George Town, Penang

George Town is the capital of the <a href="/facts/States_and_federal_territories_of_Malaysia/gThsMWHY">Malaysian state</a> of <a href="/facts/Penang/IWJa6K33">Penang</a>. It is the <a href="/facts/Core_city/GvM0zgSU">core city</a> of the <a href="/facts/George_Town_Conurbation/R11b9BkB">George Town Conurbation</a>, Malaysia's <a href="/facts/List_of_cities_and_towns_in_Malaysia_by_population/fGMSLa1C">second largest metropolitan area</a> with a population of 2.84 million and the second largest <a href="/facts/Metropolitan_economy/XmEYpxzb">metropolitan economy</a> in the country. The <a href="/facts/City_proper/l8lKD32C">city proper</a> spans an area of 306 km2 (118 sq mi) encompassing <a href="/facts/Penang_Island/eDlrUql2">Penang Island</a> and surrounding islets, and had a population of 794,313 as of 2020.
Classified as a <a href="/facts/Globalization_and_World_Cities_Research_Network/xdxbC98a">"Gamma −" city</a>, the second highest in Malaysia after <a href="/facts/Kuala_Lumpur/2dCzRWjL">Kuala Lumpur</a>, George Town is the commercial centre for northern Malaysia and one of the few <a href="/facts/World_Bank_high-income_economy/KTrB8swr">high-income economies</a> of the cities outside the <a href="/facts/Klang_Valley/WsNo4gmI">Klang Valley</a>. According to <a href="/facts/Euromonitor_International/4S9xYaKX">Euromonitor International</a> and the <a href="/facts/Economist_Intelligence_Unit/c8ypqfFR">Economist Intelligence Unit</a>, George Town has the highest potential for revenue growth among all Malaysian cities and contributed nearly 8 per cent of the country's personal disposable income in 2015, second only to Kuala Lumpur. Its technological sector, anchored by hundreds of <a href="/facts/Multinational_corporation/qrMQSMTb">multinational companies</a>, has made George Town the <a href="/facts/List_of_Malaysian_states_and_municipalities_by_exports/dWHLIQgK">top exporter in the country</a>. The <a href="/facts/Penang_International_Airport/TEveda2Y">Penang International Airport</a> links George Town to several regional cities, while <a href="/facts/Penang_ferry_service/ameSG9bj">a ferry service</a> and two road bridges connect the city to the rest of Peninsular Malaysia. <a href="/facts/Swettenham_Pier/Jr4xmqtx">Swettenham Pier</a> is the busiest <a href="/facts/Passenger_terminal_(maritime)/jpyLj7Lt">cruise terminal</a> in the country.
Established as an <a href="/facts/Entrep%25C3%25B4t/jcV4JwfM">entrepôt</a> by <a href="/facts/Francis_Light/a4zEyCKX">Francis Light</a> in 1786, George Town was the first <a href="/facts/British_Malaya/SwMnjlFx">British settlement</a> in <a href="/facts/Southeast_Asia/VafwT517">Southeast Asia</a>, and its proximity to maritime routes along the <a href="/facts/Strait_of_Malacca/gElukYIz">Strait of Malacca</a> attracted an influx of immigrants from various parts of Asia. It became the capital of the <a href="/facts/Straits_Settlements/9aJGJuXN">Straits Settlements</a> in 1826, only to lose its administrative status to <a href="/facts/Singapore_in_the_Straits_Settlements/fCaJk6q9">Singapore</a> in 1832. Shortly before <a href="/facts/Federation_of_Malaya/e2Gq9gGe">Malaya</a> attained independence from Britain in 1957, George Town was declared a city by <a href="/facts/Elizabeth_II/os6eB47B">Queen Elizabeth II</a>, making it the first city in the country's history. In 1974, George Town was <a href="/facts/Merger_(politics)/a4XvAx3F">merged</a> with the rest of the island, throwing its city status into doubt until 2015, when its jurisdiction was reinstated and expanded to cover the entire island and adjacent islets.
The city is described by <a href="/facts/UNESCO/QSbkRv3o">UNESCO</a> as having a "<a href="/facts/Architecture_of_Penang/TSHBGIsJ">unique architectural</a> and cultural townscape" that is shaped by centuries of intermingling between various cultures and religions. It has also gained a reputation as Malaysia's gastronomical capital for its distinct <a href="/facts/Penang_cuisine/un9PSJ7H">culinary scene</a>. The preservation of these cultures contributed to the designation of the <a href="/facts/Central_George_Town%2c_Penang/jLtdtnpA">city centre of George Town</a> as a UNESCO <a href="/facts/Historic_Cities_of_the_Straits_of_Malacca/Pf62rA4s">World Heritage Site</a> since 2008.

George Town, Penang open-in-new

George Town, Penang