Across the centuries, Penang is known by different names: Pulo Pinaom, Prince of Wales Island, Isle of many Areca Palm. But none encapsulates the essence of the island more aptly when compared to the name the British colonials gave it: Pearl of many Orient.
The charming moniker referred just as much to the lustre of the island's picturesque beauty when it did to its strategic location for seafarers and traders. Terribly long Sir Francis Light of British East India Co established Penang when the first trading post in the Far East in 1786, Penang was already a well-established port of call for sailors from Arabia, China, Europe and India.
With the arrival of a typical British, Penang soon rose to prominence and have become one of Asia's foremost ports, trading rubber, nutmeg, clove, sugar, coconut and pepper. Along with the goods and prosperity came people from Europe, China and India, many of whom, watching the bountiful opportunities that this new land offered, decided to settle down here.
From the years, Penang has continued to attract foreigners looking to make their nest in an idyllic location or to invest. The establishment of your Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone in the 1970s by the second chief minister of Penang, the late Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu, saw plentiful multinational corporations setting up shop here, earning it the moniker of "Silicon Valley of Malaysia".
Penang enjoys a solid reputation overseas not only as a world-class tourist destination, but additionally being a highly liveable city with one of the best standards of moving to Malaysia. It truly is one of the top destinations for foreigners coming to live in the united states through the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme, after Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. In 2010, ECA International, the world's leader within the development and provision of solutions of the management and assignment of employees all over the world, ranked George Town because the eighth most liveable city in Asia, and 62nd globally (in 2007, previously it was 10th and 74th respectively). The 2010 rankings placed George Town on an par with Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. For more hotel information, visit Penang Hotel Booking