Tioman Island ( ms, Pulau Tioman) is a

mukim A mukim is a type of administrative division used in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. The word ''mukim'' is a loanword in English. However, it was also originally a loanword in Malay from the Arabic word: (meaning ''resident''). The clo ...

and an island in Rompin District, Pahang, Malaysia. It is located off the east coast of the state, and is some long and wide. It has seven villages, the largest and most populous being Kampung Tekek on the central western coast. The densely forested island is sparsely inhabited, and is surrounded by numerous coral reefs, making it a popular scuba diving, snorkelling, and

surfing Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitabl ...

spot. There are many resorts and chalets for tourists around the island, which has duty-free status. In the 1970s, '' TIME Magazine'' selected Tioman as one of the world's most beautiful islands. The island is part of Pahang territory. However, it is geographically closer to mainland Johor than to mainland Pahang and is accessed via ferry service from the Johorean coastal town of Mersing. Within Tioman Island there are seven

kampung A kampong (''kampung'' in Malay and Indonesian) is the term for a village in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore and a "port" in Cambodia. The term applies to traditional villages, especially of the indigenous people, and has also been used t ...

s: Salang, Air Batang, Tekek, Paya, Genting, Mukut and Juara. The telephone numbers in Tioman start with 09-413, 09-419, 09-582, 09-583 and 09-584.

History

Tioman has been used for thousands of years by

Austronesian Austronesian may refer to: *The Austronesian languages *The historical Austronesian peoples The Austronesian peoples, sometimes referred to as Austronesian-speaking peoples, are a large group of peoples in Taiwan, Maritime Southeast Asia, M ...

fishermen as an essential navigation point and a source of fresh water and wood. During the past thousand years, it has played host to Chinese, Arab, and European trading ships, and often Chinese porcelain shards can be found on beaches around the island. In more recent history, Tioman played host to both the British and the

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese navies during the Second World War. As a result, the waters around the island are littered with war remains, including HMS ''Repulse'' and HMS ''Prince of Wales''. Tioman island does not allow buildings to have more than three stories. Tioman Island is to be granted municipality status soon.

Nature

The marine area around Tioman Island and eight other nearby islands have been declared as marine parks and marine reserves. Apart from its diverse

marine life Marine life, sea life, or ocean life is the plants, animals and other organisms that live in the salt water of seas or oceans, or the brackish water of coastal estuaries. At a fundamental level, marine life affects the nature of the planet. M ...

, the inland

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

area was protected in 1972 as the Pulau Tioman Wildlife Reserve. However, a large part of the original reserve was sacrificed for agricultural and touristic development in 1984; the remaining area is approximately . There are several protected species of mammals on the island, including the binturong, long-tailed macaque, slow loris,

black giant squirrel The black giant squirrel or Malayan giant squirrel (''Ratufa bicolor'') is a large tree squirrel in the genus '' Ratufa'' native to the Indomalayan zootope. It is found in forests from northern Bangladesh, northeast India, eastern Nepal, Bhutan, ...

, red giant flying squirrel, mouse deer,

brush-tailed porcupine The brush-tailed porcupines are a genus, ''Atherurus'', of Old World porcupines found in Asia and Africa. Characteristics The brush-tailed porcupines have bodies covered in quills like their New World relatives. These quills are shorter and ...

, and

common palm civet The Asian palm civet (''Paradoxurus hermaphroditus''), also called common palm civet, toddy cat and musang, is a viverrid native to South and Southeast Asia. Since 2008, it is IUCN Red Listed as Least Concern as it accommodates to a broad ran ...

, from a total of 45 species of mammals and 138 species of birds, including the majestic frigatebird. Moreover, Tioman has species that are endemic to its shores. The Tioman walking catfish ''

Clarias batu ''Clarias batu'' (sometimes known under the common name Tioman walking catfish) is a species of Clariidae, clariid catfish. It is only known from Tioman Island off the eastern coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The eel-like catfish found on this islan ...

'' can be seen on rainforest walks.

Kajang slender litter frog ''Leptobrachella kajangensis'', also known as the Kajang slender litter frog, is a species of amphibian in the family Megophryidae. It is endemic to Malaysia and only known from its type locality, a small cave near the top of Gunung Kajang (= ...

is only known from Mount Kajang. Tioman's corals have been affected by a mass bleaching event in 2010 whereby the island lost a significant portion of its live coral cover. That resulted in many corals turning a dull white colour and some even fragmenting into pieces of dead coral skeleton. The 2016 bleaching event only just touched on Tioman's Coral Reefs, and as such, the coral has remained in good and healthy condition.

