Located off the southern coast of mainland Singapore, Sentosa (Isle of Tranquillity) was initially known as Pulau Blakang Mati (Island Behind Death). Starting from the 1880s, the island was an important British military base with a number of forts built on it to protect the southern shipping lanes. In 1970, the island was renamed Sentosa following a naming contest organised by the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board (STPB). The development of the island into a tourist and recreation resort came under the management of the Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC), which was formed in 1972.In 1980, the STPB announced plans for a second round of development to attract more visitors to Sentosa. Major attractions planned included the Rasa Sentosa food centre, budget youth hostels, a second 18-hole golf course and a musical fountain. To improve the island’s accessibility to visitors, a new monorail system and ferry terminal were also planned. Except for the new ferry terminal, which began operations in 1987, most of the other projects were completed by the mid 1980s.
