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| Continent | Asia |
|---|---|
| Region | Southeast Asia |
| Coordinates | 1°17′N103°50′E / 1.283°N 103.833°E /1.283; 103.833 |
| Area | Ranked 175th |
| • Total | 744.3 km2 (287.4 sq mi) |
| • Land | 98.57% |
| • Water | 1.43% |
| Coastline | 193 km (120 mi) |
| Borders | Land border crossings namely Woodlands Checkpoint and Tuas Checkpoint, various coastal and air checkpoints linking Malaysia and Indonesia, as well as international destinations. |
| Highest point | Bukit Timah Hill 164 m (538 ft) |
| Lowest point | Indian Ocean,South China Sea 0 m (0 ft) |
| Longest river | Kallang River10 km (6 mi) |
| Largest lake | None |
| Exclusive economic zone | 1,300 km2 (500 mi2) |
Singapore is acity-state andisland country inmaritime Southeast Asia, located at the end of theMalayan Peninsula betweenMalaysia andIndonesia as well as theStraits of Malacca and theSouth China Sea. It is heavily compact and urbanised. As of 2026, Singapore has a total land area of approximately 744.3 square kilometres (287.4 sq mi).[1] Singapore is separated from Indonesia by theSingapore Strait and from Malaysia by theStraits of Johor.
Geographically, Singapore comprises itsmainland and other islands. The mainland of Singapore measures 50 kilometres (31 mi) from east to west and 27 kilometres (17 mi) from north to south with 193 kilometres (120 mi) of coastline. These figures are based on 2.515 metres (8 ft 3.0 in) High Water Markcadastral survey boundaries.[2] It has anexclusive economic zone of 1,067 km2 (412 mi2).
Singapore's main territory looks like a diamond-shaped island, although its territory includes surrounding smaller islands. The farthest outlying island isPedra Branca. Of Singapore's dozens of smaller islands,Jurong Island,Pulau Tekong,Pulau Ubin andSentosa are the larger ones. Most of Singapore is no more than 15 meters above sea level.
The highest point of Singapore isBukit Timah Hill, with a height from the ground of 164 m (538 ft) and made up ofigneous rock,granite. Hills and valleys ofsedimentary rock dominate the northwest, while the eastern region consists ofsandy and flatter land. Singapore has no natural lakes, but reservoirs andwater catchment areas have been constructed to store fresh water forSingapore's water supply.
Singapore has engaged in extensiveland reclamation since theBritish colonisation in 1819, using earth sourced from its own hills, the seabed and neighbouring countries.[3] As a result, the country's land area has expanded from approximately 582 square kilometres (225 sq mi) in the 1960s to around 745 square kilometres (288 sq mi) in the 2020s. Reclamation continues today with the use of newer methods such aspolders andbarrages to counter rising sea levels.[4]
Singapore is one-and-a-half degrees north of the equator, lying entirely between the1st and2nd parallels. Singapore's climate is classified astropical rainforest climate (Köppen climate classificationAf), with no true distinct seasons. Owing to its geographical location and maritime exposure, its climate is characterised by uniform temperature and pressure, high humidity and abundant rainfall. Therefore, it is almost always warm and wet. The average annual rainfall is around 2,340 mm (92.1 in). The highest 24-hour rainfall figures ever recorded in history were 512.4 mm (20.2 in) (2 December 1978) atPaya Lebar, 467 mm (18.4 in) (1969) and 366 mm (14.4 in) (19 December 2006).[5] The wettest month on record is January 1893 at 818.6mm at the climate station since rainfall records began in 1869, although the wettest ever month of all weather stations across Singapore was in December 2006 atBuangkok at 996.3mm.[6]
The temperature hovers around adiurnal range of a minimum of 25 °C (77.0 °F) and a maximum of 33 °C (91.4 °F). May is the hottest month of the year in Singapore, followed by June. This is due to light winds and strong sunshine during those months.[7] The highest recorded temperature is 37.0 °C (98.6 °F), which was recorded twice on 17 April 1983 and 13 May 2023.[8] The lowest recorded temperature was 19.4 °C (66.9 °F) on 14 February 1989 atPaya Lebar, although there is an unofficial record low of 18.4 °C (65.1 °F) on an unspecified date.[9][10] At the climate station inChangi however, extremes have ranged from 36.0 °C (96.8 °F) on 30 March 1998 to 19.4 °C (66.9 °F) on January 30 and 31 1934.[11] Temperature often goes above 33.2 °C (91.8 °F) and can reach 35 °C (95 °F) at times.[12]
Relative humidity has a diurnal range in the high 90s in the early morning to around 60% in the mid-afternoon, but does go below 50% at times. During prolonged heavy rain, relative humidity often reaches 100%. Generally, there is much more rainfall on the western side of the island than on the eastern portion of Singapore, owing to arain shadow effect.
