In the early 16th century, Portuguese traders have been sailing to the Far East searching for spices. They came across a small uninhabited island where they could replenish fresh water supplies, which they then named it “Pulo Pinaom”. The island was part of the Kedah Sultanate. Its strategic location at the northern entry to the Straits of Malacca has made it a natural harbour during the monsoon m
onths for Arabian, Chinese, European and Indian ships. Inevitably, it became a hunting ground for pirates. Since the 17th century, Kedah have been sending “Bunga Emas” (Gold Flowers) to Siam (Thailand) as an acknowledgement of the Siam King’s sovereignty. In the 18th century, the spice and o***m trade between the East and West had become extremely lucrative. The Dutch dominated the Far East spice trade and the British too needed to establish themselves in the region. Thus, in 1765 Francis Light was instructed by his Company, Jourdain Sullivan and de Souza to establish better trade relations in this part of the world. In 1771, the Sultan of Kedah offered Captain Francis Light the island of Penang in return for protection from the Siamese and Burmese armies who were constantly threatening Kedah. This treaty never materialised as Francis Light's superiors refused to offer any aid. Captain Francis Light left Kedah for Junk Ceylon (Phuket, an island off southern Thailand) in 1772 to setup trade activities with India, southern Siam and northern Malay Peninsula. At that time, the British were involved in the Napolean war in Europe. Light was asked by the East India Company based in Madras to obtain Pulau Pinang to setup a base to repair British navy ships and as a trading post for trade between China, India and the archipelago. In 1786, Francis Light acted as middleman in securing Penang from Sultan Abdullah of Kedah in return for a promise of British protection from his enemies. The Sultan of Kedah was not aware that Light had acted without the approval of his superiors when making the promosi. Light landed in that part of Penang now known as the Esplanade on July 17, 1786 with a small group of civilians and naval staff. On August 11, 1786, the Union Jack was hoisted as Captain Francis Light, known as founder of Penang officially took possession of the island for the Crown. The island was named "The Prince of Wales Island” as the acquisition date fell on the prince’s birthday. The settlement in the Eastern Cape of the island was called Georgetown named after the King of England, George III. In 1790, Sultan Abdullah formed an army to get rid of the Dutch and English after the Company had failed to provide military protection when Kedah was attacked by Siam. He assembled his men at Seberang Prai (Province Wellesley) to retake Penang Island but was defeated by Captain Francis Light who had carried out night raids on the enemy's fortress. The following year, Sultan Abdullah signed a treaty with the British, officially handing over Penang Island to the British. As part of the treaty, the Sultan of Kedah is paid 6,000 Spanish dollars annually. Captain Francis Light was appointed Superintendent of Prince of Wales Island. The first settlement in Penang was at the present Esplanade area which was a swampy, malaria infected area at that time. Fort Cornwallis, the island’s main defense was located at the same area. In order to expedite clearing of thick undergrowth around that site, Light loaded the ship’s cannons with silver dollars and fired it deep into the jungle. The township was named George Town after King George III of Britain. Four original streets of George Town were Beach Street, Light Street, Pitt Street (now Masjid Kapitan Keling Street) and Chulia Street, all of which still form the main thoroughfares of the modern city. When Light first took over the island, there were less than 1,000 Malay fishermen living on the island. To encourage settlers, Light introduced Penang as a free port in order to attract traders away from nearby Dutch trading post. In addition, new comers are allowed to claim as much land as they could clear. Captain Light's term as the first Superintendent of the Prince of Wales Island came to an end in 1794. He died of Malaria on October 21, 1794 at the age of 54 and was buried at the Protestant cemetery at the end of Northam Road (now known as Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah). He was survived by Martina Rozells, a local Eurasian of Portuguese descent and son, William Light who later founded