Tunku Abdul Rahman Park
Flora
and Fauna I Marine
Park I Pulau
Manukan I Pulau
Mamutik I Pulau
Sulug I Pulau Gaya I Pulau
Sapi I Some do's and don't
Introduction
The Tunku Abdul Rahman Park lying from 3 to 8 kilometers
off Kota Kinabalu, comprises of 5 islands surrounded by coral reefs,
It covers an area of 4,929 hectares of which two thirds is sea.
The islands are Pulau Gaya, Pulau Manukan, Pulau Mamutik, Pulau
Sapi and Pulau Sulug. Because of the natural environment and clear
waters that is typical for all the islands, plus the nearness and
accessibility, picnickers, divers and nature lovers alike are attracted
to them.
History
In 1882 there was a trading settlement on Pulau Gaya set up by the
British North Borneo Chartered Company which was later moved to
the mainland, now known as Kota Kinabalu. In 1974, the major part
of Pulau Gaya and the whole of Pulau Sapi was gazetted as the Tunku
Abdul Rahman Park, covering an area of 8,990 acres (3,638 hectares).
In 1979 it was increased to 12,185 acres (4,929 hectares) with the
inclusion of the 3 nearby islands Pulau Manukan, Pulau Mamutik and
Pulau Sulug.
Climate
The islands can be visited all year round. Temperatures
are between 23.8 - 29.4 degrees Celsius and humidity remains relatively
high throughout the year.
Geology
The islands, underlaid by folded sandstone and sedimentary
rock, are part of the Crocker Range Rock Formation of the western
coast od Sabah. Towards the end of the Ice Age about a million years
ago, changes in sea level occurred, resulting in portions of the
mainland being cut off by the sea, thus forming the islands as we
know today. Exposed sandstone outcrops still feature the coasts
of most of these islands forming cliffs, caves, honeycombs and deep
crevasses along the shore. |
