Pangkor Island ( ms, Pulau Pangkor) is an island in

Manjung District, Perak The Manjung District, formerly Dindings, is a district in the southwestern part of the state of Perak, Malaysia. The district is well known for Pangkor Island, an attraction in Perak and the home of the Royal Malaysian Navy (TLDM), Lumut Naval ...

, Malaysia. It has a population of approximately 25,000. Nearby islands include

Pangkor Laut Island Pangkor Laut Island is a small island southwest of Pangkor Island, Perak, Malaysia. History During World War II, the island was where Freddie Spencer Chapman made his submarine getaway during the Japanese occupation of Malaya. Luciano Pavarotti ...

, Giam Island, Mentagor Island, Simpan Island, and Tukun Terindak Island. The major industries of the island are tourism and fishing.

Geography

Pangkor Island has a land area of and is from

Peninsular Malaysia Peninsular Malaysia ( ms, Semenanjung Malaysia; Jawi: سمننجڠ مليسيا), or the States of Malaya ( ms, Negeri-negeri Tanah Melayu; Jawi: نڬري-نڬري تانه ملايو), also known as West Malaysia or the Malaysian Peninsula, ...

. The interior of the island is forested and is home to 65 reptile species, 17 amphibian species, and 82 total herpetofaunal species.

History

Historically, Pangkor was a refuge for local fishers, merchants and pirates. In the 17th century, the Dutch built a fort to control the Perak tin trade, known as the

Dutch Fort The Dutch Fort is a fort in Pangkor Island, Manjung District, Perak, Malaysia. The ruins are the remnants of an outpost of Dutch attempts to control trade in the Malay peninsula. In the Malay language, the fort is called ''Kota Belanda''. The D ...

. In 1874, it was the location of a historical treaty between the British government and a contender for the Perak throne (the

Pangkor Treaty The Pangkor Treaty of 1874 was a treaty signed between Great Britain and the Sultan of Perak on 20 January 1874, on the Colonial Steamer Pluto, off the coast of Perak. The treaty is significant in the history of the Malay states as it legitimi ...

), which began the British colonial domination of the

Malay Peninsula The Malay Peninsula (Malay: ''Semenanjung Tanah Melayu'') is a peninsula in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area ...

. The old British name for the Pangkor Island group was the

Dindings The Manjung District, formerly Dindings, is a district in the southwestern part of the state of Perak, Malaysia. The district is well known for Pangkor Island, an attraction in Perak and the home of the Royal Malaysian Navy (TLDM), Lumut Naval Ba ...

. Batu Gong is a petroglyph (rock carving) of an unknown age located on a headland at Pantai Pasir Bogak depicting a gong, first mentioned by G. De. G Sieveking in the Asiatic society journal in 1951 is in diameter and is oriented directly north. In 2003, Marina Island (an artificial island) was developed by the Marina Island Group of companies and began operation in 2010, with private investment of RM250 million by 2013. The integrated mixed development resort island consists of waterfront residential properties, a new jetty (Marina Island Jetty), a private commercial marina called Pangkor Marina Malaysia, service apartments, hotels and shop offices. The jetty has a ferry service that connects to the island. 2004-2014 was a period of high growth and development for the island and the surrounding district. In 2006, a biotechnology centre, a joint venture of Global Hi-Q Malaysia S/B and Hi-Q Bio-Tech International (Taiwan) Ltd began operations with initial investments of 100 million ringgit (US$30 million). Their operations include fish farming and aquaculture, and the first harvest was in 2009.

Tourism

Following the Federal Government's move to grant the island

duty-free A duty-free shop (or store) is a retail outlet whose goods are exempt from the payment of certain local or national taxes and duties, on the requirement that the goods sold will be sold to travelers who will take them out of the country, w ...

status effective 1 January 2020, the island recorded a 40 percent increase in visitors. Manjung Municipal Council (MPM) recorded 1.42 million visitors to the island compared to 1.03 million in 2017.

Transport

Pangkor Island is a three-hour drive from

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...

and is accessible through the Ipoh–Lumut 4-lane dual carriage highway and the

West Coast Expressway The West Coast Expressway (E32) is an interstate controlled-access highway running along the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The expressway is currently under construction, with several sections open for public use. Once completed, the expres ...

. Buses frequently arrive at the main jetty in Lumut. No bridges connect the island to the mainland because a policy aimed to control the number of vehicles on the island to prevent road congestion. Public ferries depart from Lumut to Pangkor Island from the old Lumut jetty. The ferry service stops at two jetties at the east side of Pangkor Island, Sungai Pinang Kecil; SPK jetty; and Pangkor Town Jetty. There's new Ferry company from mainland to the Island which shorter path compare to regular ferry. It starts from Marina Bay. The fare little higher compare to regular ferry. Regular ferry from Lumut Jetty to Pangkor Island will take 30 to 40 minutes, while Marina Bay to Pangkor Island only take 15 to 20 minutes. The island is served by

Pangkor Airport Pangkor Airport is an airport on Pangkor Island, Manjung District, Perak, Malaysia. Airlines and destinations Traffic and statistics See also * List of airports in Malaysia References External links Short Take-Off and Landing Airpo ...

through charter air service by

Berjaya Air Berjaya Air Sdn Bhd (doing business as Berjaya Air) is an airline with its head office in the Berjaya Hangar of the SkyPark Terminal Building on the property of Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang, Selangor, Malaysia. As of 2018, the airli ...

and scheduled airline service from

Subang Airport Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport ( ms, Lapangan Terbang Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah), (formerly Subang International Airport/Kuala Lumpur International Airport), often called Subang Airport or Subang Skypark, is an airport located in Subang, Petalin ...

by SKS Airways.

Notable places

The west coast of Pangkor is famous for its beaches, resorts and hotels for tourist accommodations. The famous beaches there include Pasir Bogak, Teluk Nipah and Coral Beach. The east coast of Pangkor is where all the residents live and where many of them work in the local foods and fisheries activities, including the dry fish factory, boat workshops, and a fish farm. Other attractions on the island include the Fu Ling Kong temple, the Sri Pathirakaliamman temple in Sungai Pinang Besar village; Batu Bersurat, Tiger Rock, the

(Kota Belanda), the tombs in Kampung Teluk Gedung and Tortoise Hill and Batu Gong.

Climate

Pangkor Island is situated off Malaysia's west coast and experiences hot and humid weather all year round. The rainy season runs from April - October, and the dry season is from October - April.

Gallery

File:Dutch Fort Pulau Pangkor 2007 016 pano.jpg, Dutch Fort on Pulau Pangkor File:Pangkor_Island_Jetty.jpg, The main ferry terminal, serving the island File:Pangkor Boat.jpg, alt=Pangkor Boat, Pangkor Boat

References

External links

Pulau Pangkor Official Website

Tourism Malaysia - Pangkor Island

Official website
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Islands of Perak Manjung District Islands of the Strait of Malacca