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98-672: The Penang Island City Council ( abbrev. 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 km (118 sq mi), falls under the purview of the Penang state government . The Penang Island City Council is responsible for urban planning, heritage preservation, public health, sanitation, waste management, traffic management, environmental protection, building control, social and economic development, and general maintenance of urban infrastructure. In addition,

196-569: A city by a royal charter granted by Queen Elizabeth II , becoming the first city in the Federation of Malaya , and by extension, Malaysia . George Town remained Malaysia's only city (other than Singapore between 1963 and 1965) until 1972, when Kuala Lumpur was also granted city status. The first mayor of George Town was D. S. Ramanathan , a Labour Party politician. In 1965, the Malaysian federal government suspended local elections as

294-452: A city. The city of George Town was omitted in federal government publications and maps. Despite this, most citizens of Penang contend that George Town is still a city to this day, as George Town's city status was technically never revoked. Several federal and municipal ordinances and by-laws still in use today refer to the City of George Town, such as the City of George Town Ordinance 1957 and

392-420: A few examples, there is Aldi , from Theo Albrecht , the name of its founder, followed by discount ; Haribo , from Hans Riegel , the name of its founder, followed by Bonn , the town of its head office; and Adidas , from Adolf "Adi" Dassler , the nickname of its founder followed by his surname. Penang Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along

490-630: A fortress, Penang fell without struggle to the Imperial Japanese Army on 19 December 1941 after daily aerial attacks. The British covertly evacuated Penang's European populace; historian Raymond Callahan since contended that "the moral collapse of British rule in Southeast Asia came not at Singapore, but at Penang". Penang Island was subsequently renamed Tojo-to after Prime Minister Hideki Tojo . Japanese military police imposed order by massacring Chinese civilians under

588-399: A hilly and mostly forested interior. The island's coastal plains are narrow, with the most extensive plain located at the northeastern cape. George Town, which started off as a small settlement at the northeastern tip of the island, has expanded over the centuries to encompass the entire island, although the marshy western coast remains relatively underdeveloped. The highest point of the state

686-480: A person's name, such as Migjeni —an abbreviation from his original name ( Millosh Gjergj Nikolla ) a famous Albanian poet and writer—or ASDRENI ( Aleksander Stavre Drenova ), another famous Albanian poet. Other such names which are used commonly in recent decades are GETOAR, composed from Gegeria + Tosks (representing the two main dialects of the Albanian language, Gegë and Toskë), and Arbanon —which

784-555: A plural of an initialization without an apostrophe can also be used for a number, or a letter. Examples: For units of measure, the same form is used for both singular and plural. Examples: When an abbreviation contains more than one period, Hart's Rules recommends putting the s after the final one. Examples: However, the same plurals may be rendered less formally as: According to Hart's Rules , an apostrophe may be used in rare cases where clarity calls for it, for example when letters or symbols are referred to as objects. However,

882-511: A result of the Indonesian Confrontation . The George Town City Council was at the time the richest local council in the country, with annual revenue almost double that of the Penang state government . In response to allegations of maladministration and misconduct, a Royal Commission of Enquiry was set up by the federal government under Senator Athi Nahappan, while the functions of the city council were temporarily transferred to

980-529: A rotational basis, including Rifle Company Butterworth . With a land area of only 1,049 km (405 sq mi), Penang is the second smallest state in Malaysia after Perlis . It is located on the northwestern coastline of Peninsular Malaysia, lying between latitudes 5.59° and 5.12°N, and longitudes 100.17° and 100.56°E. The state is divided into two major halves by the Penang Strait , which

1078-427: A shortened form of a word with a trailing period. For example: etcetera is usually abbreviated etc. and abbreviation is sometimes abbreviated abbr. , abbrv. , or abbrev. . But sometimes the trailing period is not used for such shortened forms. A contraction is an abbreviation formed by replacing letters with an apostrophe. Examples include I'm for I am and li'l for little . An initialism or acronym

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1176-557: A single letter and was originally spelled with lower case letters then there is no need for capitalization. However, when abbreviating a phrase where only the first letter of each word is taken, then all letters should be capitalized, as in YTD for year-to-date , PCB for printed circuit board and FYI for for your information . However, see the following section regarding abbreviations that have become common vocabulary: these are no longer written with capital letters. A period (a.k.a. full stop)

1274-517: A symbol such as "km" for " kilometre ". In the International System of Units (SI) manual the word "symbol" is used consistently to define the shorthand used to represent the various SI units of measure. The manual also defines the way in which units should be written , the principal rules being: A syllabic abbreviation is usually formed from the initial syllables of several words, such as Interpol = International + police . It

