Geography | |
---|---|
Coordinates | 6°42′30″N116°20′45″E / 6.70833°N 116.34583°E |
Administration | |
State | Sabah |
The Mantanani Islands (Malay : Pulau Mantanani) are a group of three islands off the north-west coast of the state of Sabah, Malaysia, opposite the town of Kota Belud, in northern Borneo. The largest island is Mantanani Besar; the other two are Mantanani Kecil and Lungisan. It is a popular site for recreational diving and is known for its dugongs. [1]
The name of the island is a compound of Ubian word "manta" (blanket) and "Nani" (the name of a mighty man who fought the enemies that owned the blanket). [2]
For birdwatchers, the Mantanani Islands are great for seeing birds that usually nest on islands, because of their relative lack of terrestrial predators, and are rarely or unpredictably seen on the mainland. There are several trails through the centre of the Mantanani Besar island in addition to open beaches along the coasts where birds can be spotted. Mantanani Besar is the only place in Malaysia to see the Mantanani scops owl. The islands are also home to four breeding pigeon species that include the pied imperial pigeon, grey imperial pigeon, pink-necked green pigeon and metallic pigeon. The Nicobar pigeon and black-naped fruit dove visit the island occasionally from the mainland. Emerald doves can also be seen on the island. Mantanani Besar is also home to the Philippine megapode, which thrive in the coastal forests. Three species of sunbird have been recorded on the islands; the brown-throated sunbird, the red-throated sunbird and the olive-backed sunbird. The blue-naped parrot is locally extinct. Lungisan Island has a nesting cave colony of German's swiftlets and is an important roost for three species of frigatebirds. Other seabirds that can be seen around the islands is the brown booby and the black-naped tern. [3]
The islands are accessible by a one-hour speedboat trip from Kuala Abai jetty, Kota Belud, 80 km north-east of Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah. Sometimes the islands can be inaccessible to tourists due to stormy weather. Mantanani Besar contains a number of small resorts, catering mainly to scuba divers, and Mantanani Kechil has a small dive lodge.
Sipadan is the only oceanic island in Malaysia, rising 600 metres (2,000 ft) from the seabed. It is located in the Celebes Sea off the east coast of Sabah, Malaysia. It was formed by living corals growing on top of an extinct volcanic cone that took thousands of years to develop. Sipadan is located at the heart of the Indo-Pacific basin, the centre of one of the richest marine habitats in the world. More than 400 species of fish and hundreds of coral species have been classified in this ecosystem. Sipadan Island was at the top of Rodale's Scuba Diving Magazine Gold List for 'The Top Dive Destination in the World'. In fact it shared its top spot with 2 other destinations known for the diversity of their marine life — the Galápagos Islands of Ecuador and Truk in Micronesia. Furthermore, one of the dive operators; Scuba Junkie was voted by the public the "Best Dive Resort in the World 2020" at DiveMagazine's annual Dive Travel Awards.
The Sama-Bajau include several Austronesian ethnic groups of Maritime Southeast Asia. The name collectively refers to related people who usually call themselves the Sama or Samah ; or are known by the exonym Bajau. They usually live a seaborne lifestyle and use small wooden sailing vessels such as the perahu, djenging (balutu), lepa, and vinta (pilang). Some Sama-Bajau groups native to Sabah are also known for their traditional horse culture.
Mount Tambuyukon or Tamboyukon is a mountain located at the West Coast and Kudat divisions of Sabah, Malaysia. It is considered the third-highest mountain in the country with height at 2,579 metres (8,461 ft), lying north of the highest Mount Kinabalu.
Kapalai is an island in Tawau Division, Sabah, Malaysia, known for its scuba resorts.
Gaya Island is a sizeable Malaysian island of 1,465 ha, just 10 minutes off Kota Kinabalu, Sabah and forms part of the Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park. Gaya Island derived its name from the word "Gayo" which means big in both the Kadazandusun and Bajau languages and occupies an area of 15 km2 with an elevation of up to 300 metres. Several ridges rise more than 600 feet, peaking at 1,000 feet, along the backbone of Gaya Island.
Swallow Reef, also known as Malay: Pulau Layang-Layang; Vietnamese: Đá Hoa Lau; Mandarin Chinese: 燕子島; pinyin: Yànzi Dǎo; Celerio Reef, is an oceanic atoll of the Spratly Islands administered by Malaysia.
Banggi Island is located in the Kudat Division of Sabah in Malaysia. With an area of 440.7 square kilometres, it is the largest island fully in Malaysia followed by Bruit Island, Langkawi Island and Penang Island. It is located off the northern coast of Sabah near Marudu Bay. The highest elevation on the island is Bukit Sinambung at 529 metres (1,736 ft). As of 2016, it has an estimated population of 30,000. Banggi's largest settlement is Limbuak. In 2014, a new township was proposed to be built in the island. The island is also part of the gazetted area of Tun Mustapha Marine Park.
The black-sided flowerpecker, also known as the Bornean flowerpecker, is a species of bird in the family Dicaeidae. It is endemic to the island of Borneo, where it is found in the mountains, primarily above 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in elevation. The species is sexually dimorphic. The male has glossy blue-black upperparts, with a scarlet throat and breast, a dark grey upper belly, olive flanks, a white lower belly, and a buffy vent and undertail coverts. The female is olive-green above and greyish below, with buffy flanks and a whitish throat. It inhabits a range of forest habitats, including primary and secondary montane forest, kerangas forest, and scrub, and is also occasionally found in gardens. It feeds primarily on small fruits—particularly mistletoe berries—as well as seeds, nectar, and various invertebrates. It builds a nest of moss, camouflaged on the outside with lichens and lined with the pith of tree ferns. The International Union for Conservation of Nature rates it as a species of least concern. Though its numbers have not been quantified, the black-sided flowerpecker is said to be common throughout much of its range, and any declines are not thought to be precipitous. However, destruction of forest for palm plantations may impact it.
Kota Kinabalu Wetland Centre is 24 hectares of the only remains of mangrove forest that once existed extensively along the coastal region of Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. Previously known as Likas Swamp or Likas Mangrove and later Kota Kinabalu City Bird Sanctuary, the Centre came foremost out of 20 wetlands selected by the Sabah Wetlands Inventory Committee in 1986.
The Sama–Bajaw languages are a well-established group of languages spoken by the Sama-Bajau peoples of the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
Manukan Island is the second largest island in the Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park, Malaysia's first marine national park. It is located in the East Malaysian state of Sabah, just off the coast of Kota Kinabalu and is easily accessible by boat.
The pale-faced bulbul is a songbird in the bulbul family. It is endemic to the island of Borneo.
The Bornean black magpie, also known as the black crested magpie, is a treepie in the family Corvidae. It is endemic to the Southeast Asian island of Borneo.
The Papar District is an administrative district in the Malaysian state of Sabah, part of the West Coast Division which includes the districts of Kota Belud, Kota Kinabalu, Papar, Penampang, Putatan, Ranau and Tuaran. The capital of the district is in Papar Town.
Isnaraissah Munirah binti Majilis @ Fakharudy is a Malaysian politician and electrical engineer who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Kota Belud since May 2018. She served as the Deputy Minister of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration under former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and former Minister Yeo Bee Yin from July 2018 to the collapse of the PH administration in February 2020. She is a member of the Heritage Party (WARISAN) and was a member of the People's Justice Party (PKR), a component party of the PH and formerly Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalitions. She is also presently the sole female WARISAN MP.
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: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)