Georgetown Tanjung/ ஜோர்ஜ் டவுன் / 乔治市
City
File:Penang.png
Motto:  "Leading We Serve"
Country	Malaysia
State	Penang
Founded	1786
Municipality established	1857
Granted city status	1957
Merged with neighbouring district	1974
Area
• City	121 km2 (47 sq mi)
• Metro	1,048 km2 (405 sq mi)
Elevation	4 m (13 ft)
Population  (2010[1])
• City	740,200 (7th)
• Density	4,330/km2 (11,200/sq mi)
• Metro	2,500,000
	(metro population is a 2500000 estimate)
Time zone	UTC+8 (MST)
• Summer (DST)	Not observed

05°25′N 100°19′E / 5.417°N 100.317°E / 5.417; 100.317 George Town^[2] or Georgetown,^[3] is the capital of the state of Penang in Malaysia. Named after Britain's King George III, George Town is located on the north-east corner of Penang Island.^[1] The Georgetown metropolitan has a population of 1,253,748,^[4] the second largest metropolitan in Malaysia by population.

Formerly a municipality and then a city in its own right, since 1976 George Town has been part of the municipality of Penang Island, though the area formerly governed by the city council is still commonly referred to as a city, and is also known as Tanjung ("The Cape") in Malay,乔治市 (Qiáozhì Shì) in Chinese and ஜோர்ஜ் டவுன்(Georgetown) in Tamil.

The inner city of George Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

George Town was founded in 1786 by Captain Francis Light, a trader for the British East India Company, as base for the company in the Malay States. He obtained the island of Penang from the Sultan of Kedah and built Fort Cornwallis on the north-eastern corner of the island. The fort became the nexus of a growing trading post and the island's population reached 12,000 by 1804. ^{[citation needed]}

The town was built on swampy land that had to be cleared of vegetation, levelled and filled. The original commercial town was laid out between Light Street, Beach Street (then running close to the seashore), Malabar Street (subsequently called Chulia Street) and Pitt Street (now called Masjid Kapitan Keling Street).

The warehouses and godowns extended from Beach Street to the sea. By the 1880s, there were ghauts leading from Beach Street to the wharf and jetties as Beach Street receded inland due to land reclamation. A new waterfront was created at Weld Quay, where commercial buildings sprang up.

The historic commercial centre was segmented into the banking and trading areas related to port activities which included shipping companies, the import and export trade, and the wholesalers who dominate the southern section of Beach Street until now. It has been listed as a World Heritage site since July 2008.^[5]

At the turn of the 19th century, the northern section of Beach Street and the adjacent Bishop Street were the ‘high street’ where the ‘modern’ European emporium and stores selling imported merchandise were situated.

Among the early foreign companies that located their offices on Beach Street were the Netherlands Trading Society, the Hongkong & Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC), the Chartered Bank, Boustead & Co., Guthne & Co., Caldbeck & Macgregor, Behn Meyer, Sandilands & Buttery, G.H. Slot and the stores of Pritchard & Co., Whiteaway, Laidlaw & Co., and others. Among the local businesses that were established here during this period were H.M. Nooradin, Tiang Lee & Co., Guan Lee Hin Steamship, Tye Sin Tat, Pinang Sales Room, Koe Guan and others. Penang’s first petroleum lamps were installed on this section of Beach Street by Huttenbach & Co..

The Municipal Council of George Town was established in 1857, the first local authority in Malaya outside Singapore. In 1956, George Town became the first municipality in the Federation of Malaya to have a fully elected council, and on 1 January 1957, the municipality became a city by a royal charter granted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, becoming the first (and until 1972, the only) city in the Federation.

In 1965, the federal Government suspended local elections as a result of the Indonesian Confrontation, and in 1966 the functions of the City Council were transferred to the Chief Minister of Penang. In 1974, a Local Government Management Board (Lembaga Pengurus Kerajaan Tempatan) was established for the whole of Penang Island, which became the Municipal Council of Penang Island (Majlis Perbandaran Pulau Pinang) in 1976.

