Kuraman Island ( ms, Pulau Kuraman), alternative name Keraman Island, is an outlying island in the

Federal Territory of Labuan Labuan (), officially the Federal Territory of Labuan ( ms, Wilayah Persekutuan Labuan), is a Federal Territory of Malaysia. Its territory includes and six smaller islands, off the coast of the state of Sabah in East Malaysia. Labuan's capita ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...

located on the northern mouth of

Brunei Bay Brunei Bay ( ms, Teluk Brunei) is on the northwestern coast of Borneo island, in Brunei and Malaysia. Brunei Bay is located 5°00'43.44", 115°17'26.66"; east of Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. It is the ocean gateway to the isolated Temburong Di ...

. It is sparsely populated and is popular with

expatriates An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. In common usage, the term often refers to educated professionals, skilled workers, or artists taking positions outside their home country, either ...

, divers and those who travel between Labuan and

Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely surrounded by th ...

. Its land area measures 147

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100- metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre i ...

s. Together with the much smaller islands Pulau Rusukan Besar and Pulau Rusukan Kecil it forms the Labuan Marine Park. A historical name for Kuraman is Mompracem, a name that was used by the writer

Emilio Salgari Emilio Salgari (, but often erroneously ; 21 August 1862 – 25 April 1911) was an Italian writer of action adventure swashbucklers and a pioneer of science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of spe ...

for the island of his fictional character

Sandokan Sandokan is a fictional late 19th-century pirate created by Italian author Emilio Salgari. His adventures first appeared in publication in 1883. Sandokan is the protagonist of 11 adventure novels. Sandokan is known throughout the South China ...

. Kuraman island has two main beaches and is noted for its fishing, large sand spit and pleasant tropical island atmosphere. The interior is forested with a range of timbers and contains cleared paths for jungle walks. In recent years, large storms have contributed to increased erosion resulting in several areas of vegetation and numerous buildings being washed into the sea. In the surrounding waters off Kuraman there are several known shipwrecks including the

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

Steamer SS ''De Klerk'' and a minesweeper, the USS ''Salute'', both sunk during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. Kuraman, like the rest of North Borneo, was captured by 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 n ...

ese during this period and was liberated by the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (CA), who ...

in 1945, although no fighting ever occurred on the island. Two other major shipwrecks can be found in the area: the MV ''Tung Hwuang'', a freighter that sank in the 1980s while transporting cement to Brunei for the Sultan's new

palace A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

, and the MV ''Mabini Padre'', a trawler from the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

which caught fire and sank in 1981. Kuraman has no roads or vehicles and it can only be reached by boat. There is a small private jetty and a new larger government pier which assist in providing access. A

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses m ...

, built by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

in 1897, is situated on the highest point of the island. Kuraman is populated by predominantly

illegal immigrants Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of the immigration laws of that country or the continued residence without the legal right to live in that country. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upwa ...

from the

, who claim to be a local Malay community, with a small village that includes a bar which serves food and is locally known for its fried chicken. Basic accommodation is also available, with small shacks available for rent. In 2004 a group of expatriates from Brunei contemplated building a bar/clubhouse for divers, however nothing resulted from this due to various legal complications. Apparently in a tongue-in-cheek manner, this same group then announced plans to develop the island and declare independence or greater self-government, stating a perceived dubious

n claim to the island resulting from a conflicting historic Bruneian claim to Kuraman and its surrounding islands. This went as far as designing a flag for the island, similar to the many unofficial flags which have originated in varying areas around the globe. This was taken lightheartedly in both Labuan and Brunei and could be looked upon as a form of

micronation A micronation is a political entity whose members claim that they belong to an independent nation or sovereign state, but which lacks legal recognition by world governments or major international organizations. Micronations are classified ...

alism.

References

{{coord, 5.224, N, 115.132, E, type:isle_region:MY, display=title Labuan

See also

References