Penang (Pulau Pinang)

The City Hall housing the Municipal Council of Penang Island

Penang  is a state in Malaysia, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. Penang is the second smallest state in Malaysia after Perlis, and the eighth most populous. A resident of Penang is colloquially known as a Penangite.

 

 A colonial-era house with a Straits-Chinese art deco eclectic architecture

Penang's historic architecture is centred mainly in George Town. Its rows of 100 year-old shophouses and colonial villas give George Town its distinctive atmosphere. Penang was the venue for several historical movies, such as Anna and the King and the French film Indochine.
The best way to capture Penang’s mixed heritage is to stroll around town. The aged buildings are noted for their faded colours and crumbling walls. Old houses have columns or multi-coloured Peranakan tiles. The Aceh Mosque is the oldest house of worship in the city. The smell of incense drifts in the air amidst gold settings of Burmese, Thai and Chinese temples. The Khoo Kongsi is a traditional form of Chinese art with its delicately carved wooden panels. Other long-time occupants include elderly Chinese shopkeepers, colourful Indian food stalls and trishaws with their drivers.

Tourism

Penang's historic architecture is centred mainly in George Town. Its rows of 100 year-old shophouses and colonial villas give George Town its distinctive atmosphere. Penang was the venue for several historical movies, such as Anna and the King and the French film Indochine.
The best way to capture Penang’s mixed heritage is to stroll around town. The aged buildings are noted for their faded colours and crumbling walls. Old houses have columns or multi-coloured Peranakan tiles. The Aceh Mosque is the oldest house of worship in the city. The smell of incense drifts in the air amidst gold settings of Burmese, Thai and Chinese temples. The Khoo Kongsi is a traditional form of Chinese art with its delicately carved wooden panels. Other long-time occupants include elderly Chinese shopkeepers, colourful Indian food stalls and trishaws with their drivers.

Concerns about Penang beaches

State Tourism Development Committee chairman Teng Chang Yeow said that there were plans to clean up and landscape the beaches in Batu Ferringhi. "The cleanliness of our beaches has been neglected for more than 10 years and this is a challenge to the tourism sector,". He added that the state Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) took water samples from beaches in Batu Ferringhi and determined numerous pollution sources including the sewage system, illegal restaurants and hawkers and car-washing activities.
State Tourism Development Committee chairman Teng Chang Yeow said he was informed of the matter by the management of Malaysia Airlines. "The number of tourists from these regions has been steadily declining over the past decade" and "Tourists come to the state for the surf and sand but they usually return home disappointed. We are even losing out domestically to Pangkor and Langkawi" "Rivers will be cleaned up and illegal outlets draining sewage into the sea will be connected to a treatment plant by 2009."
Association of Tourist Attractions Penang (ATAP) chairman Eddy Low said "We strongly discourage food courts or stalls being set up or built near the sea to prevent the dumping of rubbish into the sea and around the area. " He said there should also be a massive plan for a central sewerage system so that waste would not go to the sea. There is also a need to protect the outer islands such as Pulau Jerejak, Pulau Rimau and Pulau Aman. "It is important for us to maintain these islands which are still pristine and untouched by pollution."