Editing Penang (section)

==Geography==
[[File:Calflier001_George_Town_Penang_aerial.jpg|thumb|[[George Town, Penang|George Town]] is physically separated from [[Butterworth, Penang|Butterworth]] (bottom) by the [[Penang Strait]].|200x200px]]
With a land area of only {{cvt|1049|km2}}, Penang is the second smallest [[States and federal territories of Malaysia|state in Malaysia]] after [[Perlis]].<ref name="Penang Institute-2020">{{Cite journal |title=Penang Statistics: Quarter 2, 2020 |url=https://penanginstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/jml/files/quarterly_penang_statistics/2020/PQS-Q22020.pdf |journal=Penang Institute |page=5 }}</ref> It is located on the northwestern coastline of Peninsular Malaysia, lying between latitudes 5.59° and 5.12°N, and longitudes 100.17° and 100.56°E. The state is divided into two major halves by the [[Penang Strait]], which is only {{cvt|3|km|adj=on}} wide at the narrowest point and {{cvt|13|km|adj=on}} at its widest.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Goh |first=Ban Lee |date=25 February 2019 |title=Butterworth Set to Soar |url=https://thesun.my/opinion_news/butterworth-set-to-soar-CL591477 |access-date=3 December 2023 |work=[[The Sun (Malaysia)|The Sun]] }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ang |first=Lay Pooi |date=May 2006 |title=Factors Influencing International Tourists in Choosing a Travel Destination: Case Study of Penang, Malaysia |url=http://eprints.usm.my/28884/1/FACTORS_INFLUENCING_INTERNATIONAL_TOURISTS_IN_CHOOSING_A_TRAVEL_DESTINATION_CASE_STUDY_OF_PENANG_MALAYSIA.pdf |journal=[[Universiti Sains Malaysia]] }}</ref>
* [[Penang Island]], a {{cvt|295|km2||adj=on}} island.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Raman |first=M. |date=2014 |title=Challenges of Environmental Resources Development In Penang Island, Malaysia |url=https://www.ukm.my/fep/perkem/pdf/perkem2014/PERKEM_2014_2D4.pdf |journal=[[National University of Malaysia]] }}</ref>
* [[Seberang Perai]], a {{cvt|748|km2|adj=on}} hinterland on the [[Malay Peninsula]]. It shares land borders with [[Kedah]] to the north and east, and [[Perak]] to the south.<ref name="Penang Institute-2020" />
The state capital, [[George Town, Penang|George Town]], encompasses the entirety of Penang Island and a few surrounding islets, including [[Jerejak Island|Jerejak]], [[Betong Island|Betong]], [[Kendi Island|Kendi]], [[Rimau Island|Rimau]] and [[Andaman Island, Penang|Andaman]] islands.<ref name="PICC">{{Cite journal |title=Draf Rancangan Tempatan Pulau Pinang (Pulau) 2030 Jilid 1 |journal=[[Penang Island City Council]] |language=MS }}</ref> On the other hand, the city of Seberang Perai covers the mainland side of Penang.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.mbsp.gov.my/buletin/pelan-strategi/2023/spps.pdf |title=Pelan Strategi Majlis Bandaraya Seberang Perai 2023-2030 |publisher=[[Seberang Perai City Council]] |location=[[Seberang Perai]] |page=12 |language=ms }}</ref>
{{Major urban areas in Penang}}

===Topography===
[[File:Andaman Island in George Town, Penang 2024.jpg|thumb|The ongoing [[Andaman Island, Penang|Andaman Island]] reclamation project in [[George Town, Penang|George Town]] {{Circa|2024}}.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kevin Vimal |date=26 May 2023 |title=E&O's Andaman Island Project a Great Push for Penang Green Agenda, Says CM Chow |url=https://www.buletinmutiara.com/eos-andaman-island-project-a-great-push-for-penang-green-agenda-says-cm-chow/ |access-date=20 December 2023 |work=Buletin Mutiara }}</ref> [[Land reclamation|Reclamation]] allows the creation of valuable land for urban development, particularly in land-scarce Penang.<ref name="Ramly-2008">{{Cite journal |last=Ramly |first=Salwa |date=January 2008 |title=Impact on the Coastal Areas of the Tanjung Tokong Land Reclamation Project, Penang, Malaysia |url=https://lup.lub.lu.se/luur/download?func=downloadFile&recordOId=1317634&fileOId=1317635 |journal=[[Lund University]] }}</ref>]]
Penang Island is irregularly shaped, with a hilly and mostly forested interior. The island's coastal plains are narrow, with the most extensive plain located at the northeastern cape.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Lim |first=H. S. |date=2011 |title=TSS Mapping Using THEOS Imagery over Penang Island, Malaysia |journal=[[Universiti Sains Malaysia]] }}</ref> George Town, which started off as a small settlement at the northeastern tip of the island, has expanded over the centuries to encompass the entire island, although the marshy western coast remains relatively underdeveloped.<ref name="Chau-2005">{{Cite journal |last=Chau |first=Loon Wai |date=2005 |title=Probing Different Centralities in City Regions: A Space-Syntactic Approach |url=http://eprints.utm.my/6177/1/Chau_5SSS_FAB.pdf |journal=Techne Press |volume=1 }}</ref> The highest point of the state is [[Penang Hill]], which stands at a height of {{cvt|833|m|}} at the centre of the island. On the other hand, Seberang Perai has mostly flat topography, save for a hilly region along the eastern border with Kedah.<ref name="Rahman-2000b">{{Cite journal |last=Abd. Rahman |first=Abdul Hadi |date=Sep 2000 |title=Coastal Sedimentation and Recent Coastline Changes Along the Seberang Perai Coast, Pulau Pinang |url=https://gsmpubl.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/agc2000_24.pdf |journal=[[University of Malaya]] }}</ref>

