Kota Marudu (Malay: Pekan Kota Marudu) is the capital of the Kota Marudu District in the Kudat Division of Sabah, Malaysia. Its population was estimated to be around 81,300 in 2019.[1] It is located 130 kilometres north of the state capital, Kota Kinabalu, along the federal highway linking Kota Kinabalu with the town of Kudat, near the northern tip of Borneo.
Kota Marudu
Pekan Kota Marudu | |
|---|---|
Town and district capital | |
From top, left to right: Corncob Roundabout in Langkon Commercial Centre, Shophouse in Downtown, the District Office, Town Square, and Access to Town Road | |
 | |
| Coordinates: 6°29′23″N 116°44′10″E / 6.48972°N 116.73611°E | |
| Country |  Malaysia |
| State |  Sabah |
| Division | Kudat |
| District | Kota Marudu |
| Population (2019) | |
| • Total | 81,300 |
Places of interest in Kota Marudu include Sorinsim Waterfall, located 40 kilometres from the main town, and Sagabon Park, an agriculture research station on Buyut Lake. Kota Marudu also boasts Southeast Asia's largest solar power station. The town celebrates an annual Maize Festival in honour of the agricultural product's contribution to the district's socio-economic development. The line-up of activities includes a variety of exhibitions, competitions, traditional sports and a beauty pageant.
History
editIt is not very clear when Kota Marudu was established but it is appeared on 15th century map of borneo by Johannes Cloppenburgh (circa 1632)[2] and map by Benjamin Wright (1601)[3][4] with name of "Marudo". It is also referred as "Malloodoo" in other old maps.
Etymology
editIn some other old maps it is also referred to as Bandau. According to the legend, Bandau is a derivative of the word 'Mondou' from the Rungus dialect which means "the head (leader) of all the beasts". Mondou was once believed to have been founded by Aki Rungsud in the area along the Bandau River. The town was renamed 'Kota Marudu' after a fort (kota) built by local warrior named Sharif Usman at Marudu Bay to protect the area from the British North Borneo colonial authorities, where he was considered by the latter as a pirate.[5]
Climate
editKota Marudu has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) with heavy to very heavy rainfall year-round.
| Climate data for Kota Marudu | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 29.6 (85.3) |
29.8 (85.6) |
30.6 (87.1) |
31.5 (88.7) |
31.9 (89.4) |
31.5 (88.7) |
31.2 (88.2) |
31.3 (88.3) |
30.8 (87.4) |
30.7 (87.3) |
30.4 (86.7) |
29.9 (85.8) |
30.8 (87.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 26.1 (79.0) |
26.3 (79.3) |
26.8 (80.2) |
27.5 (81.5) |
27.9 (82.2) |
27.5 (81.5) |
27.2 (81.0) |
27.2 (81.0) |
26.8 (80.2) |
26.9 (80.4) |
26.8 (80.2) |
26.4 (79.5) |
27.0 (80.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 22.7 (72.9) |
22.8 (73.0) |
23.1 (73.6) |
23.6 (74.5) |
23.9 (75.0) |
23.5 (74.3) |
23.2 (73.8) |
23.2 (73.8) |
22.9 (73.2) |
23.2 (73.8) |
23.2 (73.8) |
23.0 (73.4) |
23.2 (73.8) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 409 (16.1) |
233 (9.2) |
152 (6.0) |
111 (4.4) |
174 (6.9) |
143 (5.6) |
128 (5.0) |
107 (4.2) |
154 (6.1) |
196 (7.7) |
228 (9.0) |
318 (12.5) |
2,353 (92.7) |
| Source: Climate-Data.org[6] | |||||||||||||
References
edit- ^ "Population by ethnic group, Local Authority area and state, Malaysia" (PDF). Department of Statistics, Malaysia. 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
- ^ "Antique Map of Borneo".
- ^ "Old Borneo Map by Benjamin Wright in 1601".
- ^ "Kaart van het eiland Borneo, 1601, Benjamin Wright".
- ^ "Latar Belakang Daerah" (in Malay). Kota Marudu District Office. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
- ^ "Climate: Kota Marudu". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
External links
editMedia related to Kota Marudu at Wikimedia Commons
