Kukup Island


Kukup Island is an island in Pontian District, Johor, Malaysia.

Geology

The island is predominantly covered by mangrove and mudflat. It is surrounded by 8 km2 of mudflat. Recently it was rumored that the island holds large deposits of gold.

Geography

The island is located around 1 km offshore from Johor mainland. The island spans over an area of 4.88 km2.

Ecology

The island consists of various wildlife animals, such as monkeys, wild boars, mudskippers etc.

History

Kukup Island status as a remote hinterland changed in the 1990s when scientists began focusing on the island's biodiversity a unique ecological characteristics. In the interest of preserving this unique habitat, Kukup Island was gazetted a national park on 27 March 1997 under the Johor State Park Corporation Enactment 1989. On 31 January 2003, this island was granted the status of a "List of [Ramsar wetlands of international importance|Wetland of International Importance]", or Ramsar site, by the Geneva-based Ramsar Convention Bureau.