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According to the 2020 Malaysian census, George Town's population was 794,313, out of which 158,336 – or almost 20% – resided within the city centre. With a population density of approximately 2,595.8/km 2 (6,723/sq mi), George Town is also one of the most densely populated cities in Malaysia.
- City
The George Town Conurbation, the only urban region that...
- Central George Town, Penang
As of 2020, the city centre was home to 158,336 residents,...
- City
- Early Growth
- Straits Settlements
- World Wars
- Post-War
- Post-Independence
- See Also
- Further Reading
Francis Light had established George Town as a free port to entice merchants from the Dutch ports in the region. Attracted by the promise of free trade without having to pay any form of tax or duties, and assured of their safety at the British-governed harbour, merchants flocked into George Town; consequently, the number of incoming vessels rose ex...
In 1826, the British East India Company consolidated its territories of Penang, Singapore and Malacca into a single political entity, the Straits Settlements. George Town was made the capital of this new entity. However, owing to Singapore's more strategic geographical position between the Malacca Strait and the South China Sea, the Port of Singapo...
World War I
On 28 October 1914, the Battle of Penang broke out, during which an Imperial German Navy cruiser, SMS Emden, covertly sailed into George Town and sank the Imperial Russian Navy cruiser, Zhemchug. The French Navy destroyer, Mousquet, set off in pursuit, before being sunk by SMS Emden as well off the northwestern tip of Penang Island. 147 French and Russiansailors were killed, while the survivors were rescued by local Malay fishermen. Aside from the naval battle, George Town was largely unaffec...
World War II
World War II, on the other hand, unleashed unprecedented social and political upheaval to George Town. From 9 until 18 December 1941, Japanese warplanes indiscriminately strafed and bombed the city, in the process eliminating the obsolete Royal Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force squadrons tasked with the defence of Penang.It was estimated that 600 civilians perished as a result of the Japanese bombardment, with an additional 1,100 wounded. Notwithstanding the fact that the British Army...
As with the rest of Penang, George Town was placed under a military administration until 1946, as the British sought to restore order in the face of an emerging Communist insurgency. On 1 April 1946, the British dissolved the Straits Settlements, with Sir Shenton Thomas being its last Governor. The now separate crown colonies of Penang and Malacca ...
1957–1976
Soon after Malaya attained independence from the British Empire, the left-wing Labour Party was elected into power in the George Town City Council, with D. S. Ramanathan becoming the first Mayor of George Town. This reflected the lively political scenario within Penang in the post-independence era, as urban voters tended to elect the Labour Party to run the city council while leaving the state government in the hands of the ruling Alliancecoalition, the latter of which also controlled the Mal...
1977–2008
In 1985, the Penang Bridge, then the longest bridge in Southeast Asia, was opened for traffic. The 13.5 km (8.4 mi) bridge spans the Penang Strait between George Town's southernmost suburb of Gelugor and Perai in Seberang Perai, making it the first road link between Penang Island and the Malay Peninsula. In the 1990s, as George Town's banks began reassessing their spatial requirements to accommodate larger business volumes, a number of commercial developments were launched along the city's No...
2008–present
In 2008, a large part of the George Town city centre, along with Malacca, was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Nearly 260 hectares (640 acres) of the city centre now comes under UNESCOprotection, which controls and prohibits infrastructural changes within the zone to maintain the integrity of the city's historical core. Concurrently, the new Penang state government, under Pakatan Rakyat (now Pakatan Harapan), implemented various policy changes to improve George Town's liveability an...
Sandhu, Kernial Singh (1969), Indians in Malaya-immigration and settlement, Cambridge University Press, p. 29Sinnappah, Anasanatnam (1979), Indians in Malaysia and Singapore, Kulala Lumpur: Oxford University Press, p. 19Snider, Nancy (1968), "What Happened in Penang", Asian Survey, 8 (12): 960–975, doi:10.2307/2642150, JSTOR 2642150People also ask
Where is George Town Malaysia?
What is the capital of Penang?
Why is George Town a financial hub of Penang?
How many people live in George Town Malaysia?
George Town is the capital of the Malaysian state of Penang. It is the core city of the George Town Conurbation, Malaysia's second largest metropolitan area with a population of 2.84 million and the second highest contributor to the country's GDP.
The Historic City of George Town is located in the State of Penang in peninsular Malaysia. It is one of the components of the serial property Melaka and George Town, Historic Cities of the Straits of Malacca, inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2008 under criteria (ii), (iii) and (iv).
Connect. Go next. Skyline of George Town at night. George Town is the capital city of the Malaysian state of Penang. It is Malaysia's sixth largest city, with a population of about 708,000, with 1.7 million in the metro area, as of 2020. Founded as an entrepôt in 1786, it was the first British settlement in Southeast Asia.
Oct 9, 2019 · The island of Penang was inhabited long before the arrival of Europeans, but George Town itself was established in 1786 by the British East India Company. George Town was the first British settlement in Southeast Asia and quickly became a center of spice production in the 19th century.
