Northeast Penang Island District

The Northeast Penang Island District is a district within the Malaysian state of Penang. The district covers the northeastern half of Penang Island, including the centre of George Town, Penang's capital city. It has an area of 122.79 km² (47.41 sq mi) and a population of 510,996 as of 2010. The district borders the Southwest Penang Island District to the west.

Northeast Penang Island District
District of Malaysia
Daerah Timur Laut Pulau Pinang
Other transcription(s)
• Jawi	دايره تيمور لاوت ڤولاو ڤينڠ
• Chinese	东北县
• Tamil	வடகிழக்கு பினாங்கு தீவு மாவட்டம்
Location of the Northeast Penang Island District within the State of Penang.
Country	Malaysia
State	Penang
Seat	George Town
Government
• Local government	Penang Island City Council
Area
• Total	122.79 km^2 (47.41 sq mi)
Elevation	14 m (46 ft)
Population  (2010)[1]
• Total	510,996
• Estimate  (2015)[2]	535,200
• Density	4,161.5/km^2 (10,778/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+8 (MST)
• Summer (DST)	Not observed
Postal code	100xx to 108xx 111xx to 118xx
Vehicle registration plates	P
Area code(s)	+604
Website	dtl.penang.gov.my

History

In 1786, the British East India Company had gained control of Penang Island, establishing the city of George Town at the island's northeastern tip. In the following decades, the entirety of the island was governed directly from George Town.

In 1888, the Southwest Penang Island District office was established in Balik Pulau at the southwest of the island, thus dividing the island into the Northeast and Southwest districts. Both districts on Penang Island first appeared in official maps dating back to the 1890s.[3]

Geography

The centre of George Town also serves as the seat of the Northeast Penang Island District.

The District and Land Office of Northeast Penang Island is situated within the heart of George Town, which is also the capital city of the State of Penang. In addition, the district covers the following suburbs of George Town.

• Batu Ferringhi
• Tanjung Bungah
• Tanjung Tokong
• Pulau Tikus
• Batu Lanchang
• Air Itam
• Paya Terubong
• Jelutong
• Gelugor

The Northeast Penang Island District also includes much of Penang Island's central hill ranges. Penang Hill, the tallest peak on Penang Island, is within the district and serves as a major tourist attraction.

The Northeast Penang Island District is further divided into seven mukims.[1]

• George Town
• Paya Terubong
• Bukit Paya Terubong
• Bukit Ayer Itam
• Ayer Itam
• Batu Ferringi
• Tanjong Tokong

Governance

The Komtar Tower in the heart of George Town houses the district's Land Office.

The District and Land Office is situated within Komtar, the tallest skyscraper in Penang.[4]

Local government

Although the districts in Malaysia were created for the purpose of land administration and revenue, in practice, it is the local government that ensures the provision of basic amenities and maintenance of urban infrastructure.

Notably, both districts on Penang Island are under the jurisdiction of the Penang Island City Council, which is also based in the centre of George Town. With a history dating back to 1800, it is the oldest local authority in Malaysia. The current Mayor of Penang Island is Yew Tung Seang, who was appointed into the position by the Penang state government in 2018.[5] The Mayor's term lasts for two years.[6]

Federal and State electoral constituencies within the Northeast Penang Island District (in olive).