Tourist attractions

Tioman Island

* Tioman Airport * Panuba Bay * Salang * Tekek Village * Minang Cove - The only cove of Tioman Island * Asah Waterfall * Bagus Place Retreat - The most eco-friendly area on Tioman Island * Juara Turtle Project - volunteer sea turtle and environmental conservation * Golden City - part of Salang village * Air Batang - also known as ABC

Around Tioman

Pulo Jehat Pulo Jehat is an island located in the Straits of Johor. The name means Wicked Island. It is located south of Tioman Island. Heritiera littoralis can be found on the island. In 1938, the British built three gun emplacements on the island to defen ...

* Tulai Island * Three Little Islands ** Sepoi Island ** Labas Island ** Soyak Island

Climate

Politics

Tioman Island lends its name to the state constituency of Tioman, comprising the island and part of the Rompin District including the town of

Kuala Rompin Kuala Rompin or ''Rompin town'' is the largest town of Rompin District, southeastern Pahang, Malaysia. It is located on the South-East coast of Peninsular Malaysia and faces the South China Sea. It is about south from Kuantan, the State Capital ...

. Its representative to the State Legislative Assembly is Mohd. Johari Hussain from UMNO- Barisan Nasional. Its representative to the Malaysian Parliament is Hasan Ariffin, also from UMNO- Barisan Nasional.

Non-governmental organisations

* Juara Turtle Project- volunteer sea turtle and environmental conservation

Transportation

Air

The island houses the Tioman Airport with flights from Subang.

Water

The island is served by ferries from Mersing, Johor and Tanjung Gemok, Pahang. Both are located in Malaysia. Currently, two ferry companies are operating in both jetties. You can purchase the ticket at the counter book directly from their respective website to secure your seats in advance. 1. Bluewater Ferry
bluewater.my
2. Cata Ferry - cataferry.com 3. Jetty Location
Google Map

Legend

According to legend, Tioman Island is the resting place of a beautiful dragon princess. Whilst flying to visit her prince in Singapore, this beautiful maiden stopped to seek solace in the crystal-clear waters of the South China Sea. Enraptured by the charms of the place, she decided to discontinue her journey. By taking the form of an island, she pledged to offer shelter and comfort to passing travellers. Local mythology claims that the island is the embodiment of the mighty dragon Sri Gumom. The dragon was on his way to visit his sister Gunung Linga (Lingin Peak). Still, the great Sri Rama forbade the meeting, and Sri Gumom was turned into a stone and fell into the deep sea where he now remains, frozen in eternity as this beautiful island with its distinctive topography.

Radio and television

Radio

Community radio within Tioman: *FM 90.0 *FM 96.8 (

Pahang FM Pahang FM (stylised as PAHANG fm) is a Malay language-radio station in the state of Pahang, Malaysia. It is maintained by the State Radio Televisyen Malaysia Radio Televisyen Malaysia ( en, Radio Television of Malaysia, abbreviated as R ...

) - owned by

Radio Televisyen Malaysia Radio Televisyen Malaysia ( en, Radio Television of Malaysia, abbreviated as RTM, stylised as rtm), also known as the Department of Broadcasting, Malaysia ( ms, Jabatan Penyiaran Malaysia) is the national public broadcaster of Malaysia. Establi ...

*FM 100.7 Nasional FM *FM 103.2 (Airport radio) *FM 104.0 (Tioman community radio) *FM 104.1 From Malaysian mainland: * FM 88.3 Minnal FM - owned by

* FM 89.1 Ai FM - owned by

* FM 90.1 Radio Klasik - owned by

* FM 92.1 Johor FM - owned by

* FM 92.9 ( TraXX FM) - owned by

* FM 102.5 Best FM

Television

* TV1 - Channel 50 (Temporarily unavailable) *

TV2 Channel 2 or TV 2 may refer to: Television networks, channels and stations *Channel 2 (Iran), operated by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting *Channel 2 (Israel), a commercial television station *, entertainment and music television in Latvia * ...

- Channel 53 (Temporarily unavailable) - Currently broadcasting on Channel 11 *

TV3 Channel 3 or TV 3 may refer to: Television *Canal 3 (Burkina Faso), a commercial television channel in Burkina Faso *Canal 3 (Guatemala), a commercial television channel in Guatemala *Channel 3 (Algeria), a public Algerian TV channel owned by EPTV ...

- Channel 32 * NTV7 - * 8TV - Channel 7 * TV9 - Channel 9 * TV Alhijrah - Channel 40 Local: * TV5 - Channel 5

References

External links

*
Tioman Island Travel Information Website

Tourism Malaysia - Tioman Island

(Supplement 6 of the

Raffles Bulletin of Zoology ''The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology'' is a peer-reviewed open-access scientific journal published by the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum at the National University of Singapore. It covers the taxonomy, ecology, and conservation of Southeast As ...

)
Tioman island Travel Informations
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