Seberang Perai

Seberang Perai is a city in the Malaysian state of Penang. It is situated on the Malay Peninsula opposite Penang Island, bordering Kedah to the north and east and Perak to the south. Its city centre is located in Butterworth, while its local authority, the Seberang Perai City Council, is centred near Bukit Mertajam. , Seberang Perai had a population of 946,000, making it the third most populous city in Malaysia. Originally a part of Kedah, the territory containing the present-day city was ceded to the British East India Company in 1800. The British acquired Province Wellesley, as they subsequently named it, to provide more agricultural land and as a defensive bulwark against any cross-strait invasion of Penang Island from the mainland. Since then, it has become part of Penang, which was made a British crown colony in 1867. Seberang Perai has witnessed substantial economic development in the decades after Malaya's independence. Massive industrial estates have been established within Seberang Perai, while the relocation of the Port of Penang's core operations to Butterworth in 1974 has also boosted the city's economy. Improvements in connectivity and transportation were facilitated by several major projects, such as the constructions of the North–South Expressway, the Penang Bridge and the Second Penang Bridge. Today, Seberang Perai forms part of Greater Penang, the second largest conurbation in Malaysia. Seberang Perai was originally named Province Wellesley after Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley, who served as the Governor of Madras and Governor-General of Bengal between 1797 and 1805. The term 'Seberang Perai' was believed to be derived from a local phrase used to refer to the northern banks of the Perai River. The name of Perai originated from the Thai word, plāi (ปลาย), which meant the end. When Province Wellesley was acquired by the British East India Company in 1800, the Perai River served as the original boundary between British Province Wellesley and the Siamese-influenced Kedah to the north.