MARINA BAY, Merlion Park
- Audio File length: 2.34
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Language: English / USA
At the foot of the Helix Bridge is Merlion Park, a Singapore landmark and an important tourist attraction, visited by over a million tourists every year.
The park, which covers an area of 2,500 square meters, was designed by the Singapore Tourism Board in 1964, but was not opened until September 15, 1972.
It owes its name – and fame – to the original statue of the Merlion, a mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish, the mascot and the national personification and emblem of Singapore.
The name Merlion is formed by "mer", i.e. sea, and "lion". The body represents the origin of Singapore as a fishing village, known as Temasek, meaning "sea town" in Javanese, while the head is a reference to the original name of Singapore: Singapura, meaning "lion city"....