Penang Island, the Pearl of the Orient

Описание: Penang is an island off the northwestern coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Penang's beaches are nice, though a little lackluster when compared to those in some other Malaysian states, but this is more than compensated for by the island's rich multicultural history which is full of Malay, Chinese, Indian, and European influences. Penang is also well known for being the "food paradise" of Malaysia.

Penang was part of the Malay sultanate of Kedah until 1786, when Captain Francis Light built a fort at the site of present-day Georgetown and managed to get the island ceded to the British East India Company. The island, along with Malacca and Singapore, was one of the three British Straits Settlements.

The name Penang comes from the Malay word Pinang, means the betel nut tree. The name Pulau Pinang translated literally from Malay means "betel nut island". During the early and middle part of the last century, Penang Island was also known as "The Pearl of the Orient".

The capital, Georgetown, was named after King George III of Great Britain. Today, Penang has the highest population density in Malaysia and is the only state where the ethnic Chinese are the majority. The state of Penang today has the third-largest economy amongst the states of Malaysia.

Penang, long known as the food capital of Malaysia, is renowned for its good and varied food. Penang was recognised as having the Best Street Food in Asia by Time magazine, citing that "nowhere else can such great tasting food be so cheap". Penang's cuisine reflects the Chinese, Nyonya, Malay and Indian ethnic mix of Malaysia, but also shows some influence of Thailand. Its especially famous "hawker food", many served al fresco, strongly features noodles, spices, and fresh seafood.

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