Indian Ocean and Dubai (UAE). Chinese companies have made investments in several Indian Ocean ports, including Gwadar, Hambantota, Colombo and Sonadia. This has sparked a debate about the strategic implications of these investments. Small islands dot the continental rims. Island nations within the ocean are Madagascar (the world's fourth largest island), Bahrain, Comoros, Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles and Sri Lanka. The archipelago of Indonesia and the island nation of East Timor border the ocean on the east. Heading roughly clockwise, the states and territories (in italics) with a coastline on the Indian Ocean (including the Red Sea and Persian Gulf) are: Africa Asia
Penang Island known as the "Silicon Valley of the East" and a booming tourist destination. George Town's historical core is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, while its beaches and the Penang Hill, the tallest point in Penang, are popular amongst tourists as well. The state of Penang is named after Penang Island, which was, in turn, named after the areca nut palm ("Areca catechu", family: Palmae), also known as "pinang" in Malay. To this day, the island has also been known as the Pearl of the Orient, or "Pulau Mutiara" (The Island of Pearls) in Malay. The early Malays called the island