Penang (also known as Pulau Pinang) is a state in Malaysia. It is located on the northwestern side of Peninsular Malaysia. The capital city of Penang is George Town. The state is bordered by the Strait of Malacca. People who live in Penang are called Penangites.

Penang has two main parts. One part is Penang Island, and the other is Seberang Perai on the mainland. The state of Penang is next to Kedah to the north and east. It is also next to Perak to the south.

Discovering Penang's Past
Exploring Penang's Geography
Who Lives in Penang?
Penang's Economy
Penang's Culture
Getting Around Penang
Images for kids
See also

Discovering Penang's Past

Who Ruled Penang?	Time Period
Kedah Sultanate	1136–1786
British East India Company	1786–1867
Straits Settlements	1826–1941; 1945–1946
Empire of Japan	1941–1945
Malayan Union	1946–1948
Federation of Malaya	1948–1963
Malaysia	1963–Present

Ancient Times in Penang

People lived in Penang a very long time ago. Human remains from 5,000 to 6,000 years ago were found in Seberang Perai. Along with them were seashells, pottery, and hunting tools. These findings show that the first people in Penang were nomadic Melanesians. They lived here during the Neolithic era, also known as the New Stone Age.

Early History and Kingdoms

An ancient stone monument called a megalith was found in Bukit Mertajam in 1845. It has old writings from the 6th century. This suggests that the Hindu-Buddhist Bujang Valley civilization, located in Kedah, controlled parts of Seberang Perai. Later, all of what is now Penang became part of the Sultanate of Kedah. This lasted until the late 1700s.

How Penang Was Founded

Fort Cornwallis in George Town was built where Francis Light first arrived in 1786.

Penang's modern history began in the late 1700s. In the 1770s, Francis Light was sent by the British East India Company. His job was to create trade links in the Malay Peninsula. Light arrived in Kedah, which was then under the rule of Siam.

He offered British military help to the Sultan of Kedah, Sultan Muhammad Jiwa Zainal Adilin II. In return, the Sultan offered Penang Island to the British.

In 1786, the British East India Company finally told Light to get the island from Kedah. Light talked with the new Sultan, Sultan Abdullah Mukarram Shah. They agreed that the British East India Company would get the island. In exchange, the British would provide military help.

Light and his group arrived on Penang Island on July 17, 1786. He officially took control of the island on August 11. He did this in the name of King George III of Britain. Penang Island was renamed Prince of Wales Island. The new settlement of George Town was named after King George III.

Sultan Abdullah did not know that Light had acted without permission from his bosses in India. When Light did not keep his promise of military protection, the Kedah Sultan tried to take back the island in 1791. However, the British East India Company defeated the Kedah forces.

In 1800, a British leader named George Leith got a strip of land across the Penang Strait. He named it Province Wellesley (now Seberang Perai). This area slowly grew to its current size by 1874. For this land, the British paid the Sultan of Kedah 10,000 Spanish dollars each year. Even today, the Malaysian government still pays Kedah this amount as a symbol.

Penang as a British Colony

A 1799 map of George Town.

Light made George Town a free port. This meant traders did not have to pay taxes. This helped attract business away from nearby Dutch trading posts. Spices were also grown on the island, making it a big spice center.

Trade at the Port of Penang grew very fast. The number of ships arriving went from 85 in 1786 to 3,569 in 1802. In 1805, Penang became a separate area of British India. It had the same status as Bombay and Madras. By 1808, George Town had its own local government. The Supreme Court of Penang was also set up. This was the start of Malaysia's modern legal system.

In 1826, Penang, Singapore, and Malacca joined to form the Straits Settlements. George Town was the capital. However, Singapore soon became more important than Penang. By 1832, Singapore replaced George Town as the capital of the Straits Settlements.

Even so, the Port of Penang remained a key British trading hub. By the late 1800s, it was a major port for exporting tin. George Town also became the main financial center of British Malaya. Banks and trading companies moved into the city. Other towns like Bayan Lepas on the island and Butterworth and Bukit Mertajam in Province Wellesley also grew. This was due to farming and transport improvements.

Penang's population grew quickly during this time. People from many different backgrounds lived there. These included Chinese, Malays, Indians, Peranakan, Eurasians, and Thais. This growth also brought problems like poor sanitation and crime. The crime led to the Penang Riots in 1867.