1372-494: Is Penang Hill , which stands at a height of 833 m (2,733 ft) at the centre of the island. On the other hand, Seberang Perai has mostly flat topography, save for a hilly region along the eastern border with Kedah. Due to land scarcity in George Town, land reclamation projects have been undertaken at high-demand areas, particularly along the island's east coast. In 2023, a massive reclamation project commenced off

1470-526: Is Rajendran P. Anthony, who assumed office in 2023, whilst Cheong Chee Hong holds the positions of City Secretary and chief digital officer. As of 1 August 2024, the councillors of the Penang Island City Council are as listed below. The internal organisation of the city council comprises the following departments and units. (RM million) (RM million) (RM million) Abbreviation An abbreviation may be

1568-568: Is a syllabic abbreviation of Commonwealth and (Thomas) Edison . Sections of California are also often colloquially syllabically abbreviated, as in NorCal (Northern California), CenCal (Central California), and SoCal (Southern California). Additionally, in the context of Los Angeles, the syllabic abbreviation SoHo (Southern Hollywood) refers to the southern portion of the Hollywood neighborhood. Partially syllabic abbreviations are preferred by

1666-533: Is a variant of the acronym. Syllabic abbreviations are usually written using lower case , sometimes starting with a capital letter , and are always pronounced as words rather than letter by letter. Syllabic abbreviations should be distinguished from portmanteaus , which combine two words without necessarily taking whole syllables from each. Syllabic abbreviations are not widely used in English. Some UK government agencies such as Ofcom (Office of Communications) and

1764-472: Is also divided into five administrative districts – two in George Town and three in Seberang Perai. Each district is headed by a district officer. The lands and district office in each district deals with land administration and revenue. Thus, it differs from the local governments that oversee the provision and maintenance of urban infrastructure. After Pakatan Rakyat was voted into power in 2008 ,

1862-526: Is an abbreviation consisting of the initial letter of a sequence of words without other punctuation. For example, FBI ( /ˌɛf.biːˈaɪ/ ), USA ( /ˌjuː.ɛsˈeɪ/ ), IBM ( /ˌaɪ.biːˈɛm/ ), BBC ( /ˌbiː.biːˈsiː/ ). When initialism is used as the preferred term, acronym refers more specifically to when the abbreviation is pronounced as a word rather than as separate letters; examples include SWAT and NASA . Initialisms, contractions and crasis share some semantic and phonetic functions, and are connected by

1960-777: Is an alternative way used to describe all Albanian lands. Syllabic abbreviations were and are common in German ; much like acronyms in English, they have a distinctly modern connotation, although contrary to popular belief, many date back to before 1933 , if not the end of the Great War . Kriminalpolizei , literally criminal police but idiomatically the Criminal Investigation Department of any German police force, begat KriPo (variously capitalised), and likewise Schutzpolizei ( protection police or uniform department ) begat SchuPo . Along

2058-418: Is controversy as to which should be used. One generally accepted rule is to be consistent in a body of work. To this end, publishers may express their preferences in a style guide . Some controversies that arise are described below. If the original word was capitalized then the first letter of its abbreviation should retain the capital, for example Lev. for Leviticus . When a word is abbreviated to more than

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2156-476: Is home to the largest contingent of foreign diplomatic missions among Malaysian states . As of 2023 , a total of 27 countries have either established consulates or appointed honorary consuls within Penang. The Penang state government has also inked a sister state agreement with Japan's Kanagawa Prefecture and a friendship state partnership with China's Hainan Province . This list is based on information from

2254-417: Is only 3 km (1.9 mi) wide at the narrowest point and 13 km (8.1 mi) at its widest. The state capital, George Town , encompasses the entirety of Penang Island and a few surrounding islets, including Jerejak , Betong , Kendi , Rimau and Andaman islands. On the other hand, the city of Seberang Perai covers the mainland side of Penang. Penang Island is irregularly shaped, with

2352-695: Is sometimes used to signify abbreviation, but opinion is divided as to when and if this convention is best practice. According to Hart's Rules , a word shortened by dropping letters from the end terminates with a period, whereas a word shorted by dropping letters from the middle does not. Fowler's Modern English Usage says a period is used for both of these shortened forms, but recommends against this practice: advising it only for end-shortened words and lower-case initialisms; not for middle-shortened words and upper-case initialisms. Some British style guides, such as for The Guardian and The Economist , disallow periods for all abbreviations. In American English ,

