Land and Climate

Singapore is separated from the mainland of Malaysia by the Johore Strait to the north. Across the Strait of Malacca and the Singapore Strait to the west and south of the island lies Indonesia.

The total land area is about 239 square miles (618 square kilometers), which includes some 57 nearby islets. The island is 26 miles (42 kilometers) at its broadest point from east to west and 14 miles (23 kilometers) from north to south. Originally consisting of swamps and primary jungle vegetation, Singapore's terrain is largely flat and low-lying with numerous undulating hills. Bukit Timah, the highest point, is only 531 feet (162 meters) above sea level.

Situated just 85 miles (137 kilometers) north of the equator, Singapore has a tropical climate characterized by high temperatures and humidity. Both annual and daily temperature variations are slight, and the average maximum temperature is 88 F (31 C). The island, which has no pronounced wet or dry season, receives an average of 100 inches (254 centimeters) of precipitation annually. During periods of heavy rain, flooding is common in low-lying areas.

The island lies in the path of two monsoonal wind patterns that alternate in the major seasons. The northeast monsoon dominates the weather pattern from November to March and the southeast monsoon from June through September.

The republic is basically one large metropolitan area with outlying population nodes. The main urban center is located on the south coast, where much of the urban sprawl is on land reclaimed from the sea and low-lying areas. By 1985 land reclamation had increased the original size of the island by 5 percent.