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 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.

Much of the central area bounded by Telok Ayer Road, which has a high concentration of skyscrapers, is actually built on reclaimed land.

The temple comprises an architectural works of stone, tiles and wood, dragons and phoenixes, as well as carvings, sculptures and columns.

[9][10] This temple was established by a group of Teochew settlers from Guangzhou in China when they dedicated a shrine to Tian Hou Sheng Mu.

The renovation to the temple was undertaken by the Ngee Ann Kongsi, which was formed by a group of immigrants from the Teochew community.

[12] CHIJMES, located at Victoria Street, was originally a Catholic convent which is currently converted into a modern dining area with restaurants.

Rochor, Newton, River Valley and Outram are commercially thriving, but have fewer skyscrapers and generally include a greater residential presence.

Schools, condominiums and Housing Development Board apartments are located in these areas, albeit at higher prices.

Since the 1970s, the Singapore government and the Urban Redevelopment Authority have reclaimed land portions from Marina Bay in an attempt to expand the Central Area.