Penang
Penang is a state in Malaysia
and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of
Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and
east, and Perak
in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the
eighth most populous. It is composed of two parts – Penang Island,
where the seat of government is, and Seberang
Perai (formerly Province Wellesley in English) on the Malay
Peninsula. Highly urbanised and industrialised Penang is one of the
most developed and economically important states in the country, as well as a
thriving tourist destination.[4][5][6]
Penang has the third-highest Human Development Index in Malaysia, after
the federal territory of Kuala Lumpur and the state of Selangor.
Its heterogeneous population is highly diverse in ethnicity, culture, language,
and religion. A resident of Penang is colloquially known as a Penangite.
Tourism
Visited by Somerset
Maugham, Rudyard Kipling, Noël Coward
and Queen Elizabeth II among many others, Penang has
always been a popular tourist destination, both domestically and
internationally. In 2009, Penang attracted 5.96 million tourists, ranking third
in tourist arrivals in Malaysia. Penang is known for its rich heritage,
multicultural society and its vibrant culture, its hills, parks, and beaches,
shopping, and good food.
Penang has been
ranked by Yahoo! Travel as one of the "10 Islands to Explore Before You
Die"and listed in Patricia Schultz's best-selling 1,000 Places to See Before You Die
travel book.
Pagoda at the Kek
Lok Si Temple.
Beaches
The most popular
beaches in Penang are located at Tanjung
Bungah, Batu Ferringhi, and Teluk Bahang,
and these contiguous beaches are home to Penang's famed hotel and resort belt.
More secluded Muka Head, which hosts a lighthouse and a marine research
station, and Monkey Beach – both within the Penang National Park – offer more pristine
water.
Pollution which
has been going on for years taints the beauty of the beaches and increasingly
turns tourists away to places like Langkawi
and Pangkor.
Among the identified sources of pollution include inefficient sewage disposal
and unchecked commercial activities.
Parks, gardens
and natural history
Despite its
limited land size and dense population, Penang has managed to retain a
considerable area of natural environment. As of 2011, 7% of the state's total
surface area or 7524 hectares was forested.
Located at the fringe of George Town, at the foot of Penang Hill are two
adjacent green areas – the Penang Municipal Park (popularly known as Youth
Park) and the Penang Botanic Gardens. Penang Hill,
despite encroaching development, remains thickly forested and lush in
vegetation.The Relau Metropolitan Park was opened in 2003. Robina Beach Park is a park by
the beach near Butterworth.
Gazetted in 2003,
the Penang National Park (the country's smallest at 2,562 hectares) at the
northwestern tip of Penang island boasts of a lowland dipterocarp
forest, mangroves, wetlands, a meromictic lake, mud flats, coral reefs and turtle nesting
beaches in addition to a rich diversity of birdlife.In addition to this, there are nature preserves in Bukit Relau, Teluk Bahang,
Bukit Penara, Bukit Mertajam, Bukit Panchor, and Sungai
Tukun. The Penang Butterfly Farm in Teluk Bahang,
one of few of its kind in the world, is a walk-in free-ranging butterfly
habitat, breeding and conservation centre.
The Penang Bird Park in Seberang Jaya is the first aviary in
Malaysia.Other places of special interest include the Tropical Spice Garden and the
Tropical Fruit Farm in Teluk Bahang, and the Bukit Jambul Orchid and
Hibiscus Garden.
A small bushy
tree, Alchornea rhodophylla, the almost-extinct tree Maingaya
malayana, and the toad Ansonia penangensis are endemic only to the
island of Penang.Some of the commonly seen birds in Penang include the migratory greater spotted eagle (Aquila clanga),
the blue-tailed bee-eater (Merops
philippinus) and the blue-throated bee-eater (Merops viridis),
and the endemic chestnut-headed bee-eater (Merops
leschenaulti), the Brahmniy kite (Haliastur indus), the common
sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos), and the white-bellied sea eagle.The sandy beaches of the Penang National Park are the nesting
grounds for the green turtle (Chelonia mydas) from April
to August, and the olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidocchelys
olivacea) between September and February. The Irrawaddy
dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) and the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)
are occasionally sighted in the coastal seas off the Park.Also living in the Park are the leopard cat
(Prionailurus bengalensis), the flying lemur
(Galeopterus variegatus), and one of the world's largest arboreal
rodents, the cream-coloured giant squirrel (Ratufa
affinis))
Shopping
See also: Category:Shopping malls in Penang
Penang is a major
shopping destination in the northern region of Peninsular Malaysia. It has
several modern shopping malls offering a wide range of merchandise. Among the
more popular ones on Penang island are Queensbay Mall (Penang's largest), Gurney Plaza
at the famed Gurney Drive, 1st Avenue Penang a brand
new mall in the heart of the Penang, KOMTAR
(Penang's first modern shopping mall) and Penang Times Square (an
integrated commercial and residential complex near Komtar). Notable shopping
malls in Seberang Perai are Sunway Carnival Mall at Seberang Jaya and
AEON Seberang Prai City at Bandar Perda.
Traditional
bazaars such as the Chowrasta Market and Campbell Street, and makeshift
open-air night markets known as pasar malam were the precursors to
today's shopping malls. They offer goods ranging from modern electronics and
textiles to foodstuffs and local produce.