Thus, the eastern side of Singapore is much drier and slightly hotter than western Singapore. This can cause slight weather disparities from one side of the island to the other. This is significant to note because even a small hill such asBukit Timah Hill can cause this phenomenon. Despite Singapore's small size, there may be sunshine on one side while there is rain on the other.
Further contrasts that prevent true all-year uniformity are themonsoon seasons which happen twice each year. The first one is the Northeast Monsoon which occurs from mid-November to early March. The second is the Southwest Monsoon season which occurs from June to September. Periods between monsoon seasons receive less rain and wind. During the Northeast Monsoon, northeast windsprevail, sometimes reach 20 km/h (12 mph). There are cloudy conditions in December and January with frequent afternoon showers.
Spells of widespread moderate to heavy rain occur lasting from 1 to 3 days at a stretch. It is relatively dry in February till early March although rainfall still exceeds 120mm. It is also generally windy with wind speeds sometimes reaching 30 to 50 km/h (19 to 31 mph) in the months of January and February. During the Southwest Monsoon season, southeast winds prevail. Isolated to scattered showers occur in the late morning and early afternoon. Early morning "Sumatras" –squall lines that originate over nearby Sumatra – are common.
| Climate data for Singapore (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1929–1941 and 1948–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 35.2 (95.4) | 35.2 (95.4) | 36.0 (96.8) | 35.8 (96.4) | 35.4 (95.7) | 35.0 (95.0) | 34.0 (93.2) | 34.2 (93.6) | 34.4 (93.9) | 34.6 (94.3) | 35.4 (95.7) | 35.6 (96.1) | 36.0 (96.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 30.6 (87.1) | 31.5 (88.7) | 32.2 (90.0) | 32.4 (90.3) | 32.3 (90.1) | 31.9 (89.4) | 31.4 (88.5) | 31.4 (88.5) | 31.6 (88.9) | 31.8 (89.2) | 31.2 (88.2) | 30.5 (86.9) | 31.6 (88.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 26.8 (80.2) | 27.3 (81.1) | 27.8 (82.0) | 28.2 (82.8) | 28.6 (83.5) | 28.5 (83.3) | 28.2 (82.8) | 28.1 (82.6) | 28.0 (82.4) | 27.9 (82.2) | 27.2 (81.0) | 26.8 (80.2) | 27.8 (82.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 24.3 (75.7) | 24.6 (76.3) | 24.9 (76.8) | 25.3 (77.5) | 25.7 (78.3) | 25.7 (78.3) | 25.4 (77.7) | 25.3 (77.5) | 25.2 (77.4) | 25.0 (77.0) | 24.6 (76.3) | 24.3 (75.7) | 25.0 (77.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 19.4 (66.9) | 19.7 (67.5) | 20.2 (68.4) | 20.7 (69.3) | 21.2 (70.2) | 20.8 (69.4) | 19.7 (67.5) | 20.2 (68.4) | 20.7 (69.3) | 20.6 (69.1) | 21.1 (70.0) | 20.6 (69.1) | 19.4 (66.9) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 221.6 (8.72) | 105.1 (4.14) | 151.7 (5.97) | 164.3 (6.47) | 164.3 (6.47) | 135.3 (5.33) | 146.6 (5.77) | 146.9 (5.78) | 124.9 (4.92) | 168.3 (6.63) | 252.3 (9.93) | 331.9 (13.07) | 2,113.2 (83.20) |
| Average rainy days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 13 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 19 | 19 | 171 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 83.5 | 81.2 | 81.7 | 82.6 | 82.3 | 80.9 | 80.9 | 80.7 | 80.7 | 81.5 | 84.9 | 85.5 | 82.2 |
| Averagedew point °C (°F) | 23.2 (73.8) | 23.2 (73.8) | 23.7 (74.7) | 24.1 (75.4) | 24.5 (76.1) | 24.2 (75.6) | 23.9 (75.0) | 23.7 (74.7) | 23.7 (74.7) | 23.8 (74.8) | 23.8 (74.8) | 23.6 (74.5) | 23.8 (74.8) |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 180.4 | 198.6 | 196.6 | 182.4 | 184.8 | 175.4 | 188.5 | 184.6 | 161.4 | 155.0 | 133.2 | 133.1 | 2,074 |
| Source 1: National Environment Agency[13][14] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2:NOAA (sun only, 1991–2020)[15], Weather.Directory[16] | |||||||||||||
| Singapore | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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See or editraw graph data.