As a result of the administrative reorganisations since 1966, George Town no longer exists as a legal entity, let alone as a city under the Local Government Act 1976, although it is still commonly referred to as a city.

P.048 Bukit Bendera Liew Chin Tong (DAP)

• N.22 Tanjung Bungah
• N.23 Air Putih
• N.24 Kebun Bunga
• N.25 Pulau Tikus

P.049 Tanjong Chow Kon Yeow (DAP)

• N.26 Padang Kota
• N.27 Pengkalan Kota
• N.28 Komtar

P.050 Jelutong Ooi Chuan Aun (DAP)

• N.29 Datok Keramat
• N.30 Sungai Pinang
• N.31 Batu Lancang

P.051 Bukit Gelugor Karpal Singh A/L Ram Singh (DAP)

• N.32 Seri Delima
• N.33 Air Itam
• N.34 Paya Terubong

Melaka and George Town, Historic Cities of the Straits of Malacca

UNESCO World Heritage Site
Interactive map of Melaka and George Town, Historic Cities of the Straits of Malacca
Criteria	Cultural: ii, iii, iv
Reference	1223
Inscription	2008 (32nd Session)

George Town was voted as one of the best cities in Asia by Asiaweek, ranked 6th in 1998 and 9th in 2000. More recently, George Town has improved a notch to rank as the 9th most liveable city in Asia in a survey of 254 cities worldwide according to an international location ratings survey by Employment Conditions Abroad Limited (ECA International), an agency that develops and provides solutions for the management and assignment of employees around the world, in its annual Location Ratings Survey.^[6] Previously it was ranked 10th in 2009 which saw the biggest improvement in scores among the 49 Asians cities surveyed by rising 11 notches in global best cities ranking from 74 to 63. A city is judged based on living standards according to categories, including climate, air quality, health services, housing and utilities, isolation, social network and leisure facilities, infrastructure, personal safety and political tension.

On 7 July 2008, George Town was, together with Malacca, formally inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is officially recognized as having a unique architectural and cultural townscape without parallel anywhere in East and Southeast Asia.^[7]

In the past, George Town boasted of having the best public transportation system in Malaysia, with Electric Trams, Trolleybuses and also Double-decker buses. They have since been stopped in the 1970.

George Town is well connected by roads, buses and etc. The Jelutong Expressway connects the city to Bayan Lepas and the Penang International Airport. With this highway, trips to the airport were cut short to 30 minutes instead of almost an hour in the past. The Penang International Airport serves as the main airport of the northern part of Malaysia.

To get over to Butterworth in the mainland, the Penang Ferry Service at Weld Quay operates every day since 1920. Passengers, cars and motorcycles can all travel in the ferry. Other than that, commuters can drive to the Penang Bridge, located in Gelugor, to cross over to the mainland. To travel elsewhere around Malaysia, through the Penang Bridge, commuters can take the North-South Expressway to reach their destinations.

Public transportation in George Town is operated mainly by Rapid Penang, the main bus company in Penang now. Almost every bus connects George Town to their respective destinations, with Weld Quay being the main terminal of Rapid Penang in Penang Island and Komtar being the main hub. There is also a free bus service operated by Rapid Penang. This bus service is only located within George Town, and it also operates every day, taking commuters a drive along George Town's famous heritage sites.

Express buses used to stop at Komtar but has since been relocated to the Sungai Nibong Bus Terminal, which is not that far away. There are many express bus companies operating 24-hours there, and main destinations are usually Genting Highlands and Kuala Lumpur. There are also some buses travelling out of Malaysia mainly to Medan (Indonesia).

Other than that, George Town is famous for having trishaws plying the city. The Port of Penang has 4 ports, with 3 on the mainland and one terminal here, Swettenham Pier. There is also a cruise ship situated here and it has become an attraction here.

