Penang Pulau Pinang is a Malaysian state located on the north-west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Penang is the only state in Malaysia in which the majority ethnicity is Chinese. Penang, formerly part of the Malay sultanate of Kedah, was given to the British East India Company in 1786 by the Sultan of Kedah, in exchange for military security from Siamese and Burmese armies who were threatening Kedah. In 1826, Penang, along with Malacca and Singapore, became part of the Straits Settlements under the British administration in India, moving to direct British colonial rule in 1867. The island was a free port until 1969. Despite the loss of the island's free-port status, from the 1970s to the late 1990s the state built up one of the major electronics manufacturing bases in Asia, in the Free Trade Zone around the airport in the south of the island. Penang island, also branded as the "Pearl of the Orient".
A couple of art galleries to see is The Penang State Art Gallery. It showcases the works of local artists. And the newer gallery, the ABN Amro-USM Art Gallery has recently been established to encourage art awareness among Penang citizens
Another event that is held in the city is the YTL
Arts Festival. Penang hosts the annual Penang-YTL Arts Festival in December,
with theatrical performances, present-day and traditional dances, art and
photography exhibitions, as well as concerts of classical and modern music. The
programs are drawn up by the Penang Arts Council every year and are in part
supported by the YTL Group of Companies, a corporate benefactor of the arts
scene in Malaysia.
For the outdoor person they have the Penang Botanic Gardens. This place is a
expansive ecologically aware recreational park. And it forms the green lung of
the city. Adjacent to it is the Youth Park which is equipped with playing
fields, an extreme sports court, jungle trekking trails, basketball courts, a
shooting and archery range, an open air theater, and a cafeteria