Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, located 3 kilometers offshore from Kota Kinabalu in Gaya Bay, is Sabah's second national park, gazetted in 1974. Spanning 50 sq kilometers, it includes five islands, their surrounding reefs, and sea. Named after Malaysia's first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, its primary goal is to safeguard the fauna, flora, and marine ecosystems. Geologically part of the Crocker Range, the islands were isolated due to rising sea levels after the last ice age. Symbolic of their history, the islands are named Pulau Gaya (big), Manukan (fish), Mamutik (for shell collection), Sapi (the sound of a mowing buffalo), and Sulug (commemorating the ancestry of the Sulu peoples of Sabah). Initially covering Gaya and Sapi, the Park expanded in 1979 to include Manukan, Sulug, and Mamutik.
