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Singapore

Capital of SingaporeSingapore is an island country off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, about 137 km north of the equator, with Malaysia across the Straits of Johor to the north and Indonesia's Riau Islands to the south.

Why it's the capital

Singapore is a city-state, so the country and its capital are the same place. In 1819 Stamford Raffles chose the island for a new British port, and on 9 August 1965, after it was expelled from Malaysia, Singapore became an independent republic.

Fun facts

  1. The name Singapura comes from the Sanskrit for "lion city".
  2. The Merlion, the city's mascot, has a lion's head and a fish's body; the fish stands for its early days as a fishing village called Temasek, meaning "sea town".
  3. Besides the main island, Singapore has more than 60 smaller islands and islets.

Finding it on the globe

Follow the Malay Peninsula south to its very end; Singapore is the island just off the tip, very close to the equator.

Sources: Wikipedia: Singapore, Wikipedia: Merlion