title: Penang

text: Penang was placed under a military administration until 1946. Subsequently, the Straits Settlements was abolished, as the British sought to consolidate the various political entities in British Malaya under a single polity named the Malayan Union. The now separate Crown Colony of Penang was consequently merged into the Malayan Union, which was then replaced by the Federation of Malaya in 1948.


title: Penang

text: The idea of the absorption of Penang into the vast Malay heartland initially proved unpopular amongst Penangites. Economic and ethnic concerns led to the formation of the Penang Secessionist Committee in 1948. However, the committee's attempt to avert Penang's merger with Malaya ultimately petered out due to British disapproval.


title: Penang

text: The British government allayed the concerns raised by the secessionists by guaranteeing George Town's free port status, as well as reintroducing municipal elections in George Town in 1951. By 1956, George Town became the first fully elected municipality in Malaya and in the following year, it was granted city status by Queen Elizabeth II, becoming the first city within the Federation of Malaya, and by extension, Malaysia.


title: Penang

text: George Town was, since colonial times, a free port—until its sudden revocation by the Malaysian federal government in 1969. Penang subsequently suffered an economic crisis, with the loss of maritime trade resulting in massive unemployment and brain drain. To alleviate the downturn, the then Chief Minister, Lim Chong Eu, masterminded the construction of the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone. The zone, regarded by many as the "Silicon Valley of the East", proved instrumental in reversing Penang's economic slump and led to the state's rapid economic growth until the late 1990s.


title: Penang

text: During Lim's tenure, a number of major infrastructural projects were also undertaken, chiefly the Penang Bridge, the first road link between Penang Island and the Malay Peninsula. Completed in 1985, it was the longest bridge in Southeast Asia until 2014 when it was superseded by the Second Penang Bridge.However, the persistent brain drain, exacerbated by federal government policies that favoured the development of Kuala Lumpur, meant that Penang was no longer at the forefront of the country's economy by the 2000s. Penang's economy slowed down in the early 2000s, while the deteriorating state of affairs in general, including an incoherent urban planning policy, poor traffic management and the dilapidation of George Town's heritage buildings due to the repeal of the Rent Control Act in 2001, led to simmering discontent within Penang's society.


title: Penang

text: In response, George Town's non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the national press galvanised public support and formed strategic partnerships to restore the city to its former glory. Also as a result of the widespread resentment, the then federal opposition coalition, Pakatan Rakyat (now Pakatan Harapan), was voted into power within Penang in the 2008 State Election, replacing the erstwhile administration led by the Barisan Nasional. Meanwhile, the efforts to conserve George Town's heritage architecture paid off, when in 2008, the city's historical core was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city of George Town along with Malacca City was confirmed as a a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011.


title: Penang

text: The Indian Ocean tsunami which struck on Boxing Day of 2004 hit the western and northern coasts of Penang Island, claiming 52 lives (out of 68 in Malaysia).


title: Penang

text: With a total land area of just , Penang is the second smallest state in Malaysia by land mass after Perlis. Penang, situated at the northwestern coastline of Peninsular Malaysia, lies between latitudes 5.59° and 5.12°N, and longitudes 100.17° and 100.56°E. The state consists of Penang Island, Seberang Perai (a narrow strip of the Malay Peninsula) and a handful of smaller islets. Its capital city, George Town, is located at the northeastern tip of Penang Island.


title: Penang

text: The Penang Strait is further divided into the North Channel and the South Channel. At the strait's narrowest section, George Town on the island is separated from Butterworth on the mainland by a mere .Penang Island is irregularly shaped, with a hilly and mostly forested interior; its coastal plains are narrow, the most extensive of which is at the northeastern cape. With a height of , Penang Hill, at the centre of the island, is the tallest point within Penang. From a small settlement at the northeastern tip of Penang Island, George Town has expanded over the centuries, particularly in the northwestern, western and southern directions, eventually linking up with Bayan Lepas at the island's southeast and urbanising the entire eastern coast of the island. Meanwhile, the topography of Seberang Perai is mostly flat, save for a few hills such as Bukit Mertajam.


title: Penang

text: The major rivers within Penang include the Pinang, Perai, Muda and Kerian rivers. In particular, the Muda River serves as the northern border between Seberang Perai and Kedah, while the Kerian River forms the southern boundary between Seberang Perai, Kedah and Perak.


title: Penang

text: Due to land scarcity, land reclamation projects have been undertaken in high-demand areas such as Tanjung Tokong, Jelutong and Gurney Drive. The latter is being transformed into Gurney Wharf which is a planned seafront park, with land for this purpose currently being reclaimed off Gurney Drive in George Town. Intended as a ""new iconic waterfront destination for Penang"", Phase 1 of the development is scheduled for completion by 2018. Upon the expected completion of Gurney Wharf by August 2021, the 24.28-hectare seafront park will comprise four distinct recreational areas - a beach, a coastal grove, a water garden, and a seaside retail food and beverages (F&B) area. An additional reclamation project at Bayan Baru themed “Linear Waterfront" would extend the electronics-dominated Free Industrial Zone and would include improving and adding fishermen's wharves set up as well also have hotels, restaurants, medical and other developments.


title: Penang

text: In spite of rapid urbanisation, Penang has still managed to safeguard a considerable area of natural environment. Within the state, have been designated as protected forest reserves.


title: Penang

text: The central hills of Penang Island, including Penang Hill, serve as the green lung for the urbanised island. Two of the major parks within George Town - the Penang Botanical Gardens and the City Park - are situated near the hills.


title: Penang

text: Penang is also home to the smallest national park in the world - the Penang National Park. Covering of the northwestern tip of Penang Island, it encompasses mangrove swamps, rainforest interspersed with hiking trails and tranquil beaches. Other notable natural attractions nearby include the Tropical Spice Garden and the Entopia Butterfly Farm, the latter of which was Malaysia's first butterfly sanctuary.


title: Penang

text: In Seberang Perai, the Penang Bird Park, established in 1988 in Seberang Jaya, was the first aviary in Malaysia.


title: Penang

text: Penang also consists of nine other islets off its coasts. The biggest of all, Jerejak Island, is located in the South Channel of the Penang Strait. Once the site of a leper asylum built in 1868, which was later converted into a maximum-security penitentiary, Jerejak Island remains heavily forested. The other islets under the jurisdiction of Penang include Aman, Betong, Gedung, Kendi and Rimau.


title: Penang

text: As in the rest of Malaysia, Penang has a tropical rainforest climate bordering on a tropical monsoon climate, although the state does experience slightly drier conditions from December to February of the following year. The climate is very much dictated by the surrounding sea and the prevailing wind system.


title: Penang

text: Penang's proximity with the island of Sumatra makes it susceptible to dust particles carried by wind from perennial but transient forest fires, creating a phenomenon known as the Southeast Asian haze.


title: Penang

text: The Penang Meteorological Office in Bayan Lepas is the primary weather forecast facility for northern Malaysia.


title: Penang

text: Penang forms the heart of the Greater Penang Conurbation, Malaysia's second biggest conurbation. Centred in George Town, the metropolitan area encompasses the entire State of Penang, southern Kedah and northern Perak. , Greater Penang had nearly 2.5 million residents, second only to Greater Kuala Lumpur (Klang Valley). Greater Penang also generated a GDP of US$13,596,418 in 2010, making the conurbation the second biggest contributor of Malaysia's GDP after Greater Kuala Lumpur.


title: Penang

text: Penang, being a former British crown colony, is one of only four Malaysian states without hereditary monarchies. The head of state of Penang is the Governor (), who is appointed by the King of Malaysia (). The present Governor of Penang, Ahmad Fuzi Abdul Razak, assumed office on 1 May 2021. In practice, the Governor is a figurehead whose functions are chiefly symbolic and ceremonial.


title: Penang

text: The Penang state government has its own executive council and legislature, but they have relatively limited powers in comparison with those of the Malaysian federal government. According to the Malaysian Federal Constitution, the state may legislate on matters pertaining to Malay customs, land, agriculture and forestry, local government, civil and water works, and state administration, whereas matters that fall under the joint purview of both state and federal authorities include social welfare, wildlife protection and national parks, scholarships, husbandry, town planning, drainage and irrigation, and public health and health regulations.


title: Penang

text: The Constitution of Penang, codified in 1957, embodies the state's highest laws. Consisting of 42 articles, the constitution pertains to the proceedings and powers of the state government.


title: Penang

text: The Penang State Executive Council is the executive authority of the Penang state government, similar in function to the national Cabinet. It is led by the Chief Minister, who serves as the head of government in Penang. To this day, Penang remains the only Malaysian state where the position of the head of government has been continuously held by an ethnic Chinese since the nation's independence in 1957.


title: Penang

text: The current Chief Minister of Penang is Chow Kon Yeow of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), who assumed office after the 2018 State Election. Following the 2008 State Election, the Pakatan Rakyat coalition (now Pakatan Harapan), which at the time consisted of the DAP, the People's Justice Party (PKR) and the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), formed the Penang state government, with the head of government going to the former for being the single largest party in the state legislature.


title: Penang

text: The unicameral 40-seat Penang State Legislative Assembly, whose members are called State Assemblymen, convenes at the neoclassical Penang State Assembly Building in George Town. Penang practises the Westminster system whereby members of the Penang State Executive Council are appointed from amongst the elected State Assemblymen. Moreover, the dissolution of the Penang State Legislative Assembly, typically conducted prior to a State Election, requires the consent of the governor of Penang.


title: Penang

text: Following the 2018 State Election, the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition commands a supermajority in the legislature by controlling 37 seats. Out of the 37 PH seats, 19 are retained by the Democratic Action Party (DAP), 14 by the People's Justice Party (PKR), two by the Malaysian United Indigenous Party (Bersatu) and two by the National Trust Party (Amanah). The state opposition is formed by the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, which holds two seats, and the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), which occupies one seat.


title: Penang

text: Amendments to Penang's Constitution require the support of two-thirds of the Penang State Legislative Assembly.


title: Penang

text: Both the mayor of Penang Island and Seberang Perai are appointed by the Penang state government for a two-year term, while the councillors are appointed for one-year terms of office. The local councils are responsible, among others, for regulating traffic and parking, maintaining cleanliness and drainage, managing waste disposal, issuing business licenses, and overseeing public health.


