Chapter2. Penang-Reading

penang is located on the north-west coast of peninsular malaysia. this state comprises the penang island and main land which known as seberang perai. penang island covering an area about 285 sq km and mainland will take about 760 sq km. these two places are separated by a channel about 3 km wide at the closest point. penang bridge and ferry services take a major responsibility to link up penang island and mainland. there is more than 1 million population which mix three major races found in malaysia with the malays making up 33%, the chinese 60% and the indians 6% in penang. penang island also name as pearl of the orient, is the second largest state in malaysia.
penang is the oldest of the british strats settlements in malaysia, predating both singapore and melaka. penang had been, prior to the english, known as a harbour for pirates. in 1786, the sultan of kedah ceded（割讓）the state of penang (pulau pinang), also known as betelnut island to captain francis light of the east india company. captain francis light, on behalf of the east india company, acquired possession of the island from the local sultan（蘇丹）in return for protection against enemies. he set foot on the uninhabited island in 1786 and established a free port for trading. soon after, the small town of georgetown, named after the prince of wales, was established. by 1800 francis light managed to negotiate a strip of the mainland adjacent to the island and was called province wellesly.
today, penang attracts the most tourists with its impressive temples like kek lok si temple, kuan yin temple, dharmikarama burmese temple & snake temple. georgetown with a lot of old chinese shops and houses, colonical architecture and mosques also become a strong point to attracts tourists. the famous tourism spot is georgetown like fort cornwallis, clock tower, komtar, khoo kongsi & kapitan kling mosque. other attractions include the beaches of the northern coast like tanjong bungah beach and batu ferringhi beach, penang hill, penang butterfly farm, tropical fruit farm, tropical spice garden, botanical garden, the aquarium of the fisheries research institute, bukit jambul orchid and hibiscus garden, pulau jerejak and etc..........