NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Mount Kinabalu

Mount Kinabalu (Malay: Gunung Kinabalu) is a prominent mountain in Southeast Asia. It is located in Kinabalu National Park (a World Heritage Site) in the east Malaysian state of Sabah, which is on the island of Borneo in the tropics. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x501, 170 KB) Mount Kinabalu view from Kundasang, 65Km away from Sabah state capital city, Kota Kinabalu. ... A topographical summit is a point on a surface which is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. ... State motto: Sabah Maju Jaya State anthem: Sabah Tanah Airku Capital Kota Kinabalu Ruling party Barisan Nasional - Yang di-Pertua Negeri Ahmadshah Abdullah - Ketua Menteri Musa Aman History - Brunei Sultanate 19th century - British North Borneo 1882 - Japanese occupation 1941-1945 - British control 1946 - Accession into Malaysia 1963 Area - Total 76... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Kalimantan. ... The Himalaya as seen from the International Space Station A mountain range is a group of mountains bordered by lowlands or separated from other mountain ranges by passes or rivers. ... Crocker Range (Banjaran Crocker in Malay), is a mountain range on the island of Borneo. ... In topography, prominence, also known as autonomous height, relative height or shoulder drop (in America) or prime factor (in Europe), is a concept used in the categorization of hills and mountains, also known as peaks. ... This is a list of peaks by prominence; that is, a list of mountains on Earth ordered by their topographic prominence. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... In climbing, a first ascent (FA) is the first climb to reach the top of a mountain, or the first to follow a particular climbing route. ... 1858 (MDCCCLVIII) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Hugh Low (May 10, 1824 - April 18, 1905) was a British colonial administrator and naturalist. ... Spenser St. ... Southern and northern Mount Everest climbing routes as seen from the International Space Station. ... Two hikers in the Mount Hood National Forest Eagle Creek hiking Hiking is a form of walking, undertaken with the specific purpose of exploring and enjoying the scenery. ... The Malay language, also known locally as Bahasa Melayu, is an Austronesian language spoken by the Malay people who reside in the Malay Peninsula, southern Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore, central eastern Sumatra, the Riau islands, parts of the coast of Borneo and even in the Netherlands[1]. It is an... Lyskamm, 4 527 m, Pennine Alps A mountain is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain in a limited area. ... Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ... Kinabalu National Park or Taman Negara Kinabalu in Malay, established as one of the first national parks of Malaysia in 1964, is Malaysias first World Heritage site designated by UNESCO in December 2000 for its outstanding universal values and the role as one of the most important biological sites... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... State motto: Sabah Maju Jaya State anthem: Sabah Tanah Airku Capital Kota Kinabalu Ruling party Barisan Nasional - Yang di-Pertua Negeri Ahmadshah Abdullah - Ketua Menteri Musa Aman History - Brunei Sultanate 19th century - British North Borneo 1882 - Japanese occupation 1941-1945 - British control 1946 - Accession into Malaysia 1963 Area - Total 76... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Kalimantan. ... A noontime scene from the Philippines on a day when the sun is almost directly overhead. ...

In 1997, a re-survey using satellite technology established its summit (known as Low’s Peak) height at 4,095 metres (13,435 ft) above sea level, which is some 6 metres (20 ft) less than the previously thought and hitherto published figure of 4,101 metres (13,455 ft).^[1] The mountain is the third tallest in Southeast Asia behind Hkakabo Razi of Myanmar (Burma) and Puncak Jaya of New Guinea - Indonesia,^[2] and is therefore also the tallest in Malaysia and on the island of Borneo, which Malaysia shares with Indonesia and tiny Brunei. The metre or meter is a measure of length. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, â€² â€“ a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... Hkakabo Razi (Burmese: ) is Southeast Asias highest mountain, located in the northern Myanmar state of Kachin. ... Puncak Jaya (IPA: /pÊŠn. ...

The mountain and its surroundings feature a huge variety of flora, and is one of the world’s most important biological sites. Simplified schematic of an islands flora - all its plant species, highlighted in boxes. ...

