Located in the Kedah region, 30 km off the northwestern coast of Malaysia lies the scenic archipelago, Langkawi, comprising of 99 islands. Langkawi is separated from the mainland by the Straits of Malacca with Pulau Langkawi being the main island in archipelago and also one of the only two islands populated in Langkawi. It is also the administrative district of the region with Kuan as its capital. The name ‘Langkawi’ has been derived from the Malay words ‘helang’ (shortened as ‘lang’), which means eagle and Kawi, which means reddish brown color. So Langkawi means “reddish brown eagle”.
Langkawi experiences an equatorial climate with the months of November to March being the best times to visit the city. Although 90% of the population in Langkawi is Malay, there are other groups such as the Chinese, Indians and the Thai who had settled here in Langkawi. The economy mainly depended on agriculture and fisheries, but today it is fast becoming a great tourist attraction. All efforts are being made to improve tourism by introducing and developing tourist attractions so that more tourists are drawn to the islands.
UNESCO bestowed Langkawi with a World Geopark status on June 1, 2007. This Geopark comprises of three main conservation areas, namely, Machincang Cambrian Geoforest Park, the Dayang Bunting Marble Geoforest Park and the Kilim Karst Geoforest Park. These are the most visited parks besides the number of luring beaches that are to be found here. Each beach has an attraction of its own and the inviting white sands and the picturesque landscape surrounding the beaches all make it worthwhile for the tourist visiting Langkawi.
Some of the popular beaches include the Pantai Cenang, Burau Bay, Pentai Tengah, Datai Bay and Pantai Kok. Other places of interest include the Rice Museum, the Mahsuri Tomb, the Temurun Waterfall, the Langkawi Crocodile Farm, Lagenda Park, Underwater World and the Pulau Payar Marine Park. Also one can take a cable car ride to the Langkawi Sky Bridge located at Gunung Mat Chinchang mountain summit. Tourists can embark at the Langkawi International Airport where flights arrive in from Kuala Lumpur or take a ferry across to the islands from Kuala Perlis.
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