Sentosa Island, Singapore
Copyright © Timothy Tye.
Sentosa Island
Sentosa Island is a popular island resort in Singapore. A major tourist destination with many attractions, Sentosa receives two million visitors a year. Among the attractions at Sentosa include a sheltered beach of more than two kilometres in length, a historical fort, an aquarium, a couple of golf courses and two five-star hotels.
Sentosa Island was formerly known as Pulau Belakang Mati, which in Malay means the "Island of Death from Behind". Variations to the name "Pulau Belakang Mati" have been found in maps dating as early as the 17th and 18th century, though in many cases, it is uncertain which island the name refers. Moreover, the island has undergone several name changes. Up to 1830, it was called Pulau Panjang (Long Island). There is a possibility that "Belakang Mati" was a name given to just a hill on the island by the Malay villagers living there, not to the whole island.
In 1827, Captain Edward Lake of the Bengal Engineers proposed an alternative name for Belakang Mati as the "Island of St George". However, the island was seen as too unhealthy for habitation and his proposed name was never realised. Eventually, in 1972, the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board held a contest in which the name Sentosa was selected. The name means "peace and tranquility" in Malay.
