Southern Islands facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Southern Islands
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Planning Area
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| Other transcription(s) | |
| • Chinese | 南部群岛 |
| • Pinyin | Nánbù qúndǎo |
| • Malay | Kepulauan Selatan |
| • Tamil | தெற்கு தீவுகள் |
Sentosa, one of the eight major and the largest of the Southern Islands, has been developed into a major tourist attraction in Singapore.
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| Country |  Singapore |
| Region | Central |
The Southern Islands are a group of small islands in the Central Region of Singapore. This area is a special "planning area" for how land is used. Long ago, these islands were home to native Malay islanders and sea nomads. They later moved to the mainland as the islands were developed for new uses.
The main islands in this group are Kusu Island, Lazarus Island, Pulau Seringat, Pulau Tekukor, Saint John's Island, Sentosa, and the two Sisters' Islands. Together, these islands cover about 5.58 square kilometers. The Sentosa Development Corporation used to manage these islands from 1976 until 2017. Then, the Singapore Land Authority took over.
The Southern Islands are located in the Singapore Strait, south of mainland Singapore's Bukit Merah area. They also share a water border with the Western Islands planning area.
Contents
Developing the Southern Islands
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) wanted to develop the Southern Islands, just like they did with Sentosa. So, in 2000, they started a big project called land reclamation. This means adding new land to connect islands.
Connecting the Islands
The land reclamation project linked Pulau Seringat and Lazarus Island. This created a sandy area between them, forming a calm lagoon with amazing ocean views. Pulau Seringat, which is now part of Lazarus Island, has an 800-meter long beach. To make this beach, thousands of cubic meters of sand were brought in from Indonesia. This sand was carefully checked to make sure it was clean. About 1,000 grown coconut trees were also planted to give the islands a tropical feel.
A special causeway (a raised road over water) was also built. This causeway connects Lazarus Island and Saint John's Island. This makes it much easier for people to visit all three islands.
New Infrastructure
Before, Kias Island was just a sandbar that was hard to see at high tide. Now, it's a proper island with an electricity generator. This generator is powerful enough to provide electricity for the other three islands.
The land reclamation took six years to finish and cost about S$60 million. Another S$120 million was spent to bring important services to the islands. These services include water, electricity, gas, and telecommunication lines. These lines run through a 1.2-kilometer long trench (a deep ditch) under the sea. The trench is 17 meters underwater and links Sentosa Cove to Kias Island. It's protected by 50,000 tonnes of rock. Inside, there are pipes for gas and water, power cables for electricity, and fiber optic cables for phones and internet.
The whole project cost almost S$300 million and took about 15 years of planning.
Future Plans for the Islands
In November 2006, the Singapore Tourism Board announced new plans for the six islands near Sentosa. These islands include the Sisters' Islands, Kusu Island, Lazarus Island, and Saint John's Island. These islands already attract over 100,000 visitors each year. Most visitors are pilgrims, campers, day-trippers, and canoeists.
The STB wanted to finish its big plan for Sentosa and the Southern Islands by 2010. They hoped to use the excitement from the Sentosa resort project to get more people interested in investing in the nearby islands.
Over the years, many ideas were suggested for the islands. These ideas included making them a center for water sports, developing eco-tourism, or promoting fishing. There was even an idea for a retirement village. However, none of these plans happened.
The STB believed it was the right time to attract investors to develop the islands. The islands are only a 20-minute ferry ride from the Singapore Cruise Centre and 30 minutes from Marina South Pier.
The STB looked at the land around Marina Bay and Sentosa. They decided that making the Southern Islands even greener and more natural would make them a fantastic tourist destination. The Southern Islands already have a Chinese temple, natural ecosystems, and a relaxing, resort-like feeling. So, some islands could become a resort island, a cultural site, or an interactive rainforest park.
There's also a chance for the Southern Islands to become a themed destination. This could mix education and entertainment by using the islands' natural resources. Some people compared the potential to Italy's Isle of Capri or Dubai's Palm Islands. However, it might be hard to make them a place for huge numbers of tourists because they aren't connected to the main island by land.
Instead, one idea is to make them a getaway for people who want luxury. It could also be for those who want to explore the natural beauty of the islands. The islands have amazing flora (plants) and fauna (animals), including 300 species of native wildlife.
With the land reclamation finished, the STB aimed to develop the islands by 2015. This was the year they hoped to reach 17 million visitors annually and earn S$30 billion from tourism. The STB planned to share more details and ask for new ideas for the Southern Islands in early 2007.
However, in April 2007, the STB announced that the plans for the Southern Islands were put on hold. The authorities were thinking about different ideas for the islands' future. The STB had met with possible investors in 2006 to hear their ideas, but the results were not very encouraging. No final decision has been made yet on how the islands will be developed. This was the second time in three years that the plans for the Southern Islands were being re-thought.
Images for kids
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Pulau Seringat, photographed in February 2011
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Aerial perspective of Kusu Island, Singapore. Shot in 2016.