2450-571: Is the state's highest law, consisting of 42 articles that govern the proceedings and powers of the state government. The head of state is the Governor ( Malay : Yang di-Pertua Negeri ), who is appointed by the King of Malaysia . Ahmad Fuzi Abdul Razak is the current Governor of Penang, having assumed office in 2021. In practice, the Governor's role is largely symbolic and ceremonial. This includes

2548-584: Is typically US . There are multiple ways to pluralize an abbreviation. Sometimes this accomplished by adding an apostrophe and an s ( 's ), as in "two PC's have broken screens". But, some find this confusing since the notation can indicate possessive case . And, this style is deprecated by many style guides. For instance, Kate Turabian , writing about style in academic writings, allows for an apostrophe to form plural acronyms "only when an abbreviation contains internal periods or both capital and lowercase letters". For example, "DVDs" and "URLs" and "Ph.D.'s", while

2646-730: The Battle of Penang during which the Imperial German Navy cruiser SMS Emden sank two Allied warships off George Town. During the interwar years , the British had acknowledged the need to fortify their armed forces in northern Malaya. However, complacency and lack of resources left British forces ill-prepared to confront the Japanese invasion at the onset of the Pacific War . Although Penang Island had been designated as

2744-686: The Chief Minister of Penang in 1966. The Royal Commission cleared the George Town City Council of the allegations of corruption and recommended the restoration of municipal elections. However, this was never carried out. Instead, in 1971, the two local councils on Penang Island - the George Town City Council and the Penang Island Rural District Council, the latter of which administered the rural southwest of Penang Island - were taken over by

2842-590: The Description of Malacca , Portuguese cartographer Manuel Godinho de Erédia named it Pulo Pinaom . [REDACTED] British East India Company 1786–1858 [REDACTED] British Raj 1858–1867 [REDACTED]   Straits Settlements 1826–1941; 1945–1946 [REDACTED] Empire of Japan 1941–1945 [REDACTED]   Malayan Union 1946–1948 [REDACTED]   Federation of Malaya 1948–1963 [REDACTED]   Malaysia 1963–present Archaeologists have discovered human remains such as

2940-601: The Mayor of Penang Island , who is assisted by the City Secretary and 24 councillors. The mayor's term lasts for two years, while each of the 24 councillors is appointed for a one-year term by the Penang state government . 22 of the councillors are selected by the component parties of the ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition. Of these, 10 are appointed by the Democratic Action Party (DAP), eight by

3038-644: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs , unless otherwise cited. In 1861, the Penang and Province Wellesley Volunteer Corps (P&PWVC) was established as the second volunteer military force in Malaya after the Singapore Volunteer Corps . Initially, the unit was exclusively formed by Europeans, with other races being barred until 1899. Over time, the P&;PWVC transformed into the 3rd Battalion of

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3136-576: The Modern Language Association explicitly says, "do not use an apostrophe to form the plural of an abbreviation". Also, the American Psychological Association specifically says, "without an apostrophe". However, the 1999 style guide for The New York Times states that the addition of an apostrophe is necessary when pluralizing all abbreviations, preferring "PC's, TV's and VCR's". Forming

3234-690: The Old English poem Beowulf used many abbreviations, for example the Tironian et ( ⁊ ) or & for and , and y for since , so that "not much space is wasted". The standardisation of English in the 15th through 17th centuries included a growth in the use of such abbreviations. At first, abbreviations were sometimes represented with various suspension signs, not only periods. For example, sequences like ⟨er⟩ were replaced with ⟨ɔ⟩ , as in mastɔ for master and exacɔbate for exacerbate . While this may seem trivial, it

3332-703: The People's Justice Party (PKR) and four from the National Trust Party (Amanah). Following the 2023 state election that saw the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) forming an unprecedented political alliance with PH, the former is allocated one councillor post as well. Penang -based non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are allocated the remaining councillor post to allow for the participation in policy-making by civil societies. The current mayor of Penang Island

3430-561: The Sook Ching policy, while women were forced into sexual slavery . Swettenham Pier was converted into a major submarine base by the Axis Powers . Between 1944 and 1945, Allied bombers from India targeted naval and administrative buildings in George Town , damaging and destroying several colonial buildings in the process. The Penang Strait was mined to restrict Japanese shipping. Following Japan's surrender , George Town

3528-664: The Strait of Malacca . 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. Penang is one of Malaysia's most developed economic powerhouses, with

3626-530: The Straits Settlements , a British crown colony also comprising Malacca and Singapore . During World War II , Japan occupied Penang, but the British regained control in 1945. Penang was later merged with the Federation of Malaya (now Malaysia), which gained independence in 1957. Penang's economy shifted from entrepôt trade to electronics manufacturing and the tertiary sector throughout

