The Penang Strait is an 11 kilometre-wide

strait A strait is an oceanic landform connecting two seas or two other large areas of water. The surface water generally flows at the same elevation on both sides and through the strait in either direction. Most commonly, it is a narrow ocean chan ...

that separates

Penang Island Penang Island ( ms, Pulau Pinang; zh, 檳榔嶼; ta, பினாங்கு தீவு) is part of the state of Penang, on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It was named Prince of Wales Island when it was occupied by the British Ea ...

from mainland

Malay Peninsula The Malay Peninsula ( Malay: ''Semenanjung Tanah Melayu'') is a peninsula in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The ar ...

is to the west of the channel, while

Seberang Perai Seberang Perai is a city in the Malaysian state of Penang. It is situated on the Malay Peninsula opposite Penang Island, bordering Kedah to the north and east and Perak to the south. Its city centre is located in Butterworth, while its local ...

, the mainland half of the State of Penang, is to the east. The northern and southern ends of the channel join the

Strait of Malacca The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, 500 mi (800 km) long and from 40 to 155 mi (65–250 km) wide, between the Malay Peninsula (Peninsular Malaysia) to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connec ...

, one of the world's busiest maritime routes. The

provides deepwater passage to the Port of Penang, which is located in

Butterworth Butterworth may refer to: Places * Butterworth (ancient township), a former township centred on Milnrow, in the then Parish of Rochdale, England, United Kingdom * Butterworth, Eastern Cape, now also known as Gcuwa, a town located in South Africa * ...

. In addition, Swettenham Pier in George Town,

Penang Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the M ...

's capital city that is situated on

, is a popular destination for cruise ships, serving as one of the major entry points into

. Since the foundation of

as a trading outpost of the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...

in 1786, the Penang Strait has historically been a busy shipping route.

Geography

The Penang Strait separates

from the

to the east. It connects with the

to the north and south. The

can also be further divided into the North Channel and the South Channel. The North Channel refers to the body of water north of the northeastern

promontory A promontory is a raised mass of land that projects into a lowland or a body of water (in which case it is a peninsula). Most promontories either are formed from a hard ridge of rock that has resisted the erosive forces that have removed the ...

, where George Town is situated, whereas the South Channel covers the body of water south of that

. Fort Cornwallis Ligthouse.JPG, The North Channel off the northern coastline of George Town MY-penang-georgetown-faehrh.jpg, The South Channel along the eastern shoreline of George Town Jerejak Island.JPG,

Jerejak Island Jerejak Island is an islet off the eastern coast of Penang Island in the State of Penang, Malaysia. Located within the Northeast Penang Island District, it is also a short ferry ride from the town of Bayan Lepas near the southeastern tip of Pe ...

, the largest island within the Penang Strait

Tributaries

The rivers that flow into the Penang Strait are listed as follows.

: * Pinang River * Gelugor River * Bayan Lepas River

: *

Perai River The Perai River ( ms, Sungai Perai; ; ta, பிறை நதி) is a major river in Penang, Malaysia. It also acts as the mother river of Butterworth, and it separates Perai and the Seberang Jaya suburb. See also * List of rivers of Malaysia ...

Muda River The Muda River ( ms, Sungai Muda) is the longest river in Kedah, Malaysia. Course Sourced in Ulu Muda Forest in Sik region in northeastern Kedah, along the border with Thailand, the river provides water supply to the states of Kedah and Penang. ...

* Kerian River * Juru River * Jawi River

Islands

A handful of islands and islets lie within the South Channel of the Penang Strait. The largest of all is

, located off the southeastern coast of

. The largely forested island was once the site of a

leper Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria '' Mycobacterium leprae'' or '' Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve d ...

asylum, which was then converted into a maximum security prison before its eventual closure in 1993. Other islets within the

are

Aman Island Aman Island is an islet in South Seberang Perai District, Penang, Malaysia, located off the coast of Seberang Perai. Known as the "Island of Peace", it is a home to a traditional Malay village. Places of interest in Aman Island include Jalan T ...

and Gedung Island, both of which are located off the southern coast of

. Man-made islets were also created during the construction of the

Penang Bridge The Penang Bridge is a dual carriageway toll bridge and controlled-access highway in the state of Penang, Malaysia. The bridge connects Perai on the mainland side of the state with Gelugor on the island, crossing the Penang Strait. The bri ...

in the 1980s.

History

Ever since the establishment of George Town in 1786, the Penang Strait has served as an important shipping route within the State of Penang. Up until the 1970s, the main harbour facilities were situated at Weld Quay in George Town. The reclamation of Weld Quay in the late 19th century allowed larger ships to dock off the city's waterfront, as the depth of the seas off Weld Quay was deeper. In 1974, the Port of Penang's cargo facilities were shifted to

across the

. Thus, cargo and container shipping are mainly handled in

, while Swettenham Pier in George Town continues to receive cruise ships to this day. In 2015 alone, Swettenham Pier recorded 145 port calls, the highest in

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...

