Flag – Singapore
- The national flag was adopted in 1959.
- It consists of 2 horizontal stripes (red at the top and white on the bottom).
- In the red stripe there is a white crescent moon and 5 white stars.
- The red color symbolizes brotherhood and equality.
- The white stripe shows eternal purity and virtue.
- Crescent represents a young nation on the rise and 5 stars portray the national ideals of democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality.
Coat of arms of Singapore
- The national emblem is a heraldic symbol representing the island nation in Southeast Asia.
- Like the national flag, the emblem was adopted in 1959.
- In the center of the sign is a red shield with a white crescent moon and 5 white stars.
- The tiger depicted symbolizes the historical and close connection of the nation with Malaysia and the lion represents Singapore itself. Below them is a blue ribbon with the golden inscription Majulah of Singapore.
Anthem – Majulah Singapura
- The song was composed by Zubir Said in 1958 and was first presented on September 6, 1958 by the Singapore Chamber Orchestra during a grand concert held in Victoria Theater during the official reopening.
- A year later, on November 11, 1959, the song was chosen as the national anthem which is sung in Malay.
- It is regularly sung in schools (part of a civil and moral education program) and military camps at ceremonies at the beginning or end of each day.
All national symbols were presented to the nation at the launch of “Loyalty Week”, when Yusof bin Ishak was presented as Yang di-Pertuan Negara – the head of Singapore.
Currency – Singapore Dollar (SGD)
- Banknotes (dollars) – 2, 5, 10, 50, 100, 1000, 10,000
- Coins (cents) – 5, 10, 20, 50, 1 (dollar)
- 1 SGD = 100 cents
- As in Brunei, where you can pay with the Singapore Dollar, so you can also pay with the Brunei Dollar here. The course is 1: 1.
- 1 SGD = 16,87 CZK
Banks, ATMs and Payments
- ATMs are everywhere in Singapore (certainly in shopping malls).
- Credit cards are widely accepted (ATTENTION! Some stores may charge a 3% surcharge, and taxis even 15%).
- Travellers cheques are generally not accepted by retailers, but can be cashed at most exchange booths.
- Exchange offices at the airport have a worse rate than you can find in a city exchange office, but the problem is in other countries.
Prices
Compared to other Asian states, Singapore is expensive (prices are 2x higher than in Malaysia and Thailand, 3-5 times more expensive than in Indonesia and the Philippines), but on the other hand it is comparable to some industrialized countries. Accommodation is a bit more expensive, you can find overnight accommodation for less than 20 SGD / night, while a room in an average 3-4-star hotel in the city center usually costs from 100 to 300 SGD / night.
You can also save on accommodation by finding accommodation in Malaysia at Johor Bahru (JB) and you can come by bus to Singapore.
Example of prices:
- Lunch in the restaurant with the beverage 12 SGD
- 0,5l of domestic beer in a supermarket 5 SGD
- 2l Coca Cola 2,5 SGD
- Bread 2,1 SGD
- 1 cocktail 24 SGD
- Cappuccino 7 SGD
- 1 box of Marlboro Cigarettes 14 SGD
- Antibiotics 16 SGD
- Shampoo 400 ml 8 SGD
- Toothpaste 4 SGD
- Doctor’s Visit (15 Minutes) 48 SGD
- 2 tickets to the cinema 24 SGD
- Monthly pass to the gym 164
- Internet for the month 38 SGD
- 1 liter of petrol 2.2 SGD
- Monthly ticket for public transport 93 SGD