title: Penang

text: Penang is also divided into five administrative districts - two on Penang Island and three in Seberang Perai. Each district is headed by a district officer. The lands and district office in each district deals with land administration and revenue; thus it differs from the local governments (city council) which oversee the provision and maintenance of urban infrastructure.


title: Penang

text: The Malaysian legal system had its roots in 19th-century George Town. In 1807, a Royal Charter was granted to Penang which provided for the establishment of a Supreme Court. The Supreme Court of Penang, then sited at Fort Cornwallis, was opened in 1808. Sir Edmond Stanley assumed office as the First Recorder of the Supreme Court in 1808, thus serving as the first Superior Court Judge in British Malaya. The legal establishment in Penang was progressively extended to the whole of Malaya by 1951.


title: Penang

text: Today, the Penang High Court in George Town sits at the pinnacle of the hierarchy of courts within Penang. There are also four Magistrates Courts and two Sessions Courts scattered throughout the state.


title: Penang

text: A total of 24 countries have either established their consulates or appointed honorary consuls within Penang. The State of Penang has also ratified a sister state agreement with Japan's Kanagawa Prefecture and a friendship state agreement with China's Hainan Province. In addition, George Town is twinned with eight sister cities and five friendship cities, while Seberang Perai has four sister cities.


title: Penang

text: Penang, with an estimated population of 1,774,400 , has the 3rd highest population density of all Malaysian states (excluding Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya), at . In addition, Penang is one of the most urbanised Malaysian states, with an urbanisation level of 90.8% .


title: Penang

text: Due to its vibrant economy, Penang is also one of the major recipients of interstate migrants within Malaysia. Between 2015 and 2016, Penang achieved the highest migration effectiveness ratio among Malaysian states; for every 100 Malaysians that migrated into and out of Penang, the state's population increased by 58 persons. The bulk of the interstate immigrants came from Perak, Selangor, Kedah, Johor and Kuala Lumpur.


title: Penang

text: The Greater Penang Conurbation, which also covers parts of neighbouring Kedah and Perak, is the second largest metropolitan area in the nation, with almost 2.5 million inhabitants .


title: Penang

text: Penang has been regarded as Chinese state because of their high population but in recent years, the proportion of "Bumiputeras" within the state, which include ethnic Malays and East Malaysian indigenous races, has reached parity with that of the Chinese. 2021 estimates from Malaysia's Department of Statistics showed that the "Bumiputeras" constituted more than 40% of Penang's population, whereas the Chinese made up another 40%. Ethnic Indians comprised nearly 10% of the state's populace.


title: Penang

text: In particular, George Town remains a Chinese-majority city, with the Chinese making up over half of the city's population . George Town's Chinese populace includes the Peranakan, a hybrid ethnicity whose rich legacies can still be seen to this day in the form of distinctive architectures, costumes and cuisine. Moreover, the city is also renowned for its more cosmopolitan population, which also comprises indigenous East Malaysians, the Eurasians and the Siamese. Meanwhile, the Malays have formed the plurality in Seberang Perai.


title: Penang

text: In addition, Penang is home to a sizeable expatriate population, especially from Singapore, Japan and various Asian countries, as well as other Commonwealth nations. Almost 9% of Penang's population consisted of foreigners, reflecting the well-established allure of Penang amongst expatriates. Most expatriates settle within the vicinity of George Town; the city's northern suburbs, such as Tanjung Tokong, Tanjung Bungah and Batu Ferringhi, are particularly popular.


title: Penang

text: Major languages spoken in Penang are Malay, English, Hokkien, Mandarin, and Tamil. In particular, Penang is well known for its distinctive Hokkien language, known as Penang Hokkien.


title: Penang

text: Under British rule, English was the official language in Penang. The mushrooming of English and missionary schools throughout George Town contributed greatly to the widespread use of the language in the state.


title: Penang

text: As in the rest of Malaysia, Malay is currently the official language in Penang. The Malays in Penang also use a variant of the Kedah Malay dialect, with slight modifications made to the original dialect to suit the conditions of an urban, cosmopolitan society.


title: Penang

text: Tamil is the most widely spoken language amongst Penang's Indian community. There are also other Indian languages spoken by minority Indians such as Telugu, Malayalam and Punjabi who hailed from diverse ancestries in the Indian subcontinent. Meanwhile, Penang's Chinese population uses a variety of Chinese dialects, including Hakka and Cantonese. Mandarin, more commonly used by youths, has been the medium of instruction in Chinese schools throughout the state.


title: Penang

text: Penang Hokkien serves as the "lingua franca" among the various ethnic Chinese communities in Penang. Originally a variant of the Minnan language, Penang Hokkien has absorbed numerous loanwords from Malay and English, yet another legacy of the Peranakan culture. It is spoken by many Penangites irrespective of race for communication purposes. Greater emphasis has been placed on preserving the language's relevance in the face of the increasing influence of Mandarin and English among the youth.


title: Penang

text: As with other Peninsular states, Islam is the official religion of the State of Penang. Even so, other religions are allowed to be practised within the state, contributing to its cosmopolitan society.


title: Penang

text: , Muslims constituted over 44% of Penang's population, followed by Buddhists at nearly 36% and Hindus at almost 9%. Notably, smaller communities of Chinese Muslims and Indian Muslims have long existed within George Town, while most Buddhists in Penang follow either Theravada, Mahayana or Vajrayana traditions. A significant multiracial community of Christians, of both Catholic and Protestant sects, also exist in Penang, consisting of ethnic Chinese, Indians, Eurasians, East Malaysian migrants and expatriates. Meanwhile, more than 10% of the state's Chinese populace adhere to Taoism and other Chinese folk religions.


title: Penang

text: One particular street in George Town exemplifies the harmonious coexistence of the various religions in Penang. Along Pitt Street, Muslim, Taoist, Hindu and Christian places of worship are situated just metres away from one another, earning the street its nickname, the "Street of Harmony". This reflects Penang's diverse ethnic and socio-cultural amalgamation.


title: Penang

text: There was once a tiny community of Jews in George Town, who mainly resided along Jalan Zainal Abidin (formerly Yahudi Road). The last known native Jew died in 2011, rendering the centuries-old Jewish community in Penang effectively extinct.


title: Penang

text: In spite of its tiny size, Penang, regarded as the "Silicon Valley of the East", has one of the largest economies in Malaysia, contributing as much as RM7 billion of the country's tax income in 2015. Penang has the highest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita among Malaysian states. With a GDP per capita of RM49,873 , Penang has also surpassed the World Bank's threshold to be considered a high-income economy, which was set at US$12,056 within the same year.


title: Penang

text: Furthermore, Penang consistently records one of the lowest unemployment rates within the nation - 2.1% . The state has experienced one of the largest reductions in Gini coefficient within Malaysia as well, at 0.356 in 2016.


title: Penang

text: Penang is the top destination within Malaysia for foreign investors; the state held the largest share of Malaysia's foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2017, gaining nearly of the nation's overall FDI. In addition, George Town was ranked Malaysia's most attractive destination for commercial property investment by Knight Frank in 2016, surpassing even Kuala Lumpur. The bulk of Penang's FDI originated from Switzerland, Germany, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Ireland and Singapore. It is an attractive destination for FDI as it continued to receive investment during the Coronavirus disease 2019, when it received the second highest level of investment in Q1 2020.


title: Penang

text: Penang's economic growth, particularly since 2008, was described by Bloomberg as Malaysia's ""biggest economic success"", despite the federal government's focus on other states such as Johor and Sarawak. Penang's economic performance also allowed the Penang state government to completely eradicate the state's public debt by 2016.


title: Penang

text: Since the 1970s, manufacturing has formed the backbone of Penang's economy, contributing 44.8% of the state's GDP and attracting as many as 3,000 firms to set up operations within the state. Machinery and transport equipment accounted for 71% of Penang's total exports during the first nine months of 2014.


title: Penang

text: The Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone, now regarded as the "Silicon Valley of the East", is the main electronics manufacturing hub within Malaysia. Located at the southeastern corner of Penang Island, the zone is home to several high-tech multinational firms, including Dell, Intel, AMD, Motorola, Agilent, Renesas, Osram, Bosch, Sony and Seagate and others


title: Penang

text: Seberang Perai has witnessed massive industrialisation as well, with industrial estates and oil refineries being established in the late 20th century in areas like Mak Mandin and Perai. The major local firms currently operating in Perai, including Malayan Sugar, Malayawata Steel, Southern Steel, Harvik Rubber and Soon Soon Oilmills, have been joined by multinational companies, such as Mattel, Pensonic, Hitachi, Mitsuoka, Chevron and Honeywell Aerospace. In recent years, Batu Kawan has also been rapidly industrialised, with a number of international firms, such as Boston Scientific and Bose Corporation, setting up manufacturing plants in the town.


title: Penang

text: Aside from electronics and engineering manufacturing, Penang is Malaysia's main jewellery finishing hub, contributing 85% of the nation's gold and jewellery exports . Penang's gold and jewellery industry is relatively well-established, dating back to the founding of the Penang Goldsmith Association in 1832. Jewellery from Penang is exported to over 20 foreign markets, including Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Canada and the United States.


title: Penang

text: The services sector has overtaken the manufacturing sector as the largest economic sector in Penang, with the former accounting for 49.3% of Penang's GDP . In addition, almost of Penang's workforce are employed in services-related industries, which include retail, accommodation, medical tourism, and food and beverages (F&B) sub-sectors.


title: Penang

text: Medical tourism has emerged as an integral component of Penang's services sector. George Town, in particular, has become the centre of medical tourism within Malaysia, attracting approximately half of the nation's medical tourist arrivals in 2013 and generating about 70% of the country's medical tourism revenue.Penang also has a vibrant retail sub-sector, which employs as many as 24% of Penang's workforce. As the main shopping destination in northern Malaysia, Penang is home to several shopping malls, such as Gurney Plaza, Gurney Paragon, 1st Avenue Mall, Straits Quay, Queensbay Mall and Design Village and other shopping centre in Mainland and Island (Penang). While shopping malls now dominate the retail scene, centuries-old shophouses are still operating alongside George Town's flea markets and wet markets, all of which cater more to local products, including spices, nutmegs and "tau sar pneah", a famous Penang delicacy.