3724-582: The Straits Settlements Volunteer Force (SSVF) and by 1937, the unit also contained a European machine gun platoon, a Malay rifle company, a medical section and headquarters reserve. Although enlistment increased prior to the Japanese invasion of Malaya , 3rd Battalion SSVF was eventually evacuated from Penang without engaging in any combat. Since independence, the Malaysian federal government assumes sole responsibility for

3822-512: The highest GDP per capita of all states , and the fourth highest Human Development Index after Kuala Lumpur , Selangor and Labuan . Penang is also Malaysia's leading exporter with over RM447 billion (US$ 108.94 billion) in exports in 2023, primarily through the Penang International Airport which is also the nation's third busiest in passenger traffic . Established by Francis Light in 1786, Penang became part of

3920-685: The neoclassical State Assembly Building in George Town . Penang practises the Westminster system whereby the State Executive Council members are appointed from the elected State Assemblymen. Any amendment to Penang's Constitution requires the support of at least two-thirds of the State Legislative Assembly. Prior to a state election, it is customary to dissolve the legislature, which necessitates

4018-656: The "Penang Woman", along with seashells, pottery and stone tools, in Seberang Perai . The artifacts indicate that around 5,000 to 6,000 years ago, Penang was inhabited by nomadic Melanesians during the Neolithic era. Pali inscriptions on the Cherok Tok Kun megalith suggest the Hindu - Buddhist Bujang Valley civilisation, based in present-day Kedah , held authority over parts of Seberang Perai by

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4116-459: The 1990s led to a marked rise in colloquial abbreviation. This was due largely to increasing popularity of textual communication services such as instant and text messaging. The original SMS supported message lengths of 160 characters at most (using the GSM 03.38 character set), for instance. This brevity gave rise to an informal abbreviation scheme sometimes called Textese , with which 10% or more of

4214-661: The 20th century. The contractions in Newspeak are supposed to have a political function by virtue of their abbreviated structure itself: nice sounding and easily pronounceable, their purpose is to mask all ideological content from the speaker. A more recent syllabic abbreviation has emerged with the disease COVID-19 (Corona Virus Disease 2019) caused by the Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (itself frequently abbreviated to SARS-CoV-2 , partly an initialism). In Albanian, syllabic acronyms are sometimes used for composing

4312-490: The 6th century. The entirety of Penang later formed part of Kedah , which came under Siamese suzerainty by the late 18th century. Penang's modern history began in 1786 when Francis Light , a representative of the British East India Company (EIC), obtained Penang Island from Sultan Abdullah Mukarram Shah of Kedah in exchange for military aid. Light had been sent to the Malay Peninsula by

4410-632: The City of George Town Liquefied Petroleum Gases By-Laws 1971. According to Penang Heritage Trust (PHT) trustee, Anwar Fazal, a lawyer by profession, George Town " legally has been and is still a city because the City of George Town Ordinance 1957 was never repealed ". In addition, Clause 3 of the Local Government (Merger of the City Council of George Town and the Rural District Council of Penang Island) Order 1974, which

4508-567: The EIC to build trade relations in the region, where he saw the strategic potential of Penang Island as a "convenient magazine for trade" that could enable the British to check Dutch and French territorial ambitions in Southeast Asia . After negotiating an agreement with the Sultan, Light and his entourage landed on Penang Island on 17 July that year and took formal possession of the island "in

4606-621: The Municipal Commissioners were to be elected by expatriate ratepayers and Straits-born British citizens, making the Municipal Commission the first, albeit partially, elected local government within British Malaya. However, the local elections were abolished by 1913. In 1951, the British colonial authorities reintroduced municipal elections of nine of the fifteen municipal commissioners for George Town,

4704-488: The Penang state government. In addition, the state government, controlled at the time by Gerakan and led by Lim Chong Eu as the chief minister, also decided to continue the suspension of Penang's local government elections. In 1974, both the George Town City Council and the Penang Island Rural District Council were merged to form the Penang Island Municipal Council. This act also resulted in

4802-530: The Prince of Wales Island in 1791. However, the attempt was defeated by EIC forces and the Sultan sued for peace. An annual payment of 6,000 Spanish dollars was agreed in exchange for British sovereignty over the island. In 1800, Lieutenant-Governor George Leith secured a strip of hinterland across the Penang Strait , which was subsequently named Province Wellesley (now Seberang Perai ). The EIC gained permanent sovereignty over both Prince of Wales Island and

