Earthprints: Singapore

Earthprints: Singapore

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When Singapore celebrated its 50th birthday as an independent country in August, the city state bore little resemblance to the tiny island nation that was expelled from Malaysia in 1965.

Years of strong growth have turned it into an international financial and shipping hub with spotless streets, well-tended parks and living standards unmatched in Southeast Asia.

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Not only has its GDP per capita risen by more than 4,400 percent, according to government statistics, but its physical stature has swollen by 20 percent since independence thanks to one of the world’s most aggressive land reclamation drives.

Before & After

Before
. Reuters/NASA
After
. Reuters/NASA

Before: The island state is seen in 1973.
After: The same view is seen in 2014.

With a population of 5.5 million spread over just 719 sq km, Singapore has outlined plans to expand further over the coming decades, for both housing and for financial and industrial growth. Container terminals, industrial estates, petrochemical factories and the Changi Airport, repeatedly voted the world’s best, are built on reclaimed land.

. Singapore, SINGAPORE. Reuters/Edgar Su

The Marina Bay Sands Hotel & Casino, and much of its expansive financial district, are also on land reclaimed from the seas from the 1960s to the 1990s. The bay area is home to some of Singapore’s popular tourist destinations -- a Ferris wheel, its $1-billion Gardens by the Bay park spanning 100 hectares and the Formula One Grand Prix circuit.

. Singapore, SINGAPORE. Reuters/Edgar Su
Visitors dine on a rooftop restaurant of the artificial Supertrees structure that act as vertical gardens at Gardens by the Bay

But Singapore's success and an influx of foreign workers has brought high property prices, crowded public transport and a widening wealth gap which have fuelled resentment among many in a city that surveys rank as one of the world's most expensive.

. Singapore, SINGAPORE. Reuters/Edgar Su

The extent of its land reclamation has come under criticism for causing environmental damage and caused tension with its neighbours. It has lead to loss of marine life, destruction of mangrove area and coral reefs, critics say.

Singapore’s terrain is largely flat today - it used the earth from its hills for reclamation. With no more material available within its borders, Singapore has imported 517 million tonnes of sand in the last 20 years, according to a United Nations report last year.

. Singapore, SINGAPORE. Reuters/Edgar Su
People enjoy a manmade beach overlooking oil refineries in Pulau Bukom, an island built on reclaimed land about 5km south of the main island.

Indonesia, which was the biggest supplier of sand to Singapore, banned exports to the city state in 2007, saying sand mining caused the extinction of several fish species, destruction of coral reefs and the disappearance of a number of small islands.

Environmentalists also say reclamation is causing change in tidal flows, not just at Singapore’s coasts but also those of its neighbours. In 2011, Singapore raised the minimum height of land reclamations to protect itself from rising sea levels.

. Singapore, SINGAPORE. Reuters/Edgar Su

With the island’s population expected to increase to 6.5-6.9 million by 2030, the government has said it will need another 50 sq km of land. It detailed a plan in 2013, marking out areas it could reclaim for military training, industrial and port uses.

Singapore has also said it has room for further reclamation beyond 2030. That may not be easy amid growing environmental and political objections.

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Slideshow

Guests look out from the Marina Bay Sands Sky Park observatory deck.
. Singapore, SINGAPORE. Reuters/Edgar Su

Guests look out from the Marina Bay Sands Sky Park observatory deck.

Hotel guests look out from the rooftop of the Marina Bay Sands hotel.
. Singapore, SINGAPORE. Reuters/Edgar Su

Hotel guests look out from the rooftop of the Marina Bay Sands hotel.

The central business district is reflected in a pond.
. Singapore, SINGAPORE. Reuters/Edgar Su

The central business district is reflected in a pond.

Men sitting on on a breakwater prepare their fishing line.
. Singapore, SINGAPORE. Reuters/Edgar Su

Men sitting on on a breakwater prepare their fishing line.

Indonesian tourists take photos.
. Singapore, SINGAPORE. Reuters/Edgar Su

Indonesian tourists take photos.

People look out from the observatory deck.
. Singapore, SINGAPORE. Reuters/Edgar Su

People look out from the observatory deck.

A tourist stands at an observatory point overlooking the Marina Bay area.
. Singapore, SINGAPORE. Reuters/Edgar Su

A tourist stands at an observatory point overlooking the Marina Bay area.

Office workers take their lunch breaks in the central business district.
. Singapore, SINGAPORE. Reuters/Edgar Su

Office workers take their lunch breaks in the central business district.

Members of the local Porsche motoring club chat after parking their convoy of 50 cars.
. Singapore, SINGAPORE. Reuters/Edgar Su

Members of the local Porsche motoring club chat after parking their convoy of 50 cars.

People celebrate with a toast as they are chauffeured in a stretch limousine to try food and champagne pairings at different restaurants.
. Singapore, SINGAPORE. Reuters/Edgar Su

People celebrate with a toast as they are chauffeured in a stretch limousine to try food and champagne pairings at different restaurants.

Yachts are moored at a marina next to luxury apartments at the man-made island resort of Sentosa Cove.
. Singapore, SINGAPORE. Reuters/Edgar Su

Yachts are moored at a marina next to luxury apartments at the man-made island resort of Sentosa Cove.

A bumboat passes the skyline of the central business district.
. Singapore, SINGAPORE. Reuters/Edgar Su

A bumboat passes the skyline of the central business district.

Go to next story in the series - Earthprints: Lake Powell