title: Penang

text: Due to the efforts of the Penang state government to promote the state as a shared services and outsourcing (SSO) hub, Penang has attracted the second largest share of investments for Global Business Services (GBS) within Malaysia, after Kuala Lumpur. Penang's SSO industry, which includes international corporations such as AirAsia, Citigroup, Jabil and Dell, has provided more than 8,000 high-income jobs and contributed RM12.79 billion of revenue in 2013.


title: Penang

text: In addition to these, a startup community has been growing within Penang, including the likes of Piktochart and DeliverEat. Attracted by the cheaper living costs and the presence of several multinational technology firms, Penang's startups are also being actively encouraged by the public and private sectors, with initiatives to encourage entrepreneurship and promote the Internet of Things (IoT).


title: Penang

text: Furthermore, George Town is Malaysia's second most popular centre for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE), after Kuala Lumpur. In 2017, Penang hosted 2,511 business events with an estimated economic impact of RM1.002 billion. Among the major MICE venues within Penang are the SPICE Arena, Straits Quay and Prangin Mall.


title: Penang

text: George Town was formerly the financial centre of British Malaya. The first international bank to open a branch in George Town (and by extension, Malaysia) was Standard Chartered in 1875. This was followed by HSBC and the Royal Bank of Scotland in 1885 and 1888 respectively.


title: Penang

text: To this day, George Town still serves as the financial centre of northern Malaysia. The city contains various Malaysian and international banks, including Standard Chartered, HSBC, Citibank, UOB, OCBC, Bank of China and Bank Negara Malaysia. Most of the international banks still retain their offices at Beach Street, which also serves as the city's main Central Business District.


title: Penang

text: Since the 1990s, Northam Road, along with Gurney Drive, has also emerged as the George Town's second Central Business District. Northam Road, in particular, hosts an array of financial services, including the Malaysian Employees Provident Fund, as well as accounting, auditing and insurance offices.


title: Penang

text: Finance and its related activities, such as insurance, auditing and real estate transactions, accounted for more than 8% of Penang's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) .


title: Penang

text: Penang has always been one of the most popular tourist destinations in Malaysia. Throughout history, the state welcomed some of the most influential personalities, including W. Somerset Maugham, Rudyard Kipling, Lee Kuan Yew, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles. Penang is known for its rich heritage and architecture, its vibrant multicultural society, a wide range of modern entertainment and retail choices, natural features such as beaches and hills, and the world-famous Penang cuisine.


title: Penang

text: Unlike other Malaysian states, Penang does not rely only on air transportation for tourist arrivals. Aside from the Penang International Airport, Swettenham Pier, conveniently located within the heart of George Town, has emerged as one of the major tourist entry points into the state. , Penang attracted nearly 8.6 million tourists, with the airport posting a record 7.2 million passenger arrivals and the pier registering another 1.35 million tourist arrivals. Within the same year, Penang, which contributed close to RM3.9 million of tourism tax revenue, was Malaysia's third largest tourism tax contributor after Kuala Lumpur and Sabah.


title: Penang

text: In recent years, George Town has received numerous international accolades. The city has been listed by several publications, including the Lonely Planet, CNN, Forbes and Time, as one of Asia's top travel destinations. These are in addition to George Town's reputation as a gastronomic haven, with the CNN placing George Town as one of Asia's best street food cities.


title: Penang

text: Formerly a vital British entrepôt, Penang's maritime trade has greatly declined, due to the loss of George Town's free-port status in 1969 and the concurrent development of Port Klang near the federal capital Kuala Lumpur.


title: Penang

text: In spite of this, the Port of Penang remains the main harbour within northern Malaysia. The Port of Penang handled more than 1.52 million TEUs of cargo in 2017, making it the third busiest seaport by volume in the country. The Port's strategic location enabled it to service not just northern Malaysia, but also southern Thailand.


title: Penang

text: Penang's diverse, cosmopolitan society means that there are a great many celebrations and festivities in any given year. The major cultural and religious festivities in the state include, but not limited to, the Chinese New Year, Eid ul-Fitri, Deepavali, Thaipusam, Vaisakhi, Christmas, Vesak Day and Songkran.


title: Penang

text: Expatriates residing in Penang have also introduced a host of other celebrations. Bon Odori is celebrated yearly by the Japanese in George Town, while St. Patrick's Day and Oktoberfest, traditionally celebrated by the Irish and the Germans respectively, have also been gaining popularity amongst the locals.


title: Penang

text: Moreover, Penang hosts several major festivals in any given year. The George Town Festival, first held in 2010, has evolved into one of the largest arts events in Southeast Asia, while the Penang Hot Air Balloon Fiesta attracts close to 200,000 visitors from all over the world.


title: Penang

text: George Town is the birthplace of a unique form of the Chingay procession. Introduced in 1919, Penang's variant of Chingay includes the act of balancing gigantic flags on one's forehead or hands. A yearly Chingay parade is held in the city every December, though Chingay performances are also a common feature of Chinese festivities and major state celebrations in Penang.


title: Penang

text: Bangsawan, which was also developed in Penang, is a type of Malay theatre that incorporates Indian, Western, Islamic, Chinese and Indonesian influences. Boria is also indigenous to Penang, featuring singing accompanied by violin, maracas and tabla.


title: Penang

text: Aside from these, the state has orchestras based in George Town, the Penang Philharmonic Orchestra, Penang Symphony Orchestra, as well as several chamber and musical organisations, including the award-winning social enterprise, The Rondo Production . Dewan Sri Pinang and Penangpac within Straits Quay are two of the major performing venues in the city.


title: Penang

text: In 2012, as part of the George Town Festival, Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic created a series of 6 wall paintings depicting local culture, inhabitants and lifestyles. In addition, several wrought iron caricatures have been installed within George Town, with each caricature detailing the city's history and the daily lives of its inhabitants. In recent years, the street art scene has also begun to grow out of the city, in areas such as Balik Pulau and Butterworth.


title: Penang

text: In addition, art exhibitions are frequently held at cultural centres within George Town, such as the Hin Bus Depot.


title: Penang

text: The Penang State Museum and Art Gallery in George Town is the state's primary public museum; it houses relics, photographs, maps, and other artefacts that document the history and culture of Penang.


title: Penang

text: Other museums in the city focus on religious and cultural aspects, as well as famous personalities, including the Penang Islamic Museum, Sun Yat-sen Museum, Batik Painting Museum, and Universiti Sains Malaysia Museum and Gallery. Besides that, the birthplace of Malaysia's legendary singer-actor, P. Ramlee, has been restored and turned into a museum


title: Penang

text: In recent years, private-run museums have sprung up throughout the city, such as the Camera Museum and the Penang Toy Museum. A handful of newer 3D visual and interactive museums have also been established, such as the Made-in-Penang Interactive Museum and the Penang Time Tunnel.


title: Penang

text: Penang is home to a relatively wide variety of architectures, both historical and modern. The historical core of George Town has been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its "unique architectural and cultural townscape without parallel anywhere in East and Southeast Asia".


title: Penang

text: Fort Cornwallis, in George Town, was the first structure built by the British in Penang. The city's UNESCO World Heritage Site also covers several important landmarks, including the City Hall, the Penang High Court, St. George's Church, the Eastern & Oriental Hotel and the Central Business District at Beach Street. Aside from European architecture, a huge assortment of Asian architectural styles also exists throughout George Town, exemplified by buildings like the Kong Hock Keong Temple, Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, the Pinang Peranakan Mansion, Khoo Kongsi, Snake Temple, Kapitan Keling Mosque and Sri Mahamariamman Temple. Meanwhile, the Siamese and the Burmese have also left a visible impact on certain landmarks within the city, such as Wat Chaiyamangkalaram, Dhammikarama Burmese Temple and Kek Lok Si.


title: Penang

text: Aside from the colonial era architecture, Penang Island contains most of the skyscrapers within Penang, with the state's tallest buildings all located within the island. The tallest skyscrapers in George Town, and by extension, Penang, include the Komtar Tower, Setia V, Gurney Paragon and Arte S.


title: Penang

text: George Town, popularly regarded as "the food capital of Malaysia", is renowned for its good and varied cuisine which incorporates Malay, Chinese, Indian, Peranakan, Thai and European influences. The city has been recognised by various publications, such as "Time Magazine", CNN and Lonely Planet, as one of the Asian cities with the best street cuisine. According to "Time Magazine" in 2004, ""nowhere else can such great tasting food be so cheap"," whilst Robin Barton of the Lonely Planet described George Town as the "culinary epicentre" of the "many cultures that arrived after it was set up as a trading port in 1786, from Malays to Indians, Acehenese to Chinese, Burmese to Thais".


title: Penang

text: The various street dishes and delicacies of Penang include (but not limited to) "asam laksa", "Nasi Lemuni", "char kway teow", "curry mee", "Hokkien mee", "nasi kandar", "oh chien" (fried oyster omelette), "lor bak", "rojak", "pasembur", "chendol", "ais kacang," and "tau sar pneah" (bean paste biscuit).


title: Penang

text: In her poetical illustration , to a drawing by S. Austin, Letitia Elizabeth Landon compares the beauties of the island with those of the speaker's beloved.


title: Penang

text: Penang's literacy rate stood at 98.2% , whilst specifically, the literacy rate of Penang's youth between 15 and 24 years of age rose to 99.5% in 2014, after Selangor and Kuala Lumpur. Correspondingly, Penang has the third highest Human Development Index within Malaysia.


title: Penang

text: , Penang, including both the mainland and the island contains a total of 48 tertiary institutions (including universities, colleges, medical colleges, industrial training institutes and teaching schools), 12 international schools, 110 secondary schools, 271 primary schools and 602 kindergartens.


title: Penang

text: In particular, George Town is home to some of Malaysia's oldest schools. Established in 1816, Penang Free School is the oldest English school in Southeast Asia, while numerous public schools originally founded during the colonial era in Penang include St. Xavier's Institution, St. George's Girls' School and Methodist Boys' School. In addition, the city is a pioneer in Chinese education within the region; following the establishment of Chung Hwa Confucian High School in 1904, several prominent Chinese schools were built, such as Chung Ling High School, Penang Chinese Girls' High School, Heng Ee High School, Jit Sin High School and Phor Tay High School.


title: Penang

text: As a popular destination for expatriates, George Town contains a number of international schools as well, such as Uplands International School, Dalat International School, Tenby International School and Hua Xia International School. These schools offer primary and secondary education up to A Levels and International Baccalaureate. A few of these schools, such as Penang Japanese School and Chinese Taipei School, cater to expatriates of specific nationalities.