4900-768: The US Navy, as they increase readability amidst the large number of initialisms that would otherwise have to fit into the same acronyms. Hence DESRON 6 is used (in the full capital form) to mean "Destroyer Squadron 6", while COMNAVAIRLANT would be "Commander, Naval Air Force (in the) Atlantic". Syllabic abbreviations are a prominent feature of Newspeak , the fictional language of George Orwell 's dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four . The political contractions of Newspeak— Ingsoc (English Socialism), Minitrue (Ministry of Truth), Miniplenty ( Ministry of Plenty )—are described by Orwell as similar to real examples of German ( see below ) and Russian ( see below ) contractions in

4998-460: The apostrophe can be dispensed with if the items are set in italics or quotes: In Latin, and continuing to the derivative forms in European languages as well as English, single-letter abbreviations had the plural being a doubling of the letter for note-taking. Most of these deal with writing and publishing. A few longer abbreviations use this as well. Publications based in the U.S. tend to follow

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5096-573: The authority to appoint the head of government and approve legislation that has been passed by the state's legislature. The Penang state government has its own executive body and legislature, but their powers are limited compared to the Malaysian federal government . According to the Federal Constitution , the state can legislate on matters pertaining to Malay customs, land, agriculture and forestry, local government, civil and water works, and state administration. Matters falling under

5194-550: The city's southern coast to build the 920 ha (2,300-acre) Silicon Island, envisioned as a new hub for high-tech manufacturing and commerce. Following years of reclamation works, the Gurney Drive shoreline is also being transformed into Gurney Bay , intended as "a new iconic waterfront destination for Penang". The major rivers within Penang include the Pinang , Perai , Muda and Kerian rivers. The Muda River serves as

5292-628: The city. Resentment against the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration led to the Pakatan Rakyat bloc (now Pakatan Harapan ) rising to power through the 2008 state election . Efforts to preserve George Town's heritage architecture led to the city's historical core being designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site that year. Penang, a former British crown colony , is one of the four Malaysian states without hereditary monarchies. The Constitution of Penang , codified in 1957,

5390-417: The consent of the Governor . The 2023 state election witnessed an unprecedented alliance between Pakatan Harapan (PH) and its erstwhile adversaries Barisan Nasional (BN). The PH–BN alliance currently commands a supermajority in the State Legislative Assembly, controlling 29 out of the 40 seats. However, the election also saw the right-wing Perikatan Nasional (PN) opposition bloc gaining ground in

5488-400: The consolidation of Penang 's local governments into two local governments, each administering one halve of the state - Penang Island and Seberang Perai . George Town 's royal charter provided that: With the legal entity for George Town being superseded by the merger of the local governments in 1974, the Malaysian federal government was of the view that George Town no longer existed as

5586-744: The country's defence. Penang houses the Malaysian Army 's 2nd Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment and Rejimen 509 Askar Wataniah , which traces its lineage back to the P&PWVC. The Royal Malaysian Navy maintains a volunteer reserve base in George Town . RMAF Butterworth Air Base also serves as the headquarters of the Five Power Defence Arrangements Integrated Area Defence System (HQIADS). The air base continues to host Australian air force and army units on

5684-613: The development of hitherto rural areas such as Butterworth and Bukit Mertajam . However, the population growth created social problems such as inadequate sanitation, health facilities and rampant crime, culminating in street violence and rioting in 1867 . The Straits Settlements became a British crown colony within the same year. Direct British rule led to improved law enforcement, and investments in health care and public transportation in Penang. Owing to enhanced access to education, active participation of Asian residents in municipal affairs and substantial press freedom, George Town

5782-536: The economy, Chief Minister Lim Chong Eu established the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone in 1972. Massive industrialisation proved instrumental in reversing Penang's economic slump and led to the state's rapid economic growth until the late 1990s. Under Lim's tenure, the Penang Bridge , the first road link between Penang Island and the Malay Peninsula , was built. Persistent brain drain, aggravated by federal policies prioritising

5880-460: The entirety of Penang Island as well as five of the surrounding islets. This also makes George Town the only city in Malaysia to be conferred city status twice, first by Queen Elizabeth II , and then by the Malaysian federal government. Patahiyah binti Ismail was subsequently installed as the Mayor of Penang Island , the first female mayor in Penang 's history. The city council is headed by

5978-494: The first municipal council in Malaya to do so. For the municipal elections, George Town was divided into three wards - Tanjung, Kelawei and Jelutong. By 1956, George Town became the first municipality in Malaya to have a fully elected local government. Five wards were created to elect one councillor each year, while the president of the municipal council was voted from amongst the councillors. On 1 January 1957, George Town became

