Let me tell you about Penang. As you probably already know, Penang is an island of the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Penang Island is one of the components of Penang State. Although is the second smallest state in Malaysia, it is also the most densely populated. Penang state comprises Penang Island(293 sq km) and Penang Mainland, or Province Wellesley(760 sq km, nowadays called Seberang Perai in Malay) which is on the mainland of Peninsular Malaysia. 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.
The sea consisting of the North Channel and the South Channel, separates Penang Island from Seberang Perai. These two halves of Penang are connected by the 8-miles(13.4km) long bridge which is the longest bridge in Malaysia and one of the longest in Asia. Since its completion over twenty years ago, the Penang Bridge has seen traffic volume exceeding capacity, resulting in regular jams and necessitating the planning for the second Penang Bridge, even longer than the present one. This second bridge connected Batu Maung on the island and Batu Kawan in mainland started on 1 March 2014.
George Town was the first town in Malaya to receive city status, by a royal charter granted by Queen Elizabeth II just before the country achieved independence. For that reason, you often hear it being called the City of George Town, especially among the locals. Today Penang Island is a major tourist destination, one of Malaysia's finest in fact. People from all over the world come here to experience its unique blend of different cultures, taste food that makes Penang famous throughout Malaysia, laze on its beaches and explore its old city enclaves and heritage sites.