The main peak of the mountain (Low's Peak) can be relatively easily climbed by a person with a good physical condition, and requires no mountaineering equipment. Other peaks along the massif, however, require rock climbing skills. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Biology

Significantly, Mount Kinabalu is well-known worldwide for its tremendous botanical and biological species biodiversity, with high levels of endemism (i.e. species which are found only within Kinabalu Park and are not found anywhere else in the world). As examples, it has one of the world’s richest orchid flora with over 800 species, over 600 species of ferns (more than the whole of Africa’s 500 species) of which 50 are found no where else, and is the richest place in the world for the Nepenthes insectivorous pitcher plants (five of the thirteen are found nowhere else on earth) which reach spectacular proportions (the largest in the world being the endemic Nepenthes rajah). ^[3] Botany is the scientific study of plant life. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biodiversity. ... Rainforests are among the most biodiverse ecosystems on earth Biodiversity is the variation of taxonomic life forms within a given ecosystem, biome or for the entire Earth. ... Endemic, in a broad sense, can mean belonging or native to, characteristic of, or prevalent in a particular geography, race, field, area, or environment; Native to an area or scope. ... Orchid re-directs here; for alternate uses see Orchid (disambiguation) Genera Over 800 See List of Orchidaceae genera. ... Simplified schematic of an islands flora - all its plant species, highlighted in boxes. ... Classes Psilotopsida Equisetopsida Marattiopsida Pteridopsida (Polypodiopsida) this dnt make sense A fern is any one of a group of about 20,000 species of plants classified in the phylum or division Pteridophyta, also known as Filicophyta. ... Any organism with a diet that consists chiefly of insects and similar small creatures is an insectivore. ... Pitcher plants (families Sarraceniaceae and Nepenthaceae) are carnivorous plants featuring a deep cavity filled with liquid. ... Binomial name Nepenthes rajah Hook. ...

The parasitic Rafflesia plant, which has the largest single flower in the world, is also found in Kinabalu (particularly the Rafflesia keithii whose flower grows to a whopping 94 centimetres or 37 inches in diameter), ^[4] though it should be noted that blooms of the flower are rare and difficult to find. A recent botanical survey of the mountain estimated a staggering 5,000 to 6,000 plant species (excluding mosses and liverworts but including ferns),^[5] which is more than all of Europe and North America (excluding tropical regions of Mexico) combined. It is therefore one of the world’s most important biological sites. A parasite is an organism that lives in or on the living tissue of a host organism at the expense of it. ... Species See text. ...

Its incredible biodiversity in plant life is due to a combination of several unique factors: its setting in one of the richest plant regions of the world (the tropical biogeographical region known as western Malesia which comprises the island of Sumatra, the Malay Peninsula, and the island of Borneo), the fact that the mountain covers a wide climatic range from near sea level to freezing ground conditions near the summit, the jagged terrain and diversity of rocks and soils, the high levels of rainfall (averaging about 2700mm a year at park HQ), and the climatic instability caused by periods of glaciation and catastrophic droughts which result in evolution and speciation. This diversity is greatest in the lowland regions (comprised of lowland dipterocarp forests, so called because the tree family Dipterocarpaceae are dominant). However, most of Kinabalu’s endemic species are found in the mountain forests, particularly on ultramafic soils (i.e soils which are low in phosphates and high in iron and metals poisonous to many plants; this high toxic content gave rise to the development of distinctive plant species found nowhere else). ^[6] Rainforests are among the most biodiverse ecosystems on earth Biodiversity is the variation of taxonomic life forms within a given ecosystem, biome or for the entire Earth. ... Malesia is a biogeographical region straddling the boundary of the Indomalaya and Australasia ecozones. ... Sumatra (also spelled Sumatera) is the sixth largest island in the world (approximately 470,000 kmÂ²) and is the largest island entirely in Indonesia (two larger islands, Borneo and New Guinea, are partially in Indonesia). ... The Malay Peninsula (Malay: Semenanjung Tanah Melayu) is a major peninsula located in Southeast Asia. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Kalimantan. ... A glaciation (a created composite term meaning Glacial Period, referring to the Period or Era of, as well as the process of High Glacial Activity), often called an ice age, is a geological phenomenon in which massive ice sheets form in the Arctic and Antarctic and advance toward the equator. ... This article is about evolution in biology. ... Charles Darwins first sketch of an evolutionary tree from his First Notebook on Transmutation of Species (1837) Speciation is the evolutionary process by which new biological species arise. ... This article is about forests as a massing of trees. ... In biological classification, family (Latin: familia, plural familiae) is 1) a rank or 2) a taxon in that rank. ... Genera Anisoptera Cotylelobium Dipterocarpus Dryobalanops Hopea Marquesia Monotes Neobalanocarpus Pakaraimaea Parashorea Shorea Stemonoporus Upuna Vateria Vateriopsis Vatica Dipterocarpaceae is a family of 17 genera and approximately 580-680 species of mainly tropical lowland rainforest trees with two-winged fruits. ... Endemic, in a broad sense, can mean belonging or native to, characteristic of, or prevalent in a particular geography, race, field, area, or environment; Native to an area or scope. ... Ultramafic (or ultrabasic) rocks are igneous rocks with very low silica content (less than 45%), generally >18% MgO, high FeO, low potassium and are composed of usually greater than 90% mafic minerals (dark colored, high magnesium and iron content). ...