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6076-486: The first fully-elected municipality in Malaya by 1956 and was granted city status by Queen Elizabeth II in the following year. This made George Town the first city within the Federation of Malaya, and by extension, Malaysia. George Town's status as a free port was rescinded by the Malaysian federal government in 1969. This led to a loss of maritime trade, causing massive unemployment and brain drain . To revive

6174-428: The former Oftel (Office of Telecommunications) use this style. New York City has various neighborhoods named by syllabic abbreviation, such as Tribeca (Triangle below Canal Street) and SoHo (South of Houston Street). This usage has spread into other American cities, giving SoMa , San Francisco (South of Market) and LoDo, Denver (Lower Downtown), amongst others. Chicago -based electric service provider ComEd

6272-456: The globally popular term OK generally credited as a remnant of its influence. Over the years, however, the lack of convention in some style guides has made it difficult to determine which two-word abbreviations should be abbreviated with periods and which should not. This question is considered below. Widespread use of electronic communication through mobile phones and the Internet during

6370-553: The growth of Kuala Lumpur, resulted in Penang losing its leading position in the national economy by the 21st century. This decline, compounded by various issues including incoherent urban planning, poor traffic management and the dilapidation of George Town's heritage enclave following the repeal of the Rent Control Act in 2001, contributed to growing dissatisfaction within Penang's society. In response, civil societies in George Town mobilised public support to rejuvenate

6468-484: The impending annexation of Penang into the vast Malay heartland proved unpopular among Penangites. The Penang Secessionist Committee was formed in 1948 due to economic and ethnic concerns, but their attempt to avert Penang's merger with Malaya was unsuccessful due to British disapproval. To relieve the concerns raised by the secessionists, the British government guaranteed George Town's free port status and reintroduced municipal elections in 1951. George Town became

6566-414: The joint purview of state and federal authorities include social welfare, wildlife protection and national parks, scholarships, husbandry, town planning, drainage and irrigation, and public health regulations. The 40-member Penang State Legislative Assembly forms the state's legislature and is elected for a maximum term of five years from single-member constituencies through state elections . Compared to

6664-421: The late 20th century. With 1.74 million residents and a population density of 1,659/km (4,300/sq mi) as of 2020 , Penang is one of Malaysia's most densely populated and urbanised states. Seberang Perai is Malaysia's third largest city by population . Penang is culturally diverse with a population that includes Chinese , Malays , Indians , Eurasians, Siamese and expatriates. The name Penang comes from

6762-517: The local government, in a joint effort with Rapid Penang , runs a free shuttle bus service within the heart of George Town. The headquarters of the city government is located within the City Hall in George Town, which had served as the seat of the George Town City Council until 1976. It also has offices within Komtar , the tallest skyscraper in the city . A committee of assessors for George Town

6860-412: The majority in 25 of the 40 state constituencies . Thus, non-Malay electoral support is crucial to any political coalition aiming for power in Penang. The Penang State Executive Council is the executive authority of the Penang state government , similar in function to the federal Cabinet . It is led by the Chief Minister , who serves as the head of government in Penang. To this day, Penang remains

6958-494: The maritime route between Lingga and Kedah . The Siamese , who were the overlords of Kedah, called it Ko Mak ( Thai : เกาะหมาก ). Maritime explorers also took note of the island's abundance of areca nut. During the 15th century, Admiral Zheng He of Ming China referred to the island as Bīngláng Yǔ ( traditional Chinese : 檳榔嶼 ; simplified Chinese : 槟榔屿 ; Pe̍h-ōe-jī : Pin-nn̂g-sū ; lit. 'areca nut island') in his navigational charts. In

7056-465: The modern Malay name Pulau Pinang which means ' areca nut island'. Penang is also colloquially referred to as the "Pearl of the Orient" and "The Island of Pearls" ( Malay : Pulau Mutiara ). Over the course of history, Penang Island had been known by different names by seafarers from various regions. The locals named it Pulo Ka Satu , meaning "The First Island", as it was the largest island on

7154-484: The name of King George III of England" on 11 August. The island was renamed Prince of Wales Island after the heir to the British throne and the new settlement of George Town was established in honour of King George III. Unbeknownst to Sultan Abdullah, Light had acted without the authority or the consent of his superiors in India . When the EIC reneged on military protection, the Sultan launched an attempt to recapture

7252-429: The new mainland territory, while the annual payment to the Sultan of Kedah was increased to 10,000 Spanish dollars. The British and Malaysian governments maintained the annual payments to Kedah until 2018, when the Malaysian federal government increased the amount by RM10 million yearly. George Town grew rapidly as a free port and a conduit for spice trade , diverting maritime commerce away from Dutch outposts in

