Lovers' Isle ( ms, Pulau Asmara) is an
islet
An islet is a very small, often unnamed island. Most definitions are not precise, but some suggest that an islet has little or no vegetation and cannot support human habitation. It may be made of rock, sand and/or hard coral; may be permanen ...
in
Southwest Penang Island District
The Southwest Penang Island District ( ms, Daerah Barat Daya Pulau Pinang) is a district within the Malaysian state of Penang. The district covers the southwestern half of Penang Island and borders the Northeast Penang Island District to the eas ...
,
Penang,
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
, located off the northern coast of
Penang Island
Penang Island ( ms, Pulau Pinang; zh, 檳榔嶼; ta, பினாங்கு தீவு) is part of the state of Penang, on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It was named Prince of Wales Island when it was occupied by the British Ea ...
. Located off
Batu Ferringhi
Batu Ferringhi is a suburb of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. Located along the northern coast of Penang Island and about northwest of the city centre, it is the prime beach destination in Penang among locals and tourists. To cater to the inf ...
, a suburb of the city of
George Town, this uninhabited rocky outcrop was where the first European sailors to reach what is now Penang arrived in the 16th century.
Etymology
The isle was once named ''Batu Ferringhi'' (
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
: Portuguese Rock) and has lent its name to the now popular tourist destination of
Batu Ferringhi
Batu Ferringhi is a suburb of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. Located along the northern coast of Penang Island and about northwest of the city centre, it is the prime beach destination in Penang among locals and tourists. To cater to the inf ...
, a suburb of
George Town. In the 16th century, Portuguese sailors landed at the rock to obtain fresh water from the nearby streams.
At the time, the
Malay word ''
Ferringhi'', which was in turn derived from the
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
''ferringi'', was originally used to denote a person of Portuguese descent.
Urban legend has it that Lovers' Isle was named as such after a couple, each of a different ethnicity, committed suicide at this outcrop.
To this day, Lovers' Isle is still visited by couples during low tides.
See also
*
List of islands of Malaysia
References
Islands of Penang
Southwest Penang Island District
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