Ten fun facts about Singapore

Fact 1
Although the name of the city came from the founder thinking he saw a lion, it was actually a tiger he saw. It is likely that lions have never lived on the island.

Fact 2
After the 1870's, the city became a global center for rubber exports, with many immigrants working at the rubber plantations.

Fact 3
Owning a car in Singapore can be expensive, since you must pay one and one half times the vehicle's market value, to help curb pollution and traffic congestion. Since they're so high, approximately one in ten residents own a car.

Fact 4
The government controls much of the media and only allows certain companies to operate on the television or newspaper outlets. In 2014, Reporters Without Borders ranked the city number 150 out of 180 on how much freedom the media has, with 180 being the highest.

Fact 5
The average employee in Singapore works about 45 hours a week; longer than most workers in other nations.

Fact 6
In 1990, 40% of Singaporeans were illiterate in English but by a 2010 census, only 20% were, or one in five.

Fact 7
Because of the strict laws against drug use in the country, as of 2004, they have had one of the lowest rates of drug use in the world.

Fact 8
The life expectancy in Singapore is 80 for males and 85 for females, making it the 4th in the world for life expectancy, as of 2013.

Fact 9
Singapore is considered to be an island, a city and a state, making it one of the few countries in the world like that.

Fact 10
In Singapore, the Enlistment Act requires all boys who reach age 18 to enlist in a 22 or 24 month period as Full Time National Servicemen in the Armed Forces, Police Force or Civil Defense Force.

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