Due to strict rent controls, George Town retains many of its colonial-era shophouses to this day and is often considered an architectural gem. Since the repeal of the rent controls in 2000, many pre-war buildings have given way to new high rises. Partly for this reason, the city was listed in the 2000 and 2002 World Monuments Watch by the World Monuments Fund (WMF). Heritage guidelines are still in its infancy and much needs to be done to conserve architectural treasures for the benefit of future generations. In 2005 WMF helped restore an 1870s structure within the George Town Historic Enclave, with support from American Express. The structure is used by the Penang Heritage Trust as a model to further its mission to protect the most significant buildings in the community.^[8]

On 2 August 2006, the federal government announced a plan to build a monorail urban transit system connecting George Town to Tanjung Tokong in the north and Bayan Lepas in the south. However, due to the defeat in Penang of the Barisan Nasional coalition after the 2008 General Election, the proposed development project was called-off after the mid-term review of the Ninth Malaysia Plan which was tabled in Parliament on June 26, 2008. ^{[citation needed]}

The National Physical Plan of Malaysia envisages a "Conurbation of George Town" encompassing George Town and surrounding areas. The greater metropolitan area of Penang consists of highly urbanised Penang Island, Seberang Prai, Sungai Petani, Kulim and the surrounding areas. With a population of approximately two million, it is the second largest metropolitan area in Malaysia after the Conurbation of Kuala Lumpur (Klang Valley).^[9]

This urban area is coterminous with the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER), one of three development regions identified in Peninsular Malaysia, under a repackaging of the Ninth Malaysian Plan (a five-year national development plan). NCER encompases Penang (Penang Island and Seberang Prai), Kedah (Alor Star, Sungai Petani and Kulim), Perlis (Kangar) and Northern Perak.^[10] However the Barisan Nasional-controlled federal government decided to defer the Penang Outer Ring Road and Penang Monorail projects following the change of state government in 2008, attributing the decision to economic considerations.^[11]

George Town has been ranked as the most liveable city in Malaysia, eighth most liveable in Asia and the 62nd in the world in 2010 by ECA International, an improvement in ranking from recent years.^[12]

Skyline of George Town.

• Gurney Plaza
• Queensbay Mall 7km from City Centre
• Island Plaza
• Komtar Tower
• Prangin Mall
• Ist Avenue Georgetown
• Parkson Grand
• Penang Times Square
• Midlands Park Centre
• Tesco Seaview
• Tesco Tanjung Bungah
• Kamdar
• Mydin
• Sunshine Jelutong
• Gama

Penang City Stadium

• Penang General Hospital
• Island Hospital
• Gleneagles Medical Centre
• Pantai Mutiara Hospital
• Loh Guan Lye Specialist Centre
• Lam Wah Ee Hospital
• Penang Adventist Hospital
• Tanjung Medical Centre
• Mt Miriam Hospital
• Tropicana Medical Centre Penang

• City Centre
• Gurney Drive
• Tanjung Bungah
• Tanjung Tokong
• Tanjong Pinang
• Seri Tanjong
• Pulau Tikus
• Desa Baiduri‎
• Batu Lanchang‎
• Belachan‎ Village
• Dodol‎ Village
• Hijau‎ Village
• Makam‎ Village
• Masjid‎ Village
• Masjid Bagan‎ Village
• Rawa‎ Village
• Raya Baharu‎ Village
• Syed‎ Village
• Port Weld‎
• Jelutong
• Abidin‎ Garden
• Ara‎ Garden
• Air Itam
• Farlim
• West Garden‎
• Cemerlang‎ Garden
• Cheeseman‎ Garden
• Continental‎ Garden
• Desa Green‎ Garden
• Dhoby Ghaut‎
• Free School‎ Garden
• Green Lane‎ Garden
• Greenview‎
• Guan Joo Seng‎
• Islands Glades‎
• Jeliemas‎ Garden
• Jelutong‎ Garden
• Jesselton Height‎
• Kampar‎ Garden
• Kennedy‎ Garden
• Taman Lita‎
• P. Ramlee‎ Garden
• Penang Garden
• Perak‎ Garden
• Rampas‎ Garden
• Scotland‎ Garden
• Selamat‎ Garden
• Sri Husin‎ Garden
• Windmill Garden
• Miden Height
• Gelugor
• Sungai Dua
• Sungai Nibong
• Batu Uban

George Town features a tropical rainforest climate, under the Köppen climate classification. As is the norm for many cities with this climate, George Town experiences relatively consistent temperatures throughout the course of the year, with an average high temperature of about 31 degrees Celsius and an average low of 24 degrees Celsius. While George Town does not have a true dry season, its driest months are from December through February. The city sees on average around 2550 mm of precipitation annually.