7350-426: The newly-elected Penang state government, announced that they would revive the commemorations of George Town's city status from 1 January 2009. In 2015, the Malaysian federal government elevated the Penang Island Municipal Council into the present-day Penang Island City Council. In effect, the jurisdiction of the city of George Town was expanded to cover an area of 305.77 km (118.06 sq mi), encompassing

7448-553: The newly-elected state government attempted to reinstate local government elections within Penang, which have been suspended since the 1960s. At the time, the Barisan Nasional -controlled federal government objected to the move, which eventually led to the Federal Court 's decision that local government elections do not fall under the jurisdiction of state governments. The present-day Malaysian judicial system traces its roots to 19th-century George Town . In 1807, Penang

7546-655: The northern border between Seberang Perai and Kedah , while the Kerian River forms part of the southern boundary between Seberang Perai, Kedah and Perak . Penang has a tropical rainforest climate under the Köppen climate classification ( Af ). The state experiences relatively consistent temperatures throughout the course of the year, with an average high of about 32 °C and an average low of 24°C. Penang's proximity to Sumatra makes it susceptible to dust particles carried by wind from transient forest fires that create

7644-529: The only Malaysian state where the position of the head of government has been continuously held by an ethnic Chinese since the nation's independence. Additionally, Penang was the first state to impose a two-term limit for the head of government's tenure. The current Chief Minister of Penang is Chow Kon Yeow of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), having assumed office after the 2018 state election . The unicameral 40-seat Penang State Legislative Assembly , whose members are called State Assemblymen, convenes at

7742-449: The perennial Southeast Asian haze . The Penang Meteorological Office at Bayan Lepas is the primary weather forecast facility for northwestern Malaysia. In spite of rapid urbanisation, Penang has managed to preserve a significant portion of its natural environment. Within the state, 7,761 ha (77.61 km ) have been designated as protected forest reserves. In 2021, the 12,481 ha (124.81 km ) Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve

7840-487: The period is usually included regardless of whether or not it is a contraction, e.g. Dr. or Mrs. . In some cases, periods are optional, as in either US or U.S. for United States , EU or E.U. for European Union , and UN or U.N. for United Nations . There are some house styles, however—American ones included—that remove the periods from almost all abbreviations. For example: Acronyms that were originally capitalized (with or without periods) but have since entered

7938-510: The region's premier entrepôt , Singapore became the capital instead in 1832. Despite its secondary importance to Singapore, George Town retained its importance as a vital British entrepôt. Towards the end of the 19th century, it became a major tin exporter and Malaya 's primary financial centre. Penang's prosperity attracted a cosmopolitan population comprising Chinese , Malay , Indian , Peranakan , Siamese and migrants of mixed European-Asian lineage referred to as "Eurasians", and led to

8036-513: The region. In 1805, Penang became a separate presidency of British India , sharing similar status with Bombay and Madras . By 1808, George Town had established its local government, while the founding of the Supreme Court of Penang marked the birth of Malaysia's modern judiciary. In 1826, George Town was made the capital of the Straits Settlements which included Singapore and Malacca . As Singapore soon supplanted George Town as

8134-417: The rest of Peninsular Malaysia , Penang's electoral landscape is perceived as being more liberal and distinct due to the state's ethnic diversity and socio-economic development. Unlike other Peninsular states, ethnic Chinese have formed the plurality in Penang for decades, and the state's economic infrastructure is based primarily on commerce and trade rather than agriculture. As of 2023 , non-Malays formed

8232-414: The rural Malay-majority constituencies, occupying the remaining 11 seats in the legislature. Penang is further divided into two city-level municipalities, each administered by a local government . The local governments exercise power in areas such as planning and development control, public housing, public spaces, waste disposal, business licensing, markets, local transport, and municipal roads. Penang

8330-835: The same lines, the Swiss Federal Railways' Transit Police—the Transportpolizei —are abbreviated as the TraPo . With the National Socialist German Workers' Party gaining power came a frenzy of government reorganisation, and with it a series of entirely new syllabic abbreviations. The single national police force amalgamated from the Schutzpolizeien of the various states became the OrPo ( Ordnungspolizei , "order police");

8428-401: The secret police) and VoPo for Volkspolizei . The phrase politisches Büro , which may be rendered literally as "office of politics" or idiomatically as "political party steering committee", became Politbüro . Syllabic abbreviations are not only used in politics, however. Many business names, trademarks, and service marks from across Germany are created on the same pattern: for

8526-556: The state KriPos together formed the "SiPo" ( Sicherheitspolizei , "security police"); and there was also the Gestapo ( Geheime Staatspolizei , "secret state police"). The new order of the German Democratic Republic in the east brought about a conscious denazification , but also a repudiation of earlier turns of phrase in favour of neologisms such as Stasi for Staatssicherheit ("state security",