Also in 1867, the Straits Settlements became a British crown colony. Direct British rule meant better law enforcement. The police force grew, and secret societies were slowly banned. More money was also spent on healthcare and public transport.

George Town became a center for new ideas. This was because of better education and freedom of the press. Many famous writers and thinkers visited the city. These included Rudyard Kipling, Somerset Maugham, and Sun Yat-sen.

World Wars and Japanese Occupation

The Cenotaph in George Town remembers soldiers who died in World War I.

During World War I, a German ship called SMS Emden attacked Penang. It secretly sailed to Penang Island and sank two Allied warships. This happened off the coast of Penang. 147 French and Russian sailors died in this battle.

World War II brought big changes. Penang Island was supposed to be a strong fortress. But it fell to the Imperial Japanese Army on December 19, 1941. This was after heavy air attacks. The British secretly moved Europeans out of Penang. Historians say this was a big moment in the fall of British rule in Southeast Asia.

British Royal Marines freeing George Town on September 3, 1945.

Penang Island was renamed Tojo-to by the Japanese. This was after their Prime Minister, Hideki Tojo. During the Japanese occupation, many Chinese people in Penang were killed. This was known as Sook Ching. The Port of Penang was used as a major submarine base by the Axis Powers.

In the last years of the war, Allied planes bombed George Town. They wanted to destroy naval bases and government buildings. Some old buildings were damaged or destroyed. These included the Government Offices and the Hutchings School. The Penang Strait was also filled with mines to stop Japanese ships. After Japan surrendered, British forces took back Penang Island on September 3, 1945. George Town was the first city in British Malaya to be freed from the Japanese.

After the War and Independence

Flag of the Crown Colony of Penang from 1946 to 1949

Penang was under military rule until 1946. Then, the Straits Settlements were ended. The British wanted to unite all the areas in British Malaya into one group called the Malayan Union. Penang became a separate Crown Colony of Penang and joined the Malayan Union. This was later replaced by the Federation of Malaya in 1948.

Many Penangites did not like the idea of joining Malaya at first. They worried about their economy and different ethnic groups. So, the Penang Secessionist Committee was formed in 1948. But their efforts to stop Penang from joining Malaya failed. The British did not approve.

The British government helped ease these worries. They promised that George Town would remain a free port. They also brought back local elections in George Town in 1951. By 1956, George Town was the first city in Malaya to have fully elected leaders. The next year, Queen Elizabeth II gave it city status. This made it the first city in the Federation of Malaya, and later, Malaysia.

Modern Penang: Growth and Challenges

The Komtar Tower, Penang's tallest skyscraper, was built in the 1970s.

George Town had been a free port since colonial times. But in 1969, the Malaysian government suddenly ended this status. Penang then faced an economic crisis. Losing its port status led to many people losing their jobs.

To fix this, the Chief Minister, Lim Chong Eu, started building the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone. This area became known as the Silicon Valley of the East. It helped turn Penang's economy around. The state saw fast economic growth until the late 1990s.

In 2004, a big tsunami hit the western and northern coasts of Penang Island. It happened on Boxing Day and caused 52 deaths in Penang.

Exploring Penang's Geography

Penang is one of Malaysia's smallest states. It covers about 1048 square kilometers. It is located on the northwestern coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The state sits between certain latitudes and longitudes.

Penang is made up of Penang Island, Seberang Perai (a strip of land on the mainland), and a few smaller islands. Its capital city, George Town, is at the northeastern tip of Penang Island.

Land and Water Features

Aerial view of George Town. The city is separated from Butterworth (bottom) by the Penang Strait.

Penang is split into two main parts by the Penang Strait.

Penang Island is about 293 square kilometers.
Seberang Perai is about 751 square kilometers. It is bordered by Kedah to the east and north, and Perak to the south.

The Penang Strait has a North Channel and a South Channel. At its narrowest point, George Town on the island is only 3 kilometers from Butterworth on the mainland.

View of George Town from Seberang Perai, with Penang Hill in the background

Penang Island has an uneven shape. Its middle part is hilly and mostly covered in forests. The flat coastal areas are narrow. The largest flat area is at the northeastern tip. Penang Hill, in the center of the island, is the highest point at 833 meters. George Town has grown over time, especially to the northwest, west, and south. It now connects with Bayan Lepas in the southeast. This has made the entire eastern coast of the island urban.

