Use | Civil and state flag |
---|---|
Proportion | 1:2 |
Adopted | 1957 |
Design | A triband of light blue, white and yellow; an areca nut palm tree within the middle white band. |
Designed by | C.K. Fook |
The flag of Penang consists of three vertical bands and an areca-nut palm on a grassy mount in the centre. All three bands are of equal width. From left to right, the colour of each band is light blue, white and yellow.
The colours of the flag are derived from the tinctures of the coat of arms of Penang granted by King George VI in September 1949 [1] . Light blue denotes the sea that surrounds Penang Island, white represents peace and yellow for the prosperity of the state. [2]
The areca-nut palm, known as pokok pinang in Malay, symbolises the tree from which Penang got its name. The tree and its grassy mount is centred within the middle white band.
The flag was slightly modified to its present form in the 1960s by removing a torse of blue and white at the bottom of the grassy mount. [3]
Under the rule of the Sultanate of Kedah prior to the arrival of the East India Company in 1786, the first known representation of Penang on a flag was as one of the three crowns on the flag of the Straits Settlements in use between 1877 and 1946 [4] . Following the dissolution of the Straits Settlements and the admission of Penang as a Crown colony within the Malayan Union, there appears to be little clarity as to what flag Penang used between its separation from the April 1946 and the eventual adoption of a blue ensign defaced by the 1949 arms [5] . This would be replaced with final flag of the Crown colony was a blue ensign, defaced with a flag badge [lower-alpha 1] depicting the areca nut palm, adopted as of the 17 June 1952 by the Settlement Council. [6]
In the months preceding Malayan independence, the Settlement Government announced a competition on 17 May 1957 to design a new state flag for Penang. [7] The winner, a C.K. Fook of 434, Chulia Street, was awarded $500 for his design on 20 August. The final modified design differed on the shade of blue submitted by Fook, but it was decided to award the prize to him regardless. [8]
The new state flag of Penang was raised at noon on 30 August 1957 at the Padang [lower-alpha 2] in the presence of the new governor Raja Uda and the last resident commissioner Robert Porter Bingham. [9] [11] [12] That evening, the Union Jack was lowered for the final time at 6:45 pm near Fort Cornwallis, George Town, marking the end of 171 years of British rule. [13] [14] [15]
On 24 December 1957, nominated member Koh Sin Hock told the State Council that the flag's areca-nut palm did not resemble a real one, likening it to a coconut palm, and that he hoped a more realistic depiction could be used instead. [16]
Flag | Duration | Political Entity | Description |
---|---|---|---|
1904-1925 | Straits Settlements | Adopted when Penang was part of the Straits Settlements. | |
1925-1946 | |||
1949-1952 | Crown Colony of Penang | In use following the 1949 grant of arms [5] | |
1952-1957 | Crown Colony of Penang | Flag badge depicting the areca nut palm tree leaved and fructed proper on a mound with a wreath of the colours of the settlement arms adopted on 16 June 1952 by the Settlement Council. [6] | |
1957-1965 | State of Penang | Adopted in 1957 with Malayan independence. This original flag continued to be used up to 1965, when it was modified to its present form. |
The State of Penang is divided between two local governments. The Penang Island City Council administers Penang's capital city of George Town and the entirety of Penang Island, whilst the Seberang Perai City Council governs Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. [17]
Local government | George Town Municipal Council - George Town City Council | Penang Island City Council | Seberang Perai City Council |
---|---|---|---|
Flag | |||
Municipality | George Town, Penang | Penang Island | Seberang Perai |
Previously, the city of George Town also had its own flag,[ citation needed ] which dated back to the grant of city status to the George Town City Council in 1957. [18] The City Council was eventually merged with the Penang Island Rural District Council in 1974 to form the Penang Island Municipal Council, [19] which subsequently became the Penang Island City Council in 2015. [17]
Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. These two halves are physically connected by the Penang Bridge and the Second Penang Bridge. The state shares borders with Kedah to the north and east, and Perak to the south.
George Town is the capital of the Malaysian state of Penang and 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 city proper covers an area of 306 km2 (118 sq mi) and was home to a population of 794,313 as of 2020.
Butterworth is the city centre of Seberang Perai in the Malaysian state of Penang. It lies about 3 km (1.9 mi) east of George Town, the capital city of Penang, across the Penang Strait. As of 2020, Butterworth had a total population of 80,378 residents.
Areca catechu is a species of palm which grows in much of the tropical Pacific, Asia, and parts of east Africa. The palm is native to the Philippines, but is widespread in cultivation and is considered naturalized in Malaysia, Indonesia, New Guinea, Taiwan, Madagascar, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, southern China, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, parts of the Pacific Islands, and also in the West Indies.