There are some 326 species of birds in Kinabalu Park (including the spectacular Rhinocerous Hornbill); and some 100 mammalian species, including one of the four great apes, the Orang Utan (though sightings of these are uncommon; estimates of its numbers in the park range from 25 to 120). ^[7] Genera Aceros Anorrhinus Anthracoceros Buceros Bucorvus Ceratogymna (=Bycanistes) Ocyceros Penelopides Tockus Hornbills (Family Bucerotidae) are a group of birds whose bill is shaped like a cows horn, but without a twist, sometimes with a casque on the upper mandible. ... For the chess opening, see Sokolsky Opening. ...

Geology

Mount Kinabalu is essentially a huge granite dome that was pushed up from the earth’s crust as molten rock millions of years ago. In geological terms, it is a very young mountain as the granite cooled and hardened only about 10 million years ago. During the ice ages of about 100,000 years ago, the massive mountain was covered by huge sheets of ice and glaciers which flowed down its slopes, scouring its surface in the process. Its granite composition and the glacial formative processes are readily apparent when viewing its craggy rocky peaks. ^[8] Close-up of granite from Yosemite National Park, valley of the Merced River Quarrying granite for the Mormon Temple, Utah Territory. ... Geology (from Greek γη- (ge-, the earth) and λογος (logos, word, reason)) is the science and study of the Earth, its composition, structure, physical properties, history, and the processes that shape it. ... Austrias longest glacier, the Pasterze, winds its 8 km (5 mile) route at the foot of Austrias highest mountain, the Grossglockner A glacier is a large, long-lasting river of ice that is formed on land and moves in response to gravity. ...

Climbing route

Climbers must be accompanied by guides at all times. The climb starts at the Kinabalu park headquarters at 1,563m (5,128 feet). Laban Rata guest house on Mount Kinabalu. ...

Accommodation is available inside the park or outside near the headquarters. From there, climbers proceed to the Timpohon gate at 1800 m (5900 ft), either by minibus or by walking, and then walk to the Laban Rata hut at 3300 m (10,800 ft). Most people accomplish this part of the climb in 3 to 6 hours. Since there are no roads, the supplies for the Laban Rata hut are carried by porters, who bring up to 30 kilograms of supplies on their backs. Hot food and beverages, hot showers and heated rooms are available at the hut. The last 800 m (2600 ft), from the Laban Rata hut at 3300 m to the summit at 4100 m, takes between 2 and 4 hours. The last part of the climb is on naked granite rock.

Given the high altitude, some people may suffer from altitude sickness and should return immediately to the bottom of the mountain, as breathing and any further movement becomes increasingly difficult. Altitude sickness, also known as acute mountain sickness (AMS) or altitude illness is a pathological condition that is caused by acute exposure to high altitudes. ...

A typical descent from the summit is quick but is often equally painful as the ascent: knee joints, ankle joints and toes tend to suffer as the climbers descend 3000 m (9850 ft) in five hours.

Tales

There are two stories that led to the main beliefs in the origin of the mountain's name.

The first derivation of the word Kinabalu is extracted from the short form for the Kadazan Dusun word 'Aki Nabalu', meeting "the revered place of the dead". The Coastal Kadazan[1] language is a Austronesian language primarily spoken in Sabah, Malaysia. ...

The second source states that the name "Kinabalu" actually means "Cina Balu" (which would fully mean "A Chinese Widow"). Due to the lingual influence among the Kadazan Dusun of Sabah, the pronunciation for the word "cina" (chee-na) was changed to "Kina" (kee-na). Linguistics is the scientific study of language, which can be theoretical or applied. ... State motto: Sabah Maju Jaya State anthem: Sabah Tanah Airku Capital Kota Kinabalu Ruling party Barisan Nasional - Yang di-Pertua Negeri Ahmadshah Abdullah - Ketua Menteri Musa Aman History - Brunei Sultanate 19th century - British North Borneo 1882 - Japanese occupation 1941-1945 - British control 1946 - Accession into Malaysia 1963 Area - Total 76... Look up pronunciation in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

It was told that a Chinese prince was cast away to Borneo when his ship sank in the middle of the South China Sea. He was subsequently rescued by the natives from a nearby village. As he recovered, he was slowly accepted as one of the people of the village. Eventually, he fell in love with a local girl and married her. Years went by, and he started to feel homesick. So he asked permission from his newly-found family to go back to China to visit his parents (the Emperor and Empress of China). To his wife, he promised that as soon as he was done with his chores in China, he would come back to Borneo to take her and their children back to China. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Kalimantan. ... The South China Sea, showing surrounding countries and neighbouring seas and oceans The South China Sea is a marginal sea south of China. ... The king or wang (王 wang2) was the Chinese head of state from the Zhou to Qin dynasties. ...