title: Penang

text: Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) is the premier public university within Penang. Established in 1969 as Malaysia's second university, it was originally named "Universiti Pulau Pinang" (University of Penang). The main campus is situated at Gelugor, while an engineering campus has been built in Nibong Tebal. , it was ranked 207th in the QS World University Rankings, the fourth highest within the country.


title: Penang

text: RCSI & UCD Malaysia Campus is a medical university in George Town, with teaching hospitals in Penang and Perak. Founded as a private medical school in 1996, RUMC gained university status in 2018 and is the only Irish university branch campus in Malaysia. Graduates of RUMC are conferred degrees awarded and recognised by the National University of Ireland.


title: Penang

text: Other tertiary institutions within Penang include Wawasan Open University, Han Chiang University College of Communication, DISTED College, Sentral College, SEGi College, KDU College, INTI International College, Equator Academy of Arts, Penang Skills and Development Centre and Lam Wah Ee Nursing College. Aside from these institutions, RECSAM, a research and training facility aimed at the enhancement of the science and mathematics education in Southeast Asia, is sited within Penang as well.


title: Penang

text: The state also contains 107 libraries, including the Penang State Library and the Penang Digital Library. The latter, launched by the Penang state government in 2016, is the first digital library in Malaysia.


title: Penang

text: Health care in Penang is adequately provided by the numerous public and private hospitals throughout the state. These hospitals have also helped Penang to emerge as the centre of Medical tourism in Malaysia. The Penang General Hospital, administered and funded by the Malaysian Ministry of Health, is the main tertiary referral hospital within northern Malaysia. It is supported by five other public hospitals within Penang, all of which also come under the administration of the country's Ministry of Health.


title: Penang

text: Aside from public hospitals, Penang is home to 15 private hospitals, including Penang Adventist Hospital, Lam Wah Ee Hospital, Mount Miriam Cancer Hospital, Gleneagles Medical Centre, Island Hospital, Loh Guan Lye Specialists Centre and Pantai Hospital. These hospitals cater not only to the local population, but also to patients from other states and foreign health tourists.


title: Penang

text: Infant mortality rate within Penang dropped by 85% between 1970 and 2000 to 5.7 per 1,000 live births, while neonatal mortality rate also decreased by 84.7% within this corresponding period to 4.1 per 1,000 live births. , Penang's life expectancy at birth stood at 72.5 years for men and 77.7 years for women.


title: Penang

text: George Town was once the nucleus of Malaysia's print press. The nation's first newspaper was founded in the city – the "Prince of Wales Island Gazette" in 1806. "The Star", currently one of Malaysia's top dailies, has its origins as a regional newspaper founded in George Town in the 1970s, while the country's oldest Chinese newspaper, "Kwong Wah Yit Poh", was also established in the city in 1910.


title: Penang

text: In 2011, the then Chief Minister of Penang, Lim Guan Eng, launched the Penang edition of "Time Out". This version of the international listings magazine is published in three versions - a yearly guide, a website and a mobile app.


title: Penang

text: The Penang state government also publishes its own multi-lingual newspaper, "Buletin Mutiara", which is distributed for free every fortnight. The Penang-centric newspaper focuses on the current issues within Penang.


title: Penang

text: Due to its well-preserved colonial-era cityscape, a number of movies have been filmed within George Town, such as "Crazy Rich Asians", "Anna and the King", "Lust, Caution" and "You Mean the World to Me", the latter of which is the first movie to be filmed entirely in Penang Hokkien. Singaporean drama series, "The Little Nyonya" and "", were also filmed within the city's UNESCO World Heritage Site. In addition, the city became one of the pit-stops of "The Amazing Race 16", "The Amazing Race Asia 4" and "The Amazing Race Asia 5".


title: Penang

text: The history of Penang radio broadcasting began in 1925 when the Penang Wireless Association was established. With the issuance of the first shortwave radio broadcast licence on 24 August 1934, Station ZHJ – Malaya's first radio station was launched and went on the air from Khoo Sian Ewe's house at Perak Road. It was transmitted via 493 meter waves from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. everyday in Malay, English, Chinese, Hokkien and Tamil. During the Japanese occupation period from 19 December 1941 until 2 September 1945, the Imperial Army used Penang Chinese Recreation Club at Burmah Road in George Town as radio station to transmit propaganda and renamed the station as Penang Hoso Kyoku (Penang Broadcasting Corporation). Following the surrender of the Japanese Army, the British came back into power and reclaimed the station and the building, which later became the state branch of Radio Malaya on 1 April 1946. While news programmes were produced in Singapore, the state branch in Penang produces regional programmings for the radio station.


title: Penang

text: Radio Malaya Penang moved its headquarters from Chinese Recreational Club to United Engineers Building at Bishop Street in 1948 and established its temporary studio in a temporary office building in Gelugor, which moved to Sepoy Lines Road in 1955. In 1961, it moved into its present building at Burmah Road, which was officially opened by Governor Raja Uda on 30 October 1965. Penang state radio station became part of the Radio Malaysia network on 16 September 1963, when Malaysia was established and the larger Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) on 11 October 1969, following the merger of the nation's Radio and Television operations. Today, RTM Penang state branch operates one radio channel - Mutiara FM.


title: Penang

text: Penang Island is connected to the mainland by two bridges. The Penang Bridge, completed in 1985, spans the Penang Strait between Gelugor on the island and Perai on the mainland. Spanning , the Second Penang Bridge is located further south, linking Batu Maung on the island to Batu Kawan on the mainland. The latter was opened to the public in 2014 and is currently the second longest bridge in Southeast Asia.


title: Penang

text: The North–South Expressway, a expressway along the western part of Peninsular Malaysia, passes through Seberang Perai. In addition, about of the Malayan Railway's West Coast Line also lies within Seberang Perai, with the Butterworth railway station serving as the main railway station within northern Malaysia. Aside from the regular Malayan Railway services, the Butterworth railway station is the southernmost terminus of the State Railway of Thailand's Southern Line and the International Express from Bangkok. Notably, the train station is also one of the main stops of the Eastern and Oriental Express service between Bangkok and Singapore.


title: Penang

text: On Penang Island, the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway is a vital coastal highway that runs along the island's eastern seaboard, connecting George Town with the Penang Bridge, the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone, the Penang International Airport and the Second Penang Bridge. The Federal Route 6 is a pan-island trunk road, while the two major ring roads within George Town are the George Town Inner Ring Road and the Penang Middle Ring Road.


title: Penang

text: In Seberang Perai, the major ring roads and expressways include the Butterworth Outer Ring Road (BORR) and the Butterworth–Kulim Expressway.


title: Penang

text: Under British rule, George Town served as a pioneer in public transportation within British Malaya. The city's first tram system, originally powered by steam, began operations in the 1880s. Although the tram lines have since been disused, another colonial legacy, the trishaw, still plies the city's streets, albeit catering primarily for tourists.Buses now form the backbone of public transportation within Penang. Public bus services are mainly provided by Rapid Penang, which operates 56 routes within Greater Penang, including interstate routes into Kedah and Perak. Among the routes are free-of-charge transit services such as the Central Area Transit, the Congestion Alleviation Transport and the Pulau Tikus Loop. In addition, the "Hop-On Hop-Off" bus service, which utilises open-topped double decker buses, has been introduced for tourists within George Town.


title: Penang

text: Meanwhile, the only rail-based transportation system within Penang is the Penang Hill Railway, a funicular railway to the peak of Penang Hill. Opened in 1923, it is also the sole funicular railway system in Malaysia. The Penang state government has recently drawn up plans to bring in more rail-based transport systems throughout Penang, as part of the Penang Transport Master Plan. What are purposed are a Light Rail Transit line between George Town and Bayan Lepas, two monorail lines that connect George Town with Air Itam, Paya Terubong and Tanjung Tokong, a tram line limited to within George Town's UNESCO World Heritage Site and a cross-strait cable car line linking Komtar in George Town and Penang Sentral in Butterworth Currently, the Light Rapid Transit line between George Town and the Penang International Airport, also known as the Bayan Lepas LRT line, is being allocated the top priority by the Penang state government. In April 2019, the LRT project was received conditional approval from the federal government. Construction was expected to commence in June 2020.


title: Penang

text: Efforts are also being undertaken to promote pedestrianisation and the use of bicycles as an environmentally friendly mode of transportation. Dedicated cycling lanes have been paved throughout the city and in 2016, George Town became the first Malaysian city to operate a public bicycle-sharing service, with the inauguration of LinkBike.


title: Penang

text: The Penang Sentral in Butterworth is the main rapid transit hub within Penang. Penang Sentral's location, adjacent to the Sultan Abdul Halim Ferry Terminal and the Butterworth railway station, allows it to function as a termini for public and interstate buses, ferry and train services.


title: Penang

text: Penang International Airport (PEN) is located in Bayan Lepas at the southeast of Penang Island, south of George Town. It serves as the main airport for northern Malaysia, with frequent links to major regional cities such as Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Bangkok, Jakarta, Ho Chi Minh City, Taipei, Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Doha. Penang International Airport is Malaysia's second busiest in terms of cargo traffic and recorded the third highest passenger traffic of all Malaysian airports .


title: Penang

text: The airport is also a hub for two Malaysian low-cost carriers - AirAsia and Firefly. Among the international carriers that operate out of the airport are Scoot, Jetstar Asia Airways, China Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Thai Smile and Qatar Airways.


title: Penang

text: The Port of Penang, the main harbour in northern Malaysia, is operated by the Penang Port Commission. The Port consists of seven facilities, with six of them in Butterworth and Perai on the mainland, including the North Butterworth Container Terminal, Butterworth Deep Water Wharves and the Prai Bulk Cargo Terminal. The Port of Penang, the third busiest seaport in Malaysia, handled more than 1.52 million TEUs of cargo in 2017.


title: Penang

text: Meanwhile, Swettenham Pier, situated in the heart of George Town, is the sole Port facility on Penang Island. The pier now accommodates cruise ships, making it one of the major entry points into Penang. , Swettenham Pier recorded 1.35 million tourist arrivals, thereby surpassing Port Klang as the busiest cruise shipping terminal in Malaysia; the pier has also attracted some of the world's largest cruise liners, such as the RMS "Queen Mary 2". The pier also serves as a homeport for regional-based cruise ships.


