The Merlion has become the icon of Singapore to the rest of the world. It has a lion head and a fish body resting on a crest of waves. The lion head symbolises the legend of the discovery of Singapore as recorded in the "Malay Annals", which has it that Prince Sang Nila Utama of the Sri Vijaya Empire sighted a lion when he discovered Singapore in 11 AD, and so decided to name the island "Singapura" which in Sanskrit means Lion (Singa) City (Pura). The fish tail symbolises the humble beginnings of Singapore as a fishing village, when it was known as Temasek, a Javanese word for sea.

The Merlion was first designed as an emblem for the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board in 1964 by Mr Fraser Brunner, a member of the souvenir committee and a curator of the Singapore Van Kleef Aquarium. The statue of the Merlion, as it is seen today, was built by the late Singapore craftsman, Mr Lim Nang Seng. It measures 8.6 metres high and weights 70 tonnes. The body is made of cement fondue, the skin from porcelain plates, and the eyes from small red teacups. A second and smaller Merlion statue, called the Merlion Cub, measuring 2 metres high and weighing 3 tonnes, was also built by Mr Lim.

Mr Lee Kuan Yew, the then Prime Minister of Singapore, was the guest-of-honour at the installation ceremony of the Merlion statue on 15 September 1972. A bronze plaque commemorated the auspicious occasion with the inscription, "The Merlion has been erected as a symbol to welcome all visitors to Singapore", and today the Merlion statue is a popular tourist attraction and an icon of Singapore, taking its place among the famous landmarks of great cities in the world.