When he made his return to China, he was given a grand welcome by his family. However, to his dismay, his parents disagreed with him about taking his Bornean wife back to China. Worse, they told him that he was already betrothed to a princess of a neighbouring kingdom. Having no choice (due to high respect towards his parents), he obeyed with a heavy heart.

Meanwhile, back in Borneo, his wife grew more and more anxious. Eventually, she decided that she will wait for her husband's ship. However, since the village was situated far away from the coast, she couldn't afford to come to the shore and wait for him daily. Instead she decided to climb to the top of the highest mountain near her village, so that she could have a better view of the ships sailing in the South China Sea. Thus, she was then seen climbing up the mountain at every sunrise, returning only at night to attend to her growing children.

Eventually her efforts took their toll. She fell ill, and died at the top of the cold mountain while waiting for her husband. The spirit of the mountain, having observed her for years, was extremely touched by her loyalty towards her husband. Out of admiration for this woman, the spirit of the mountain turned her into a stone. Her face, was made to face the South China Sea, so that she could wait forever for her dear husband's return. Animism is a belief system that does not accept the separation of body and soul, of spirit from matter. ...

The people in her hometown who heard about this were also gravely touched by this. Thus, they decided to name the mountain, Kinabalu, in remembrance of her. To them, the mountain is a symbol of the everlasting love and loyalty that should be taken as a good example by women.

Local legend among the people of Ranau, a district in Sabah, has it that St John's Peak was the stone which her body was turned into. Ranau is a town located in West Coast Division, in the center of Sabah, east Malaysia on the island of Borneo. ...

