Penang
(1995 est. pop. 1.2 million). Penang or Pulau Pinang ("Betel Nut Island" in Malay) is located in northwestern peninsular Malaysia. Today the "Pearl of the Orient" comprises the island of Penang and Seberang Perai (formerly Province Wellesley), a narrow strip on the peninsular Malaysian mainland. These are separated by a channel and linked by the Penang Bridge and a twenty-four-hour ferry service. The population is approximately 38 percent Malay, 50 percent Chinese, and 11 percent Indian. The capital of Penang is Georgetown, the seat of administration and the state's commercial hub. Penang is well known for its golden beaches.
Before 1786, Penang was part of the Kedah state. Kedah paid tribute in the form of "golden flowers" to its powerful neighbor, Siam, and was also in constant danger of a Bugis invasion from the south. The history of modern Penang began in 1786, when Englishman Francis Light persuaded the sultan of Kedah to lease Penang to the British East India Company in return for protection against the Bugis and Siamese.
After it became obvious that the British had no intention of fulfilling the agreement, the sultan of Kedah assembled a fleet to recapture Penang but was defeated. A treaty was signed to confirm the British occupation of Penang. The island was originally named Prince of Wales Island and later renamed Georgetown after King George III. In 1800, the Sultan of Kedah ceded a strip of land on the mainland, which Francis Light named Province Wellesley after Colonel Arthur Wellesley, then governor of India. In 1826, Penang formed part of the Straits Settlement with Melaka and Singapore. It became a major trading center. In 1948, it became one of the states of the Federation of Malaya. The federation gained independence from the Britain in 1957. Together with Sabah and Sarawak, the federation formed Malaysia in 1963.
Further Reading
Andaya, Barbara Watson, and Leonard Y. Andaya. (1982) A History Of Malaysia. London: Macmillan Press.
Eliot, Joshua, and Jane Bickersteth, eds. (1995) Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore Handbook. Bath, U.K.: Trade and Travel Publications.
Winstedt, Richard. (1966) Malaya and Its History. London: Hutchinson & Co.
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