'Pulau Ujong' (
Malay: literally 'island at the end [of the
peninsula]') or 'Singapore Island' is the main
island of the
island country of
Singapore. It forms the majority of the island country in terms of area and population. It was the easiest reference to the Singapore Island as anyone travelling from the
Straits of Malacca to the
South China Sea or vice versa would have to pass the island, hence giving it the name. Like
Johor's old name, ''ujong tanah'' meaning "Land's End", the island was known better by the
Orang laut as Pulau Ujong literally meaning "End Island". The early Chinese reference to P'u Luo Chung corresponds to the the Malay reference known as Pualau Juong. In the
18th century, the island was known as Pulau Panjang (Long Island).
Reference
★ Victor R Savage, Brenda SA Yeoh (2004), ''Toponymics A Study of Singapore's Street Names'', Eastern University Press, ISBN 981-210-364-3