Due to land scarcity in George Town, [[land reclamation]] projects have been undertaken at high-demand areas, particularly along the island's east coast.<ref name="Ramly-2008" /><ref name="Chee-2017">{{Cite journal |last=Chee |first=Su Yin |date=13 August 2017 |title=Land Reclamation and Artificial Islands: Walking the Tightrope Between Development and Conservation |url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/131015356.pdf |journal=[[Universiti Sains Malaysia]] |volume=12 |page=80 |doi=10.1016/j.gecco.2017.08.005 |bibcode=2017GEcoC..12...80C }}</ref> In 2023, a massive reclamation project commenced off the city's southern coast to build the {{cvt|920|ha|acre|adj=on}} [[Silicon Island]], envisioned as a new hub for high-tech manufacturing and commerce.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Opalyn Mok |date=1 September 2023 |title=Penang CM: Preliminary Works on Man-Made Silicon Island Starts Today |url=https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2023/09/01/penang-cm-preliminary-works-on-man-made-silicon-island-starts-today/88405 |access-date=26 October 2023 |website=[[Malay Mail]] |language=en }}</ref> Following years of reclamation works, the [[Gurney Drive, George Town|Gurney Drive]] shoreline is also being transformed into [[Gurney Bay]], intended as "a new iconic waterfront destination for Penang".<ref name="Opalyn Mok-2016">{{Cite news |last=Opalyn Mok |date=23 February 2016 |title=Gurney Wharf, Penang's New Waterfront Park-in-the-City |url=https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2016/02/23/gurney-wharf-penangs-new-waterfront-park-in-the-city/1066141 |access-date=15 December 2023 |work=[[Malay Mail]] }}</ref>

The major rivers within Penang include the [[Pinang River (Penang)|Pinang]], [[Perai River|Perai]], [[Muda River|Muda]] and [[Kerian River|Kerian]] rivers. The Muda River serves as the northern border between Seberang Perai and [[Kedah]], while the Kerian River forms part of the southern boundary between Seberang Perai, Kedah and [[Perak]].<ref name="Rahman-2000a">{{Cite journal |last=Abd. Rahman |first=Abdul Hadi |date=Sep 2000 |title=Coastal Sedimentation and Recent Coastline Changes Along the Seberang Perai Coast, Pulau Pinang |url=https://gsmpubl.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/agc2000_24.pdf |journal=[[University of Malaya]] }}</ref>

===Climate===
{{Penang weatherbox}}Penang has a [[tropical rainforest climate]] under the [[Köppen climate classification]] (''Af''). The state experiences relatively consistent temperatures throughout the course of the year, with an average high of about 32&nbsp;°C and an average low of 24°C.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h17MWNlkEcwC&pg=PA400 |title=The Penny Cyclopaedia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge |publisher=Charles Knight |year=1840 |page=400 }}</ref> Penang's proximity to [[Sumatra]] makes it susceptible to dust particles carried by wind from transient forest fires that create the perennial [[Southeast Asian haze]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=7 July 2013 |title=Why is South-East Asia's Annual Haze So Hard to Deal with? |url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2013/07/economist-explains-3 |access-date=15 October 2016 |newspaper=The Economist |issn=0013-0613 }}</ref> The Penang Meteorological Office at [[Bayan Lepas]] is the primary weather forecast facility for northwestern Malaysia.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission |url=http://ioc-unesco.org/index.php?option=com_oe&task=viewInstitutionRecord&institutionID=18555 |access-date=28 February 2018 |publisher=UNESCO |language=en-gb }}</ref>
=== Nature ===
In spite of rapid urbanisation, Penang has managed to preserve a significant portion of its natural environment. Within the state, {{cvt|7761|ha|km2}} have been designated as protected forest reserves.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Chow |first=Mei Mei |date=6 March 2018 |title=Penang's Commitment to Safeguard Its Forests |url=https://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/414558 |access-date=8 March 2018 |work=[[Malaysiakini]] }}</ref> In 2021, the {{cvt|12481|ha|km2|adj=on}} Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve was designated a [[World Network of Biosphere Reserves|UNESCO Biosphere Reserve]] in recognition of the area's biodiversity.<ref name="UNESCO-2022">{{Cite web |date=June 2022 |title=Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve |url=https://en.unesco.org/biosphere/aspac/penang-hill |access-date=13 November 2023 |website=[[UNESCO]] |language=en }}</ref> The gazetted nature reserve includes the [[Penang National Park]], which covers {{cvt|2562|ha|km2}} of the northwestern tip of the island.<ref name="Vimal-2022">{{Cite news |last=Kevin Vimal |date=11 June 2022 |title=Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve Officially Receives Its Recognition Certificate |url=https://www.buletinmutiara.com/penang-hill-biosphere-reserve-officially-receives-its-recognition-certificate/ |access-date=20 December 2023 |work=Buletin Mutiara }}</ref><ref name="Hong-2010">{{Cite journal |last=Hong |first=Chern Wern |date=2010 |title=The Potentials, Threats and Challenges in Sustainable Development of Penang National Park |url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/11491437.pdf |journal=[[Universiti Sains Malaysia]] }}</ref> It has been identified as one of the state's ecotourism destinations, alongside the [[Penang Botanic Gardens]] and the Tropical Spice Garden.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Vaghefi |first=Negin |date=14 June 2019 |title=Ecotourism: A Sector where Sustainability is Everything |url=https://penanginstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/june_14_2019_Negin_download.pdf |journal=Penang Institute }}</ref>