Seberang Perai is mostly flat. However, it does have a few hills like Bukit Mertajam. Important rivers in Penang include the Pinang, Perai, Muda, and Kerian rivers. The Muda River forms the northern border with Kedah. The Kerian River forms the southern border with Kedah and Perak.

Because land is scarce, new land has been created by filling in parts of the sea. This has happened in areas like Tanjung Tokong, Jelutong, and Gurney Drive.

Nature and Green Spaces

The Penang Botanic Gardens started in 1884, like the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

Even with fast growth, Penang has kept many natural areas. About 7,761 hectares are protected forest reserves.

The central hills of Penang Island, including Penang Hill, are like the "green lungs" of the island. Two major parks in George Town are near these hills. They are the Penang Botanical Gardens and the City Park.

Penang also has the smallest national park in the world. It is called Penang National Park. It covers 2,562 hectares at the northwestern tip of Penang Island. It has mangrove swamps, rainforests with hiking trails, and quiet beaches. Other natural spots include the Tropical Spice Garden and the Entopia Butterfly Farm. The butterfly farm was Malaysia's first.

In Seberang Perai, the Penang Bird Park opened in 1988. It was the first bird park in Malaysia.

Small Islands Around Penang

Penang also includes nine smaller islands off its coast. The largest is Jerejak Island. It is in the South Channel of the Penang Strait. This island once had a place for people with leprosy in 1868. Later, it became a high-security prison. Jerejak Island is still mostly covered in forests. Other islands under Penang's control include Aman, Betong, Gedung, Kendi, and Rimau.

Penang's Climate

Like the rest of Malaysia, Penang has a tropical rainforest climate. This means it is hot and humid all year. It also gets a lot of rain. The weather is affected by the sea and the winds. From December to February, Penang has slightly drier weather.

Sometimes, smoke from forest fires in Sumatra can reach Penang. This causes a hazy sky, known as the Southeast Asian haze. The Penang Meteorological Office in Bayan Lepas provides weather forecasts for northern Malaysia.

George Town: A Big City Area

Penang is at the center of the Greater Penang Conurbation. This is Malaysia's second-largest city area. It includes all of Penang, southern Kedah, and northern Perak. In 2010, Greater Penang had almost 2.5 million people. This makes it second only to Greater Kuala Lumpur. Greater Penang also produced a lot of economic value in 2010. It was the second-biggest contributor to Malaysia's economy after Greater Kuala Lumpur.

Penang's Districts

Penang is divided into five administrative districts. Two are on Penang Island and three are in Seberang Perai. Each district has a district officer. These offices handle land and money matters. They are different from the city or municipal councils, which manage city services.

Who Lives in Penang?

Source of interstate immigrants to Penang in 2016 Perak (28.22%) Selangor (20.86%) Kedah (19.63%) Johor (10.43%) Kuala Lumpur (10.43%) Sarawak (3.68%) Negeri Sembilan (3.68%) Other states (3.07%)

Penang has about 1,766,800 people as of 2018. It has the highest population density of all Malaysian states, except Kuala Lumpur. This means many people live in a small area. Penang is also one of the most urbanized states in Malaysia. About 90.8% of its people live in cities as of 2015.

Penang attracts many people from other Malaysian states. Between 2015 and 2016, Penang gained more people than it lost. For every 100 Malaysians who moved in and out, Penang's population grew by 58 people. Most new residents came from Perak, Selangor, Kedah, Johor, and Kuala Lumpur.

Penang's population is split almost evenly between the island and the mainland.

Penang Island had 722,384 people in 2010.
Seberang Perai had 838,999 people in 2010.

The Greater Penang Conurbation is the second-largest city area in the country. It includes parts of nearby Kedah and Perak. It had almost 2.5 million people in 2010.

