Pangkor Island

Pangkor Island (locally Pulau Pangkor) is a resort island off the coast of Perak, Malaysia. It has a population of approximately 25,000. Nearby islands include Pangkor Laut Island, Talang Island,^[1] Giam Island (Pulau Giam) and Mentagor Island (Pulau Mentagor). Major industries of the island are tourism and fishing.

Historically, Pangkor was a refuge for local fishermen, merchants and pirates. In the 17th century, the Dutch built a fort in an effort to control the Perak tin trade known as the Dutch Fort. In 1874, it was the location of a historical treaty between the British government and a contender for the Perak throne (The Pangkor Treaty), which began the British colonial domination of the Malay Peninsula. The old British name for the Pangkor Island group was the Dindings.^[3]

In 2003, Marina Island (a man-made island) was developed by the Marina Island Group of companies and began operation in 2010, with private investment of RM250million by 2013.^{[citation needed]} The integrated mixed development resort island consists of waterfront residential properties, a new jetty called Marina Island Jetty, a private commercial marina called Pangkor Marina Malaysia, service apartments, hotels and shop offices.

2004-2014 was a period of high growth and development for the island and the surrounding district.^[4] 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 RM100million (USD30m). Their operations include fish farming and aquaculture, and the first harvest was expected in 2009.