Singapore recognises thatclimate change in the decades ahead will have major implications for the island-nation. It has taken a three-prong approach to the issue - researching how the nation will be affected in specific details, implementing mitigation measures and adapting to the coming changes. For the research, a Centre for Climate Research Singapore (CCRS) has been established.[18]
The government estimates that $100 billion will need to be spent over a 100-year time frame to address the issue. In the 2020 budget, it has set aside an initial $5 billion towards a Coastline and Flood Protection Fund.[19] For the population, it will provide incentives for owners to convert to electric vehicles (EVs), like rebates on the Additional Registration fees and expanding the EV charging network. By 2040, it expects to phase out petrol and diesel (internal combustion engine) vehicles. The country's transport policy continues to focus on a "car-lite" future with most commuters using public transportation (MRT trains, buses, taxis) instead.[20]
Singapore is the first country in Southeast Asia to levy acarbon tax, at $5 per ton, applicable for its largest carbon-emitting corporations that produce more than 25,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year.[21] To reduce the country's dependence on fossil fuels, it is building one of the world's largest floating solar farms at Tengeh Reservoir in Tuas, with a capacity of 60MW.[22]
Although Singapore does not observe daylight saving time (DST), it follows theUTC+8 time zone, one hour ahead of the typical zone for its geographical location.
| Daylight | ||
|---|---|---|
| February | July | November |
| 07:14 – 19:19 | 07:04 – 19:16 | 06:47 - 18:50 |
Igneous rocks are found inBukit Timah andWoodlands andPulau Ubin island. Granite makes up the bulk of the igneous rock.Gabbro is also found in the area and is found in an area calledLittle Guilin named for its resemblance to Guilin in Southern China. This area is in Bukit Gombak.Sedimentary rocks are found on the western part of Singapore and is mainly made ofsandstone andmudstones. It also includes thesouthwestern area.Metamorphic rocks are found in thenortheastern part of Singapore and also onPulau Tekong off the east coast of Singapore. The rocks are mainly made up ofquartzite and also make up the Sajahat Formation.
Singapore is relatively safe from seismic activity in the region, as the nearest majoractive faults (Sumatran fault and Sunda megathrust fault) are hundreds of kilometres away in Indonesia. However, the population and buildings are prone to being only very slightly affected by any activity as tremors, which is not uncommon, but generally does not do any harm and is limited to small amounts of swaying or vibration of objects.
In late 2004, several parts of Asia and Africa were struck by the2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and the resulting tsunami. Singapore was fortunate as it was protected by theSumatra landmass, which bore the brunt of the tsunami; the effect on Singapore was limited to tremors felt in some of the common high-rise buildings there.
When Singapore was first colonised by the British, theCity of Singapore was situated on the southern coast, around the mouth of theSingapore River. This area remains theCentral Area of Singapore. The rest of the island wasfarmland and primaryrainforest. Since the 1960s, the government has constructednew towns in other areas, so that today the island is nearly entirely built-up andurbanised, with only a few exceptions.[citation needed]
The country has several subdivisions, mostly used for administrative or statistical purposes. Politically, Singapore is divided into five administrative districts, these are then further subdivided intotown councils which usually consists of one or morepolitical constituencies. Planning and census boundaries, calledplanning areas, have been used by theUrban Redevelopment Authority to define certain districts and neighbourhoods.[23]
There are two connections to the state ofJohor, Malaysia. In the north there is acauseway for both rail and road traffic, which connects to the city ofJohor Bahru. In the west there is a road bridge (Tuas Second Link), which connects to Johor, for road traffic only.[citation needed]
There are more than 300 parks and 4 nature reserves in Singapore. There are also many trees planted, and almost fifty per cent of the country is covered by greenery. Because of this, Singapore is also commonly known as the 'Garden City'.[24]
Singapore remains highly vulnerable to theimpact of climate change; in particular, the rising sea levels may pose a major threat to the very survival of the country in the long-term perspective.[25]
