Mengalum Island

About

Mengalum Island (Malay: Pulau Mengalum, Kadazan Dusun: Mangalum, West Coast Bajau: Mangalum) is an island located in the West Coast Division of Kota Kinabalu District, Sabah in the South China Sea in Malaysia. The island is 4.2 square kilometres (1.6 sq mi) in size and lies offshore 56 kilometres (35 mi) northwest of Sabah's capital city of Kota Kinabalu. In the past, crude oil was discovered in the waters of the island by the British in the 1900s, before the island became one of the Empire of Japan's reprisal points during the Second World War in the hunt for Jesselton revolt members. Under Sabah and Malaysian administration, it was used as a quarantine facility for imported livestock up until 1997. In the present time, various conservation efforts are initiated on the island through the joint efforts between the local department and foreign entities. The island also became one of the diving spots in Sabah.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.