Mount Kinabalu

Mount Kinabalu (Malay Gunung Kinabalu), also Kinabala, mountain in eastern Malaysia, in the state of Sabah, on the island of Borneo. Kinabalu is situated at the northeastern end of the Crocker Range, which runs parallel to the coast of northern Borneo. It is the highest peak in the Malay Archipelago, reaching 4,101 m (13,455 ft), some 55 km (35 mi) east of Kota Kinabalu (Jesselton). At its peak is a granite plateau 800 m (2,600 ft) long, dropping steeply down sheer cliffs, precipices, and gullies, to the lower slopes which lie at an average height of 600 m (2,000 ft). Kinabalu’s name is derived from a local term meaning “sacred place of the dead,” and the mountain has a spiritual significance for many natives of Sabah. It is now part of Kinabalu National Park, which covers an area of 74,500 hectares (184,000 acres). The peak was first climbed in 1851 by Hugh Low (later Sir Hugh Low), who became the British administrator of the Malay Peninsula in 1877.