Lovers' Isle is an
islet
An islet ( ) is generally a small island. Definitions vary, and are not precise, but some suggest that an islet is a very small, often unnamed, island with little or no vegetation to support human habitation. It may be made of rock, sand and/ ...
in
Southwest Penang Island District,
Penang
Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along 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. Th ...
,
Malaysia
Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
, located off the northern coast of
Penang Island
Penang Island is the main constituent island of the Malaysian state of Penang. It is located off the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Malacca Strait, with the Penang Strait separating the island from Seberang Perai on the mainla ...
. Located off
Batu Ferringhi
Batu Ferringhi is a suburb of George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. 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 ...
, 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: 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 the Malaysian state of Penang. 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 ...
, 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 Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
''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
This is a list of islands of Malaysia. According to the Department of Survey and Mapping, Malaysia, there are 879 islands in the country. The state of Sabah has the most islands with 395 islands within its waters. Apart from that, Malaysia also h ...
References
Islands of Penang
Southwest Penang Island District
Islands of the Strait of Malacca
{{Penang-geo-stub