Penang (Malay: Pulau Pinang) is an island-state off the northwestern coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It comprises two halves - Penang Island, where the capital city of George Town is located, and a strip of mainland Peninsula named Seberang Perai (formerly Province Wellesley). Penang's beaches are nice, though a little lacklustre when compared to those in some other Malaysian states, but this is more than compensated for by the island's rich multicultural history dating back to the beginnings of British colonisation in the 18th. century, and is full of Malay, Chinese, Indian and European influences. Penang is also well known domestically and in Singapore for being the "food paradise" of Malaysia.