Sentosa Island is full of surprises, beginning with its name: it translates to "Peace and Tranquility" in Malay, which was chosen in 1970 to replace its original, darker name, Pulau Blakang Mati, which literally meant "Island of Death Behind." Another fun fact is that 70% of the island is covered in secondary rainforest, which is home to over 60 resident peafowls (peacocks)—the largest population in Singapore. Sentosa also features the Southernmost Point of Continental Asia, reachable by a suspension bridge at Palawan Beach (though geographers often debate this exact claim!). For history buffs, it houses Fort Siloso, Singapore's only preserved coastal fort, complete with WWII tunnels. In 2026, the island is also famous for the Singapore Oceanarium, which contains one of the world's largest viewing panels at 36 meters wide. Finally, it’s one of the few places in the world where you can take a cable car directly from a skyscraper on the mainland over a harbor and land right in a tropical theme park.