Pulau Tiga National Park
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Pulau Tiga National Park | |
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IUCN Category II (National Park) | |
Location: | Sabah, Malaysia |
Area: | 158 kmĀ² |
Established: | 1978 |
Governing body: | Sabah Parks |
Pulau Tiga National Park was established in 1978, although the area has been under protection as a forest reserve since 1933. It is located north of Kuala Penyu, opposite the swampy Klias Peninsula, in Sabah, east Malaysia on the island of Borneo.
The park covers 158 square kilometers of mostly ocean, containing the 3 islands of Pulau Tiga, Pulau Kalampunian Besar and Pulau Kalampunian Damit. The islands were formed in 1897 by the eruption of mud volcanos.
Pulau Tiga is now covered in dense vegetation; however volcanic activity continues in the form of bubbling mud and methane gas venting, although the last major outpouring of mud was in the early 1960s.
Pulau Kalampunian Besar is now little more than a sandbar, eroded away by wave action. Known for its sugar-white sands and clear waters, it is popular for scuba diving and snorkeling. It was also the location of the US reality TV show Survivor.
Pulau Kalampunian Damit, little more than a large rock, is also called Pulau Ular (Snake Island). It is famous as a mating location for highly poisonous sea snakes.
Pulau Tiga Park is administered by Sabah Parks.