Pulau Pinang Mutiara Timur
Pearl of the Orient
Penang
Island is still called the "Pearl of the Orient" and occupies a position
to the north-west of Peninsular Malaysia. The influences acting on the island
came from many lands including Arabia, Holland, Britain, India, Indonesia and
China. Tourists visiting the island can have a really good and enlightening
holiday. ( Picture shows the KOMTAR Complex, Georgetown )
History
The first recorded landing at Penang was by a trader from Sumatra named Ragam. He named the island Pulau Bersatu which means Single Island. The International Airport at Bayan Lepas, which means "Parakeets Freed", is reputed to be built on the spot where Ragam freed some parakeets from captivity. The Portuguese were next to land at Penang and promptly renamed the island "Pulo Pinaom" after the betel nut palms which grew in abundance.
In 1786, Francis Light, an employee of the East India Company, set foot on the island of Penang during one of his trips to the Far East. He called it the "Pearl of the Orient" in appreciation of its' beauty. Upon realising its immense potential as a natural port, Light set about persuading the Sultan of Kedah, who held sovereignty over Penang, to concede the island to the British. This was supposed to be in return for them providing protection for the Sultan against his enemies. Upon acquiring Penang in 1786, Light renamed the island the Prince of Wales Island as the acquisition took place on the birthday of the Prince of Wales.
The
British, however, did not honour the terms of their agreement with the Sultan
of Kedah, but there was little his ill-equipped army of 10,000 could do against
the might of the British. As a result of this acquisition, a treaty was signed
in 1791 requiring Penang to pay the government of Kedah an annual sum of money,
a practice which is still carried out today. ( Picture shows the Francis
Light Monument )
Light soon established Georgetown, named after the Prince of Wales who later became King George IV, with Lebuh Chulia, Lebuh Light, Lebuh Pitt and Lebuh Bishop as its boundaries. He also acquired from the Sultan of Kedah a strip of land on the mainland and named this strip Province Wellesley.
During its' early years Penang served as a port for Indian and Chinese traders, who traded tea and opium. To attract more settlers to the island, Light allowed them to claim as much land as they could clear. This drew many settlers from all over Asia. Penang soon became an even busier port, with numerous vessels bringing traders from Burma, India, China and Arabia. Local traders enjoyed the benefit of this international trade, and did very well for themselves. Between 1786 and the turn of the century, Penang went from being a virtually uninhabited island to being home to 10,000 residents, and was soon joined with Malacca and Singapore to became part of the Straits Settlements. The "Pearl of the Orient" was the first Malaysian town to be accorded with city status way back in the 1960's.
Geography
The
island of Penang lies off the north-west coast of Peninsula Malaysia in the
Straits of Malacca, roughly 100 kilometres south-west of Langkawi Island and
about three kilometres off the mainland coast. Pulau Pinang (Penang Island)
is linked to the mainland by a bridge which is one of the longest in the world,
and certainly is an unusual drive if one chooses to drive or travel across it
in a passenger vehicle. Penang's mainland territory is bordered by Perak
to the south and Kedah to the east and north. Penang Island's coastline extends
for about 76 kilometres, with many beautiful beaches located along it. The land
area of Penang State is about 1,031 square kilometres, with Penang Island taking
up 293 square kilometres and Seberang Perai 738 square kilometres.
The capital of Penang is Georgetown, which has a population of just over 400,000, mostly Chinese, and which occupies the north-eastern part of the island. The other major town in Penang State is Butterworth, which is located on the mainland opposite Georgetown.
Penang Island's terrain is generally flat with paddy being grown here, leading to gently rolling jungle-covered hills. The highest point is Penang Hill, which peaks at around 830 feet. Amongst the rivers to be found in Penang is Sungai Pinang. Penang's land usage is very diverse, ranging from agricultural usage (mainly paddy) to industrial usage and office cum commercial premises, not to forget provision for housing.
The island's climate is described as an equatorial climate, with wet and dry seasons. September to November are the wettest months in the State, with a high humidity ranging between 80% and 90%, and temperatures ranging between 23 degrees Celcius and 32 degrees Celcius. ( Picture shows a Bukit Bendera trem )