River · Singapore
Kallang River
Kallang River is the longest river in Singapore, a small island country in Southeast Asia. It winds through the busy city and finally reaches the sea through the Marina Channel.
Picture credit: Moheen Reeyad (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Alexey Komarov (CC BY 3.0) · Jnzl's Photos (CC BY 2.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is the Kallang River?
The river starts here: Central nature reserve of Singapore island.
It ends in the Marina Channel, Singapore.
Countries on the river: Singapore.
The story behind it
Kallang River is short, but almost everyone in Singapore knows it. It starts in the green nature reserve at the centre of the island, where monkeys climb the trees and monitor lizards sunbathe on the banks. Long ago, fishing families lived in wooden houses along the water and small boats carried goods to the town. The river became very dirty, so the city spent years clearing out mud and rubbish. Today it is clean enough for kayaks and dragon boats, and herons wait in the shallows for fish. A huge barrage near the mouth holds back the sea, which turns the water in front of the skyscrapers into a freshwater reservoir. Parks, sports halls and a famous stadium stand along the banks, and people jog there every evening.
Questions children ask
How long is the Kallang River?
The Kallang River is about 10 kilometres long. That makes it tiny next to the great rivers of Asia, but it is still the longest river in Singapore.
Which country does the Kallang River flow through?
The river lies entirely in Singapore, an island country in Southeast Asia. It runs from the wooded middle of the island to the city centre.
Where does the Kallang River end?
It ends in the Marina Channel in front of the city centre. A barrage there keeps the sea out, so the last stretch of the river is a freshwater reservoir.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
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