular with tourists. Restored shophouses make for trendy hangouts for locals and expats alike.

Little India A piece of India to the north of the city core.

Outer Singapore

There's more to see outside the main city centre of Singapore, from the HDB (Housing and Development Board) heartlands where hawker food is king, to the Singapore Zoo. Or chill out in the parks and beaches of the East Coast and Sentosa.

Sentosa and Harbourfront A separate island once a military fort that has been developed into a resort. Sentosa is the closest that Singapore gets to Disneyland, with a dash of gambling and the Universal Studios theme park thrown in. Across the water, there's Mount Faber and the Southern Ridges, an urban treetop walk with local monkeys.

East Coast The largely residential eastern part of the island contains Changi Airport, miles and miles of beach and many famous eateries. Also covers Geylang Serai, the true home of Singapore's Malays, and Pulau Ubin, the last remnant of a rustic Singapore.

North and West The northern and western parts of the island, known as Woodlands and Jurong respectively, form Singapore's residential and industrial hinterlands. By far the largest tourist attraction here is the Mandai complex, containing all four of Singapore's spectacular zoos.

Balestier, Newton, Novena and Toa Payoh Budget accommodations and Burmese temples within striking distance of Central Singapore. Toa Payoh, one of Singapore's first planned neighbourhoods, is an easy way to wander around a local housing estate and experience the town centre design unique to Singapore.