Singapore is an international financial and business hub — people from all over the world come here to work at large corporations ad¡nd start their own businesses. One of the most livable cities in Asia, Singapore reports that nearly 50,000 new businesses are registered in the Lion City every year, making it an exciting place to be.

But Singapore is not all about work. Every year, nearly 20 million tourists visit the city. Some are attracted by the unique architecture and the popular Formula 1 Grand Prix, others have heard about the world-class food scene and the famous Botanic Gardens, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (if you wish to join them, don’t forget to check your visa and Singapore arrival card requirements first.)

Did you know that all this buzzing activity takes place on the only island city-state in the world? In this article, you will read about the relationship of this microstate with its size, from world records to peculiar local rules.

An Island City-State

In the past, city-states could be found anywhere because they were easier to govern and defend than large territories. However, things have changed and now, there are 3 city-states left in the world: Monaco, the Vatican, and Singapore.

Some cities are considered autonomous because of their special legislation (think of Hong Kong or Dubai) but these 3 are the only independent states.

Among independent cities, Singapore is the only one that is also an island-state.

Interestingly, Singapore is a city-state that went against the tide: unlike old city-states that were absorbed by larger nations, Singapore gained its independence from Malaysia only recently, in August 1965.

The many Singaporean islands

Being an island-state does not mean that Singapore sits on just one island. On the contrary, Singapore’s territory includes 64 islands in total.

Most of them are uninhabited since the vast majority of Singapore’s 5.7 citizens live on the main island, which is also one of the world’s busiest ports.

A Small Territory

Considering what we have just discussed, it may come as no surprise that Singapore is among the 20ths smallest countries on Earth and the second smallest country in Asia.

Singapore extends over a land area of 682㎢ — to give you an idea, the United States is about 15 thousand times bigger. Interestingly, Singapore has more than 3 thousand km of roads. If they were stretched out, they would allow you to drive the distance from the Lion City to Hong Kong.

Relatively ‘Short’ Buildings

Knowing that Singapore can count on such a limited area for construction, you may think that mega skyscrapers have quickly started to pop up to allow for a greater number of offices and apartments.

Surprisingly, that is a wrong assumption. Singapore enforces a building height law that limits the maximum height of constructions — buildings in Singapore cannot be higher than 280 meters, although rare exceptions can be made.

Building height laws are usually introduced for safety or aesthetic concerns, for example, to preserve a city’s architectural and urban heritage or to prevent catastrophic events in case of earthquakes. So why has Singapore decided not to build mega skyscrapers? It is again due to its tiny size.

When designing a new building, real estate developers must consult the CAAS (Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore) and the DSTA (Defence Science Technology Agency) for building height — which includes the installation of tall structures such as antennas and chimneys and of tall construction equipment such as cranes and rigs.

These authorities keep control of construction height in Singapore to ensure airspace safety for commercial and military flights. Due to the limited land extension, Singapore’s airports are relatively close to densely populated areas and airspace safety is a priority.

A Green City

The limited territory has not turned Singapore into a concrete nightmare. In fact, Singapore is one of the greenest cities in the world — about half of its nearly 700 square kilometers of land are under green cover.

In Singapore, you will find parks and green areas, and innovative solutions for the limited space, like vertical gardens.

Singapore can also boast rich biodiversity with more than 2,100 native vascular plant species, making it an ideal destination for nature lovers.