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Temasek ('Sea Town' in Javanese, spelt Tumasik; Chinese: 淡马锡) was the name of an early city on the site of modern Singapore. From the 14th century, the island is also known as Singapura, which is derived from Sanskrit and means "Lion City". Legend has it that the name was given by Sang Nila Utama when he visited the island in 1299 and saw an unknown creature which he probably mistook as a lion [1].

While the early history of Singapore is obscured by myth and legend, some conclusions can be drawn from archaeological evidence and from written references by travelers. Archaeology points to an urbanised settlement on the site by the fourteenth century. Allusions by travelers give some evidence that there may have been a city or town present as early as the second century. At its height, the city boasted a large earthen city wall and moat; many of the buildings were built with stone and brick foundations. Remains of old pottery, coins, jewellery and other artifacts have been found, with many of these artifacts believed to be imported from various parts of China, India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. These are sometimes seen as evidence of the city's status as a regional trade centre. An aquatic route which is part of the larger Silk route, passes through Temasek.

From the seventh to the thirteenth centuries, the island of Singapore was controlled by the Srivijaya empire based in Sumatra. By the emergence of Temasek as a fortified city and trading centre 14th century, the Srivijaya empire was in a long period of decline. The city then changed hands several times before coming under the influence of the Sultanate of Malacca in the fifteenth century. After the fall of Malacca to the Portuguese in 1511, the island came under the control of the Malay Sultanate of Johor.

Singapore's national honours

The Republic's two most important national honours are titled Bintang Temasek (The Star of Temasek for acts of exceptional courage and skill or exhibited conspicuous devotion to duty in circumstances of extreme danger) and the Darjah Utama Temasek (Order of Temasek, for outstanding and exceptional contributions to the country).

Other institutions that bear the name:

External links

A History of the Lion City - Chapter from an online textbook.

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 '''Temasek''' ('Sea Town' in [[Javanese language|Javanese]], spelt ''Tumasik''; {{zh-s|s=淡马锡}}) was the name of an early city on the site of modern [[Singapore]]. From the [[14th century]], the island is also known as '''Singapura''', which is derived from [[Sanskrit]] and means "Lion City". Legend has it that the name was given by [[Sang Nila Utama]] when he visited the island in [[1299]] and saw an unknown creature which he probably mistook as a lion [http://www.hawaii.edu/cseas/pubs/singapore/singapore.html#chapter1].
-The useless CEO of Temasek, Ho Ching, has lost billions of S'poreans' hard-earned money in ill-famed stakes in Shin Corp(down over 60%), Merrill Lynch(down over 40%), Barclays(down over 50%) and Citigroup(down over 60%).
-She has also vapourised over $500 million buy buying a stake in troubled ABC Learning Centres near the crest of A$7.40.It is now suspended with a last-traded price of A$0.54, with rumours swirling that it is technically insolvent.
-Ho Ching is exempted from taking responsibility for these fiascoes because she is the wife of the Prime Minister and the daughter-in-law of the notoriously intolerant, inhumane and nepotistic Lee Kuan Yew.
-In 2007, GIC invested S$14 billion foolishly in UBS, a bank whose value has plunged over 60% since that time, meaning that a .
-S$8.4 billion dollar loss has already been inflicted on Singaporeans.
-GIC's stake in ICICI Bank of India, originally hugely profitable, has bungee-jumped 74% down from a  peak of 1400 rupees, turning their originally profitable investment into a loss-making one, taking into consideration their average down cost since 2007.
-Its sister company Temasek, fared even worse, with a 70% plunge in the value of Merrill Lynch, and a 59% plummet in the value of Citigroup. Even Standard Chartered, supposedly the most stable in the Government's portfolio, has sunk 33.4% based on Friday Oct 10th's closing price of 999.5 p.
-Temasek committed another heinous fiasco down under, losing almost S$500 million in the bankrupt ABC Learning after buying at the peak in 2007.
-It's also famously losing a vast proportion of its US$3 billion in Shin Corp of Thailand, after the shares plunged over 60% due to Thais' objections and it therefore facilitated an illegality(tax evasion by the former owner Thaksin Shinawatra).
-Also, it has to pare down its stake to 75% in a falling market.
-Due to the recent market selldown, the value of Temasek and GIC's holdings in GLCs like SIA, DBS and such has also plummeted by S$40 billion.
-This makes the grand total of deterioration in the Singapore government's portfolio close to S$80 billion, necessitating a hike in transport fares, ERP charges and utility rates to recoup their losses.
 While the early history of Singapore is obscured by myth and legend, some conclusions can be drawn from [[Archaeology|archaeological]] evidence and from written references by travelers. Archaeology points to an urbanised settlement on the site by the [[fourteenth century]]. Allusions by travelers give some evidence that there may have been a city or town present as early as the [[2nd century|second century]]. At its height, the city boasted a large earthen [[city wall]] and [[moat]]; many of the buildings were built with stone and brick foundations. Remains of old pottery, coins, jewellery and other artifacts have been found, with many of these artifacts believed to be imported from various parts of [[China]], [[India]], [[Sri Lanka]] and [[Indonesia]]. These are sometimes seen as evidence of the city's status as a regional trade centre. An aquatic route which is part of the larger [[Silk Road|Silk route]], passes through Temasek.