title: Penang

text: Occasionally, the Port of Penang hosts warships as well, including those from Singapore, the United States and most recently, China.


title: Penang

text: The cross-strait Rapid Ferry service connects George Town and Butterworth, and was formerly the only transportation link between Penang Island and the mainland until the completion of the Penang Bridge in 1985. At the time of writing, six ferries ply the Penang Strait between George Town and Butterworth daily.


title: Penang

text: Penang has a relatively well-developed sporting infrastructure. The Penang State Stadium in Batu Kawan is the main stadium within the state, whereas the City Stadium in George Town is the sole stadium within the city. Both stadia function as the home ground of the Penang FA.


title: Penang

text: The SPICE Arena in Bayan Baru is another major sporting venue within Penang, consisting of an indoor arena and an aquatics centre.The Nicol David International Squash Centre at Gelugor is one of the major squash training facilities in Malaysia and was reportedly where squash legend Nicol David first trained during her childhood years. George Town is also home to Malaysia's oldest equestrian centre, the Penang Turf Club, which was established in 1864. In addition, Penang contains a total of three golf courses, one of which is on Penang Island.


title: Penang

text: The major annual sporting events within Penang include the Penang International Dragon Boat Festival and the Penang Bridge International Marathon. The former, held every December in Teluk Bahang, is a dragon boat race that has attracted several international teams, including those from Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, China, South Korea and Australia. The latter is a marathon which includes the Penang Bridge as its route. Held every November, it attracted a record 35,000 participants from 85 countries in 2017.


title: Penang

text: Among the national and international sporting events that were hosted within Penang include the 2000 Sukma Games, the 2001 Southeast Asian Games and the 2013 Women's World Open Squash Championship. Penang has also hosted the 2018 Asia Pacific Masters Games, the first edition of a Masters Games within Asia.


title: Penang

text: Water supply, which comes under the jurisdiction of the Penang state government, is wholly managed by the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP). The state enjoys the lowest domestic water tariff in Malaysia, at RM0.32 per 1,000 litres. Penang's water supply is obtained from several sources, namely the Air Itam Dam, Teluk Bahang Dam, Mengkuang Dam, Bukit Panchor Dam, Berapit Dam, Cherok Tok Kun Dam, the Guillemard Reservoir, the Penang Botanic Gardens and the Muda River. The latter, which forms Penang's northern border with Kedah, provides up to 80% of Penang's water supply.


title: Penang

text: In 1904, George Town became the first city within British Malaya to be supplied with electricity, upon the completion of a hydroelectric scheme. Currently, electricity for industrial and domestic consumption is provided by Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), which operates a 398MW oil-powered power plant at Gelugor.


title: Penang

text: , Penang had a recorded broadband penetration rate of 80.3%, the highest among all Malaysian states. Penang is also the first Malaysian state to provide its citizens with free internet connection. "Penang Free Wi-Fi", launched by the Penang state government in 2008, aims to boost internet penetration throughout Penang and is provided free-of-charge. Its bandwidth speeds within the George Town city centre were increased to 3 Mbit/s, while 1,560 hotspots have been installed throughout the state.


title: Total Drama

text: Total Drama (often shortened as TD) is a Canadian animated television series created by Jennifer Pertsch and Tom McGillis that premiered on Teletoon in Canada on July 8, 2007, and on Cartoon Network in the U.S. on June 5, 2008. The series is both a homage and satire of common conventions from reality television competition shows like "Survivor".


title: Total Drama

text: Each season revolves around a group of teenagers competing in an elimination-style competition, in that the contestants compete in challenges both as teams and individually for rewards and immunity from elimination. The teams merge roughly halfway through the competition. As the contestants develop relationships with each other, they are progressively eliminated from the game. When there are only two contestants left, they compete in a final challenge where the winner is awarded a cash prize (C$100,000 (US$73,129.00) in the first season, C$1,000,000 (US$731,485.00) from the second season and onward). The series currently consists of five seasons ("Island", "Action", "World Tour", "", and the two-part "All-Stars and Pahkitew Island").


title: Total Drama

text: "Total Drama" has developed a cult following and spawned a franchise. A spin-off series, "" premiered on September 7, 2015. A second spin-off series, "Total DramaRama", premiered on September 1, 2018 in the U.S., and on October 7, 2018, in Canada.


title: Total Drama

text: On February 17, 2021, it was announced that a revival of "Total Drama" had been greenlit, with two new seasons being produced for Cartoon Network and HBO Max in the United States, and CBBC in the United Kingdom.


title: Total Drama

text: "Total Drama" was developed and produced by Fresh TV, in participation with Teletoon, Cartoon Network, and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), and distributed by Cake Entertainment. The series was funded in part by the Canada Media Fund (formerly the Canadian Television Fund), and the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit. The first season was funded by Xenophile Media, Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund. The series, primarily targeted at tweens and teenagers, was animated at Elliott Animation and directed by Todd Kauffman and Mark Thornton of Neptoon Studios. The creators, Tom McGillis and Jennifer Pertsch, studied what teenagers liked and disliked about reality television shows in the writing process.


title: Total Drama

text: McGillis says they used a "countrywide online research project" to determine this demographic's likes. Fresh TV partners McGillis, Pertsch, Elliott and Irving produced the series. The budget for the first season was US$8,000,000. It was animated in Flash, at Elliott Animation's studio in Toronto.


title: Total Drama

text: Every cast and crew member on "Total Drama" had to sign a confidentiality agreement not to disclose who the winner was. All the characters were designed by Kauffman. An early name for the series was "Camp TV" when the series first started production in 2006.


title: Total Drama

text: The fifth season was divided into two different segments. The first segment, "Total Drama All-Stars", takes place on the original island from the first season, Camp Wawanakwa, while the second segment, "Total Drama: Pahkitew Island", features a new setting and cast.


title: Total Drama

text: McGillis had stated in 2013 that his personal goal was for "Total Drama" to go up to ten seasons. Alex Ganetakos, the executive story editor and the senior writer for the series, also mentioned in 2014 that the production team planned to make more seasons in the future.


title: Total Drama

text: In a Q&A on September 25, 2018, when asked if there would be additional seasons, McGillis responded with "Nope. Sorry to be a dreamkiller, but there's no market for this experience in the wider entertainment marketplace right now".


title: Total Drama

text: On February 17, 2021, it was announced that two new seasons were being produced for Cartoon Network and HBO Max, On June 22, 2022, it was announced by Cake Entertainment that the BBC had joined Warner Bros. Discovery as a co-commissioner for the new seasons and would air them on the CBBC Channel in the United Kingdom. In addition, the previous five seasons of the show and its spin-offs would be added to BBC iPlayer.


title: Total Drama

text: On October 6, 2022, Regular Capital posted a tweet revealing a new poster for "Total Drama" that showed the new cast and Chef in a new design.


title: Total Drama

text: On October 27, 2022, it was confirmed in an interview with Terry McGurrin on YouTube that Deven Mack would replace Clé Bennett as the voice of Chef Hatchet, and reprising his role from the spin-off series "Total DramaRama".


title: Total Drama

text: This is a list of all the seasons that have aired with the original Canadian air dates shown below along with basic elements for each season. The 100th episode aired on February 27, 2014.


title: Total Drama

text: "Total Drama" first premiered in Canada on July 8, 2007, on Teletoon, while the United States aired the series almost a year later on Cartoon Network on June 5, 2008. Since then, "Total Drama" has become an international franchise and one of the biggest successes for Fresh TV. As of September 2011, the entire series has been shown in over 100 countries around the world, with the first season airing in 188 countries worldwide. The fourth season first aired on Télétoon+ and Canal+ Family in France, while the fifth season first aired on K2 in Italy. Australia was also the first country to air the third season. "Total Drama" also aired on Pop Max (formerly known as Kix) in the United Kingdom, before its upcoming move to CBBC.


title: Total Drama

text: "Total Drama" has had a total of 52 characters in the series who were introduced as contestants through five seasons. The first three seasons consist of an original cast, with a total of 25 characters (22 are introduced in the first season, while the other three are introduced in the second season's special before becoming main characters in the third season), while the fourth season consists of a new cast with 13 new characters. However, the fifth season brings back 7 contestants from both casts each to compete together for the first part, while also introducing a third cast with 14 new characters for the second part. For the revival, 16 new characters were introduced as the fourth cast.


title: Total Drama

text: By season, 22 characters competed in the first season, 15 competed in the second season, 18 competed in the third season, 13 competed in the fourth season, and 14 characters competed in both parts of the fifth season (28 characters in total for the season).


title: Total Drama

text: There are various voice actors who have recorded the voices for all the characters in the "Total Drama" series. Both Christian Potenza and Clé Bennett voice the two main characters in the series, who appear in almost every episode. Christian Potenza plays the role of egotistical and unempathetic host Chris McLean, saying that the best part of the job was that his character could not be voted off the show. Clé Bennett voices Chef Hatchet, who serves as McLean's assistant. Other voice actors include Brian Froud, who voices contestants Harold and Sam and is the only other voice actor who has the main role in every season. Emilie-Claire Barlow plays the contestant Courtney on "Total Drama" and stated that Courtney was her favorite character that she had ever played.


title: Total Drama

text: A list of all the voice actors for the original cast: Emilie-Claire Barlow as Courtney, Clé Bennett as DJ, Julia Chantrey as Eva, Carla Collins as Blaineley, Katie Crown as Izzy, Novie Edwards as Leshawna, Megan Fahlenbock as Gwen, Kristin Fairlie as Bridgette, Brian Froud as Harold, Sarah Gadon as Beth, Marco Grazzini as Alejandro (for "Total Drama World Tour"), Carter Hayden as Noah, Alex House as Alejandro (for "Total Drama All-Stars"), Lauren Lipson as Sadie, Scott McCord as both Owen and Trent, Stephanie Anne Mills as both Katie and Lindsay, Drew Nelson as Duncan, Annick Obonsawin as Sierra, Peter Oldring as Cody, Ezekiel, and Tyler, Dan Petronijevic as Geoff, Adam Reid as Justin, and Rachel Wilson as Heather.


