BRIEF HISTORY
The name Singapore is derived from the word "Singapura" or "Lion City" as legend has it that a Sumatran prince sighted a beast that looked like a lion when he first set foot on the island in the 14th century. In the year 1819, Sir Stamford Raffles established a British trading station on this island. It gained its independence as a sovereign and democratic nation on 9 August 1965. It was admitted to both the United Nations and the Commonwealth of Nations in the same year. Every year, people here celebrates the 9th of August as its national day - the day when the whole island lights up in jubilation and patriotic fervor.