The mainstream newspapers in Penang include the English dailies such: The Star, New Straits Times, The Sun, The Edge, The Malaysian Reserve and The Malay Mail; the Malaysian dailies such: Berita Harian, Utusan Malaysia, Harian Metro and Kosmo!; the Chinese dailies such: Kwong Wah Yit Poh, Sin Chew Daily, China Press, Nanyang Siang Pau and Oriental Daily News; and the Tamil dailies such: Tamil Nesan, Malaysia Nanban and Makkal Osai. All of them are in national circulation.

There are restrictions on imports of foreign newspapers to the North Sumatra is Indonesian dailies such: Analisa, Jurnal Medan, Harian Andalas, Medan Bisnis, Tribun Medan, Waspada, Sumut Pos, Sinar Indonesia Baru, Harian Global, Medan Pos, Pos Metro Medan, Berita Harian, Gaya Medan, Harian Berita Medan as import of daily newspaper in Medan.

Television Station	Frequency	Site	Transmitted	Network	Status	Country of Region
National (6 Channel)
TV1	5 UHF	Gunung Jerai	20 kW/100 kW ERP	Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM)	National	Malaysia
TV2	10 UHF
TV3	12 UHF		20 kW	Media Prima Berhad
NTV7	37 UHF
8TV	44 UHF
TV9	48 UHF
International (14 Channel)
TVRI Nasional	43 UHF	Menara TVRI Sumatera Utara	20 kW/100 kW ERP	Televisi Republik Indonesia (TVRI)	Worldwide	Indonesia
TVRI Sumatera Utara	47 UHF
RCTI	33 UHF	Bandar Baru	20 kW	Media Nusantara Citra (MNC)
SCTV	35 UHF			Elang Mahkota Teknologi (Emtek)
MNCTV	25 UHF			Media Nusantara Citra (MNC)
ANTV	29 UHF			Visi Media Asia (Viva Media Asia)
Indosiar	23 UHF			Elang Mahkota Teknologi (Emtek)
MetroTV	39 UHF			Media Group
Trans TV	27 UHF			Trans Corporation (Trans Corp)
Global TV	31 UHF			Media Nusantara Citra (MNC)
Trans7	41 UHF			Trans Corporation (Trans Corp)
tvOne	37 UHF			Visi Media Asia (Viva Media Asia)
B-Channel	53 UHF			Midea Corporation (Midea)
SINDOtv	45 UHF			Media Nusantara Citra (MNC)

• Adelaide, Australia (8 December 1973)^[13]
• Xiamen, China^[14] (1991)
• Medan, Indonesia^[15]
• Taipei, Taiwan^[16] (March 2011)
• Bangkok, Thailand^[17] (April 2012)

• 
  Beach Street
• 
  Fort Cornwallis, the first British settlement on Penang
• 
  Kek Lok Si Temple
• 
  Kapitan Keling Mosque
• 
  Islamic Museum
• 
  Khoo Kongsi Temple
• 
  The colonial Eastern & Oriental Hotel
• 
  Jewish Cemetery on Jalan Zainal Abidin (former Jalan Yahudi or Jewish Street)
• 
  St. George's Church, the oldest Anglican church in Southeast Asia, recently renovated
• 
  Komtar Tower the highest building of George Town and the state of Penang
• 
  Penang Road

• Architecture of Penang
• City Hall, Penang

• Khoo Salma Nasution. More Than Merchants: A History of the German-speaking Community in Penang, 1800s-1940s. Areca Books. (2006). ISBN 978-983-42834-1-4

Media related to George Town, Penang at Wikimedia Commons

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