Timbun Mata Island is the largest island on the south side of Darvel Bay

Darvel Bay

Darvel Bay or Lahad Datu Bay is a bight on the east side of Sabah on the island of Borneo. It is the largest semi-enclosed bay on the east coast of Borneo and faces the Sulawesi Sea...

 (also known as Teluk Lahad Datu), in Semporna

Semporna

Semporna is a town located in Tawau Division, in the east coast of Sabah, Malaysia on the island of Borneo. Its population was estimated to be around 133,000 in 2006.-History:...

, Sabah

Sabah

Sabah is one of 13 member states of Malaysia. It is located on the northern portion of the island of Borneo. It is the second largest state in the country after Sarawak, which it borders on its southwest. It also shares a border with the province of East Kalimantan of Indonesia in the south...

, Malaysia. It is over 26 kilometers long and at the widest is almost 10 kilometers wide. The island is mountainous and was formerly (pre-2000) densely wooded. Mt. Tannabalu, the highest point at 620 m., is a conical, extinct volcano located at the center of the island. A secondary peak, Mt. Sedungal, at the east end of the island rises to 489 m. The south side of the island is only separated from the mainland by a shallow channel known as the Trusan Sigalong. It is located at 4°39' N 118°25' E with an area of 114.97 km².

History

The island has been inhabited since before records were kept. There are several villages on the island which have been there for at least several hundred years, Mantandak (in the west), Lakai Lakai (north), Dap Dap (northeast) and Kubor (east). In addition there are newer, illegal settlements which have sprung up on the southeastern portion of the island.

The island was declared a forest reserve in 1930, but had been planted in teak as early as the 1880s. The teak forests have been periodically surveyed, but inroads by illegal logging and land clearing has reduced them.