Electoral constituencies

Federal Constituency	Party	Member of Parliament	State Constituency	Party	State Assemblyman
Bukit Bendera (P048)	DAP	Wong Hon Wai	Tanjong Bunga (N22)	DAP	Zairil Khir Johari
			Air Putih (N23)	DAP	Lim Guan Eng
			Kebun Bunga (N24)	PKR	Ong Khan Lee
			Pulau Tikus (N25)	DAP	Chris Lee Chun Kit
Tanjong (P049)	DAP	Chow Kon Yeow	Padang Kota (N26)	DAP	Chow Kon Yeow
			Pengkalan Kota (N27)	DAP	Gooi Zi Sen
			Komtar (N28)	DAP	Teh Lai Heng
Jelutong (P050)	DAP	RSN Rayer	Datok Keramat (N29)	DAP	Jagdeep Singh Deo
			Sungai Pinang (N30)	DAP	Lim Siew Khim
			Batu Lancang (N31)	DAP	Ong Ah Teong
Bukit Gelugor (P051)	DAP	Ramkarpal Singh	Seri Delima (N32)	DAP	Syerleena Abdul Rashid
			Air Itam (N33)	DAP	Joseph Ng Soon Seong
			Paya Terubong (N34)	DAP	Yeoh Soon Hin
Bayan Baru (P052)	PKR	Sim Tze Tzin	Batu Uban (N35)	PKR	Kumaresan Aramugam

Demographics

The following is based on the 2010 National Census conducted by Malaysia's Department of Statistics.[1]

Population within Northeast Penang Island

Ethnicity	Population	Percentage (%)
Malay	107,243	20.99
Other Bumiputera	2,353	0.46
Chinese	316,172	61.87
Indian	51,468	10.07
Other ethnicities	2,083	0.41
Non-Malaysian citizens	31,677	6.20
Total	510,996	100.00

Education

The district is where some of the oldest schools in Malaysia were established. Penang Free School, founded in 1816, is the oldest English school in Southeast Asia, as well as the first of several missionary schools in the city. These English-medium schools, including St. Xavier's Institution, St. George's Girls School and Methodist Boys' School have produced some of Malaysia's most influential figures, including lawmakers, politicians, professionals and businessmen.

In addition, the first Chinese schools in Malaysia were established within the district. Since then, Chinese schools like Chung Ling High School, Heng Ee High School and Penang Chinese Girls' High School have maintained strong reputations based on academic excellence.

International schools have also been established within the city to cater to the growing expatriate population. These schools offer primary to secondary education up to A Levels and International Baccalaureate.

In terms of tertiary education, the district is home to one of the best Malaysian public universities - Universiti Sains Malaysia, as well as several private colleges and institutions such as Wawasan Open University, SEGi College and Han Chiang College.

The Penang State Library operates a branch and a children's library within the district.[7]

Health care

Penang General Hospital, the oldest and largest hospital in Penang.

In recent years, George Town has become the medical tourism centre of Malaysia, generating about 70% of the country's medical tourism revenue and attracting approximately half of medical tourist arrivals into the country.[8][9][10] The numerous public and private hospitals in the district, coupled with low cost of living and ease of travel have helped facilitate the medical tourism boom.

The Penang General Hospital is the main public hospital for George Town and the district. Built in 1882, it also serves as the reference hospital within northern Malaysia.[11]

Private hospitals, including Penang Adventist Hospital and Lam Wah Ee Hospital, also offer advanced facilities and speedier care by well-trained professionals. These hospitals cater not only to the local population but also patients from other states and neighbouring countries such as Indonesia and Singapore.[12]

Transportation

The Penang Bridge, completed in 1985, was the longest bridge in Southeast Asia until superseded by the Second Penang Bridge in 2014.

Land

Rapid Penang buses at the Weld Quay Bus Terminal.

The district is linked with the Malay Peninsula via the Penang Bridge, which runs between the George Town suburb of Gelugor and Perai on the mainland.

George Town has a relatively well-developed road network stretching back to the early days of British colonisation. Within the city centre are narrow streets and lanes, while modern arterial roads connect the city centre with the suburbs such as Tanjung Tokong, Air Itam and Jelutong.

The Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway runs along the eastern coastline of Penang Island between the city centre and the Penang International Airport, linking both locations with the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone and the Penang Bridge.

The new Penang Hill Railway funicular train, which has been in use since 2011.

A cruise liner docked at Swettenham Pier.

Federal Route 6 is a winding trunk road that serves as the pan-island road, forming a circular loop round Penang Island. In the clockwise direction, this road connects the city centre with Bayan Lepas, Balik Pulau and Teluk Bahang.

