Mount Kinabalu

Mount Kinabalu
Highest point
Elevation4,095 m (13,435 ft)
Prominence4,095 m (13,435 ft)
Ranked 20th
Isolation2,513 km (1,562 mi) Edit this on Wikidata
ListingCountry high point
Island high point
Ultra
Ribu
Coordinates06°04′30″N 116°33′31″E / 6.07500°N 116.55861°E / 6.07500; 116.55861
Naming
Native name
Geography
Mount Kinabalu is located in Malaysia
Mount Kinabalu
Mount Kinabalu
Map showing location of Mount Kinabalu within Malaysia.
LocationRanau, West Coast Division, Sabah, Malaysia
Parent rangeCrocker Mountains
Climbing
First ascentMarch 1851
Hugh Low (summit plateau)
1888
John Whitehead (highest peak)
Easiest routeHiking
Sunrise on Mount Kinabalu

Mount Kinabalu (Dusun: Gayo Ngaran or Nulu Nabalu, Malay: Gunung Kinabalu) is the highest mountain in Borneo and Malaysia. With an elevation of 4,095 metres (13,435 ft), it is the third-highest peak of an island on Earth, the 28th highest peak in Southeast Asia, and 20th most prominent mountain in the world. The mountain is located in Ranau district, West Coast Division of Sabah, Malaysia. It is protected as Kinabalu Park, a World Heritage Site.

In 1997, a re-survey using satellite technology established its summit (known as Low's Peak) height at 4,095 m (13,435 ft) above sea level, which is some 6 m (20 ft) less than the previously thought and hitherto published figure of 4,101 m (13,455 ft).[1]

The mountain and its surroundings are among the most important biological sites in the world, with between 5,000 and 6,000 species of plants, 326 species of birds, and more than 100 mammalian species identified. Among this rich collection of wildlife are famous species such as the gigantic Rafflesia plants and orangutans. Mount Kinabalu has been accorded UNESCO World Heritage status.[2][3][4]

Low's Peak can be climbed by a person in good physical condition and there is no need for mountaineering equipment at any point on the main route, but climbers must be accompanied by accredited guides at all times due to national park regulations and may experience altitude sickness.[5]

  1. ^ Phillipps, A. & F. Liew 2000. Globetrotter Visitor's Guide – Kinabalu Park. New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd.
  2. ^ "Kinabalu Park". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 14 June 2015. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  3. ^ Michael Aquino. "Mount Kinabalu, Malaysia". About.com Travel. Archived from the original on 4 April 2015. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  4. ^ "Mount Kinabalu – revered abode of the dead". Ecology Asia. Archived from the original on 21 September 2010. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  5. ^ Simon Richmond (2010). Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei. Lonely Planet. pp. 360–. ISBN 978-1-74104-887-2. Archived from the original on 29 June 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2015.