Besar Island, Johor

Besar Island
Native name: Pulau Besar
	Besar Island
Geography
Coordinates	2°26′30″N 103°59′00″E / 2.44167°N 103.98333°E
Total islands	1
Highest elevation	258 m (846 ft)
Administration
	Malaysia
State	Johor
District	Mersing

Besar Island (Malay: Pulau Besar), also known as Babi Besar Island (Malay: Pulau Babi Besar)^[1] is an island in Mersing District, Johor, Malaysia.

Name

A word of mouth legend tells of a fisherman's wife who was pregnant and craved for seaweed to eat. Upon eating the seaweed, she turned into a mermaid. Her husband was extremely angered by this, and screamed "babi! babi! babi!" ("pig! pig! pig!"; here used as an insult or curse), and called the island "pulau babi" ("pig island") from then on. ^[2]

Geology

The island, which is surrounded by Rawa, Sibu and Tinggi Island, is characterised by quiet, clean beaches of powdery white sand and crystal-clear azure waters.^[3] To preserve the unspoiled marine life, the Government has gazetted it as a marine park to protect around 60 species of marine life from any activities that can harm their natural habitats within 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) around the island.

The island's highest point rises some 845 feet (258 m) above the sea level. Rich hues of wild vegetation are dappled throughout with the lush greens of the coconut palms and tropical jungles.

Administrative divisions

The island is divided into 6 villages, which are:

Atap Zing Village
Batu Hitam Village
Busong Village
Teluk Bakau Village
Teluk Kampa Village
Teluk Penagat Village

Transportation

The island is accessible by boat from Mersing Town in Johor mainland.

References

^ South China Sea. ProStar Publications. 2004. ISBN 978-1-57785-652-8.
^ Zainul, Tihah (16 February 2019). "Kisah Lagenda Pulau Babi Besar dan Misteri Ikan Duyung di Johor". I Am Lejen. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
^ "Aseania Resort Pulau Besar". Pulaubesar.net. Retrieved 13 November 2013.

External links

Malaysia Travel Guide: Locally known as Pulau Besar or Big Island

[1] South China Sea. ProStar Publications. 2004. ISBN 978-1-57785-652-8.

[2] Zainul, Tihah (16 February 2019). "Kisah Lagenda Pulau Babi Besar dan Misteri Ikan Duyung di Johor". I Am Lejen. Retrieved 31 August 2023.

[3] "Aseania Resort Pulau Besar". Pulaubesar.net. Retrieved 13 November 2013.

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v t e Physical geography of Johor
Islands	Aur Besar Che Kamat Kukup Merambong Middle Rocks Pemanggil Pineapple Pulau Pisang Tengah Rawa Sibu South Ledge Tinggi
Mountains	Banang Belumut Lambak Ma'okil Ledang Pulai
Rivers	Batu Pahat Endau Johor Kesang Lebam Mengkibol Mersing Muar Pelentong Pulai Sarang Buaya Sedili Besar Segamat Sengget Skudai Tebrau