101385    During the 14th century, this small but strategically located island earned a new name.

101386    According to the legend, Sang Nila Utama, a Prince from Palembang (the capital of Srivijaya), was out on a hunting trip when he caught sight of an animal he had never seen before.

101387    Taking it to be a good sign, he founded a city where the animal had been spotted, naming it “The Lion City” or Singapura, from the Sanskrit words “simha” (lion) and “pura” (city).

101388    At this time, the city was then ruled by the five kings of ancient Singapura.

101389    Located at the tip of the Malay Peninsula, the natural meeting point of sea routes, the city served as a flourishing trading post for a wide variety of sea crafts, from Chinese junks, Indian vessels, Arab dhows and Portuguese battleships to Buginese schooners.

101390    The next important period in the history of Singapore was during the 18th century, when modern Singapore was founded.

101391    At this time, Singapore was already an up and coming trading post along the Malacca Straits, and Britain realised the need for a port of call in the region.

101392    British traders needed a strategic venue to refresh and protect the merchant fleet of the growing empire, as well as forestall any advance made by the Dutch in the region.

101393    The then Lieutenant-Governor of Bencoolen (now Bengkulu) in Sumatra, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles landed in Singapore on 29 January 1819, after a survey of the neighbouring islands.

101394    Recognising the immense potential of the swamp covered island, he helped negotiate a treaty with the local rulers, establishing Singapore as a trading station.

101395    Soon, the island’s policy of free trade attracted merchants from all over Asia and from as far away as the US and the Middle East.

101396    In 1832, Singapore became the centre of government for the Straits Settlements of Penang, Malacca and Singapore.

101397    With the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 and the advent of the telegraph and steamship, Singapore's importance as a centre of the expanding trade between the East and West increased tremendously.

101398    By 1860, the thriving country had a population that had grown from a mere 150 in 1819 to 80,792, comprising mainly Chinese, Indians and Malays.

101399    But the peace and prosperity of the country suffered a major blow during World War II, when it was attacked by the Japanese aircrafts on 8 December 1941.