George Town
George Town is the capital of the Malaysian state of Penang. It is the core city of the George Town Conurbation, Malaysia's second largest metropolitan area with a population of 2.84 million.
Typical weather
1981–presentCity Rhythm
measuredOpening hours, by kind of place
median across mapped venuesVital absurdities
measured · the Anti-AwardsSame time system
by rhythmWhat to do each season
1George Town doesn't have seasons. Well — it does. There is just the one.
year-round
tropical rainforest (Köppen Af); openmeteo mean 25.2-27.1 °C (1.9 °C annual range); per Wikipedia average high ~32 °C, low ~24 °C; ~2,477 mm/yr; wetter Sep-Nov (Nov 10.5 mm/day), drier Jan-Mar (Feb 2.9 mm/day); susceptible to the perennial Southeast Asian haze from Sumatra forest fires
- the defining constant is equatorial heat and humidity — the heritage shophouses (now 'given a new lease of life as hotels, bars, cafes and restaurants'), the malls and the Penang Hill escape are the year-round civic affordances
- the wetter Sep-Nov period brings heavier rain; the drier Jan-Mar is the relative high season for the heritage-core walking and the beach resorts of Batu Ferringhi
- the street-food economy — asam laksa, char kway teow, nasi kandar — is the year-round civic-eating affordance; George Town is 'the food capital of Malaysia' (CNN)
- Penang Hill (833 m), reachable by funicular, is a genuine temperature escape from the equatorial heat below
What it is known for
Important moments in a year
George Town Festival
- the George Town Festival — one of the major yearly arts events in Southeast Asia
George Town Literary Festival
- the George Town Literary Festival — won the International Literary Festival Award at the London Book Fair in 2018
Penang Dragon Boat Festival
- the Penang International Dragon Boat Festival — attracts participants from abroad
Penang Bridge Marathon
- the Penang Bridge International Marathon — over 22,000 participants from 65 countries in 2024
Chingay Procession
- the Penang Chingay procession (since 1919) — balancing gigantic flags; a major expression of the Penang Chinese identity
Thaipusam
- the Thaipusam festival at the Waterfall Temple — a major Hindu procession
On the record
source-trackedEstablished as an entrepôt by Francis Light in 1786, George Town was the first British settlement in Southeast Asia.
It became the capital of the Straits Settlements in 1826, only to lose its administrative status to Singapore in 1832.
In 2008, UNESCO designated nearly 260 ha within the city centre as a World Heritage Site.
The city centre is notable for its 'unique architectural and cultural townscape without parallel anywhere in East and Southeast Asia', according to UNESCO.
Described by CNN as 'the food capital of Malaysia', the city was also listed by Time and Lonely Planet as one of the best in Asia for street food.
According to Time in 2004, only in the city 'could food this good be this cheap'.
The Peranakan Chinese, descendants of mixed Malay and Chinese ancestries who had inhabited the Straits Settlements for generations, formed an influential group within the Chinese community.
George Town is now regarded as the 'Silicon Valley of the East'.
The city is home to one of the best preserved collections of pre-war heritage buildings in Southeast Asia.
George Town's heritage shophouses are also being given a new lease of life as hotels, bars, cafes and restaurants.
George Town, in particular the UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a relatively compact city to explore on foot.
Penang Hill, with a height of 833 m, is the highest point in Penang, serving as a water catchment area and a green lung for the city.
The method behind this atlas — 196 pp. Not published yet.