Introduction
The English language name of Singapore is derived from the Malay language name of Singapura (transliterated as Lion City). Today the city-state is often referred to as the Lion City. Studies of Singapore indicate that lions probably never lived there, not even Asiatic lions; the beast seen by Sang Nila Utama, the founder of Singapore who gave it the Malay name of Singapura meaning Lion City, was most likely a tiger, probably the Malayan Tiger. "Singapore" is the name of both the city and country, which are the same entity. That is, the entire country constitutes a single municipality.
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