. Meanwhile,

's port facilities handled more than 1.2 million TEU of cargo in 2013, making it one of the busiest harbours in the country. The Penang Strait was also the scene where the initial shots of the

Battle of Penang The Battle of Penang occurred on 28 October 1914, during World War I. It was a naval action in the Strait of Malacca, in which the German cruiser sank two Allied warships. Background At the time, Penang was part of the Straits Settlements, a B ...

were fired on 28 October 1914. The

Imperial German Navy The Imperial German Navy or the Imperial Navy () was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy), which was mainly for coast defence. Wilhel ...

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles. The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several ...

, SMS ''Emden'', sailed into the strait disguised as a British ship before shelling and torpedoing the

Imperial Russian Navy The Imperial Russian Navy () operated as the navy of the Russian Tsardom and later the Russian Empire from 1696 to 1917. Formally established in 1696, it lasted until dissolved in the wake of the February Revolution of 1917. It developed from ...

, ''Zhemchug''. SMS ''Emden'' then sailed northwest towards the

Malacca Straits The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, 500 mi (800 km) long and from 40 to 155 mi (65–250 km) wide, between the Malay Peninsula (Peninsular Malaysia) to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connec ...

, sinking another French warship along the way. Towards the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the Penang Strait was also mined by the Allied forces, using air-dropped mines to impede Japanese merchant shipping. On 17 January 2010, a dragon boat tragedy occurred when the strong currents resulted in a boat collision, capsizing a

dragon boat A dragon boat is a human-powered watercraft originating from the Pearl River Delta region of China's southern Guangdong Province. These were made of teak, but in other parts of China, different kinds of wood are used. It is one of a family of ...

and killing 6 paddlers on board. The incident raised concerns by several officers, especially Shamsir Mohamed, officer of the Marine Department (northern region) and Lai Chew Hock, chairman of the Penang Dragon Boat Association, regarding the suitability for conducting

water sports Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a s ...

in the Penang Straits. Shamsir cited busy traffic, unpredictable weather, and strong currents for his concerns, while Chew Hock claimed the area was unsuitable for any water sports activities due to debris from

fishing boats A fishing vessel is a boat or ship used to catch fish in the sea, or on a lake or river. Many different kinds of vessels are used in commercial, artisanal and recreational fishing. The total number of fishing vessels in the world in 2016 was e ...

and strong currents. However, Lim Choo Hooi, chairman of Penang Forward Sports Club, refuted the claim, saying that neither the wave tides nor the monsoon season posed a problem for training sessions. Coaches would need to check sea and weather conditions prior to conducting training sessions. He also said that the tragedy site was protected from

tsunamis A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater ex ...

and strong waves and had been used for training for three years, making it one of the safest stretches of public shoreline.

Transportation

Bridges

Two bridges now traverse the Penang Strait - the

and the Second Penang Bridge. The

, completed in 1985, connects

Perai Perai is an urban settlement in the city of Seberang Perai, Penang, Malaysia. It lies at the southern bank of the Perai River and borders Butterworth to the north. Perai gave its name to the city of Seberang Perai, the mainland half of the State ...

on the mainland with the suburb of

Gelugor Gelugor is a southern suburb of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. Named after a plant species, Gelugor lies along the eastern seaboard of Penang Island, between Jelutong and Sungai Dua, and nearly south of the city centre. Gelugor had been ...

. In 2014, the Second Penang Bridge further south was opened for public use, thereby substituting the

as the longest bridge in

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...

. The Second Penang Bridge runs between

Batu Kawan Batu Kawan ( Jawi: باتو كاون) is an island in the city of Seberang Perai, Penang, Malaysia. It is geographically separated from the rest of Seberang Perai by the Jawi and Tengah rivers. , Batu Kawan contained a population of 5,537. Long ...

on the mainland and

Batu Maung Batu Maung is a residential neighbourhood in the Malaysian state of Penang. It is located within the Southwest Penang Island District, near the southeastern tip of Penang Island, and adjacent to the town of Bayan Lepas and the Penang Internationa ...

on the island. Penang bridge.JPG, The 13.5 kilometre-long

traverses the South Channel between

and

in the mainland. T_he_J_o_u_r_n_e_Y_(37160128411).jpg, The 24 km

Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge The Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge or Penang Second Bridge ( ms, Jambatan Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah or ''Jambatan Kedua Pulau Pinang'';) is a dual carriageway toll bridge in Penang, Malaysia. It connects Bandar Cassia ( Batu Ka ...

connecting

and

. Penang ferry.jpg, A Penang Ferry crossing the Penang Strait.

Ferry

In addition to the two bridges,

Rapid Ferry The Penang Ferry Service is the oldest ferry service within the State of Penang, Malaysia, connecting the city of George Town on Penang Island and Butterworth on the mainland. This cross-strait transit has been operational since 1894, maki ...

is another transportation link between

and the mainland. Unlike the two bridges, the ferry service operates out of a terminal within the heart of George Town, offering a direct link into the city centre for those entering from the mainland.

References

{{Geography of Penang

Literature

*Bjorn Kjerfve
Oceanographic Observations and Numerical Modeling of Circulation and Dispersion in Penang Strait, Malaysia
" Belle W. Baruch Institute for Marine Biology and Coastal Research, University of South Carolina Straits of Malaysia Landforms of Penang Maritime Southeast Asia Strait of Malacca Shipping in Asia Sea lanes Peninsular Malaysia Andaman Sea Straits of the Indian Ocean