title: Total Drama

text: For the second-generation cast, the voice actors are: Carleigh Beverly as Dakota, Jon Cor as Brick, Cory Doran as Mike, Kevin Duhaney as Cameron, Laurie Elliot as Jo, Brian Froud as Sam, Athena Karkanis as Anne Maria, Barbara Mamabolo as Zoey, Caitlynne Medrek as Dawn, Ashley Peters as Staci, Tyrone Savage as Lightning, and James Wallis as Scott.


title: Total Drama

text: For the third-generation cast, the voice actors are: Clé Bennett as Beardo and Leonard, Zachary Bennett as Shawn, Katie Bergin as Jasmine, Daniel DeSanto as Dave, Bruce Dow as Max, Kristi Friday as Scarlett, Christopher Jacot as Topher, Bryn McAuley as Amy and Samey, Sunday Muse as Ella, Sarah Podemski as Sky, Ian Ronningen as Rodney, and Rochelle Wilson as Sugar.


title: Total Drama

text: Most voice actors have only voiced one character, while some actors have voiced two characters. Peter Oldring and Clé Bennett are the only two voice actors who have voiced more than two characters, Oldring voicing three and Bennett voicing four (five if counting DJ's mother). However, if the spin-offs are to be included, then multiple voice actors would have voiced multiple characters throughout the series. Brian Froud, Rochelle Wilson, and Bennett are the only voice actors to voice contestants from more than one generation. Claire-Barlow revealed that Courtney was originally voiced by an unnamed voice actress, later revealed to be Rochelle Wilson as the first voice of Courtney in the first two episodes of "Total Drama Island" before the role was later given to her. Alejandro is the only character to have three voice actors; he was voiced by Marco Grazinni in "Total Drama World Tour", Keith Oliver while he was in his robot suit, and Alex House in "Total Drama All-Stars". Josh is the only minor character to have a voice actor of his own, Dwayne Hill, as these roles are usually given to one of the main cast members.


title: Total Drama

text: "Total Drama" characters are seen in an entirely different series called "Skatoony" where the characters are interviewed to play in quiz trivia games against real people and other Canadian series characters. Geoff, Leonard, Noah, and Owen also appear in "" as contestants. Beth, Bridgette, Cody, Courtney, DJ, Duncan, Ella, Geoff, Gwen, Harold, Izzy, Katie, Leshawna, Lightning, Max, Noah, Owen, Sadie, Sugar and Trent appear in the alternate-universe spin-off "Total DramaRama" as young children, along with Alejandro, Carrie, Chef Hatchet, Chet, Chris McLean, Don, Heather, Jasmine, Jen, Laurie, MacArthur and Tom appearing as adults.


title: Total Drama

text: The series has received high ratings on Teletoon and Cartoon Network, ranking #1 in the under-14 age group throughout its run. As of 2011, the first season has been shown in over 188 countries, while the rest of the series has been seen in at least 100.


title: Total Drama

text: The first season, "Island", received generally positive reviews. Common Sense Media gave the show 4 out of 5 stars, calling it a "clever cartoon reality show spoof".


title: Total Drama

text: The second season, "Action", received mostly mixed reviews from critics, who criticized the overt similarity to the previous season, but praised the development of characters who had less time in "Island" and the challenges.


title: Total Drama

text: The third season, "World Tour", received critical acclaim for the antagonist of the season in Alejandro, the musical numbers and humor, with minor criticism directed at Ezekiel's development and the Gwen-Courtney-Duncan love triangle.


title: Total Drama

text: The fourth season, , was criticized for a shorter length and a weaker cast than previous seasons and received mixed to positive reviews.


title: Total Drama

text: The first part of the fifth season, "All-Stars", was heavily criticized for its character derailment, challenges, main antagonist, and lack of payoff. The second part, "Pahkitew Island", was criticized for its more stereotyped cast, but was deemed an improvement over "All-Stars".


title: Total Drama

text: "Total Drama" has garnered a cult following. Various online communities see fans discuss about the series, and it has inspired fanfiction. Series creator Tom McGillis commented on the series popularity, saying that "For tweens around the world, "Total Drama" is more than just a parody of a reality show. It's THEIR reality show".


title: Total Drama

text: Up until November 2, 2011, only "Total Drama Island" had been released on DVD. Cartoon Network released their "Total Drama Island" DVD in the U.S. on August 18, 2009 (Region 1), while Madman Entertainment (Region 4) also released "Total Drama Island" on DVD in Australia, but this time in two parts (Collection 1 on May 5, 2010, and Collection 2 on September 29, 2010). However, almost two years after "Total Drama Action" was first aired, Madman released their Collection 1 DVD of the second season on November 2, 2011 (with Collection 2 being released on July 4, 2012), making Australia the only country that has released the entirety of "Total Drama Action" for private home viewing. Australia also released "Total Drama World Tour" on DVD with Collection 1 being released on April 3, 2013, and Collection 2 being released on August 7, 2013. On October 8, 2014, "" was released into one part due to it being a shorter season. The first part of the fifth season, "Total Drama All-Stars" was released on March 4, 2015, with the second part, "Total Drama: Pahkitew Island" being released on July 7, 2015.


title: Total Drama

text: Teletoon hosted a "Total Drama"-based website called "Total Drama Online" from 2009 to 2013 where players could play games and earn badges to win prizes. Even though most features (like user accounts, original avatar designer and badge counter) from this website were only exclusive to Canadian viewers, all of the games and basic elements were available to the rest of the world. Cartoon Network also had their own "Total Drama" website from 2009 to 2015, which was very similar to the Canadian website, but was only exclusive to American viewers. Various alternate websites based on the series also exist throughout most of the other countries the show airs in, which are all in their respective languages.


title: Total Drama

text: A spin-off series titled "Total Drama Presents: The Ridonculous Race" takes place in the same universe as the original show. The series is modeled on the format of "The Amazing Race" where the cast is split into multiple teams of two (referred to as duos) which race around the world throughout the series. There is a new host named Don, who replaced the original host Chris. Even though a few of the characters from the main series make appearances, the spin-off series is primarily dominated by a new cast. The spin-off series is a "buddy comedy" and includes 18 pairs of teams (36 characters). It first premiered on September 7, 2015, on Cartoon Network and later premiered on January 4, 2016, on the Canadian version of Cartoon Network.


title: Total Drama

text: A second spin-off series was announced on December 19, 2017, as "Total Drama Daycare". The series was later renamed "Total DramaRama" so that viewers would not mistake it for a daycare season of Total Drama. It first premiered on September 1, 2018 on Cartoon Network in the U.S. and on October 7, 2018 on Teletoon in Canada. The series has a runtime length of eleven minutes, and is a slice of life comedy. It features some of the original characters from "Total Drama Island" as toddlers such as Beth, Bridgette, Cody, Courtney, Duncan, Gwen, Harold, Izzy, Leshawna, Noah and Owen, as well as Jude from "6teen". Chef Hatchet also returns as a younger adult. The series began production in early 2017.


title: Total Drama

text: On June 23, 2020, Corus Entertainment announced that the series was renewed for a third season, which was set to premiere in mid-2021. "" contestant, Lightning, and "Pahkitew Island" contestant, Sugar, were aged down to join the cast.


title: Invasion (2021 TV series)

text: Invasion is an American science fiction television series created by Simon Kinberg and David Weil. It premiered on Apple TV+ on October 22, 2021. The series has received a mixed critical response. In December 2021, the series was renewed for a second season.


title: Invasion (2021 TV series)

text: An alien invasion is seen through the different perspectives of various people on different continents across the world.


title: Invasion (2021 TV series)

text: Apple gave an order for ten episodes in January 2019 with Simon Kinberg and David Weil creating, writing, and executive producing the series, with Audrey Chon also executive producing. "Deadline" reported that Chad Feehan was briefly brought in as a showrunner "out of necessity", but soon departed the series in September 2019. When filming was announced to resume, Jakob Verbruggen was said to be director and executive producer of the series with Amy Kaufman, Andrew Baldwin, and Elisa Ellis also executive producing; however, further reporting stated that Amanda Marsalis had also directed some episodes of the series. "Invasion" is reported to have a $200million budget. On December 8, 2021, Apple renewed the series for a second season.


title: Invasion (2021 TV series)

text: "Deadline" revealed in August 2020 that Neill, Anderson, Farahani, Nassar, and Kutsuna were all to be part of the cast.


title: Invasion (2021 TV series)

text: Filming was originally planned to commence in mid-2019 with Kinberg directing but was delayed due to his work on the feature film "The 355". According to a report by "Deadline", "Invasion" planned to film in New York, Manchester, Morocco, and Japan. "Portions of the series had been shot in New York and Morocco, and producers were prepping for the UK shoot when the coronavirus-related industry shutdown started in mid-March." In February 2021, filming occurred in Greenwich, one of the last filming locations for the series. Filming for the first season concluded on March 15.


title: Invasion (2021 TV series)

text: The series premiered on October 22, 2021, with the release of its first three episodes; Season one concluded on December 10, 2021.


title: Invasion (2021 TV series)

text: The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 47% approval rating with an average rating of 5.4/10, based on 36 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, ""Invasion" attempts a slow burn but inadvertently lets its tension completely fizzle out with leaden pacing that will leave viewers impatient for the alien apocalypse to finally arrive." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 51 out of 100 based on 15 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".


title: Invasion (2021 TV series)

text: Daniel Fienberg, writing for "The Hollywood Reporter", said that ""Invasion" verges on 10 episodes of setup so pure and unfulfilling that a better title would be "Evasion"". He called the series, "amusing at first, then annoying, and finally, simply confusing", but praised Sam Neill's performance.


title: Cameo appearance

text: A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly either appearances in a work in which they hold some special significance (such as actors from an original movie appearing in its remake) or renowned people making uncredited appearances. Short appearances by celebrities, film directors, politicians, athletes or musicians are common. A crew member of the movie or show playing a minor role can be referred to as a cameo role as well, such as Alfred Hitchcock's frequent cameos.


title: Cameo appearance

text: Originally, in the 1920s, a "cameo role" meant "a small character part that stands out from the other minor parts". The "Oxford English Dictionary" connects this with the meaning "a short literary sketch or portrait", which is based on the literal meaning of "cameo", a miniature carving on a gemstone. More recently, in the late 20th century, a "cameo" has come to refer to any short appearance as a character, such as the examples below.