8624-546: The style guides of The Chicago Manual of Style and the Associated Press . The U.S. government follows a style guide published by the U.S. Government Printing Office . The National Institute of Standards and Technology sets the style for abbreviations of units. Many British publications follow some of these guidelines in abbreviation: Writers often use shorthand to denote units of measure. Such shorthand can be an abbreviation, such as "in" for " inch " or can be

8722-971: The term abbreviation in loose parlance. In early times, abbreviations may have been common due to the effort involved in writing (many inscriptions were carved in stone) or to provide secrecy via obfuscation . Reduction of a word to a single letter was common in both Greek and Roman writing. In Roman inscriptions, "Words were commonly abbreviated by using the initial letter or letters of words, and most inscriptions have at least one abbreviation". However, "some could have more than one meaning, depending on their context. (For example, ⟨A⟩ can be an abbreviation for many words, such as ager , amicus , annus , as , Aulus , Aurelius , aurum , and avus .)" Many frequent abbreviations consisted of more than one letter: for example COS for consul and COSS for its nominative etc. plural consules . Abbreviations were frequently used in early English . Manuscripts of copies of

8820-516: The vocabulary as generic words are no longer written with capital letters nor with any periods. Examples are sonar , radar , lidar , laser , snafu , and scuba . When an abbreviation appears at the end of a sentence, only one period is used: The capital of the United States is Washington, D.C. In the past, some initialisms were styled with a period after each letter and a space between each pair. For example, U. S. , but today this

8918-464: The words in a typical SMS message are abbreviated. More recently Twitter, a popular social networking service , began driving abbreviation use with 140 character message limits. In HTML , abbreviations can be annotated using < abbr title = "Meaning of the abbreviation." > abbreviation </ abbr > to reveal its meaning by hovering the cursor . In modern English, there are multiple conventions for abbreviation, and there

9016-630: Was established in 1800, making it the first local government to be established within British Malaya . The committee, which consisted of British and local Asian ratepayers, was tasked with the valuation of property within the new settlement. In 1857, the George Town Municipal Commission was officially established. It consisted of five members and was led by the Resident-Councillor of Penang . Three of

9114-603: Was granted a Royal Charter which paved the way for the establishment of a Supreme Court. In the following year, the Supreme Court of Penang (now Penang High Court ) was inaugurated at Fort Cornwallis with the appointment of Edmond Stanley as the first Recorder. The Penang High Court serves as the highest court in the state. Notable lawyers who served the high court include Tunku Abdul Rahman , Cecil Rajendra and Karpal Singh . There are also four Magistrates Courts and two Sessions Courts throughout Penang. Penang

9212-534: Was perceived as being more intellectually receptive than Singapore. The settlement attracted intellectuals and revolutionaries, including Rudyard Kipling , Somerset Maugham and Sun Yat-sen . In 1910, Sun selected George Town as the centre for the Tongmenghui 's political activities in Southeast Asia, aimed at overthrowing the Qing dynasty . Penang emerged from World War I relatively unscathed, apart from

9310-428: Was sanctioned by the then Penang state government , stated that " ... the status of the City of George Town as a city shall continue to be preserved and maintained and shall remain unimpaired by the merger hereby effected. " The clause above implies that, although the legal entity for George Town had been superseded, George Town's city status remains intact and unchanged by the merger of the local governments. In 2008,

9408-478: Was symptomatic of an attempt by people manually reproducing academic texts to reduce the copy time. Mastɔ subwardenɔ y ɔmēde me to you. And wherɔ y wrot to you the last wyke that y trouyde itt good to differrɔ thelectionɔ ovɔ to quīdenaɔ tinitatis y have be thougħt me synɔ that itt woll be thenɔ a bowte mydsomɔ. In the Early Modern English period, between the 15th and 17th centuries, the thorn Þ

9506-548: Was the first Malayan settlement liberated by British marines through Operation Jurist on 3 September 1945. Penang was placed under British military administration until 1946, after which the Straits Settlements was abolished. The British sought to consolidate the various political entities in British Malaya , including the Crown Colony of Penang , under a single polity known as the Malayan Union . Initially,

9604-451: Was used for th , as in Þ ('the'). In modern times, ⟨Þ⟩ was often used (in the form ⟨y⟩ ) for promotional reasons, as in Y Olde Tea Shoppe . During the growth of philological linguistic theory in academic Britain, abbreviating became very fashionable. Likewise, a century earlier in Boston , a fad of abbreviation started that swept the United States, with

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