Geography
Penang is one of the States of Malaysia, situated on the north western coast of the peninsula. Bounded to the north and east by the State of Kedah & to the south by the State of Perak, it consists of the island of Penang (Pulau Pinang) and a coastal strip on the mainland called Province Wellesley (Seberang Prai). The island covers an area of 285 sq km. Its shape resembles a swimming turtle, and it is approximately 24 km north to south and 14.5 km east to west. The island and mainland are separated by a channel 3 km wide at the closest point and 13km at the farthest. They are linked by the 13.5 km Penang Bridge, the third longest in the world, and a 24-hour ferry service.
Climate
The climate is generally warm throughout the year with temperatures ranging from 21°C to 32°C. Humidity is generally high all year round. April, May and October are usually the wetter months.
Population
Penang has 1.2 million people,more than half of whom live on the island. The population is multiracial, young and almost equally distributed between male and female.
Language & Religion
Bahasa Malaysia is the official language, but English is widely used business and in the tourism industry. Reflecting the multiracial population many Asian languages and dialects are spoken including Hokkien, Cantonese, Mandarian and Tamil. Islam is the offical religion in Malaysia. However, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism, Taoism and other religions are freely precticed - visitors can expect to be disorientated by the diversity of religious celebration and the profusion of mosques, temples and churches, quite commonly, side by side.
The official state religion is Islam, but freedom of worship is observed. Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism, Taoism and other religions are freely practiced – Muslim mosques, Buddhist and Hindu temples, and Christian churches are commonly found throughout the island. Visitors can expect to be amazed by the diversity and profusion of festivals and other religious celebrations which occur regularly throughout the year
Penang is one of the States of Malaysia, situated on the north western coast of the peninsula. Bounded to the north and east by the State of Kedah & to the south by the State of Perak, it consists of the island of Penang (Pulau Pinang) and a coastal strip on the mainland called Province Wellesley (Seberang Prai). The island covers an area of 285 sq km. Its shape resembles a swimming turtle, and it is approximately 24 km north to south and 14.5 km east to west. The island and mainland are separated by a channel 3 km wide at the closest point and 13km at the farthest. They are linked by the 13.5 km Penang Bridge, the third longest in the world, and a 24-hour ferry service.
Climate
The climate is generally warm throughout the year with temperatures ranging from 21°C to 32°C. Humidity is generally high all year round. April, May and October are usually the wetter months.
Population
Penang has 1.2 million people,more than half of whom live on the island. The population is multiracial, young and almost equally distributed between male and female.
Language & Religion
Bahasa Malaysia is the official language, but English is widely used business and in the tourism industry. Reflecting the multiracial population many Asian languages and dialects are spoken including Hokkien, Cantonese, Mandarian and Tamil. Islam is the offical religion in Malaysia. However, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism, Taoism and other religions are freely precticed - visitors can expect to be disorientated by the diversity of religious celebration and the profusion of mosques, temples and churches, quite commonly, side by side.
Religion
The official state religion is Islam, but freedom of worship is observed. Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism, Taoism and other religions are freely practiced – Muslim mosques, Buddhist and Hindu temples, and Christian churches are commonly found throughout the island. Visitors can expect to be amazed by the diversity and profusion of festivals and other religious celebrations which occur regularly throughout the year