Seberang Perai is a city in the Malaysian state of Penang. It is situated on the Malay Peninsula opposite Penang Island, bordering Kedah to the north and east and Perak to the south. Its city centre is located in Butterworth, while its local authority, the Seberang Perai City Council, is centred near Bukit Mertajam. As of 2020, Seberang Perai had a population of 946,000, making it the third most populous city in Malaysia.
Bukit Mertajam(Jawi: بوكيت مرتاجم) is the administrative centre of the city of Seberang Perai in Penang, Malaysia. It also serves as the seat of the Central Seberang Perai District. As of 2010, Bukit Mertajam (core) contains a total of 13,097 residents.
Nibong Tebal is one of the major towns of the city of Seberang Perai, Penang, Malaysia. Located at the northern bank of the Kerian River in South Seberang Perai District, it is the southernmost populated place of Penang. Nibong Tebal contained a population of 2,045 as of 2010.
Perai is an urban settlement in the city of Seberang Perai, Penang, Malaysia. It lies at the southern bank of the Perai River and borders Butterworth to the north. Perai gave its name to the city of Seberang Perai, the mainland half of the State of Penang.
Seberang Jaya is a suburb in the city of Seberang Perai, Penang, Malaysia. Located at the southern bank of the Perai River and east of Perai proper, the area was developed in the 1970s. Since then, Seberang Jaya has evolved into a booming area, with various commercial and retail developments.
Batu Kawan is an island in the city of Seberang Perai, Penang, Malaysia. It is geographically separated from the rest of Seberang Perai by the Jawi and Tengah rivers. As of 2010, Batu Kawan contained a population of 5,537.
The State of Penang, one of the most developed and urbanised Malaysian states, is located at the nation's northwest coast along the Malacca Strait. Unlike most Malaysian states, the history of modern Penang was shaped by British colonialism, beginning with the acquisition of Penang Island from the Sultanate of Kedah by the British East India Company in 1786. Developed into a free port, the city state was subsequently governed as part of the Straits Settlements, together with Singapore and Malacca; the state capital, George Town, briefly became the capital of this political entity between 1826 and 1832. By the end of the 19th century, George Town prospered and became one of the major entrepôts in Southeast Asia.
The Penang Strait is an 11 kilometre-wide strait that separates Penang Island from mainland Malay Peninsula. Penang Island is to the west of the channel, while Seberang Perai, the mainland half of the State of Penang, is to the east. The northern and southern ends of the channel join the Strait of Malacca, one of the world's busiest maritime routes.
The State of Penang in Malaysia, home to the country's third largest city as well as part of Malaysia's second most populous conurbation, has a relatively well-developed transport infrastructure. The city-state is well-connected by land, air and sea; the Penang International Airport is one of Malaysia's busiest, while the Port of Penang is the main harbour and transshipment hub within northern Malaysia. The North–South Expressway, the main highway along western Peninsular Malaysia, runs through Penang, while the two geographically separate halves of the state are now linked by two bridges and a ferry service.
The Penang Island City Council (MBPP) is the local government that administers the city of George Town, which includes the entirety of Penang Island. The city council, which has jurisdiction over an area of 306 km2 (118 sq mi), falls under the purview of the Penang state government.
The Seberang Perai City Council is the city council which administers Seberang Perai, the mainland half of the Malaysian state of Penang. This agency is under the purview of the Penang state government.
The Coat of arms of Penang is largely based on the coat of arms of Penang first granted to the Settlement of Penang, then in the Federation of Malaya, by a Royal Warrant of King George VI dated 11 September 1949.
Penangite Chinese are ethnic Chinese Malaysians of full or partial Chinese ancestry who either hail from or live within the State of Penang. As of 2020, 45% of Penang's population belonged to the Chinese ethnic group, making ethnic Chinese the largest ethnic community within the state.
Leith Street is a narrow road within the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the city of George Town within the Malaysian state of Penang. Once known as an enclave for rich Hakka tycoons, it is home to the famous Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion.
George Town, the capital city of the State of Penang, is the second largest city in Malaysia and the economic centre of the country's northern region. The history of George Town began with its establishment by Captain Francis Light of the British East India Company in 1786. Founded as a free port, George Town became the first British settlement in Southeast Asia and prospered in the 19th century as one of the vital British entrepôts within the region. It briefly became the capital of the Straits Settlements, a British crown colony which also consisted of Singapore and Malacca.
The Port of Penang is a deepwater seaport within the Malaysian state of Penang. It consists of terminals along the Penang Strait, including five in Seberang Perai and one in George Town. The Port of Penang was the third busiest harbour in Malaysia in terms of cargo as of 2017, handling 1.52 million TEUs of cargo, as well as the busiest port-of-call within the country for cruise shipping.
11 Sep 1949. Grant of Arms (shield and crest only) by Royal Warrant to Penang. Shield of Arms used to deface Blue Ensign (with white background disc) and Union Flag (within garland).