George Town, Penang
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George Town is the capital city of the state of Penang in Malaysia. Named after Britain's King George III, the city is located on the north-east corner of Penang Island and has about 220,000 inhabitants, or about 400,000 including the suburbs.
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.
George Town was granted city status on January 1, 1957 by a royal charter of Queen Elizabeth II. However, since the merger of the city council with the neighbouring rural district council, it is now unclear whether it remains a city. See cities of Malaysia for further discussion.
Due to strict rent controls, George Town retains many colonial-era shophouses to this day and is often considered an architectural gem. Most of George Town's population is of Chinese origin.
Since the repeal of the rent controls in 2000, many pre-war buildings have given way to new high rises. Heritage guidelines are still in its infancy and much needs to be done to conserve such treasures for the benefit of future generations.
George Town is twinned with the city of Adelaide, South Australia (which was founded by Francis Light's son) and with the city of Xiamen in China.