Sipadan

Pulau Sipadan belongs to Malaysia is an island in the Celebes Sea east of Borneo. It is located about 36 kilometers off the coast and is one of Semporna in the Malaysian state of Sabah. The island was known internationally by the Abu Sayyaf kidnapping case in 2000, were kidnapped in which foreign tourists by Islamic terrorists.

Description

The 13 -acre island has a length of 600 meters and a width of 250 meters. [Note 1] The wooded island rising up to a height of 20 meters from the sea.

Pulau Sipadan belongs together with the islands of Pulau Kapalai, Pulau Danawan, Pulau Ligitan, Pulau Si Amil and Pulau Mabul for so-called " Ligitan Group".

History

In the recent past, the islands were Pulau Sipadan Pulau Ligitan and triggers of intergovernmental disputes of Malaysia and Indonesia. Indonesia language Malaysia, citing the historical division of Pulau Sebatik along a line 4 ° 10 ' north latitude the right of sovereignty over the islands from. [Note 2] Indonesia argued that the set of the Dutch- British boundary commission on February 17, 1913 line also applies to all islands east of Sebatik. The International Court of Justice in The Hague this argument, however, did not follow and put 2002 that the islands of Ligitan Group belong to Malaysia. As an authoritative decision reasons the judges saw it the fact that, " over a long period of legislative, administrative and quasi- judicial function was exercised " by the predecessors of Malaysia, namely the North Borneo Chartered Company, and later the United Kingdom. These activities would neither Indonesia nor its predecessor, the Netherlands, ever contradicted.

A claim to the islands of the Philippines had been rejected in 2001 by the court.

In the " kidnapping of Abu Sayyaf " in 2000 there were a total of 22 hotel employees and tourists, including a family of three from Germany, kidnapped by the Islamic terrorist group Abu Sayyaf from a dive resort island and taken to the Philippine island of Jolo. Some of them came only after several months of being held hostage in the Philippine jungle again.

Diving

Sipadan Island is known as a dive site. The wealth of maritime life is enormous, ranging from reef shark (photo) and Barracuda to the wide variety of buffalo head parrot fish ( Bolbometopon muricatum ). In addition, turtles can be observed in large numbers. [Note 3]

The principal dive sites at Pulau Sipadan are:

  • Barracuda Point
  • Coral Garden
  • The Drop Off
  • Hanging Gardens
  • Sipidan Midreef
  • South Point
  • Staghorn Crest
  • Turtle Cavern
  • Whitetip Avenue

Conservation

2004, the island was declared a nature reserve and the local tourist resort closed. Upcoming resorts are located on the nearby islands of Pulau Mabul or Kapalai Pulau. The island has since allowed only during daylight hours are attended by a limited number of people and it is no longer allowed to stay on the island. Even the boarding of a large part of the island has been restricted. Only a small military and police station is still inhabited.

Hectare Si Amil Island Sebatik Island Balambangan Island Dinawan Island Kalampunian Island Kalumpang Island Sakar Island (Malaysia) Sepanggar Island Silawa Island Tabawan Island Tambisan Island Pulau Tiga Tigabu Island Timbang Island Timbun Mata
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