So much of what exists on Sentosa is new and shiny that it's understandable why the common “it was a manmade island” misconception keeps going around. Land reclamation may be the source of the confusion. Pulau Blakang Mati was about 280 hectares in size, and since 1972 Sentosa has grown to about 500 hectares.

Sentosa Island is a hybrid of natural land and extensive man-made reclamation. Originally a natural island known as Pulau Blakang Mati, it served as a British military fortress and a pirate haven long before it was renamed "Sentosa" (meaning "peace and tranquility") in 1970. Since then, the Singaporean government has radically transformed and expanded the island through massive land reclamation projects. The three famous beaches (Siloso, Palawan, and Tanjong) are almost entirely man-made, featuring sand imported from Indonesia and Malaysia held in place by artificial stone breakwaters. The entire "Resorts World Sentosa" complex, including Universal Studios Singapore and the S.E.A. Aquarium, sits on land that was heavily modified or entirely reclaimed. While the core of the island is a natural landmass, the Sentosa you see in 2026 is a masterpiece of urban engineering, designed to be a "state-of-the-art" tropical paradise where every lagoon, waterfall, and palm-fringed shoreline has been carefully positioned for tourism.