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Travel and Tourism in Singapore
Travel alerts, currency, climate, transit, health, and safety information for visitors to Singapore.
Practical Information
Travel alert status, currency, climate, and transit details.
- Travel Alert Status
- Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions
- Time Difference
- UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- Currency
- Singapore dollar (SGD)
- Climate
- Vegetation is lush and tropical. Seasons are nonexistent. In this "Land of Eternal Summer," the mean high temperature is 90ºF and varies little from month to month. Humidity is high (average 70%) and annual rainfall is about 96 inches. Wet and dry seasons are not distinct, but November through February is wetter and cooler than other months.
- Ethnic Groups
- Chinese 76.7%, Malay 14%, Indian 7.9%, other 1.4%
- National Holiday
- National Day, 9 August (1965)
- Geographic Coordinates
- 1 22 N, 103 48 E
- Location
- Southeastern Asia, islands between Malaysia and Indonesia
- Airports
- 9
Destinations
Regions and cities, top sights, national parks, UNESCO sites, and festivals for visitors.
Geography and the City-State
Singapore sits at 1 degree north of the equator, close enough to the center of the world that the sun rises and sets at roughly the same time every day of the year and the temperature varies by perhaps four degrees Celsius between the coldest and warmest months. It is separated from Malaysia to the north by the Johor Strait, a narrow body of water crossed by two road-and-rail causeways, and bounded to the south by the Singapore Strait, which channels some of the world's most significant shipping traffic between the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea. The Riau Islands of Indonesia lie just a few kilometers to the south.
The main island of Singapore accounts for most of the country's 719 square kilometers, but this total includes some 63 islands in the surrounding waters, of which Sentosa, Pulau Ubin, Pulau Tekong, and a handful of others are accessible and inhabited or visited. The country's coastline is largely artificial. Land reclamation has been a continuous process since the 1960s, and Singapore today is roughly 25 percent larger in area than it was at independence.
Health and Safety
Medical facilities, vaccinations, disease risk, and sanitation conditions.
Good medical care is widely available in Singapore. Doctors and hospitals expect immediate payment for health services by credit card or cash and generally do not accept U.S. health insurance. Hospitals may require a substantial deposit before admitting you into the hospital for any major medical treatment. The U.S. Embassy cannot provide a letter of guarantee for payment.