Kinabalu Park in the context of "Malaysian Borneo"

Mount Kinabalu (Dusun: Gayo Ngaran or Nulu Nabalu, Malay: Gunung Kinabalu) is the highest mountain in Malaysia and Maritime Southeast Asia, it is located on the Island of Borneo in Sabah. With a height of 4,098 metres (13,445 ft), it is the third-highest peak of an island on Earth, the 28th highest peak in Southeast Asia, and 20th most prominent mountain in the world. The mountain is located in Ranau district, West Coast Division of Sabah, Malaysia. It is protected as Kinabalu Park, a World Heritage Site.

In 1997, a re-survey using satellite technology was conducted. It established Mount Kinabalu had a summit (known as Low's Peak) height of 4,095 m (13,435 ft) above sea level, some 6 m (20 ft) less than the hitherto published figure of 4,101 m (13,455 ft).

The island of Borneo is located on the Sunda Shelf, which is an extensive region in Southeast Asia of immense importance in terms of biodiversity, biogeography and phylogeography of fauna and flora that had attracted Alfred Russel Wallace and other biologists from all over the world.

The previous climatic oscillation and sea level changes leading to contraction and expansion of the tropical rain contributed to the extinction and genetic divergence of species in the region. Harrison (1958) was the first to discover of intermittent human habitation about 49,000 years ago in the Niah Cave National Park. Baker et al.(2007) unravelled the complexities of the late Pleistocene to Holocene habitation of the Niah Cave.

Pekan Nabalu (transl. Nabalu Town in Malay) is a town and mukim (township) of the Kota Belud District of Sabah, Malaysia. It is located near the foothills of Mount Kinabalu and is a frequent stop for hikers en route to Kinabalu Park. It lies at the tripoint border of the districts of Kota Belud, Tuaran, and Ranau, and serves as a market hub for both locals and tourists.