Public transportation throughout Penang Island is composed of buses operated by Rapid Penang. In recent years, a free shuttle service within the city centre and double decker buses for tourists have also been introduced.[13][14]

The district also has the only operational railway on Penang Island - the Penang Hill Railway. It is the oldest funicular rail system in Malaysia, having commenced operations in 1923. It was last upgraded in 2011 with new coaches that take as little as five minutes to reach the peak of Penang Hill.

Sea

A Penang Ferry crossing the Penang Strait towards George Town.

The Port of Penang consists of four terminals, one of which is located within the district. The Swettenham Pier serves not only cruise ships, but also on occasion, warships as well.[15][16][17] As of 2014, Swettenham Pier recorded 1.2 million tourist arrivals and attracted some of the world's biggest cruise liners, such as the RMS Queen Mary 2.[18]

In addition, the Penang Ferry Service operates across the Penang Strait between George Town and Butterworth on the Malay Peninsula. At present, four ferries ply the route between George Town and Butterworth daily.

Tourist attractions

Kapitan Keling Mosque was one of the first mosques to be built in George Town.

Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion is also known as the 'Blue Mansion' due to its distinctive hue.

Sri Mahamariamman Temple, with a history dating back to 1801, is the focal point of George Town's Little India.

St. George's Church is the oldest Anglican church in Southeast Asia.

A great majority of Penang's tourist attractions lie within the centre of George Town. The city centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is well-renowned for its architectural, cultural and culinary varieties; George Town is also said to be the food capital of Malaysia. In addition, the district has a number of natural attractions ranging from the central hills of Penang Island to the sandy beaches along the island's northern coastline.

Listed below are just some of the landmarks within the Northeast Penang Island District.

Batu Ferringhi Camera Museum Church of the Assumption Church of the Immaculate Conception Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion City Hall City Park Dhammikarama Burmese Temple Eastern & Oriental Hotel Eng Chuan Tong

Fort Cornwallis Goddess of Mercy Temple Gurney Drive Kapitan Keling Mosque Kek Lok Si Temple Khoo Kongsi Karpal Singh Drive Lebuh Aceh Mosque Little India Nattukkottai Chettiar Temple

Penang Botanic Gardens Penang Hill Penang Museum and Art Gallery Queen Victoria Memorial Clock Tower Sri Mahamariamman Temple St. George's Church Sun Yat-sen Museum Suffolk House Wat Chaiyamangkalaram

See also

• Districts of Malaysia

References

1. "Population Distribution and Basic Demographic Characteristics, 2010" (PDF). Department of Statistics, Malaysia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 May 2014. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
2. "2017 Q2 statistics" (PDF). Penang Institute. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2017-11-30.
3. "Map of Pinang Island and Province Wellesley,1897". www.nas.gov.sg. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
4. "Pejabat Daerah Dan Tanah Daerah Timur Laut - Official Website For North East Penang Land And District Office". dtl.penang.gov.my. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
5. "Yew Tun Seang new mayor of Penang Island". 2018-01-17. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
6. "Organisation Chart". Official Portal of Penang Island City Council (MBPP). 9 October 2015. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
7. "Penang Library Corporation". Archived from the original on 2017-07-04.
8. "Penang Monthly". penangmonthly.com.
9. "Penang accounts for 50% of medical tourists". www.thesundaily.my.
10. "Higher Education in Regional and City Development : State of Penang, Malaysia". OECD.
11. "Penang to have first-ever school in hospital". NST Online. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
12. "Getting back its mojo". The Economist. 13 August 2011. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
13. "Penang – The Pearl of the Orient". Equator Academy of Art. Archived from the original on 14 September 2008. Retrieved 27 July 2008.
14. "Penang Hop-On Hop-Off".
15. "Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal". Penang Port.
16. "Newspaper Article - S'pore gunboats call at Penang". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
17. "US Navy ship calls at Penang - Community | The Star Online". www.thestar.com.my. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
18. "Is Penang's tourism on the right track?". Penang Monthly. 1 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2016.