Northeast Penang Island

The Northeast Penang Island District covers the northeastern half of Penang Island, including Penang's capital city of George Town and its UNESCO World Heritage Site. The district is the administrative, cultural and economic centre of Penang and the Greater Penang Conurbation, the second largest metropolitan area in Malaysia after Greater Kuala Lumpur.

The district is mostly urbanised; George Town takes up most of the district. The district also covers some of the lush verdant hill ranges in the centre of Penang Island, including Penang Hill. The hills form a giant green lung for George Town.

Since its formation in 1786, George Town has been Malaysia's northern gateway. During the heyday of British rule over the Straits Settlements, Penang's ports serve as an important entrepot for northern Malaya, retaining a secondary importance after the Port of Singapore by funneling the exports meant for global shipping lines by ocean-going ships which had bypassed other regional ports. Today's George Town is a popular tourist attraction, Malaysia's centre of medical tourism and serves as the northern financial centre of Malaysia. It is one of the top contributors of Malaysia's Gross Domestic Product.

Since gaining recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, George Town has earned worldwide acclaim by the likes of CNN,The Guardian, Forbes and the Los Angeles Times. George Town was also ranked the most liveable city in Malaysia and the 8th. most liveable Asian city by the ECA International.

The Northeast Penang Island district borders the Southwest Penang Island district to the southwest, which includes the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone, the Penang International Airport and Balik Pulau. Both districts are administered by the Penang Island City Council.

The district is connected to the Malay Peninsula by the Penang Bridge, which links the George Town suburb of Gelugor and Perai on the mainland.

Source https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeast_Penang_Island_District