Central Area, Singapore

Central Area
City centre
Other transcription(s)
• Chinese	中央商业区
• Malay	Kawasan Tengah
• Tamil	மத்திய பகுதி
From top left to right: Skyline of the Downtown Core, Chinatown, The Helix Bridge with Marina Bay Sands in the background, Clarke Quay, Gardens by the Bay, ION Orchard, The National Museum of Singapore, Masjid Sultan, Rochor
Location of the Central Area in Central Region
Central Area Location of the Central Area within Singapore
Coordinates: 1°17′30″N 103°51′00″E / 1.29167°N 103.85000°E / 1.29167; 103.85000
Country	Singapore
Region	Central Region
Planning Areas	11 Downtown Core Marina East Marina South Museum Newton Orchard Outram River Valley Rochor Singapore River Straits View
CDCs	Central Singapore CDC South East CDC
Town councils	Jalan Besar Town Council Marine Parade Town Council Tanjong Pagar Town Council
Constituencies	Jalan Besar GRC Mountbatten SMC Tanjong Pagar GRC
Central Area created	22 January 1999[1]
Government
• Mayors	Central Singapore CDC Denise Phua South East CDC Mohd Fahmi Aliman
• Members of Parliament	Jalan Besar GRC Denise Phua Josephine Teo Mountbatten SMC Lim Biow Chuan Tanjong Pagar GRC Indranee Rajah Joan Pereira Melvin Yong
Area [2]
• City centre	17.84 km2 (6.89 sq mi)
• Metro	132.7 km2 (51.2 sq mi)
Population  (2015)[2][3]
• City centre	60,520
• Density	3,400/km2 (8,800/sq mi)
• Metro	939,890
• Metro density	7,100/km2 (18,000/sq mi)
Postal districts	1, 6, 7, 8, 9
Dwelling units	12,571

The Central Area, also called the City Area, and informally The City, is the main commercial and financial city centre of Singapore. Located in the south-eastern part of the Central Region, the Central Area consists of eleven constituent planning areas: the Downtown Core, Marina East, Marina South, the Museum Planning Area, Newton, Orchard, Outram, River Valley, Rochor, the Singapore River and Straits View, as defined by the Urban Redevelopment Authority. The term Central Business District (CBD) has also been used to describe most of the Central Area as well, although its boundaries lie within the Downtown Core.^[4]

Singapore's modern history began in this area, when British colonial official Stamford Raffles and representatives of the British East India Company landed along the banks of the Singapore River in 1819 to set up a free port of trade between Europe and Asia. As the old harbour grew along the mouth of the river bank, the historical city naturally expanded around it, creating what is now the Central Area. As the financial heart of Singapore, the Downtown Core also houses the headquarters and offices of numerous major corporations, both local and international, as well as the Singapore Exchange (SGX). As the country's de facto capital, it is also home to many governmental institutions, most notably the seat of Parliament and the Supreme Court.

The Central Area surrounds the banks of the Singapore River and Marina Bay where the first settlements on the island were established shortly after the arrival of Raffles in 1819. Surrounding the Central Area is the rest of the Central Region. The Central Area shares boundaries with the planning areas of Novena to the north, Kallang to the north and north-east, Tanglin to the north-west and west, Bukit Merah to the south-west and Marine Parade to the east. The south-easternmost limits of the city is enclosed by Marina Barrage, where the mouth of Marina Bay meets the Singapore Strait.