Having braved crocodile-infested waters, Stamford Raffles and William Farquhar landed on an island where tigers, leopards and boar roamed the thickly forested hills. The thriving city of Singapore now belies its wild beginnings, but over the last 20 years Singaporeans have completed an ambitious project to beautify the island by preserving many of its tropical trees, plants and flowers, and even some of its exotic mango swamps. Illustrated throughout, this book explores the new parks and gardens that have transformed both the look and the environment of Singapore.