Singapore was first mentioned in a 3rd Century Chinese account, which described it as "Pu-luo-chung", or island at the end of the peninsula. In the 7th Century, a Malayan Buddhist Empire was established on the island of Sumatra. Temasek (Sea Town) as Singapore was then known, was a prosperous trading outpost of this empire.

The island is said to have received its actual name from a visiting Sumatran prince in the 14th century, who saw a fearsome creature - later identified to him as a lion - on his arrival.


Taking this as a good omen, the prince founded a new city on the spot, changing the name of the island from Temasek to Singapura. In Sanskrit, "singa" means lion and "pura" means city. Thus the Lion City was born, and today the symbol of the merlion - a mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish - is a reminder of Singapore's early connections to this legend and the seas.