The Merlion (Malay: Singa-Laut) is an imaginary creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish, used as a mascot of Singapore. Its name combines "mer" meaning the sea and "lion". The fish body comes from Singapore's ancient name back when it was a fishing village — Temasek — meaning "sea town" in Javanese. The lion head represents Singapore's original name — Singapura — meaning "lion city" or "kota singa".
The Merlion has settled upon the shores of the Singapore River since 1972. At the Merlion Park, the 40 tonne creature sprouts an endless jet of water from its jaws. Why this half-lion, half-fish hybrid spits water despite the country’s long history of water shortages, no one will ever know. But one thing is certain, the Merlion is Singapore’s most famous landmark. The Singapore Merlion, a legendary beast native to Singapore waters or a blatant marketing mascot? You be the judge.
The true nature of the Merlion however, is much more practical. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, the new country of Singapore began to attract tourists from all over the world. As an immigrant country, Singapore did not possess any cultural creations to call its own. To counter this problem, the government created the Singapore Tourism board to help support the country’s fledgling tourist industry.One of the symol in Singapore!
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