the city of Adelaide, Australia. After Francis Light's death, Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Wellesley arrived in Penang to coordinate the defenses of the island. In 1800, Lieutenant-Governor Sir George Leith secured a strip of land across the channel from the island and named it Province Wellesley (Seberang Prai). This gave Penang control over the harbour and food supplies from the mainland. The annual payment to Sultan of Kedah was increased to 10,000 after the acquisition. Today, the Penang State comprises both Penang Island and Province Wellesley and, the State Government still pays RM 18,800.00 to the Sultan of Kedah annually. In 1805, Penang was elevated from a colonial status to that of a Residency. A new Governor, the honourable Philip Dundas was appointed into office. His assistant secretary was Thomas Stamford Raffles, future founder of Singapore in 1819. In 1832, under the British administration in India, the Straits Settlements comprising the states of Malacca, Singapore and Penang was formed. Penang became its capital but in 1935 Singapore took over as capital of the Straits Settlements. At the end of the 19th century, rich deposits of tin from neighbouring state and relentless demands of the Industrial Revolution in Britain saw Penang enjoying a trade boom. This also includes trading of rubber, nutmeg, clove, sugar, coconut and pepper. In time, Penang’s properity attracted immigrants from various parts of the world, especially those from Europe, China and India. European planters and Chinese towkays (business leaders) made their money in the plantations and mines in other northern states but built their mansions in George Town and sent their children to school here. In 1905 the first hydro-electric scheme in Penang was completed, giving the island her first electricity. Penang got its first electric tramway in 1906. By mid 20th century, other modes of transport such as rickshaws, bullock carts and horse-carts gradually disappeared from the roads of Penang. By the 1930s, Penang had become a busy port with ocean liners and coastal steamers docking at Swettenham Pier or anchoring in the waters of the channel. Penang became an entertainment centre, with cabarets, cinemas, amusement parks and gambling establishments. When Wall Street crashed, the economy of Penang suffered badly. Before the people of Penang could recover from the depression, the Second World War broke out on December 8, 1941. Penang was attacked by the Japanese and the British fled to Singapore living the island defenceless. The people of Penang live in fear and fled to the interior to escape from ruthless Japanese army. The days of the Japanese Kempettai were the days of horror, torture and executions. On September 4, 1945, the Japanese surrendered to the British Forces. Remarkably, many of George Town’s historic building were virtually unscathed by the allied bombings. After World War II, the Straight Settlements were dissolved and Penang became part of Malayan Union, before it became part of Federation of Malaya in 1948. Malaya gained independence in August 31, 1957 and Penang was one of its 13 component states. Penang was officially known as Negeri Pulau Pinang. George Town, which has the oldest municipal history in the country, was accorded City status by Queen Elizabeth II on 1st January 1957.
历史
槟城地图
槟榔屿此地理名词最早出现在明代永乐年间成书的《郑和航海图》中。15世纪中，一部中国舟师使用的海道针经《顺风相送》就纪录从马来半岛的崑崙岛（Pulo Condore）到槟榔屿的航行指南，可见在15世纪槟榔屿已经和中国通商。
殖民时期
1767年，缅甸入侵暹逻的7年战争后形势大乱，1782年，泰国拉玛一世杀掉了郑王篡位、创立曼谷王朝后不久，英国趁火打劫，要求吉打苏丹割让槟榔屿，交换条件是：东印度公司对吉打苏丹提供军事保护，以对抗缅甸和暹逻的入侵。
1786年3月，法蘭西斯·萊特成功地迫使吉打苏丹同意将槟榔屿租借给英国东印度公司，从此东印度公司以槟榔屿为英国海军基地，莱特成为第一任总督。莱特在任期间鼓励华人及其他移民进入槟榔屿，槟榔屿日益繁荣。
1791年，槟榔屿对岸的威省部分也被割让给英国。
莱特死于1792年时，当时估计人口已近一万人。绝大多数杂居在码头处极不卫生的地方，很多人因而死亡。连莱特本人也是受害者，他因疟疾而在1794年10月21日逝世，终年54岁。
1826年，英殖民将槟城、新加坡、马六甲三港口整合为海峡殖民地。
华人移民
根据史书记载，莱特初抵槟岛，只有居民58人。其中三人即张理、邱兆进及马福春在丹绒道光过着打渔生活。这三位客家人在1745年来到槟城，死后化身成为大伯公，比莱特早来41年。在这方面，曾任华民政务司的巴素博士这样说：“一位姓邱的客家铁匠，一位姓张的教书先生及一位姓马的烧炭人，他们都被尊奉为华侨的开辟者。”巴素也引述史料指出，槟榔屿可以说是华人第一个被鼓励移民的地方。
槟榔屿在早期也是孙中山及中国同盟会和革命党在东南亚的根据地。除了创办光华日报, 革命人士也在槟榔屿组织“槟城阅书报社”鼓吹革命。黄花岗起义即辛亥“三·二九”广州起义就是孙中山和赵声、黄兴、胡汉民、邓泽如等同盟会重要骨干于1910年11月13日在槟榔屿议决和策划的。据说, 黄花岗七十二烈士就有4人来自槟榔屿，目前可考的只有罗仲霍。
独立后至今
1957年马来亚独立后，槟城成为联邦其中一州，槟城首席部长（即州政府最高行政长官）从那时起一直由华人担任。槟城和马六甲、沙巴及砂劳越四州一样，没有世袭君主，槟城名义上的最高领袖为州元首，由最高元首任命。
名称
莱特将槟榔屿命名为“韦尔斯太子岛”，但此名挂不住，甚至连以后的史书也少提及，而是惯称为“槟榔屿”。为什么叫做槟榔屿呢？它又不是盛产槟榔的地方。原来这个小岛的形状如同槟榔，因而得名[來源請求]。马来人一早就将此地叫做“丹绒”（Tanjong，意为海角），后来马来文译为Pulau Pinang。至于乔治市则一直沿用下来，直到今天我们还是把槟城的首府称之为乔治市，即便在1957年独立后，也不易名，因为它已经载入史册。
