 After the founding of Singapore by Stamford Raffles in 1819, the Port of Singapore rapidly surpassed the Port of Penang as the preeminent harbour in the region, due to the former's more strategic geographic position.In spite of that, the Port of Penang continued to prosper throughout the 19th century.External developments, such as the opening of the Suez Canal and the advent of steamships, meant that the Port of Penang became the first port-of-call east of the Indian subcontinent.