Landmarks

There are two prominent landmarks in Penang, which is the Penang Bridge and Komtar Building. The Penang Bridge is one of the longest bridges in the world (it was even the third longest at one time, but has now been exceeded by many others over the years) and stands as a national landmark and entry way to Penang for vehicles coming by road. The Komtar Tower was once the tallest building in Asia when it was first built, but today remains the tallest structure in Penang that can be seen by everyone travelling around Georgetown and some parts of the island.

Before its construction in 1985, the ferry service was the only way to transport cars from the mainland to Penang Island. Today, the Penang Bridge which is 13.5 km long is the longest bridge in Malaysia and links Gelugor on the island to Seberang Perai, the mainland section of Penang. The bridge serves an immense amount of traffic daily, visitors coming in pay a toll of MYR7 for cars. A second bridge is being constructed to ease traffic.

The Komtar Tower, which stands for Menara Komplex Tun Abdul Razak, is a familiar sight to visitors and tourists travelling to Penang. It is the sixth tallest building in Malaysia, being constructed in 1986 and stands at 232 meters high. The building houses offices and retail spaces, sitting on a podium block that is home to the oldest shopping mall in Penang, Prangin Mall. Plans are afoot to revive Komtar as a shopping and commercial zone.