Southwest Penang Island District

Southwest Penang Island District
District of Malaysia
Other transcription(s)
• Malay	Daerah Barat Daya Pulau Pinang
• Chinese	西南县
Balik Pulau, a town at southwestern Penang Island, is the seat of the district.
Flag Seal
Motto: Leading We Serve Memimpin Sambil Berkhidmat
Location of the Southwest Penang Island District within the state of Penang.
Country	Malaysia
State	Penang
Seat	Balik Pulau
Largest Town	Bayan Lepas
Government
• Local Government	Penang Island City Council
• Mayor of Penang Island	Patahiyah binti Ismail
Area
• Total	176 km2 (68 sq mi)
Population (2012)
• Total	209,100
Time zone	MST (UTC+8)
• Summer (DST)	Not observed (UTC)
Postal code	110xx, 119xx
National calling code	+604
License plate prefix	P
Website	http://www.mbpp.gov.my

The Southwest Penang Island District is a district within the state of Penang, Malaysia. It covers southern and western Penang Island, and is larger in size than the other district on the island, the Northeast Penang Island District. Together with mainland Seberang Perai and southern Kedah, the district forms part of the Greater Penang Conurbation, the second most populous metropolitan area in Malaysia.

Although the district capital is Balik Pulau, the largest town is in fact Bayan Lepas, where Penang's Free Industrial Zone is located. Created in the 1970s by the then Chief Minister of Penang, Lim Chong Eu, the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone has propelled Penang Island to become the 'Silicon Valley of the East'. This also sparked the development of Bayan Lepas and eventually led to the urbanisation of the entire eastern seaboard of Penang Island.

In addition, the Penang International Airport, the major airport in northern Malaysia, is located within Bayan Lepas. Completed in 1935, the airport connects the northern region of Malaysia with other regional cities, such as Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Taipei.