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Kota Kinabalu

Kota Kinabalu
Jesselton
City and State Capital
Other transcription(s)
 • Jawi کوتا کينابالو
 • Simplified Chinese 亚庇
 • Traditional Chinese 亞庇
From top right clockwise: Tun Mustapha Tower, Swordfish Statue, Wawasan intersection, Wisma Tun Fuad Stephens, city centre street level and 1Borneo Mall.
From top right clockwise: Tun Mustapha Tower, Swordfish Statue, Wawasan intersection, Wisma Tun Fuad Stephens, city centre street level and 1Borneo Mall.
Flag of Kota Kinabalu
Flag
Official seal of Kota Kinabalu
Seal
Nickname(s): KK,
Bandaraya Peranginan Semulajadi
(Nature Resort City)
Location of Kota Kinabalu in Sabah
Location of Kota Kinabalu in Sabah
Kota Kinabalu is located in Malaysia
Kota Kinabalu
Kota Kinabalu
Location of Kota Kinabalu within Malaysia
Coordinates: 5°58′17″N 116°05′43″E / 5.97139°N 116.09528°E / 5.97139; 116.09528Coordinates: 5°58′17″N 116°05′43″E / 5.97139°N 116.09528°E / 5.97139; 116.09528
Country  Malaysia
State  Sabah
Division West Coast
Bruneian Empire 15th–18th century
Settled by BNBC 1882
Declared capital of North Borneo 1946
Granted city status 2 February 2000
Government
 • Mayor Yeo Boon Hai
Area
 • City and State Capital 351 km2 (136 sq mi)
 • Metro 816 km2 (315 sq mi)
Elevation 5 m (16 ft)
Population (2010)
 • City and State Capital 452,058
 • Density 1,463/km2 (3,790/sq mi)
 • Metro 628,725
 • Metro density 770.5/km2 (1,996/sq mi)
 • Demonym Orang KK / K.K-ites / K.K-ians
  Sourced from the Population and Housing Census of Malaysia 2010. Kota Kinabalu metropolitan area includes population of 176,667 in the Penampang, Papar and Tuaran districts.
Time zone MST (UTC+8)
Postal code 88xxx; 89xxx
Area code(s) 088, 087
Vehicle registration EJ, EJA, EJB (1967–1980)
SA, SAA, SAB, SAC (1980–present)
Website dbkk.sabah.gov.my

Kota Kinabalu (Malaysian pronunciation: [ˈkota kinaˈbalu], Jawi: کوتا کينا بالو‎, Chinese: 亚庇; pinyin: Yàbì), formerly known as Jesselton, is the capital of the state of Sabah, Malaysia. It is also the capital of the West Coast Division of Sabah. The city is located on the northwest coast of Borneo facing the South China Sea. The Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park lies to its west and Mount Kinabalu, which gave the city its name, is located to its east. Kota Kinabalu has a population of 452,058 according to the 2010 census; when the adjacent Penampang and Putatan districts are included, the metro area has a combined population of 628,725.

In the 15th century, the area of Kota Kinabalu was under the influence of Bruneian Empire. In the 19th century, the British North Borneo Company (BNBC) first set up a settlement near the Gaya Island. However, it was destroyed by fire in 1897 by a local leader named Mat Salleh. In July 1899, the place located opposite to the Gaya Island was identified as a suitable place for settlements. Development in the area was started soon after that; and the place was named "Api-api" before it was renamed after the vice-chairman of BNBC as "Jesselton". Jesselton became a major trading port in the area, and was connected to the North Borneo Railway. Jesselton was largely destroyed during World War II. The Japanese occupation of Jesselton provoked several local uprisings but they were eventually defeated by the Japanese. After the war, BNBC was unable to finance the high cost of reconstructions and the place was ceded to the British Crown Colony. The British Crown declared Jesselton as the new capital of North Borneo in 1946 and started to rebuild the town. After the formation of Malaysia, North Borneo was renamed as Sabah. In 1967, Jesselton was renamed as Kota Kinabalu. Kota Kinabalu was granted city status in 2000.


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Wikipedia

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