Lazarus Island

Lazarus Island

Native name: Pulau Sekijang Pelepah
Lazarus Island on the right
Location of Lazarus Island
Geography
Location	Singapore Strait
Coordinates	1°13′20.1354″N103°51′19.296″E / 1.222259833°N 103.85536000°E / 1.222259833; 103.85536000
Administration
Singapore
Region	Central Region
Planning Area	Southern Islands
Constituency	West Coast GRC
Member of Parliament	Rachel Ong Sin Yen

Lazarus Island, formerly known as Pulau Sekijang Pelepah, is one of the Southern Islands in Singapore. It is south of the main island of Singapore, off the Straits of Singapore. It is connected by a causeway to Saint John's Island, which is reachable by ferry. It is not connected by land to the mainland.

Etymology and history

Lazarus island was formerly known as Pulau Sekijang Pelepah (alternatively spelled as Pulau Sakijang Pelepah). ^[1] Literally translated from Malay, 'sa', short for 'satu', means one, 'kijang' means deer, and 'pelepah' is a palm frond. Put together, it means 'Island of A Deer and Palms'. ^[2] In 2006, Lazarus Island and Pulau Seringat were linked by a sand bank.

The island and nearby St Johns Island was originally a penal colony and a quarantine station initially for cholera, beri-beri then later for leprosy - a termed lazaretto - which may have been later changed to Lazarus. Lepers may also have been transferred to Lazarus Island (the connection being that the biblical character. (See Order of Saint Lazarus and Leper colony.)

Gallery

Into the Woods at Lazarus Island

Tiny Away Escape at Lazarus Island

References

1. Chen, Junhao; Chong, Kwek Yan; Yee, Alex T. K.; Tan, Hugh T.W. (2014). A Gazetteer of the Singapore Locality Names of the Collections of the Herbarium, Singapore Botanic Gardens (PDF). Singapore: Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, National University of Singapore. p. 15. ISBN   978-981-07-2589-1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-01-28.
2. "Lazarus Island". The Digital Nature Archive of Singapore, Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum. Retrieved 2016-03-08.