"KOTA KINABALU" Kota Kinabalu by longsanborn

Kota Kinabalu, formerly known as Jesselton, is the capital of the state of Sabah. Often simply known as K.K., it is well known within Malaysia 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 commercial and industrial centers in East Malaysia besides Kuching in Sarawak.

Mount Kinabalu is situated about 90 kilometres east-northeast of the city. Incidently, Mount Kinabalu is also the highest mountain in South-East Asia.

The meaning and origin of the name Kinabalu is uncertain. One theory suggests it means "Chinese widow", where Kina meaning "Chinese" (person) in Kadazan-Dusun language, and balu meaning "widow" in Malay language.

This theory derives from a folk tale about a Chinese prince who came to the mountain in search of a giant pearl which is guarded by a dragon at the top of the mountain. While he was here, he married a local woman but later returned to China and left the woman heartbroken.

Alternatively, it is also argued that Kinabalu or Akinabalu is the name of the dragon which guards the giant pearl itself.

Another theory suggests that the term is derived from the name Aki Nabalu meaning the "revered place of the dead", in which, Aki means "ancestors" or "grandfather", and Nabalu being a name for the mountain in the Dusun language.

Finally there is also a source claiming that the term originated from Ki Nabalu, where Ki meaning "have" or "exist", and Nabalu meaning "spirit of the dead".

Kota is a Malay word for a "fort", "town", or a "city". Hence a direct translation of the name Kota Kinabalu into English would be "City of Kinabalu" or "Kinabalu City".