Sentosa is the fourth largest island of Singapore (not counting the main island), located off the southern coast of the main island. A major tourist attraction, it hosts a sheltered beach of more than two kilometres in length on its southern coast, a musical fountain replete with the latest in lighting display technologies, and historical fortifications in Fort Siloso, dating from World War II. There are also two golf courses and two 5-star hotels.

Recently, the Carlsberg Sky Tower was opened, and the Merlion was revamped with an all-new laser projection system. As of the fourth quarter of 2004, work is currently ongoing to improve other attractions, such as a beachfront centre being constructed on Siloso Beach.

Future plans for Sentosa aim to establish it as one of the world's most luxurious holiday locations, with a SGD10 billion masterplan for the future involving the construction of private housing, the aforementioned partial redevelopment of Siloso Beach, and Asia's first tourism academy.

It can be reached via a short causeway or cable car, which originates on Mount Faber and passes through HarbourFront en route. In the future, it will also be accessible by a SGD140 million monorail link between Sentosa and the mainland.

Sentosa was known in the immediate years after World War II as Pulau Belakang Mati, roughly translated from Malay as the "Island of Death From Behind", because most of the defending artillery guns in Fort Siloso then were pointed to the south, facing the sea in expectation of a seaward Japanese assault. However, the Japanese eventually invaded and captured Singapore from the north, after having done the same to Malaya (now known as West or Peninsular Malaysia).

External links

• Sentosa official website