Travel to Malaysia: George Town: Photo 1

George Town, named for George III, was established in 1786 by Francis Light, working for the East India Company. He chose a site at the northeastern corner of what he called Prince of Wales Island. That name did not stick, and the island continued to be known as "Penang," a name derived from Tamil pinang, the areca nut that for centuries had brought Indian traders here. Light built a fort, named Fort Cornwallis for the Company's governor-general. A few years later, Penang was designated as an Indian penal colony, and in 1793 Light had convicts rebuild the fort's walls in brick. They remain today, though the enclosed space is little used. The coastline has changed since Light's time, mostly because of reclamation projects creating commercial property, and the sea is now a block or so to the north, or left.

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Back to Malaysia: George Town chapter

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