Different Ethnic Groups

Ethnic composition of Penang (2018)
Ethnicities / Nationality			Percentage
Bumiputera			42.25%
Chinese			39.42%
Indians			9.43%
Others			0.28%
Non-Malaysians			8.62%

Penang has always been known for its large Chinese population. But recently, the number of Bumiputeras has become similar to the Chinese. Bumiputeras include ethnic Malays and native groups from East Malaysia. In 2018, Bumiputeras made up more than two-fifths of Penang's population. The Chinese also made up about two-fifths. Ethnic Indians were nearly one-tenth of the people.

Pinang Peranakan Mansion in George Town

George Town is still a city with a Chinese majority. More than half of its people were Chinese in 2010. George Town's Chinese population includes the Peranakan. This is a mixed ethnic group with a rich history. Their culture can be seen in buildings, clothes, and food. The city also has many other groups. These include native East Malaysians, Eurasians, and Siamese. Meanwhile, Malays are the largest group in Seberang Perai.

Penang also has many people from other countries. They come from Singapore, Japan, other Asian countries, and Commonwealth nations. Almost 9% of Penang's population are foreigners. This shows that Penang is popular with people from abroad. Most foreigners live near George Town. The northern suburbs like Tanjung Tokong, Tanjung Bungah, and Batu Ferringhi are especially popular.

Languages Spoken in Penang

Many languages are spoken in Penang. These include Malay, English, Hokkien, Teochew, Cantonese, Hakka, Mandarin, and Tamil. Penang is especially known for its unique Hokkien language, called Penang Hokkien.

When the British ruled, English was the official language. Many English and missionary schools in George Town helped spread the use of English.

Today, Malay is the official language in Penang, like in the rest of Malaysia. Malays in Penang use a version of the Kedah Malay dialect. It has small changes to fit city life.

Tamil is the most common language among Penang's Indian community. Other Indian languages like Telugu and Punjabi are also spoken by smaller groups. Penang's Chinese population uses various Chinese dialects. These include Hakka and Cantonese. Mandarin is more often used by young people. It is the language taught in Chinese schools.

However, Penang Hokkien is the main language for communication in Penang. It is a type of Minnan language. It has many words borrowed from Malay and English. This is another part of the Peranakan culture. Many Penangites, no matter their race, use it to talk to each other. Efforts are being made to keep this language alive. This is important as Mandarin and English become more popular with young people.

Religions in Penang

Religions in Penang (2010)
Religion			Percentage
Islam			44.63%
Buddhism			35.63%
Hinduism			8.70%
Christianity			5.13%
Chinese folk religion			4.55%
Other			0.31%
No religion			1.05%

Islam is the official religion of Penang. But other religions are also allowed to be practiced. This makes Penang a diverse place.

Built in 1818, St. George's Church in George Town is the oldest Anglican church in Southeast Asia.

As of 2010, Muslims made up over 44% of Penang's population. Buddhists were nearly 36%, and Hindus were almost 9%. There are also smaller groups of Chinese and Indian Muslims in George Town. Most Buddhists in Penang follow different traditions like Theravada or Mahayana. A significant number of Christians also live in Penang. They include Catholics and Protestants from various ethnic backgrounds. More than 10% of the Chinese population follow Taoism and other Chinese folk religions.

There is a special street in George Town called Pitt Street. It is known as the Street of Harmony. On this street, places of worship for Muslims, Taoists, Hindus, and Christians are very close to each other. This shows how different religions live together peacefully in Penang.

There used to be a small community of Jews in George Town. They lived along Jalan Zainal Abidin. The last known native Jew died in 2011. This means the Jewish community in Penang is no longer active.

Penang's Economy

Penang is small, but it has one of Malaysia's biggest economies. It is known as the Silicon Valley of the East. In 2015, Penang contributed about RM7 billion to the country's tax income. Penang has the highest economic output per person among Malaysian states. In 2017, its GDP per person was RM49,873. This means Penang is considered a high-income economy by the World Bank.

Penang is the top choice for foreign investors in Malaysia.

Making Things: Manufacturing

Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone, known as the Silicon Valley of the East

Machinery and transport equipment made up 71% of Penang's total exports in the first nine months of 2014.

The Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone is the main electronics manufacturing center in Malaysia. It is in the southeastern part of Penang Island. Many high-tech international companies are located here. These include Dell, Intel, AMD, Motorola, Agilent, Renesas, Osram, Bosch, Sony, and Seagate.

