Penang
Penang ( Pulau Pinang Malay, Jawi: بينانج ) denotes both the 292 km ² island in the Straits of Malacca, and the same state of Malaysia, except to the island itself nor the Seberang Perai coastline (formerly Province Wellesley ) belongs. Capital of the state and the island is the city of Georgetown, which is located in the northeast of the island.
Location and Geography
The state of Penang is located on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula, on the Straits of Malacca. In the north and east it borders on the state of Kedah, in the south of Perak.
The island of Penang is upstream of the coast. The next point is the mainland in the north- east of the island, near the Fort Cornwallis; the distance to the mainland is there only about two kilometers.
The east and west coasts of the island are covered by larger alluvial plains, just north of the tropical rain forest was preserved.
Population
The island of Penang is predominantly inhabited by ethnic Chinese Malaysians, but also of Malays and Malaysians of Indian origin.
History
Penang was defeated, as throughout Malaysia, a sequence of different cultural influences, from Indians, Chinese, Arabs over the Portuguese, Dutch and finally the British. Penang in 1786 by the Sultan of Kedah leave Francis Light as a British trading post outside and was thus among residents its name Pulau Pinang ( betel nut island). Later it was renamed by the British Prince of Wales Iceland. In 1957, the island became independent and went in 1963 to Malaysia. Lim Chong Eu, 1969-1990 Prime Minister of Penang, is considered the father of industrialization of Penang. He made sure that numerous companies in the electronics industry in Penang settled that developed subsequently to the "Silicon Iceland " of Asia. On his initiative, the construction of the Penang Bridge opened in 1985 is due.
From the earthquake in the Indian Ocean 2004, Penang was affected. The flood waves swept several people into the sea.
Administrative divisions
Administratively the state of Penang is divided into five districts, three of which lie on the mainland and two on the island of Penang. The capital Georgetown is located in the district of Timur sound.
Economy
Besides tourism, the electronics industry is one of the major economic factors in Penang. Their settlement is encouraged through tax advantages in several FTAs ( free trade zones ).
On the state of Penang belonging mainland Seberang Perai strip in the city Butterworth Continental manufactures automobile accessories for car manufacturers such as Proton. Among other things here operate the semiconductor companies Osram Opto Semiconductors and AMD a production facility. In addition to Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru Penang is the third most important trading center in Malaysia.
The Malaysian - German Society is based in Penang.
Traffic
Road
The 13.5 km long Penang Bridge to the mainland was opened in 1985 and is the longest bridge in Southeast Asia. Due to the ever fast-growing car traffic, the old ferry service will continue to operate in parallel. With the construction of a second bridge with a length of 24 km was started in 2007; it should be completed in November 2013.
Rail transport
The station is located on the mainland in Butterworth, from where there are long-distance connections to Bangkok in the north, as well as Kuala Lumpur and Singapore in the south. On the island, no railway network is present; originating from the colonial era tram network was shut down before the second world war. The island still has, however, a delightful funicular up Penang Hill.
Traffic
The Penang International Airport ( also Bayan Lepas International Airport, IATA code PEN) is located approximately 16 km south of the city center of Georgetown near the village Bayan Lepas.
Attractions
The Penang Hill ( Bukit Bendera also, Flag Hill) with a height of 830 meters, the highest elevation of the island and offers excellent views of George Town and the mainland. A funicular was inaugurated in 1923 - one of the oldest is now in Asia - leads from the valley station in Air Itam to the top station on Penang Hill. Necessary and some years before, begun repair work was temporarily suspended in 2005. In February 2010, the renovation work was started and since the beginning of 2011, the train is back in service. You can reach the Penang Hill in several hours of hiking through the jungle. Popular starting points are the so-called Moon gate near the Botanical Gardens, and the Forestry Museum in Teluk Bahang, where the Penang Forest Trail begins.
Also worth seeing are the Butterfly Farm, the Botanical Garden, the many temples like Ke Lok Si ( Buddhist ), the Kuan Yin ( Goddess of Mercy ) Temple, the snake temple with poisonous snakes, Wat Chaiya Mangkalaram lying with its 33 -meter Buddha and the Captain - Keling Mosque or Khoo Kongsi, the home of Chinese Khoo family clans.
The entire old town is home to both historical buildings as well as well-preserved overall ensemble. Apart from the British colonial administration buildings and the Protestant Cemetery is the E & O (Eastern & Oriental ) Hotel worth seeing. The hotel was one day as "the best house east of the Suez " and was, among other things by writers like Hermann Hesse, Rudyard Kipling and William Somerset Maugham like to visit.
Sons and daughters
- David Choong (1929-2011), badminton player and politician
- Eddy Choong (1930-2013), badminton player
- Anwar Ibrahim ( b. 1947 ), politician
- Martin Khor ( born 1951 ), journalist and economist
- Jimmy Choo (* 1961), shoe designer
- Ong Beng Hee ( born 1980 ), squash player
- Nicol David (* 1983), squash player