Tampines is bordered to the west by Bedok and Paya Lebar, to the north by Pasir Ris, to the east by Changi, and to the south by the Straits of Singapore.

Situated in the historical region of Tanah Merah, its present-day terrain is particularly flat due to the large-scale sand quarrying in the 1960s.

It is one of three regional centres in the city-state, serving to decentralise economic activity from the Central Business District to other parts of the island, an idea first proposed in the 1991 Concept Plan.

[7] Several large insurance companies, real estate corporations and financial institutions, such as OCBC and UOB, have shifted their back-end operations to the regional centre.

[27] Tampines is the 12th most expensive planning area for food, according to the 2016 Makan Index by the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP).

In 2023, the Makan Index revealed that Tampines had the highest price among 26 residential neighbourhoods for a lunch or dinner at a kopitiam, food court or hawker centre.

Together with the adjacent planning areas, Tampines contributes to the economy of the East Region of Singapore, which had a nominal GDP of US$50.246 million in 2023.

Tampines Central is a hub for various financial institutions, ranging from banks to insurance companies, like OCBC, UOB, Income and AIA.

As of 2020, Tampines GRC has been led by Minister of the Environment and Water Resources and Muslim Affairs Masagos Zulkifli, who has been contesting since the 2006 general election.

After the completion of Our Tampines Hub on the same site, the club now plays its home fixtures at the 5,000-seat football stadium located within the integrated complex.

[36] As the fourth public university in Singapore, SUTD specialises in design and technology education, and offers full-time undergraduate courses in five majors.

[40] Together with the other existing campus in Ang Mo Kio, Pathlight School provides specialised educational programmes to the needs of students with autism and other developmental challenges.

Built on the site former occupied by East View Primary School, the Tampines campus will take in 500 pupils with special educational needs (SEN).

[40] Metta School, located in Simei, is a specialised institution catering to students aged 7 to 21 with mild intellectual disabilities (MID) and autism (ASD).

[41] Formed as an offshoot of Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (MINDS), the school provides both certification and non-certification vocational training programmes tailored to meet the diverse learning needs of its students.

Tampines is one of Singapore's four regional centres (along with Woodlands, Jurong East and future Seletar), under the plan of the Urban Redevelopment Authority.

These community clubs are common spaces for residents to come together, and they occasionally provide information from the government on national policies through events and booths.

The hospital houses six specialist centres and encompass a wide range of disciplines, such as cardiology, orthopaedic surgery, and sports medicine.

These polyclinics offer a wide array of health services for residents, from management of chronic diseases to treatment of acute medical conditions.

[53] Home to over 75 species of birds, Tampines Eco Green remains largely preserved in its existing ecological state, with marshlands, secondary forests and freshwater ponds.

Located just south of the National Service Resort & Country Club (NSRCC), the beach in this zone can extend up to 100 metres out to sea during extreme low tides.

East Coast Park offers residents an uninterrupted cycling path to the Central Business District (CBD).

One of many nature ways in Singapore, it serves as a vital corridor for wildlife, like including birds and butterflies, to move between green spaces.

[67] Built at a cost of S$5 million, it features 85 bus bays and a comprehensive set of trunk and feeder services linking Tampines to the rest of Singapore.

[73] Tampines is set to become the first town centre in Singapore to implement a district cooling system, a significant milestone announced on April 18.

The implementation of the DDC network in Tampines is expected to significantly reduce carbon emissions and achieve substantial energy savings.

SP Group and Temasek project that the network will lower carbon emissions by 1,359 tonnes annually, equivalent to removing 1,236 cars from Singapore's roads, and save over 2.8 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy each year, enough to power more than 905 three-room HDB households.

This project not only demonstrates the potential for integrating sustainable solutions into existing urban infrastructures but also aligns with Singapore’s broader climate ambitions, contributing to a low-carbon future.

[76] Enhancements include widening existing paths, improving bicycle crossings with additional signage, and establishing trunk routes connecting Tampines to neighbouring towns and key employment hubs such as Changi Business Park.

These services offer convenient access to bicycles for both residents and visitors, facilitating short trips around the town at low cost.