title: Cameo appearance

text: Cameos are generally not credited because of their brevity, or a perceived mismatch between the celebrity's stature and the film or television series in which they are appearing. Many are publicity stunts. Others are acknowledgements of an actor's contribution to an earlier work, as in the case of many film adaptations of television series, or of remakes of earlier films. Others honour artists or celebrities known for work in a particular field.


title: Cameo appearance

text: One of the best-known series of cameos was by Stan Lee, who made very brief appearances in most of the Marvel movies.


title: Cameo appearance

text: Cameos also occur in novels and other literary works. "Literary cameos" usually involve an established character from another work who makes a brief appearance to establish a shared universe setting, to make a point, or to offer homage. Balzac often employed this practice, as in his "Comédie humaine". Sometimes a cameo features a historical person who "drops in" on fictional characters in a historical novel, as when Benjamin Franklin shares a beer with Phillipe Charboneau in "The Bastard" by John Jakes.


title: Cameo appearance

text: A cameo appearance can be made by the author of a work to put a sort of personal "signature" on a story. Vladimir Nabokov often put himself in his novels, for instance as the very minor character Vivian Darkbloom (an anagram of his name) in "Lolita".


title: Cameo appearance

text: Alfred Hitchcock is known for his frequent cameos in his movies, as early as in his third film (1927). In "Lifeboat", as the action was restricted to the titular lifeboat, Hitchcock appeared in a newspaper ad.


title: Cameo appearance

text: Likewise, Peter Jackson has made brief cameos in all of his movies, except for his first feature-length film "Bad Taste" in which he plays a main character, as well as "", though a portrait of him appears in the film. For example, he plays a peasant eating a carrot in "" and ""; a Rohan warrior in "" and a Corsair of Umbar boatswain in "". All four were non-speaking "blink and you miss him" appearances, although in the Extended Release of "The Return of the King", his character was given more screen time and his reprise of the carrot eating peasant in "The Desolation of Smaug" was featured in the foreground in reference to "The Fellowship of the Ring" - last seen twelve years earlier. In addition, when he was directing "Heavenly Creatures" (1994), he appeared as a drunk person bumping into the main characters, and in the "Frighteners", Jackson appeared as a man with piercings with his real-life son in a bouncer.


title: Cameo appearance

text: Director Tim Burton briefly appears in his films. He makes a slight appearance as a street thug who confronts Pee-wee in the back alley in "Pee-wee's Big Adventure," and a visitor at the fair in Blackpool who gets a skeleton thrown at him in "Miss. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children".


title: Cameo appearance

text: Director Martin Scorsese appears in the background of his films as a bystander or an unseen character. In "Who's That Knocking at My Door" (1967), he appears as one of the gangsters; he is a lighting crewman in "After Hours" (1985) and a passenger in "Taxi Driver" (1976). He opens up his film "The Color of Money" (1986) with a monologue on the art of playing pool. In addition, he appears with his wife and daughter as wealthy New Yorkers in "Gangs of New York", and he appears as a theatre-goer and is heard as a movie projectionist in "The Aviator" (2004).


title: Cameo appearance

text: In a same way, Roman Polanski appears as a hired hoodlum in his film "Chinatown" (1974), slitting Jack Nicholson's nose with the blade of his clasp knife.


title: Cameo appearance

text: Directors sometimes cast well-known lead actors with whom they have worked in the past in other films. In Jane Eyre, Elizabeth Taylor makes a cameo appearance as Helen Burns, Jane's friend from school who dies from a cold. Mike Todd's film "Around the World in 80 Days" (1956) was filled with cameo roles: John Gielgud as an English butler, Frank Sinatra playing piano in a saloon, and others. The stars in cameo roles were pictured in oval insets in posters for the film, and gave the term wide circulation outside the theatrical profession.


title: Cameo appearance

text: "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" (1963), an "epic comedy", also features cameos from nearly every popular American comedian alive at the time, including The Three Stooges, Jerry Lewis, Buster Keaton and a voice-only cameo by Selma Diamond.


title: Cameo appearance

text: "Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood" (1976) features cameos from dozens of actors from Hollywood's golden age.


title: Cameo appearance

text: "Run for Your Wife" (2012) is filled with cameos from 80 of Britain's film and TV stars from the 1960s, 70s and 80s.


title: Cameo appearance

text: Aaron Sorkin also had cameos in some works he wrote: as a bar customer speaking about the law in his debut film screenplay "A Few Good Men" (1992), as an advertising executive in "The Social Network" and as a guest at the inauguration of President Matt Santos in the final episode of "The West Wing".


title: Cameo appearance

text: Franco Nero, the actor who portrayed the Django character in the original 1966 film, appears in a bar scene of the Tarantino film "Django Unchained". There, he asks Django (Jamie Foxx) to spell his name, which led to the famous promotional tagline for the film - "The 'D' is silent". Franco's character responds simply, "I know."


title: Cameo appearance

text: Many cameos featured in "Maverick" (1994), directed by Richard Donner. Among them, Danny Glover – Mel Gibson's co-star in the "Lethal Weapon" franchise also directed by Donner – appears as the lead bank robber. He and Maverick (Gibson) share a scene where they look as if they knew each other, but then shake it off. As Glover makes his escape with the money, he mutters "I'm too old for this shit", his character's catchphrase in the "Lethal Weapon" films. In addition, a strain of the main theme from "Lethal Weapon" plays in the score when Glover is revealed. Actress Margot Kidder made a cameo appearance in the same film as a robbed villager: she had previously starred as Lois Lane in Donner's "Superman" (1978).


title: Cameo appearance

text: Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson and Will Ferrell have made appearances in so many of the same films (whether as lead characters or cameos) that "USA Today" coined the term "Frat Pack" to name the group. Actor Adam Sandler is also known for frequently casting fellow "Saturday Night Live" performers (including Rob Schneider and David Spade) in various roles in his films (as well as making cameo appearances of his own in theirs, most of which he co-produces). Sam Raimi frequently uses his brother Ted and Bruce Campbell in his films.


title: Cameo appearance

text: The American singer/actress Cher has had a couple of cameos over the years. She had two cameos in "Will & Grace" and she even had a few in the 1990s.


title: Cameo appearance

text: Actor Edward Norton appears as himself in the satirical film "The Dictator" (2012) starring Sacha Baron Cohen.


title: Cameo appearance

text: Al Pacino has an extended cameo in the film "Jack and Jill" (2011) starring Adam Sandler, where Pacino plays a fictional version of himself.


title: Cameo appearance

text: Stephen King is famous for making short cameo appearances in almost every movie that is made based on his novels.


title: Cameo appearance

text: "An Adventure in Space and Time", a drama about how "Doctor Who" began, features many actors from the show's past, including two past companions in a party scene, another as a mother calling her children in for dinner and a fourth in a car park at the BBC as a guard.


title: Cameo appearance

text: In the movie adaptation of "Les Miserables", Colm Wilkinson, who originated the role of Jean Valjean in the West End and on Broadway, made a cameo as the Bishop of Digne.


title: Cameo appearance

text: In the Soviet film "Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears", famous actor Innokenty Smoktunovsky appears for a minute as himself.


title: Cameo appearance

text: Films based on actual events occasionally include cameo guest appearances by the people portrayed in them. In "The Pursuit of Happyness", Chris Gardner makes a cameo at the end. "24 Hour Party People", a film about Tony Wilson, has a cameo by the real Tony Wilson and many other notable people. In the film "Apollo 13", James Lovell (the real commander of that flight) and his wife Marilyn appear next to the actors playing them (Tom Hanks and Kathleen Quinlan respectively). Domino Harvey makes a short appearance in the credits of "Domino", while the real Erin Brockovich has a cameo appearance as a waitress named Julia in the eponymous movie (where her role is played by the actress Julia Roberts). Sophie Wilson has a cameo as a barmaid in "Micro Men", which shows her work for Acorn Computers. In a flashback sequence in "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas", Raoul Duke (played by Johnny Depp) runs into the real-life Hunter S. Thompson, upon whom the character of Duke is based, leading him to remark "There I was...mother of God, there I am! Holy fuck."


title: Cameo appearance

text: Maria Von Trapp made an uncredited brief cameo appearance in the film version of her life, "The Sound of Music". She appears in the background during the song "I Have Confidence" with her daughter Rosmarie and stepson Werner Von Trapp.


title: Cameo appearance

text: Tom Morello, American guitarist and musician, makes an appearance in the Marvel film "Iron Man" (2008), in which he also participated in the soundtrack.


title: Cameo appearance

text: Elon Musk and Larry Ellison, both founders of large technology companies, are featured in cameos in the blockbuster "Iron Man 2" (2010).


title: Cameo appearance

text: The king of Sweden, Carl XVI Gustaf, was in the children's program "Mika" () when Mika was in Stockholm with his reindeer.


title: Cameo appearance

text: In "The Wolf of Wall Street" (2013), the real Jordan Belfort appears as an emcee to introduce Leonardo DiCaprio (who plays Belfort in the film) at the final scene.


title: Cameo appearance

text: Boxer Roberto Duran and his wife Felicidad made a cameo appearance towards the end of the film "Hands of Stone" , about Duran's life where Duran was portrayed by Edgar Ramirez and his wife was played by Ana de Armas.


title: Cameo appearance

text: An unusual example of a famous non-actor being given a small but speaking fictional role occurred in the "" episode "." Dr. Mae Jemison, an astronaut, the first Black woman in space, and a long-time fan of "Star Trek", was offered the opportunity to appear on the show. She was given the role of a Starfleet crewmember and a few lines, becoming the first real-life astronaut to appear on "Star Trek".


title: Free France

text: Free France () was a political entity that claimed to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third Republic. Led by French general , Free France was established as a government-in-exile in London in June 1940 after the Fall of France during World War II and fought the Axis as an Allied nation with its Free French Forces (). Free France also supported the resistance in Nazi-occupied France, known as the French Forces of the Interior, and gained strategic footholds in several French colonies in Africa.


title: Free France

text: Following the defeat of the Third Republic by Nazi Germany, Marshal Philippe Pétain led efforts to negotiate an armistice and established a German puppet state known as Vichy France. Opposed to the idea of an armistice, de Gaulle fled to Britain, and from there broadcast the Appeal of 18 June () exhorting the French people to resist the Nazis and join the Free French Forces. On 27 October 1940, the Empire Defense Council ()—later the French National Committee ( or CNF)—formed to govern French territories in central Africa, Asia, and Oceania that had heeded the 18 June call.


