Nestled along the Strait of Malacca, Penang has long been a crossroads of culture and commerce. It functioned as a pivotal port town in the British Empire before Singapore took center stage, serving as an entry point into Malaya for migrants from the Bay of Bengal, and the South China and Java Seas. This racial syncretism produced the cultural hallmarks George Town is known for today, and for which it was awarded with UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 2008: Indian-Muslim food, Anglo-Chinese architecture, and an urban culture suffuse with rituals, festivals, and animism.