Notes

External links

Categories: Mountains of Sabah | Mountains of Malaysia | Heritage parks of ASEAN | World Heritage Sites in Malaysia | Hiking trails in Malaysia Wikitravel is a project to create an open content, complete, up-to-date, and reliable world-wide travel guide. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Sabah. ... State motto: Sabah Maju Jaya State anthem: Sabah Tanah Airku Capital Kota Kinabalu Ruling party Barisan Nasional - Yang di-Pertua Negeri Ahmadshah Abdullah - Ketua Menteri Musa Aman History - Brunei Sultanate 19th century - British North Borneo 1882 - Japanese occupation 1941-1945 - British control 1946 - Accession into Malaysia 1963 Area - Total 76... Interior Division is an administrative division of Sabah, east Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. ... Kudat Division is an administrative division of Sabah, east Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. ... Sandakan Division is an administrative division of Sabah, east Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. ... Tawau Division is one of the five administrative sub-divisions of Sabah, east Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. ... West Coast Division is an administrative division of Sabah, east Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. ... Nickname: KK Location in Malaysia Country Malaysia State Sabah Establishment Granted city status on 2 February 2000 - Mayor Datuk Illiyas Ibrahim Population (2000) - City 457,326 - Metro 900,000 approx. ... Beaufort is a town located in Interior Division of Sabah in east Malaysia on the island of Borneo. ... Beluran is a town located in the Sandakan Division, in east Sabah, Malaysia on the island of Borneo. ... Bingkor is a small township located in the Interior Division of Sabah, Malaysia. ... Bongawan is a town in the state of Sabah in Malaysia. ... Donggongon is a town in the West Coast Division of Sabah, Malaysia. ... Inanam is a town in Sabah, Malaysia. ... Kalabakan is a small township in Sabah, Malaysia. ... Keningau is a sprawling timber and agricultural town and a district located in Interior Division of Sabah, east Malaysia on the island of Borneo. ... Kimanis is a town in the West Coast Division of Sabah, Malaysia. ... Kinabatangan is a town located in Sandakan Division, in the east of Sabah, Malaysia on the island of Borneo. ... Kinarut is a town just outside Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysia. ... Kota Belud is a town located in West Coast Division, in the center of Sabah, east Malaysia on the island of Borneo. ... Kota Marudu is a tiny district of Kudat Division, Malaysia with approximately 19. ... Kuala Penyu is a town located in Interior Division of Sabah, east Malaysia on the island of Borneo. ... Kudat Kudat is a town in Sabah, east Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. ... Kunak is a small town located in Tawau Division, east coast of Sabah. ... Kundasang Valley Kundasang is a village in Sabah, Borneo that lies along the bank of Kundasang Valley. ... Lahad Datu is a town located in Tawau Division, in the east of Sabah, eastern Malaysia on the island of Borneo. ... Membakut is a small town in Sabah, Malaysia. ... Menggatal is a [[Malaysia|Malaysian}} town and district on the west coast of Sabah, on the outskirts of the capital, Kota Kinabalu. ... Nabawan is a town located in Interior Division of Sabah, east Malaysia on the island of Borneo. ... Papar is a town located in West Coast Division, in the center of Sabah, east Malaysia on the island of Borneo. ... Pensiangan is a small town in the state of Sabah in Malaysia. ... Pitas is a town in the Kudat Division of Sabah, east Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. ... Putatan is a town and a suburb of Kota Kinabalu in east Malaysia. ... Ranau is a town located in West Coast Division, in the center of Sabah, east Malaysia on the island of Borneo at an altitude of 1176m above sea level. ... Location in Sabah and Malaysia Country Malaysia State Sabah Establishment Government - Council President Yeo Boon Hai Area - City 2,266 kmÂ² (875 sq mi) Population (2006) - City 427,200 - Density 184/kmÂ² (488/sq mi) Time zone MST (UTC+8) - Summer (DST) Not observed (UTC) Website: http://www. ... Sapulut is a town along Sapulut River in the Interior Division of Sabah, Malaysia. ... Semporna is a town located in Tawau Division, in the east of Sabah, Malaysia on the island of Borneo. ... Sepanggar is a port and a district about 20 kilometres north of the city of Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. ... Sindumin is a town in Sabah, Malaysia. ... Sipitang is a town located in Interior Division of Sabah, east Malaysia on the island of Borneo. ... Tambunan is a town located in Interior Division of Sabah, east Malaysia on the island of Borneo. ... Tamparuli, is a small town and a sub-district of Tuaran in the west coast of Sabah, Malaysia. ... Tawau Location Map 300px Town Tawau Coordinates 4. ... Telipok is a town located about 15 kilometres north of Kota Kinabalu, in Sabah, Malaysia. ... Telupid is a small town located in the district of Beluran in Sabah. ... Tenom is a town located in Interior Division of Sabah, east Malaysia on the island of Borneo. ... Tuaran town Tuaran is a town located in West Coast Division, in the northwest of Sabah, east Malaysia on the island of Borneo. ... Weston is a town on the west coast of the state of Sabah in Malaysia. ... Balambangan Island is located off the northern tip of Borneo in the Malaysian state of Sabah. ... Banggi Island or Pulau Banggi is the major island in Kudat Division, Sabah, Malaysia. ... Pulau Gaya is a sizeable Malaysian island of 1,465 ha, just 10 minutes off Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. ... Jambongan Island is located on the northern coast of Sabah in Malaysia. ... Kapalai is an island in Malaysia, known for its scuba resorts. ... Lankayan Island is a tropical resort island in the Sulu Sea of Malaysia, Sandakan and 15km from Sabah. ... Swallow Reef, known as (Pulau) Layang-Layang (Dusun for Place of Swallows) in Malaysia, Danwan Jiao (Chinese: å¼¹ä¸¸ç¤) in China and ÄÃ¡ Hoa Lau in Vietnam, is an uninhabited oceanic atoll of the Spratly Islands situated approximately 300 km northwest of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. ... Turtle Islands National Park (Pulau Penya National Park) is located some 40 kilometers north of Sandakan in Sabah, east Malaysia. ... Ligitan is a small island off Borneo in the east. ... Mabul first became popular due to its close proximity to Sipadan island. ... Malawali is an island in the state of Sabah, Malaysia located in the Sulu Sea. ... Sebatik Island is divided into two parts. ... Turtle Islands National Park (Pulau Penya National Park) is located some 40 kilometers north of Sandakan in Sabah, east Malaysia. ... Sipadan is the only oceanic island in Malaysia; rising 2,000 feet or 600m from the seabed; it has been formed by living corals growing on top of an extinct volcanic cone that took thousands of years to develop. ... Tabawan Island, Tabauawan or Pulau Tabauwan is the highest and largest of a group of heavily wooded islands lying in the southwest quadrant of Darvel Bay, Sabah. ... Pulau Tiga is an uninhabited island in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of North Borneo. ... -1...

Contents