Seberang Perai has also seen a lot of industrial growth. Factories and oil refineries were built there in the late 1900s. Areas like Mak Mandin and Perai became industrial zones. Big local companies like Malayan Sugar and Malayawata Steel operate here. They are joined by international companies such as Mattel, Pensonic, Hitachi, Mitsuoka, Chevron, and Honeywell Aerospace. Recently, Batu Kawan has also become industrialized. Many international companies like Boston Scientific and Bose Corporation have set up factories there.

Besides electronics and engineering, Penang is Malaysia's main jewelry center. It accounts for 85% of the country's gold and jewelry exports. Penang's jewelry industry is old, dating back to 1832. Jewelry from Penang is sent to over 20 countries. These include Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Canada, and the United States.

Providing Services

Design Village in Batu Kawan is the largest outlet mall in Malaysia.

The services sector is now the largest part of Penang's economy. It makes up 49.3% of Penang's economic output. Also, almost three-fifths of Penang's workers are in service industries. These include retail, hotels, medical tourism, and food and drinks.

Medical tourism has become a key part of Penang's service sector. George Town is the main center for medical tourism in Malaysia. In 2013, it attracted about half of the country's medical tourists. It also generated about 70% of Malaysia's medical tourism income.

Shophouses in George Town's Little India sell Indian fabrics and religious items.

Penang also has a lively retail sector. It employs about 24% of Penang's workers. Penang is a major shopping spot in northern Malaysia. It has several shopping malls like Gurney Plaza, Gurney Paragon, 1st Avenue Mall, Straits Quay, Queensbay Mall, and Design Village. While malls are popular, old shophouses still operate. They sell local products like spices, nutmegs, and tau sar pneah, a famous Penang snack.

Attracting Tourists

A beach at Batu Ferringhi

Penang has always been a popular place for tourists in Malaysia. Many famous people have visited, including W. Somerset Maugham, Rudyard Kipling, Lee Kuan Yew, Queen Elizabeth II, and Prince Charles. Penang is known for its rich history, beautiful buildings, and diverse culture. It offers modern entertainment, shopping, beaches, and hills. Its food is also world-famous.

Penang attracts tourists in different ways, not just by air. Besides the Penang International Airport, Swettenham Pier is a major entry point. It is in the heart of George Town. In 2017, Penang attracted nearly 8.6 million tourists. The airport had a record 7.2 million passengers. The pier had another 1.35 million tourist arrivals. In the same year, Penang was Malaysia's third-largest contributor to tourism tax revenue.

In recent years, George Town has received many international awards. Publications like Lonely Planet, CNN, Forbes, and Time have named it one of Asia's top travel spots. George Town is also famous for its food. CNN called it one of Asia's best street food cities.

Penang's Culture

**Public Holidays in Penang**
Holiday	Date
New Year's Day	1 Jan
Thaipusam	variable
Chinese New Year	2 days in Jan/Feb
Labour Day	1 May
Wesak Day	variable
King's Birthday	1st Sat of Jun
George Town World Heritage City Day	7 Jul
Governor's Birthday	2nd Sat of Jul
Revelation of the Koran Day	variable
Aidilfitri	2 days (variable)
National Day	31 Aug
Hari Raya Haji	variable
Awal Muharram	variable
Deepavali	variable
Prophet Muhammad's Birthday	variable
Christmas	25 Dec

Festivals and Celebrations

Penang has a diverse population, so there are many celebrations each year. Major cultural and religious festivals include Chinese New Year, Eid ul-Fitri, Deepavali, Thaipusam, Vaisakhi, Christmas, Vesak Day, and Songkran.

People from other countries living in Penang have also brought their own celebrations. The Japanese celebrate Bon Odori yearly in George Town. St. Patrick's Day and Oktoberfest are also becoming popular.

Penang also hosts several big festivals. The George Town Festival, started in 2010, is now one of Southeast Asia's largest arts events. The Penang Hot Air Balloon Fiesta attracts nearly 200,000 visitors from around the world.

Performance Arts and Shows

A Chingay group in George Town

George Town is where a special kind of Chingay procession began. Started in 1919, Penang's Chingay involves balancing huge flags on one's forehead or hands. A yearly Chingay parade happens in the city every December. Chingay shows are also common during Chinese festivals and state celebrations.

