The Story of How Pulau Pangkor Got Its Name
Pulau Pangkor has been well-known since long ago, dating back to around 1670. At that time, the Dutch used Pulau Pangkor as a site to unload tin ore from the state of Perak. The Dutch Fort was built to store tin ore and other trade goods from Perak.
Piracy was quite frequent in the Dinding Strait and the surrounding areas. On January 20, 1874, Sir Andrew Clarke, the Governor of the Straits Settlements based in Singapore, came to Pulau Pangkor to sign the Pangkor Treaty with Sultan Abdullah, the 26th Sultan of Perak.
The island, located near Lumut, covers an area of approximately 2,200 hectares. Today, Pulau Pangkor is one of the premier island tourist destinations in Malaysia every year. Based on accounts from local elders, there is an old legend regarding the origin of the name Pulau Pangkor, the authenticity of which cannot be verified. However, this is the story passed down through generations to commemorate how Pulau Pangkor received its name.
In the old days, Pulau Pangkor was completely uninhabited; only traders would stop by to rest. It is said that Pulau Pangkor was previously called Pulau Singgah (Stopover Island) because it served as a place for the Sultan or royalty to come and rest or go on holiday. Captivated by the beauty of the island, the Sultan ordered a palace to be built, which was named Istana Hinggap (The Perch Palace) once completed. The Sultan only visited the island once a year. Eventually, people living along the coast began to migrate and move to the island in search of new opportunities. The first person to move there was Pak Pangkor and his family. Pak Pangkor, who originated from Pantai Remis, had to move because life for his family there was difficult, and they needed to relocate to survive. His family agreed to move to Pulau Singgah, and Pak Pangkor built a small hut for them to seek shelter and spend the night. The next day, while Pak Pangkor was scouting the island to find a site to build a better hut, he found a suitable spot with a water source and immediately built his hut there. Pak Pangkor cleared the surrounding area and began planting cassava, bananas, corn, and other fruit trees. One day, the Sultan of Perak returned to Pulau Pangkor. Initially, the royal entourage was unaware of the presence of the people who had moved there, until the Sultan went out hunting and a dignitary spotted Pak Pangkor's garden and immediately informed the Sultan. Pak Pangkor was then invited to have an audience with the Sultan. He came before the Sultan, bringing his harvest as an offering. After that event, many people from the mainland began to move to the island with the permission of the Sultan of Perak. The public named the island Pulau Pangkor because it was Pak Pangkor who first pioneered the area.
