Sentosa

Before 1970 the island was known as Pulau Blakang Mati. In the 1880s the British fortified it with Fort Siloso, Fort Serapong, Fort Connaught and the Mount Imbiah Battery to guard shipping entering Keppel Harbour. During the Battle for Singapore in February 1942, Fort Siloso's guns were turned to fire landward at advancing Japanese troops and at oil installations on nearby islands so they could not be used by the invaders.

After British forces withdrew in 1967 the island was handed to the Singapore government. A public naming contest led to the name Sentosa, Malay for tranquillity, which took effect in 1970, and the Sentosa Development Corporation began operations in 1972 to turn it into a leisure destination. The cable car from Mount Faber opened in 1974, Fort Siloso opened as a military museum in 1975, and the Sentosa Express light rail replaced an older monorail in 2007. Resorts World Sentosa followed in 2010, and in 2022 Fort Siloso was gazetted as Singapore's 74th National Monument.

For Singapore residents Sentosa is the city's playground: a place for weekend picnics, birthday outings, beach volleyball and New Year's Eve gatherings. The beaches are public and mixed, with families of every background sharing the sand, and many residents simply walk the boardwalk over from HarbourFront for an evening breeze. It is a modern, purpose-built leisure island rather than a traditional village community, so expect polished facilities rather than local markets.