George Town is the capital of the Malaysian state of Penang, encompassing Penang Island and surrounding islets. With a population of 794,313 as of the 2020 census, it is the core city of Malaysia's second- largest metropolitan area, which has a population of 2.84 million. George Town serves as the commercial centre for northern Malaysia. Its technological sector, anchored by hundreds of multinational companies, has made the city the top exporter in the country. It was the first British settlement in Southeast Asia, and its proximity to maritime routes along the Strait of Malacca attracted an influx of immigrants from various parts of Asia. In 1974, the city was merged with the rest of the island, throwing its administrative status into doubt until 2015, when its jurisdiction was reinstated and expanded to cover the entire island and adjacent islets. UNESCO designated the city centre of George Town as a World Heritage Site in 2008.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Town,_Penang
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1689:
The Act of Toleration became law, granting freedom of worship to English nonconformists under certain circumstances, but deliberately excluding Catholics. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toleration_Act_1688
1963:
United States Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy met with African American author James Baldwin in an unsuccessful attempt to improve race relations. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baldwin%E2%80%93Kennedy_meeting
2014:
A gunman involved in Islamic extremism opened fire at the Jewish Museum of Belgium in Brussels, killing four people. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Museum_of_Belgium_shooting
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
back-of-the-envelope: (idiomatic, informal) Especially of a calculation, estimation, or other reasoning, or an idea: approximate, rough, simplified. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/back-of-the-envelope
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
We may try to see things as objectively as we please. None the less, we can never see them with any eyes except our own. --Benjamin N. Cardozo https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Benjamin_N._Cardozo