Kota Kinabalu, formerly known as Jesselton, is the capital of the Malaysian state of Sabah, as well as the capital of the West Coast Division of Sabah. Located on the north-west coast of the island of Borneo facing the South China Sea and Tunku Abdul Rahman Park on one side, and with Mount Kinabalu in the background, Kota Kinabalu sprawls for kilometers along the coast and towards inland. With an estimated population of 532,129 in the city and 700,000 in the urban area, it is the largest urban centre in Sabah and the sixth largest in Malaysia.

Kota Kinabalu, often simply known as K.K., is well known within Malaysia, and to an extent, internationally, as a tourism getaway and a major gateway into Sabah and Borneo. Kinabalu National Park, a World Heritage Site, is located about 90 kilometres from the city, and besides this, it also features a number of tourist attractions in and around the city itself. The city is also one of the major industrial and commercial centers in East Malaysia besides Kuching in Sarawak. These two factors combine to make Kota Kinabalu one of the fastest growing cities in the country

Mount Kinabalu
Mount Kinabalu is a prominent mountain in Southeast Asia. It is located in Kinabalu National Park (a World Heritage Site) in the east Malaysian state of Sabah, which is on the island of Borneo in the tropics.

In 1997, a re-survey using satellite technology established its summit (known as Low’s Peak) height at 4,095 metres (13,435 ft) above sea level, which is some 6 metres (20 ft) less than the previously thought and hitherto published figure of 4,101 metres (13,455 ft).[1] The mountain is the third tallest in Southeast Asia behind Hkakabo Razi of Myanmar (Burma) and Puncak Jaya of New Guinea - Indonesia,[2] and is therefore also the tallest in Malaysia and on the island of Borneo, which Malaysia shares with Indonesia and tiny Brunei.

The mountain and its surroundings feature a huge variety of flora, and is one of the world’s most important biological sites.

The main peak of the mountain (Low's Peak) can be relatively easily climbed by a person with a good physical condition, and requires no mountaineering equipment. Other peaks along the massif, however, require rock climbing skills