Pulau Jong or Junk Island is a conical

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

about off the southern coast of Singapore. The small island lies north of

Pulau Sebarok Pulau may refer to: *Pulau virus (PuV), a novel strain of Nelson Bay orthoreovirus species *Pulau River, a river of West Papua and Papua New Guinea See also * List of islands of Malaysia – "Pulau" means "island" in the Malay language *Pulao (d ...

and the former

Pulau Sakeng Pulau Semakau (or Semakau Island) is located to the south of the main island of Singapore, off the Straits of Singapore. The Semakau Landfill is located on the eastern side of the island, and was created by the amalgamation of Pulau Sakeng (also ...

(now merged with

Pulau Semakau Pulau Semakau (or Semakau Island) is located to the south of the main island of Singapore, off the Straits of Singapore. The Semakau Landfill is located on the eastern side of the island, and was created by the amalgamation of Pulau Sakeng (also ...

). The island is uninhabited, undeveloped, and largely inaccessible.

Etymology

According to a local

legend A legend is a Folklore genre, genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human valu ...

behind the island's name, a

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

junk invader was attacked by

Malay Malay may refer to: Languages * Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore ** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century ** Indonesi ...

s one night where the island now is. Just as the pirates were about to board the junk, the

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

(the ''Nakhodah'') awoke. When the captain saw the pirates, he uttered such a frightful yell that the

sea The sea, connected as the world ocean or simply the ocean, is the body of salty water that covers approximately 71% of the Earth's surface. The word sea is also used to denote second-order sections of the sea, such as the Mediterranean Sea, ...

spirit Spirit or spirits may refer to: Liquor and other volatile liquids * Spirits, a.k.a. liquor, distilled alcoholic drinks * Spirit or tincture, an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol * Volatile (especially flammable) liquids, ...

turned the whole junk into an island.

Ecology

The island is surrounded by a reef, has no landing jetty, and is composed mostly of cliffs. It is therefore extremely difficult to access the interior. Although the reefs are accessible to kayak, no formal expedition to study the island's interior has been mounted. In July 2014, a private expedition was conducted with the permission of the Singapore government. An individual swam to shore, climbed the island, and recorded video footage of the island's interior. He found no evidence of terrestrial animals of any kind, and suggested that the island is inhabited exclusively by insects, spiders, and the occasional bird. Some

large-billed crow The large-billed crow (''Corvus macrorhynchos''), formerly referred to widely as the jungle crow, is a widespread Asian species of crow. It is very adaptable and is able to survive on a wide range of food sources, making it capable of colonizing ...

s were seen in the trees by a bird watch group in February 2018.

References

Jong Jong may refer to: Surname *Chung (Korean surname), spelled Jong in North Korea *Zhong (surname), spelled Jong in the Gwoyeu Romatzyh system *Common Dutch surname "de Jong"; see ** De Jong ** De Jonge ** De Jongh *Erica Jong (born 1942), American ...

Western Islands Planning Area Uninhabited islands of the Pacific Ocean {{Singapore-geo-stub