Geography and Climate of Singapore

Geography and climate of Singapore

The geography of Singapore is marked by a small, heavily urbanised, island city-state in Southeast Asia, located at the southern tip of the Malayan Peninsula between Malaysia and Indonesia. Singapore has a total land area of 699 kmІ and 193 km of coastline. It is separated from Indonesia by the Singapore Strait and from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor.

Physical geography

Singapore's main territory is a diamond-shaped island, although her territory includes surrounding smaller islands. Singapore is slightly more than 3.5 times the size of Washington DC. Of Singapore's dozens of smaller islands, Jurong Island, Pulau Tekong, Pulau Ubin and Sentosa are the larger ones. Most of Singapore is no more than 15 meters above sea level. The highest point of Singapore is Bukit Timah, with a height of 164 m (538 feet) and made up of igneous rock, granite. Hills and valleys of sedimentary rock dominate the northwest, while the eastern region consists of sandy and flatter land. Singapore has no natural lakes or rivers, but reservoirs and water catchment areas have been constructed to store fresh water for Singapore's water supply.

Singapore has reclaimed land with earth obtained from its own hills, the seabed, and neighbouring countries. As a result, Singapore's land area has grown from 581.5 kmІ in the 1960s to 699 kmІ today, and may grow by another 100 kmІ by 2030.

Climate of Singapore

Singapore is 1 degree north of the equator. Singapore's climate is tropical ("tropical rainforest climate" under the Kцppen climate classification), with no true distinct seasons. Owing to its geographical location and maritime exposure, its climate is characterised by uniform temperature and pressure, high humidity and abundant rainfall. The average annual rainfall is around 2,370 mm (93 in). The temperature hovers around a diurnal range of a minimum 23 to 26 Ñ"C and a maximum of 31 to 34 Ñ"C. The highest and lowest recorded temperature in its maritime history is 37.8 Ñ"C and 18.4 Ñ"C respectively. Relative humidity has a diurnal range in the high 90's in the early morning to around 60% in the mid-afternoon. During prolonged heavy rain, relative humidity often reaches 100%. Generally, there is much more rainfall on the western side of the island then on the eastern portion of Singapore, owing to a rain shadow effect, and thus eastern Singapore side is much dryer and slightly hotter than western Singapore. This can cause slight weather contrast between both sides. This is significant to note, because even a small hill such as Bukit Timah can cause this phenomenon, and despite its small size, it may be sunny on one side while there is rain on the other.

Further contrasts that prevent true all-year uniformity are the monsoon seasons which happen twice each year. The first one is the Northeast Monsoon which occurs from December to early March. The second is the Southeast Monsoon season which occurs from June to September. Periods between monsoon seasons receive less rain and wind. During the Northeast Monsoon, northeast winds prevail, sometimes reaching 20 km/h. There are cloudy conditions in December and January with frequent afternoon showers. Spells of widespread moderate to heavy rain occur lasting from 1 to 3 days at a stretch. It is relatively drier in February till early March. It is also generally windy with wind speeds sometimes reaching 30 to 40 km/h in the months of January and February. During the Southeast Monsoon season, southeast/southwest winds prevail. Isolated to scattered showers occur in the late morning and early afternoon. Early morning "Sumatra" squall lines are common.

Seismic activity

Singapore is relatively safe from seismic activity in the region, as the nearest fault line is hundreds of kilometres away in Indonesia. However, the population and buildings are prone to being only very slightly affected by any activity as tremors, which is not uncommon, but generally does not do any harm and is limited to small amounts of swaying or vibration of objects. This is a sharp contrast to many of its seismically active neighbours.

In late 2004, several parts of Asia and Africa were struck by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and the resulting tsunami. Singapore was fortunate as it was protected by the Sumatra landmass, which bore the brunt of the tsunami; the effect on Singapore was limited to tremors felt in some of the common high-rise buildings there. However, as of February 2005, nine Singaporean tourists who were abroad were confirmed dead, fifteen missing, with another one uncontactable.

Geology

Singapore is a heavily built up society and it is no surprise that its physical environment has changed a lot. As a result, very few Singaporeans know what types of rocks are found on their island. Igneous rocks are found in Bukit Timah and Woodlands and Pulau Ubin island. Granite makes up the bulk of the igneous rock. Gabbro is also found in the area and is found in an area called Little Guilin named for its resemblance to Guilin is Southern China. Sedimentary rocks are found on the western part of Singapore and is mainly made of sandstone and mudstones. It also inculdes the southwestern area. Metamorphic rocks ar found in the northeastern part of Singapore and also on Pulau Tekong off the east cost of Singapore. The rocks are mainly made quartzite and also make up the Sajahat Formation.

Urban geography

When Singapore was first colonized by the British, the city of Singapore was situated on the southern coast, around the mouth of the Singapore River. This area remains the Downtown Core of Singapore. The rest of the island was farmland and primary rainforest. However, since the 1960s the government has constructed many new towns in other areas, so that today the island is nearly entirely built-up and urbanised, with only a few exceptions, such as Bukit Timah Nature Reserve or reclaimed land in the process of being developed. However, even though Singapore is nearly totally urban, the Central Area, which contains a high concentration of financial and commercial districts because this area is closest to Singapore's port.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority is the government agency responsible for the urban planning of Singapore, which seeks to implement efficient land use, minimise pollution while maintaining convenient transport, which are Singapore's largest concerns because of its situation as a city-state. A Development Guide Plan has been released in the process. In order to reduce traffic congestion, Electronic road pricing (ERP) has been enacted around entrances