Bangsawan is a type of Malay theater that also started in Penang. It mixes influences from Indian, Western, Islamic, Chinese, and Indonesian cultures. Boria is another art form from Penang. It features singing with instruments like the violin, maracas, and tabla.

Penang also has orchestras in George Town, like the Penang Philharmonic Orchestra. There are also many smaller music groups. Dewan Sri Pinang and Penangpac are two major places for performances in the city.

Street Art and Murals

Ernest Zacharevic's Children on a Bicycle in George Town

In 2012, as part of the George Town Festival, a Lithuanian artist named Ernest Zacharevic created 6 wall paintings. These paintings show local culture and daily life. Also, many metal art pieces have been put up in George Town. Each piece tells a story about the city's history and its people. Recently, street art has also appeared outside the city, in places like Balik Pulau and Butterworth.

Art exhibitions are often held at cultural centers in George Town. One example is the Hin Bus Depot.

Museums to Explore

The Penang State Museum and Art Gallery in George Town is the main public museum. It has old items, photos, maps, and other things that show Penang's history and culture.

Other museums in the city focus on religions, cultures, and famous people. These include the Penang Islamic Museum, Sun Yat-sen Museum, and Batik Painting Museum. The birthplace of Malaysia's famous singer-actor, P. Ramlee, has also been made into a museum.

In recent years, private museums have opened in the city. Examples are the Camera Museum and the Penang Toy Museum. There are also newer 3D and interactive museums, like the Made-in-Penang Interactive Museum.

Architecture and Buildings

Wat Chaiyamangkalaram is a Thai Buddhist temple in Pulau Tikus.

Penang has many different types of buildings, both old and new. The historic center of George Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is special because of its unique buildings and cultural feel.

Skyscrapers at Gurney Drive in George Town

Fort Cornwallis in George Town was the first building the British built in Penang. The UNESCO World Heritage Site also includes important landmarks. These are the City Hall, the Penang High Court, St. George's Church, and the Eastern & Oriental Hotel. The main business area is at Beach Street. Besides European buildings, George Town has many Asian building styles. Examples include the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, the Pinang Peranakan Mansion, Khoo Kongsi, Kapitan Keling Mosque, and Sri Mahamariamman Temple. Siamese and Burmese influences can also be seen in places like Wat Chaiyamangkalaram and Kek Lok Si.

Penang Island has most of the tall buildings in Penang. The tallest skyscrapers are all on the island. These include the Komtar Tower, Setia V, Gurney Paragon, and Arte S.

Delicious Penang Cuisine

A bowl of Penang Hokkien mee

George Town is often called the food capital of Malaysia. It is famous for its delicious and varied food. The food mixes Malay, Chinese, Indian, Peranakan, Thai, and European flavors. Many publications have recognized the city for its great street food. These include Time Magazine, CNN, and Lonely Planet. In 2004, Time Magazine said, "nowhere else can such great tasting food be so cheap."

Penang's street dishes and treats include asam laksa, char kway teow, curry mee, Hokkien mee, nasi kandar, oh chien (fried oyster omelette), lor bak, rojak, pasembur, chendol, ais kacang, and tau sar pneah (bean paste biscuit).

Getting Around Penang

Land Travel

The Second Penang Bridge, 24 km long, is the longest bridge in Southeast Asia.

Penang Island is connected to the mainland by two bridges. The Penang Bridge is 13.5 km long. It was finished in 1985. It crosses the Penang Strait between Gelugor on the island and Perai on the mainland. The Second Penang Bridge is 24 km long. It is further south. It links Batu Maung on the island to Batu Kawan on the mainland. This bridge opened in 2014 and is the longest in Southeast Asia.

The North–South Expressway is a long highway in Peninsular Malaysia. It passes through Seberang Perai. About 34.9 km of the Malayan Railway's West Coast Line is also in Seberang Perai. The Butterworth railway station is the main train station in northern Malaysia. Besides regular Malaysian train services, it is the end point for Thailand's Southern Line from Bangkok. It is also a stop for the Eastern and Oriental Express service between Bangkok and Singapore.

On Penang Island, the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway is an important coastal highway. It runs along the eastern coast. It connects George Town with the Penang Bridge, the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone, the Penang International Airport, and the Second Penang Bridge. The Federal Route 6 is a main road across the island. George Town has two main ring roads: the George Town Inner Ring Road and the Penang Middle Ring Road.

