Sipadan Island is located in the Celebes Sea off the east coast of Sabah, East Malaysia (which is on the island of Borneo). Sipadan is the only oceanic island in Malaysia, rising 600 metres (2,000 ft) from the seabed. It was formed by living corals growing on top of an extinct volcanic cone that took thousands of years to develop.
Sipadan is located at the heart of the Indo-Pacific basin, the centre of one of the richest marine habitats in the world. More than 3,000 species of fish and hundreds of coral species have been classified in this ecosystem. Sipadan is judged by many to be among the top 5 diving locations in the world.
The island is a covered in lush jungle and home to tropical birds such as kingfishers, sea-eagles, sunbirds, starlings and wood pigeons. There are also fruit bats and monitor lizards and at nightfall a turtle may come to lay her eggs on the beach while coconut crabs scurry into the water at the slightest sound. It was declared a bird sanctuary as early as 1933 and in 2004, all accommodation facilities on Sipadan were closed to further protect this pristine natural treasure.
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