CSC 134 : LAB1 MsWord

LANGKAWI,KEDAH

L angkawi, officially known as Langkawi, the Jewel of Kedah

(Malay: Langkawi Permata Kedah), is

an archipelago of 99 islands (plus five small islands visible

a district and

only at low tide) in the Malacca Strait. some 30 km off the coast

of northwestern Malaysia. The islands are a part of the state

of Kedah, which is adjacent to the Thai border; the islands are

a few kilometres south of Ko Tarutao. On 15 July 2008,

Sultan Abdul Halim consented to its change of name to Langkawi

Permata Kedah in conjunction with his golden

jubilee celebration.

The name Langkawi is thought to have existed by the early 15th century, although in the 16th
century the island of Langkawi was also marked on maps
variously as Langa, Langka, Lansura, and Langapura.[6]

There are many suggestions for the origin of the name of

Langkawi. According to one interpretation, Langkawi means
island of the reddish-brown eagle, a Brahminy kite in
colloquial Malay.[7] The Malay word for eagle
is helang (colloquially shortened to lang), and kawi is a red
stone used as a chalk to mark goods.[6] This interpretation was
used to create the landmark sculpture of an eagle as the
symbol of Langkawi at Dataran Helang (Eagle Square)
in Kuah.[8][9]

Some believed that Langkawi is the same as, or related to,

the Lanka or Langkapuri mentioned in Indian sources.[10] This
ancient name Lanka (or Lankapura and Lankapuri) is found
in Indian literature from an early period (named
in Ramayana as the city of the king Ravana), although the
identification of the original Lanka is not certain. [11] Puri or puram in Sanskrit means a town or city.
The name Langkawi is also thought to be related to Langkasuka, an old kingdom believed to have
links with Kedah.[12] Some also thought that Langkawi means "many beautiful
islands", langka being a Sanskrit word meaning "beautiful" while wi means "many".[6]

In 2008, the then-sultan of Kedah, Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah, conferred the title of Langkawi
Permata Kedah (meaning 'Langkawi, the Jewel of Kedah') upon the island as part of his golden
jubilee as an affirmation of Kedah's ownership over the island. [13]

[Date] 1
ARNI NURSYAFIKA/2021/IC110