Penang Island on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Penang Island is the main constituent island of the Malaysian state of
With an area of , Penang Island is the fourth largest island wholly in Malaysia, after Banggi Island, Bruit Island and Langkawi Island. It is also the most populated island city in the country, with a population of 794,313 .
The island's terrain is irregular and consists of a hilly and mostly forested interior. The coastal plains are narrow, with the most expansive one being at the northeastern cape. It was at this cape where the early development of George Town began, eventually reaching down the eastern seaboard. Mangrove swamps are prevalent along the western shoreline of the island. Combined with the hills at the centre of the island, urbanisation along the western half of the island has been limited.
Standing at , Penang Hill, at the centre of the island, is the highest point in
Penang
Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. Th ...
. It is located off the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia
Peninsular Malaysia, historically known as Malaya and also known as West Malaysia or the Malaysian Peninsula, is the western part of Malaysia that comprises the southern part of the Malay Peninsula on Mainland Southeast Asia and the list of isla ...
by the Malacca Strait, with the Penang Strait separating the island from Seberang Perai on the mainland. The island makes up approximately 28% of Penang's total land mass and is home to about 45% of the state's population . The entire island falls under the city of George Town, which also administers the surrounding islets.
Geography
With an area of , Penang Island is the fourth largest island wholly in Malaysia, after Banggi Island, Bruit Island and Langkawi Island. It is also the most populated island city in the country, with a population of 794,313 .
The island's terrain is irregular and consists of a hilly and mostly forested interior. The coastal plains are narrow, with the most expansive one being at the northeastern cape. It was at this cape where the early development of George Town began, eventually reaching down the eastern seaboard. Mangrove swamps are prevalent along the western shoreline of the island. Combined with the hills at the centre of the island, urbanisation along the western half of the island has been limited.
Standing at , Penang Hill, at the centre of the island, is the highest point in Penang
Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. Th ...
. The hilly centre of the island serves as a crucial water catchment area and is also home to rainforests that have been around for over 130 million years. In 2021, the Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve was inducted into UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
's World Network of Biosphere Reserves as a recognition of the biodiversity and importance of Penang Hill as a protected forest reserve.
Due to land scarcity, land reclamation
Land reclamation, often known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new Terrestrial ecoregion, land from oceans, list of seas, seas, Stream bed, riverbeds or lake ...
projects have been undertaken at high-demand areas such as Tanjong Tokong, Jelutong, Batu Maung and Gurney Drive. In 2023, a massive reclamation project to build the Silicon Island, envisioned as a new hub for high tech manufacturing and commerce, commenced off the island's southern coastline. This is in addition to the creation of Andaman Island off the island's north coast. Meanwhile, the shoreline off Gurney Drive is also being transformed into Gurney Bay, intended as a "''new iconic waterfront destination for Penang''".
The island is connected with the mainland by two road bridges. The Penang Bridge begins at Gelugor on the island and ends at Perai
Perai is a suburb of Seberang Perai in the States and federal territories of Malaysia, Malaysian state of Penang. It lies at the southern bank of the Perai River and borders Butterworth, Seberang Perai, Butterworth to the north.
The area now know ...
on the mainland, while the Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge links Batu Maung with Batu Kawan on the mainland.
References
External links
* {{Geography of Penang Islands of the Strait of Malacca