Penang

Penang Street View
Credit: SabeerDarr

Penang, also known as Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It consists of two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. Although Seberang Perai is two-and-a-half times bigger than Penang Island in size, its population (54%) is only slightly more than that of the island. These two halves of Penang are connected by the 8-mile (13.4km) long Penang Bridge, the longest bridge in Malaysia and one of the longest in Asia.

The capital of Penang, George Town, is located on a cape to the northeast of the island. The area within a radius of about a mile from Fort Cornwallis forms the old quarters of George Town, today the George Town UNESCO World Heritage Site. This area holds some of the oldest and historically significant structures on Penang Island. You can find here whitewashed colonial buildings alongside gleaming temples, mosques, churches, labyrinthine alleys and all the sites that most tourists come to visit. Penang is renowned as the Pearl of the Orient, offering a mixture of different cuisines: Western, Indian, Chinese, Portuguese, and Malay.

The Map of Penang

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