Penang ...
... Island of Dreams
Quick Facts
- Capital: George Town, named after King George III
- Population: 1.7 million (2008 est)
- Land Area - Island 293 sq km; Province Weleslesley 760 sq km;
- Highest point: Western Hill at 830 metres
- Founded by Capt Francis Light on 11th August 1786;
- Attained city status on 1 January 1957, the first city in Malaysia.
- State motto: Bersatu dan Setia (United and Loyal)
- Governor: Tuan Yang Terutama Abdul Rahman bin Haji Abbas
- Chief Minister: Lim Guan Eng
- Telephone Code: +604
- Postal code: 10000 - 19500
- Vehicle registration prefix: P
UNESCO World Heritage Site
7 July 2008, Georgetown declared a World Heritage Site.
Milestones
- 1786 First British outpost in South East Asia
- 1786 First newspaper - Prince of Wales Island Gazette, followed by the Penang Gazette in 1837
- 1807 Charter of Justice awarded by King George III - formation of the police force and court
- 1816 Penang Free School was established by Rev. Sparke Hutchings - the oldest English school in the region
- 1816 St George's Anglican Church - the first Anglican
church in South East Asia
Twin Cities
- Adelaide, Australia (1973)
- Medan, Indonesia (1983)
- Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan (1991)
- Xiamen, China (1993)
- 1852 Convent Light Street, also known as the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus, was established by the French Sisters' Mission
- 1904 Chung Hwa Confusion School was founded by Cheong Fatt Tze. Reputed to be the best Chinese school in Malaysia
- 1857 Municipal Council of Georgetown - Malaysia's first local authority
- 1875 Chartered Bank - first bank in Malaysia
- 1906 Electric tramways started
- 1910 Kwong Wah Yit Poh - oldest Chinese daily, started by Dr. Sun Yat Sen
- 1957 City status granted by Queen Elizabeth II, making it the first city in Malaysia.
State Flag
The State Flag consists of three vertical stripes of equal width of light blue, white and yellow.
State Anthem
Selamat Tuhan kurniakan
Selamat Pulau Pinang
Negeriku yang mulia
Kutaat dan setia
Aman dan bahagia
Majulah jayalah
Negeriku yang ku cinta
Bersatu dan bersama
Untuk negeri kita
Translation
May God grant safety
Safety to Penang
My noble state
To which I am loyal and faithful
Peaceful and happy
May you progress and succeed
My state which I love
United and together
For our state.
- The white stripe in the middle has a betel nut palm. The betel nut tree or pokok pinang is the name of the tree from which the island gets its name. The white represents the its serenity.
- The blue represents the sea which surrounds the island.
- The yellow represents prosperity.
State Emblem
The betel nut tree is synonymous with the island. The bridge unites the island with the mainland part of the state.
It symbolizes the unity between the state and the federation.
The two pillars of the bridge represents the two basic features of the New Economic Policy, namely the
- eradication of poverty and
- restructuring of society.
The four cables represent the four major races of the nation - Malays, Chinese, Indians and others.
The five blue and white waves represent the five principles of the Rukunegara (Principles of Nationhood).
What Visitors Say
German visits again and again
GEORGE TOWN: To octogenarian German Wilma Budke, Penang is her very own "Fantasy Island" and it is like paying 'homage' whenever she flies to the island for her annual vacation.
The 81-year-old widow has created a record of sorts by holidaying in Penang every year since 1978 - she is now the longest returnee foreign hotel guest in the hospitality industry. Budke, from the industrial city of Osnabruck, is also the longest foreign guest returnee at two Shangri-La Resort properties here. To date, she has chalked up 4,159 room nights at the two resorts.
For her loyalty, the Yang di-Pertua Negri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas and his consort Toh Puan Hajah Majimor Shariff granted her an audience at their official residence Seri Mutiara here yesterday. The occasion was more meaningful as it was her 81st birthday and Abdul Rahman presented her with a plaque as a gesture of appreciation on behalf of the two hotels, Golden Sands Resort and Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa. On what lured her to keep coming back for 31 consecutive years, Budke said:
"Friendly Penangites, food and fine weather".
Budke used to come with her husband Friedrich Budke. They came to know about Pulau Pinang through a travel brochure. After her husband passed away in 1997, she continued to visit. The couple did not have any children.
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What Other Visitors Have Said
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Penang an island where good food is found Not rated yet
I have visited this island some 13-14 times and each time I am there half the duration of my stay there I spend it on looking for the best and tastiest …
Scams Guy and Drug Dealer Not rated yet
Nigerian drug is believed to the head of an intricate international distribution network supplying drugs to various countries.
Ikechukwu D Obike would …
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