In Seberang Perai, major ring roads and expressways include the Butterworth Outer Ring Road (BORR) and the Butterworth–Kulim Expressway.

Public Transportation

Children on a bicycle

A trishaw, called beca, on a street in George Town.

Under British rule, George Town was a leader in public transportation in British Malaya. The city's first tram system started in the 1880s. It was powered by steam. Although the tram lines are no longer used, another old form of transport, the trishaw, is still seen. It is mainly used by tourists now.

The Penang Hill Railway, Malaysia's only funicular railway system

Buses are now the main way to get around Penang. Public bus services are mostly provided by Rapid Penang. They operate 56 routes in Greater Penang. This includes routes to Kedah and Perak. Some routes are free, like the Central Area Transit. Also, a Hop-On Hop-Off bus service has been started for tourists in George Town. It uses open-topped double decker buses.

The only rail system in Penang is the Penang Hill Railway. It is a funicular railway that goes to the top of Penang Hill. It opened in 1923 and is the only funicular railway in Malaysia.

Efforts are being made to encourage walking and cycling. Special cycling lanes have been built in the city. In 2016, George Town became the first Malaysian city to have a public bicycle-sharing service, called LinkBike.

Penang Sentral in Butterworth is the main transport hub in Penang. It is next to the Sultan Abdul Halim Ferry Terminal and the Butterworth railway station. This allows it to connect public buses, inter-state buses, ferries, and train services.

Air Travel

View of Penang International Airport and the Second Penang Bridge in 2017

Penang International Airport (PEN) is in Bayan Lepas. It is about 16 km south of George Town. It is the main airport for northern Malaysia. It has frequent flights to major cities like Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Bangkok, Jakarta, Ho Chi Minh City, Taipei, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, and Doha. Penang International Airport is Malaysia's second busiest for cargo. It also has the third highest number of passengers among Malaysian airports.

The airport is a hub for two Malaysian low-cost airlines: AirAsia and Firefly. International airlines that fly from Penang include SilkAir, Scoot, Jetstar Asia Airways, Cathay Dragon, China Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Thai Smile, and Qatar Airways.

Sea Travel

The Port of Penang with George Town in the background, as seen from Butterworth

A Rapid Ferry crossing the Penang Strait towards George Town.

The Port of Penang is the main harbor in northern Malaysia. It is managed by the Penang Port Commission. The Port has seven facilities. Six of them are in Butterworth and Perai on the mainland. These include the North Butterworth Container Terminal. The Port of Penang is the third busiest seaport in Malaysia. In 2017, it handled over 1.52 million containers.

Meanwhile, Swettenham Pier is in the heart of George Town. It is the only Port facility on Penang Island. The pier now handles cruise ships. This makes it a major entry point for tourists into Penang. In 2017, Swettenham Pier had 1.35 million tourist arrivals. This made it the busiest cruise terminal in Malaysia. It has also attracted some of the world's largest cruise ships, like the RMS Queen Mary 2. The pier is also a homeport for cruise ships that travel in the region.

Sometimes, the Port of Penang also hosts warships. These have included ships from Singapore, the United States, and China.

The Rapid Ferry service connects George Town and Butterworth across the strait. It was the only way to get between Penang Island and the mainland until the Penang Bridge was built in 1985. Currently, six ferries cross the Penang Strait daily between George Town and Butterworth.

Images for kids

British acquisition and expansion of Penang (in yellow) occurred between 1786 and 1874, when the final alterations to Penang's boundaries were enacted.
Enlargeable, detailed map of Penang
The 68-storey Komtar Tower (centre) in George Town also houses the Office of the Chief Minister of Penang.
The State Assembly Building in George Town, where the Penang State Legislative Assembly convenes.
The Penang High Court building in George Town
Standard Chartered and HSBC at Beach Street, George Town's main Central Business District
Penang Port worker working on the control tower overseeing North Butterworth Container Terminal (NBCT).
The Second Penang Bridge, 24 km-long (15 mi), is the longest bridge in Southeast Asia.
A Rapid Ferry crossing the Penang Strait towards George Town.
The City Stadium in George Town.