Historically, Pangkor was a refuge for local fishers, merchants and pirates. In the 17th century, the Dutch built a fort to control the Perak tin trade, known as the
Dutch Fort. In 1874, it was the location of a historical treaty between the British government and a contender for the Perak throne (the
Pangkor Treaty), which began the British colonial domination of the
Malay Peninsula. The old British name for the Pangkor Island group was the
Dindings. Batu Gong is a petroglyph (rock carving) of an unknown age located on a headland at Pantai Pasir Bogak depicting a gong, first mentioned by G. De. G Sieveking in the Asiatic society journal in 1951 is in diameter and is oriented directly north. A passenger jetty, located near Pasir Bogar, was completed in late 1959, costing RM 150,000. In 2003,
Marina Island (an artificial island) was developed by the Marina Island Group of companies and began operation in 2010, with private investment of RM250 million by 2013. The integrated mixed development resort island consists of waterfront residential properties, a new jetty (Marina Island Jetty), a private commercial marina called Pangkor Marina Malaysia, service apartments, hotels and shop offices. The jetty has a ferry service that connects to the island. 2004-2014 was a period of high growth and development for the island and the surrounding district. In 2006, a biotechnology centre, a joint venture of Global Hi-Q Malaysia S/B and Hi-Q Bio-Tech International (Taiwan) Ltd began operations with initial investments of 100 million ringgit (US$30 million). Their operations include fish farming and aquaculture, and the first harvest was in 2009. ==Tourism==