Pulau Pawai

SG neighbourhood
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englishname=Pulau Pawai
chinesename=巴歪岛
poj=
pengim=
pinyin=bāwāi dǎo
malayname=Pulau Pawai
tamilname=

Pulau Pawai, also known as Alligator Island during the colonial times, [cite web|url=http://infopedia.nlb.gov.sg/articles/SIP_150_2005-01-20.html|title=Islands of Singapore|accessdate=2006-11-25|year=2001|work=Size of islands around Singapore|publisher=National Library Board] is a 182,000 m² island located within the Singapore Armed Forces Live Firing Area. It is located off the southwestern coast of Singapore, between Pulau Sudong to its north and Pulau Satumu to its south. It is one of the three islands owned by the Singapore Armed Forces for live firing exercises, the other two being Pulau Sudong and Pulau Senang.

Restricted area

Since the early 1980s, the island together with Pulau Senang and Pulau Sudong, these three islands formed the Singapore Armed Forces southern islands military training area and live-firing zone. [ [http://www.mindef.gov.sg/imindef/news_and_events/nr/1998/oct/08oct98_nr.html Live explosive being tested on civilian structure in the Southern islands live-firing area.] ] As with all other military installations within the country, the entire live-firing zone is strictly off limits to all civilians at all times of the day and night. [ [http://www.mindef.gov.sg/imindef/news_and_events/nr/2005/jan/06jan05_nr.html Typical MINDEF notice during live-firing ex] ]

The island is used mainly as a practice range for live-ammunition bombing both from the air and the ground. The Republic of Singapore Air Force and Navy take turns to use it, with the Air Force practicing strafing and the Navy practicing shelling targets. [cite web|url=http://library.thinkquest.org/04apr/00793/Islandtext/Island%20Facts.htm|title=Islands Around Singapore|accessdate=2006-11-25|year=2004|work=Facts & myths about islands of Singapore|publisher=Thinkquest & Oracle Corporation]

Pawai's lush green and brown forests are mostly undisturbed and it has been found to have a rich biodiversity of coral reefs, especially fringing reefs. [cite web|url=http://coralreef.nus.edu.sg/|title=Coral Reefs of Singapore|accessdate=2006-11-25|work=Information on Coral Reefs of Singapore|publisher=Reef Ecology Study Team, National University of Singapore]

Etymology

"Pawai" means cortège ( _fr. procession, retinue) or suite of the Raja, so presumably the retinue of the Raja stayed on this island. [cite web|url=http://habitatnews.nus.edu.sg/articles/singaporeislands/|title=Names of Singapore islands|accessdate=2006-11-25|work=Etymology of Singapore Islands|publisher=Habitat News]

=Panoramic

References