Established in 1859, the Singapore Botanic Gardens is the oldest garden in Singapore. Besides being an ornamental and recreational garden, it was also a scientific garden in its early years. Currently, the Gardens’ mission includes providing botanical and horticultural ...

Haw Par Villa (虎豹別墅; Hu bao bieshu), also known as the Tiger Balm Gardens, is named after brothers Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par. It is an oriental-style theme park located on the grounds of a hillside villa of the same name that was located along Pasir Panjang Road ...

Richard Eric Holttum (b. 20 July 1895, Linton, Cambridgeshire, England–d. 18 September 1990, London) was director of the Singapore Botanic Gardens from 1925 to 1949. He assumed directorship in 1925 when I. H. Burkill retired. Holttum was instrumental in raising ...

Humphrey Morrison Burkill (b. 8 December 1914, Singapore—12 July 2006, Plymouth, United Kingdom) was the director of the Singapore Botanic Gardens from 1957 to 1969. He was the son of former Gardens director, Isaac Henry Burkill. In 1992, the Director’s House in ...

The white-collared kingfisher (Todiramphus chloris) is one of eight documented species of kingfishers in Singapore. It is commonly spotted in mangrove and coastal areas, gardens and parks. This kingfisher species was featured on the Bird Series S$10 currency ...

Henry Nicholas Ridley (CMG) (FRS) (b. 10 December 1855, West Harling, Norfolk, England–d. 24 October 1956, Kew, Surrey, England) is the first director of the Singapore Botanic Gardens from 1888 to 1912. Ridley is also known as the “father of the rubber industry”, ...

Hoo Ah Kay (also known as Whampoa) (b. approx 1816, Whampoa, Guangdong, China–d. 27 March 1880, Singapore) was a prominent Chinese businessman who ran Whampoa & Co., expanding it after the death of his father. With an uncommon mastery of English, Hoo became the ...

Edred John Henry Corner (b. 12 January 1906, London, England–d. 14 September 1996, Great Shelford, England) was a renowned botanist and Assistant Director of the Singapore Botanic Gardens from 1929 to 1945. His extensive knowledge and research on fungi earned him ...

Marina Bay is a waterfront site located in Singapore’s central region. The bay area was created by reclaiming land around the body of water in front of Collyer Quay to form Marina Centre, Marina East and Marina South. The Marina Bay area has been developed over ...

Fort Canning Hill, previously known as Bukit Larangan and Government Hill, is 156 ft high and located at the junction of Canning Rise and Fort Canning Road. It has been a landmark since Singapore’s earliest recorded history. In the 14th century, it was likely the ...

Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park is one of the largest parks in Singapore. Built in 1988, the park was revamped between 2009 and 2011 under the Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters (ABC Waters) Programme launched by PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency. Subsequently, the park ...

A tropical oasis in the heart of Orchard Road, the Istana Park was officially opened on 6 September 1996. It is bordered by Orchard Road, Penang Road, Penang Lane and Buyong Road. The 1.3-hectare Istana Park is a landmark situated opposite The Istana, Singapore’s ...

The two-lane Mandai Road connects Woodlands Road to the junction of Upper Thomson Road and Sembawang Road. The road was paved in 1855, and located along it are landmarks such as the Singapore Zoo and the Mandai Orchid Gardens.

Aw Boon Haw (b. 1882, Yangon, Myanmar–d. 1954, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA), whose name means “gentle tiger”, was also nicknamed “Tiger Balm King”. He is known for having established the Chinese cure-all, Tiger Balm, and for building an empire around it. His other contributions ...

Dempsey Road, also known as Dempsey Hill or Tanglin Village, is located across from the Singapore Botanic Gardens, near the Embassy of the United States. It was originally the site of a nutmeg plantation that later became Tanglin Barracks for British troops. The ...

Nathaniel Wallich (b. 28 January 1786, Copenhagen, Denmark–d. 28 April 1854, London, England) was a widely respected Danish surgeon and naturalist. He played a key role in persuading the British government to establish Singapore’s first botanical and experimental ...

Jacob Ballas (b. 21 January 1921, Iraq–d. 18 January 2000, Singapore) was a pillar of the Jewish community in Singapore, a successful stockbroker and well-known philanthropist. The Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden at the Singapore Botanic Gardens was named after ...

Papilionanthe Miss Joaquim, commonly referred to as Vanda Miss Joaquim, is the first recorded orchid hybrid from Singapore, created in the early 1890s. On 15 April 1981, the Agnes variety of the Vanda Miss Joaquim was launched as Singapore’s national flower. The ...

The Serangoon Gardens Country Club (SGCC) was established in 1955 as a sports club for residents of the Serangoon Gardens estate. Many of its original members were British servicemen and their families who left Singapore in the 1970s, and the club was redeveloped ...

Mandai Orchid Gardens (MOG) was a commercial entity located at Mandai Lake Road. It was owned by Singapore Orchids Private Limited (SOPL), a worldwide exporter of cut flowers and live plants. Initially meant for growing and cultivating orchids, MOG was later transformed ...