Pulau Tekong (Singapore English pronunciation: /ˈtəkɒŋ/ TUH-kong), also known colloquially as Tekong or Tekong Island, is Singapore's largest outlying island. It lies off the northeastern coast of the mainland, to the east of Pulau Ubin. Since the 1980s, Pulau Tekong has been used by the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) as a restricted military training ground, with public access prohibited. Transport for permitted personnel is provided via the SAF Changi Ferry Terminal located at Changi Beach.
Historically, various pre-colonial maps recorded the island under different names, and the origins of the name "Tekong" remain the subject of several theories. Pulau Tekong was previously inhabited by a multi-ethnic population of Malays, Chinese and Indians who established agricultural and fishing kampongs across the island. During the British colonial period, the island played a modest role in regional trade and rubber and vegetable farming sustained its economy. During the Japanese occupation of Singapore, residents of Tekong were subjected to forced labour, and many of the island's villages were eventually abandoned following the war.
