Selatan Strait
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
South Channel, also known as the Penang Strait to locals, is a channel separating Penang Island and mainland Peninsular Malaysia in Malaysia. Penang Island is on the western side of the channel while the mainland is on the eastern side. Specifically, the mainland side of the channel is called Seberang Perai and is a part of the state of Penang. The channel joins the Strait of Malacca, the world's busiest sea route, to the north and south.
[edit] Islands
There are a few islands and islets in the channel. The biggest is Jerejak, which was a former leper colony and now in the process of being developed into a tourist destination.
[edit] Bridges
South Channel is bridged by Penang Bridge, which is the longest bridge in Malaysia and Southeast Asia. Besides that, a second bridge, Penang Second Bridge, will be constructed in the future, as part of the Ninth Malaysia Plan, because Penang Bridge has reached its peak traffic capacity and is often plagued by traffic jams.