title: Free France

text: Initially, with the exception of French possessions in the Pacific, India, and Equatorial Africa, all the territories of the French colonial empire rejected 's appeal and reaffirmed their loyalty to Marshall Pétain and the Vichy government. It was only progressively, often with the decisive military intervention of the Allies, that Free France took over more Vichy possessions, securing the majority of colonies by November 1942.


title: Free France

text: The Free French fought both Axis and Vichy troops and served in almost every major campaign, from the Middle East to Indochina and North Africa. The Free French Navy operated as an auxiliary force to the Royal Navy and, in the North Atlantic, to the Royal Canadian Navy. Free French units also served in the Royal Air Force, Soviet Air Force, and British SAS, before larger commands were established directly under the control of the government-in-exile. On 13 July 1942, "Free France" was officially renamed Fighting France () to mark the struggle against the Axis both externally and within occupied France.


title: Free France

text: From a legal perspective, exile officially ended after the reconquest of North Africa since it allowed the Free French government to relocate from London to Algiers. From there, the French Committee of National Liberation (, CFLN) was formed as the provisional government of all French. The government returned to Paris following its liberation by the 2nd Armoured Free French Division and Resistance forces on 25 August 1944, ushering in the Provisional Government of the French Republic ( or GPRF). The provisional government ruled France until the end of the war and afterwards to 1946, when the Fourth Republic was established, thus ending the series of interim regimes that had succeeded the Third Republic after its fall in 1940.


title: Free France

text: On 1 August 1943, formally united with the Free French Forces to form the French Liberation Army. By mid-1944, the forces of this army numbered more than 400,000, and they participated in the Normandy landings and the invasion of southern France, eventually leading the drive on Paris. Soon they were fighting in Alsace, the Alps and Brittany. By the end of the war, they were 1,300,000 strong—the fourth-largest Allied army in Europe—and took part in the Allied advance through France and invasion of Germany. The Free French government re-established a provisional republic after the liberation, preparing the ground for the Fourth Republic in 1946.


title: Free France

text: Historically, an individual became "Free French" by enlisting in the military units organised by the CFN or by employment by the civilian arm of the Committee. On 1 August 1943 after the merger of CFN and representatives of the former Vichy regime in North Africa to form the CFLN earlier in June, the FFF and the Army of Africa (constituting a major part of the Vichy regular forces allowed by the 1940 armistice) were merged to form the French Liberation Army, , and all subsequent enlistments were in this combined force.


title: Free France

text: In many sources, Free French describes any French individual or unit that fought against Axis forces after the June 1940 armistice. Postwar, to settle disputes over the Free French heritage, the French government issued an official definition of the term. Under this "ministerial instruction of July 1953" (), only those who served with the Allies after the Franco-German armistice in 1940 and before 1 August 1943 may correctly be called "Free French".


title: Free France

text: On 10 May 1940, Nazi Germany invaded France and the Low Countries, rapidly defeating the Dutch and Belgians, while armoured units attacking through the Ardennes cut off the Franco-British strike force in Belgium. By the end of May, the British and French northern armies were trapped in a series of pockets, including Dunkirk, Calais, Boulogne, Saint-Valery-en-Caux and Lille. The Dunkirk evacuation was only made possible by the resistance of these troops, particularly the French army divisions at Lille.


title: Free France

text: From 27 May to 4 June, over 200,000 members of the British Expeditionary Force and 140,000 French troops were evacuated from Dunkirk. Neither side viewed this as the end of the battle; French evacuees were quickly returned to France and many fought in the June battles. After being evacuated from Dunkirk, Alan Brooke landed in Cherbourg on 2 June to reform the BEF, along with the 1st Canadian Division, the only remaining armoured unit in Britain. Contrary to what is often assumed, French morale was higher in June than May and they easily repulsed an attack in the south by Fascist Italy. A defensive line was re-established along the Somme but much of the armour was lost in Northern France; they were also crippled by shortages of aircraft, the vast majority incurred when airfields were over-run, rather than air combat.


title: Free France

text: On 1 June, Charles was promoted to brigadier general; on 5 June, Prime Minister Paul Reynaud appointed him Under Secretary of State for Defence, a junior post in the French cabinet. was known for his willingness to challenge accepted ideas; in 1912, he asked to be posted to Pétain's regiment, whose maxim 'Firepower kills' was then in stark contrast to the prevailing orthodoxy. He was also a long-time advocate of the modern armoured warfare ideas applied by the Wehrmacht, and commanded the 4th Armoured Division at the Battle of Montcornet. However, he was not personally popular; significantly, none of his immediate military subordinates joined him in 1940.


title: Free France

text: The new French commander Maxime Weygand was 73 years old and like Pétain, an Anglophobe who viewed Dunkirk as another example of Britain's unreliability as an ally; de Gaulle later recounted he 'gave up hope' when the Germans renewed their attack on 8 June and demanded an immediate Armistice. was one of a small group of government ministers who favoured continued resistance and Reynaud sent him to London in order to negotiate the proposed union between France and Britain. When this plan collapsed, he resigned on 16 June and Pétain became President of the Council. flew to Bordeaux on 17th but returned to London the same day when he realised Pétain had already agreed an armistice with the Axis Powers.


title: Free France

text: On 18 June, General spoke to the French people via BBC radio, urging French soldiers, sailors and airmen to join in the fight against the Nazis:


title: Free France

text: Some members of the British Cabinet had reservations about 's speech, fearing that such a broadcast could provoke the Pétain government into handing the French fleet over to the Nazis, but British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, despite his own concerns, agreed to the broadcast.


title: Free France

text: In France, 's "Appeal of 18 June" () was not widely heard that day but, together with his BBC broadcasts in subsequent days and his later communications, came to be widely remembered throughout France and its colonial empire as the voice of national honour and freedom.


title: Free France

text: On 19 June, again broadcast to the French nation saying that in France, "all forms of authority had disappeared" and since its government had "fallen under the bondage of the enemy and all our institutions have ceased to function", that it was "the clear duty" of all French servicemen to fight on.


title: Free France

text: This would form the essential legal basis of 's government in exile, that the armistice soon to be signed with the Nazis was not merely dishonourable but illegal, and that in signing it, the French government would itself be committing treason. On the other hand, if Vichy was the legal French government as some such as Julian T. Jackson have argued, and his followers were revolutionaries, unlike the Dutch, Belgian, and other governments in exile in London. A third option might be that neither considered that a fully free, legitimate, sovereign, and independent successor state to the Third Republic existed following the Armistice, as both Free France and Vichy France refrained from making that implicit claim by studiously avoiding using the word "republic" when referring to themselves, even though republicanism had been a core ideological value and central tenet of the French state ever since the French Revolution—and especially since the Franco-Prussian War. In Vichy's case those reasons were compounded with ideas of a about stamping out France's republican heritage.


title: Free France

text: On 22 June 1940, Marshal Pétain signed an armistice with Germany, followed by a similar one with Italy on 24 June; both of these came into force on 25 June. After a parliamentary vote on 10 July, Pétain became the leader of the newly established authoritarian regime known as Vichy France, the town of Vichy being the seat of government. was tried "in absentia" in Vichy France and sentenced to death for treason. He, on the other hand, regarded himself as the last remaining member of the legitimate Reynaud government and considered Pétain's assumption of power to be an unconstitutional coup d'état.


title: Free France

text: Despite 's call to continue the struggle, few French forces initially pledged their support. By the end of July 1940, only about 7,000 soldiers had joined the Free French Army in England. Three-quarters of French servicemen in Britain requested repatriation.


title: Free France

text: France was bitterly divided by the conflict. Frenchmen everywhere were forced to choose sides, and often deeply resented those who had made a different choice. One French admiral, René-Émile Godfroy, voiced the opinion of many of those who decided not to join the Free French forces, when in June 1940, he explained to the exasperated British why he would not order his ships from their Alexandria harbour to join :


title: Free France

text: Equally, few Frenchmen believed that Britain could stand alone. In June 1940, Pétain and his generals told Churchill that "in three weeks, England will have her neck wrung like a chicken". Of France's far-flung empire, only the French domains of St Helena (on 23 June at the initiative of Georges Colin, honorary consul of the domains) and the Franco-British ruled New Hebrides condominium in the Pacific (on 20 July) answered 's call to arms. It was not until late August that Free France would gain significant support in French Equatorial Africa.


title: Free France

text: Unlike the troops at Dunkirk or naval forces at sea, relatively few members of the French Air Force had the means or opportunity to escape. Like all military personnel trapped on the mainland, they were functionally subject to the Pétain government: "French authorities made it clear that those who acted on their own initiative would be classed as deserters, and guards were placed to thwart efforts to get on board ships." In the summer of 1940, around a dozen pilots made it to England and volunteered for the RAF to help fight the Luftwaffe. Many more, however, made their way through long and circuitous routes to French territories overseas, eventually regrouping as the Free French Air Force.


title: Free France

text: The French Navy was better able to immediately respond to 's call to arms. Most units initially stayed loyal to Vichy, but about 3,600 sailors operating 50 ships around the world joined with the Royal Navy and formed the nucleus of the Free French Naval Forces (FFNF; in French: FNFL). France's surrender found her only aircraft carrier, , en route from the United States loaded with a precious cargo of American fighter and bomber aircraft. Unwilling to return to occupied France, but likewise reluctant to join , "Béarn" instead sought harbour in Martinique, her crew showing little inclination to side with the British in their continued fight against the Nazis. Already obsolete at the start of the war, she would remain in Martinique for the next four years, her aircraft rusting in the tropical climate.


title: Free France

text: Many of the men in the French colonies felt a special need to defend France, their distant "motherland", eventually making up two-thirds of 's Free French Forces.


title: Free France

text: The Free French forces included men from the French Pacific Islands. Mainly coming from Tahiti, there were 550 volunteers in April 1941. They would serve through the North African campaign (including the Battle of Bir Hakeim), the Italian Campaign and much of the Liberation of France. In November 1944, 275 remaining volunteers were repatriated and replaced with men of French Forces of the Interior to deal better with the cold weather.


title: Free France

text: The Free French forces also included 5,000 non-French Europeans, mainly serving in units of the Foreign Legion. There were also escaped Spanish Republicans, veterans of the Spanish Civil War. In August 1944, they numbered 350 men.