Redang Island, locally known as
Pulau Redang or just "Redang" is one of the largest islands off the east coast of
Malaysia. It is one of nine islands, which form a marine park, and which offer
snorkelingSnorkeling is the practice of swimming on or through a body of water while equipped with a diving mask, a shaped tube called a snorkel, and usually swimfins. In cooler waters, a wetsuit may also be worn...
and
divingDiving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
opportunities. Access is from Merang or
Kuala Terengganu-Transport:The city is connected to other towns via a good network of roads and also some ferries that ply the Terengganu River. The Sultan Mahmud Bridge, a bridge over the Terengganu River, provides a road link to both banks of the river...
on boats operated by the resorts; there is also a small airport with services operated by
Berjaya AirBerjaya Air is an airline based in Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia. It operates domestic scheduled and charter services, as well as regional flights. Its main base is Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, Subang, Malaysia.- History :...
from
SingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
(Changi Airport) and
Kuala LumpurKuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
(
Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah AirportSultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport , LTSAAS , often called Subang Airport or Subang Skypark, is an airport located in Subang, Selangor, Malaysia, and primarily serves general aviation and some turboprop domestic flights...
).
The island is also an important conservation site for
sea turtleSea turtles are marine reptiles that inhabit all of the world's oceans except the Arctic.-Distribution:...
s. Previously, the indiscriminate economic exploitation of turtle eggs had caused fewer turtles returning to nest on the island. This has led the Terengganu state government to set up the
Koperasi Setiajaya Pulau Redang in 1989, a cooperative aiming to develop and manage socio-economic programmes that could improve the livelihood of Pulau Redang locals without endangering its natural resources.
The Pulau Redang
archipelagoAn archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
comprises Pulau Redang, Pulau Lima, Pulau Paku Besar, Pulau Paku Kecil, Pulau Kerengga Kecil, Pulau Kerengga Besar, Pulau Ekor Tebu, Pulau Ling and Pulau Pinang. Pulau Redang is the biggest of all the islands in the
Marine ParkMarine Park is a neighborhood located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, that lies between Mill Basin and Gerritsen Beach. The neighborhood is mostly squared off in area by Gerritsen Avenue, Flatbush Avenue, Avenue U and Kings Highway. It partly surrounds the eponymous park. The neighborhood...
, measuring about 7 km long and 6 km wide. Its highest peak is Bukit Besar at 359 metres above sea level. The boundary of the Pulau Redang Marine Park is established by a line linking all points 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) from the shores of Pulau Redang, Pulau Lima, Pulau Ekor Tebu and Pulau Pinang. The other nearby islands of
Pulau Perhentian Besar, Pulau Perhentian KecilThe Perhentian Islands lie approximately 10 nautical miles off the coast of northeastern Malaysia inthe state of Terengganu, approximately 40 miles south of the Thai border....
,
Pulau Lang TengahLang Tengah Island is an island off the coast of Terengganu, Malaysia. It features crystal clear seawater, white beaches and an untouched tropical jungle...
,
Pulau KapasKapas Island or Pulau Kapas is an island 6 kilometers off the coast of Terengganu, Malaysia. "Kapas" is the malay word for cotton. It features crystal clear seawater, pristine powdery white beaches and untouched tropical jungle. It is promoted as a "snorkeling paradise", with several dive resorts...
and Pulau Susu Dara are also gazetted and protected as Marine Parks. Today, only the bigger islands like Redang, Lang Tengah, Perhentian and Kapas have resort facilities for visitors. The management of Marine Parks primarily involves protection of the sensitive marine and terrestrial ecosystems by controlling the impact from human activities. These include waste & pollution management and conservation of
coral reefCoral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...
s and terrestrial habitats.
The 2000 film,
Summer HolidaySummer Holiday is a Hong Kong film released in 2000, directed by Jingle Ma and starring Richie Ren and Sammi Cheng.It earned HKD 21 million, which was ranked 2nd best-selling local film after Needing You... in Hong Kong....
was filmed on the Laguna Redang resort, and a replica of the tea house now serves as the resort's gift shop.
See also
External links
- SEATRU - A sea turtle project in Redang, Malaysia