Penang Island is the main constituent island of the Malaysian state of Penang. It is located off the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Malacca Strait, with the Penang Strait separating the island from Seberang Perai on the mainland. The 295 km (114 sq mi) island makes up approximately 28% of Penang's total land mass and is home to about 45% of the state's population as of 2020. The entire island falls under the city of George Town, which also administers the surrounding islets.
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👉 Penang Island in the context of Seberang Perai
Seberang Perai is a city in the Malaysian state of Penang. Located on the Malay Peninsula and separated from Penang Island by the Penang Strait, it shares borders with Kedah to the north and east and Perak to the south. The city spans an area of 748 km (289 sq mi) and had a population of 946,092 as of 2020, making it the third largest city in Malaysia.
Originally a part of Kedah, the territory containing the city was ceded to the British East India Company in 1800. It was named Province Wellesley and has been administered as part of Penang ever since. The territory became a centre for cash crop agriculture, while the development of new towns such as Butterworth and Bukit Mertajam followed with the advent of roads and railways towards the end of the 19th century.
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Penang Island in the context of Penang
Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It is divided into two parts by the Strait of Malacca: Penang Island to the west, where the capital city George Town is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula to the east. These two halves are physically connected by the Penang Bridge and the Second Penang Bridge. The state shares borders with Kedah to the north and east, and Perak to the south.
Penang is one of Malaysia's most developed economic powerhouses, with the highest GDP per capita of all states. It also ranks second among the states in terms of average wages. Penang is Malaysia's leading exporter with nearly RM495 billion (US$119.57 billion) in exports in 2024, primarily through the Penang International Airport which is also the nation's second busiest by aircraft movements.
Penang Island in the context of George Town, Penang
George Town is the capital of the Malaysian state of Penang. It is the core city of the George Town Conurbation, Malaysia's second largest metropolitan area with a population of 2.84 million and the second largest metropolitan economy in the country. The city proper spans an area of 306 km (118 sq mi) encompassing Penang Island and surrounding islets, and had a population of 794,313 as of 2020.
Classified as a "Gamma −" city, the second highest in Malaysia after Kuala Lumpur, George Town is the commercial centre for northern Malaysia and one of the few high-income economies of the cities outside the Klang Valley. According to Euromonitor International and the Economist Intelligence Unit, George Town has the highest potential for revenue growth among all Malaysian cities and contributed nearly 8 per cent of the country's personal disposable income in 2015, second only to Kuala Lumpur. Its technological sector, anchored by hundreds of multinational companies, has made George Town the top exporter in the country. The Penang International Airport links George Town to several regional cities, while a ferry service and two road bridges connect the city to the rest of Peninsular Malaysia. Swettenham Pier is the busiest cruise terminal in the country.
Penang Island in the context of Penang Bridge
The E36 Penang Bridge is a 13.5-kilometre (8.4-mile) dual carriageway toll bridge and controlled-access highway in the Malaysian state of Penang. It connects Perai on the mainland side of the state with Gelugor on the island, crossing the Penang Strait. The bridge was the first and, until 2014, only road connection between the peninsula and the island. It is the second-longest bridge over water in Malaysia, with a length over water of 8.4 kilometres (5.2 miles).
Penang Bridge was inaugurated on 14 September 1985. The current concession holder and maintainer is PLUS Expressways. Penang Bridge Sdn Bhd was the concession holder before it was merged with the current concessionaire.
Penang Island in the context of Penang International Airport
Penang International Airport (PIA) (IATA: PEN, ICAO: WMKP) is an international airport in George Town, the capital city of the Malaysian state of Penang. The airport is located at the southeastern tip of Penang Island, 16 km (9.9 mi) south of the city centre, and serves the country's second largest conurbation.
As the main gateway into northwestern Malaysia, PIA is the third busiest airport in Malaysia by aircraft movements and recorded over 7.6 million tourist arrivals in 2024. It also handled the second largest cargo tonnage of all airports in the country and the highest in terms of export value, with RM365 billion in exports in 2023. Additionally, the airport is the main hub for local budget airline Firefly and one of AirAsia's operating bases.