Penang 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 Malay Peninsula. They are connected by Malaysia's two longest road bridges, the Penang Bridge and the Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge; the latter is also, as of May 2019, the longest oversea bridge in Southeast Asia. The second smallest Malaysian state by land mass, Penang is bordered by Kedah to the north and the east, and Perak to the south.
George Town is the capital city of the Malaysian state of Penang. George Town is Malaysia's fourth most populous city with 708,127 inhabitants as of 2010, while Greater Penang, with a population of 2,412,616, is the second largest conurbation in the country after Greater Kuala Lumpur. The historical core of George Town has been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2008.
Captain Francis Light was a British explorer and the founder of the British colony of Penang and its capital city of George Town in 1786. Light and his lifelong partner, Martina Rozells, were the parents of William Light, who founded the city of Adelaide in South Australia.
The Istana is the official residence and office of the president of Singapore. It is also where the president receives and entertains state guests.
The Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion is a government gazetted heritage building located on Leith Street in George Town, Penang, Malaysia. The mansion's external decorations and indigo-blue outer walls make it a very distinctive building, and it is sometimes referred to as The Blue Mansion. Built by the merchant Cheong Fatt Tze at the end of the 19th century, the mansion has 38 rooms, 5 granite-paved courtyards, 7 staircases and 220 vernacular timber louvre windows. It served as Cheong's private residence as well as the seat of his business activities in Penang.
Penang Hill is a hill resort comprising a group of peaks on Penang Island, Malaysia. It is located within the Air Itam suburb, 9 km (5.6 mi) west of the center of George Town. Penang Hill is also known by the Malay name Bukit Bendera, which actually refers to Flagstaff Hill, the most developed peak. One of the peaks is known as Strawberry Hill, which was also the name of a house owned by Francis Light, founder of Penang colony. Penang Hill is the highest point in the state of Penang.
St. Xavier's Institution, at Farquhar Street in George Town, Penang, Malaysia, is the oldest Lasallian school in Southeast Asia and one of the Catholic Lasallian schools in Malaysia. While it has a history dating back to 1787, the present-day institution, named after St. Francis Xavier, was only established in 1852.
The Carcosa Seri Negara is a residence located on two adjacent hills inside the Perdana Botanical Gardens, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Originally built as the official residence and guest house of the British High Commissioner in Malaya, it is now owned by the Government of Malaysia. The name is a composite of the two colonial mansions located on the compound: the residence, named Carcosa, and the guest house, now named Seri Negara (1913).
Methodist Boys' School is an all-boys secondary school in George Town, Penang, Malaysia. It is one of the two secondary schools in George Town that were established by Methodists, the other being Methodist Girls' School.
The architecture of Penang reflects the 171 years of British presence on the island, coalescing with local, Chinese, Indian, Islamic and other elements to create a unique and distinctive brand of architecture. Along with Malacca, Penang is an architectural gem of Malaysia and Southeast Asia. Unlike Singapore, also a Straits Settlement, where many heritage buildings had to make way for modern skyscrapers and high-rise apartments due to rapid development and acute land scarcity, Penang's architectural heritage has enjoyed a better fate. Penang has one of the largest collections of pre-war buildings in Southeast Asia. This is for the most part due to the Rent Control Act which froze house rental prices for decades, making redevelopment unprofitable. With the repeal of this act in 2000 however, property prices skyrocketed and development has begun to encroach upon these buildings, many of which are in a regrettable state of disrepair. The government in recent years has allocated more funding to finance the restoration of a number of derelict heritage buildings, most notably Suffolk House, City Hall and historic buildings in the old commercial district.
Ayer Itam is a suburb of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. Nested within the central valleys of Penang Island, it is located approximately 6 km (3.7 mi) southwest of the city centre. Ayer Itam is one of the well-known places to sample Penang cuisine, and includes a handful of major tourist attractions such as Penang Hill and Kek Lok Si Temple.
The Residency is the official residence of Penang's head of state, the governor of Penang. Located in the city of George Town in Penang, Malaysia, it was built by the British in 1888 and the mansion used to served as the official residence of the highest-ranking British officer in Penang until the Malayan independence in 1957.
Cheah Tek Soon was a 19th-century Penang businessman, and headman of the Hokkien in Penang, after whom Tek Soon Street was named. He was an active member of the Penang community and the bandstand that was erected near the Town Hall before the Japanese Occupation was his gift to the city.
The Penang Botanic Gardens, also known as the "Waterfall Gardens" because of the cascading waterfall nearby, is a botanic garden situated on Jalan Air Terjun in George Town, Penang, Malaysia.
Beach Street is a major thoroughfare and part of the central business district in George Town, Penang, Malaysia. It is also one of the oldest streets in Penang, having been created soon after the founding of Penang by Captain Francis Light in 1786.
The Penang High Court, founded in 1808, is the birthplace of Malaysia's judiciary system. It is housed inside a Palladian-style building at Light Street, George Town, Penang. To this day, the High Court sits at the top of Penang's hierarchy of courts.
Light Street is the oldest road in the city of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. It was named after the founder of Penang, Captain Francis Light. As the epicentre of George Town, the street was created soon after Light established the settlement in 1786 and has been serving as a major thoroughfare within the city centre ever since.
The Seri Teratai is the official residence of Penang's head of government, the Chief Minister of Penang. It is located in the city of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. The colonial-era double storey mansion was constructed in the early 20th century.
