Redang Island

Redang Island
Native name: Pulau Redang; ڤولاو رداڠ
	A Sentinel-2 satellite image of the island.
Geography
Location	South China Sea
Coordinates	5°46′30″N 103°0′54″E / 5.77500°N 103.01500°E
Archipelago	Redang Islands
Area	24.2 km2 (9.3 sq mi)
Highest elevation	359 m (1178 ft)
Highest point	Bukit Besar
Administration
	Malaysia
State	Terengganu
District	Kuala Nerus
Mukim	Redang Island
Demographics
Population	1,657 (2020)
Languages	Malaysian Malay, Terengganu Malay
Ethnic groups	Malays
Additional information
Time zone	MST (UTC+8);
Postal code	21090

Redang Island (Malay: Pulau Redang, Terengganu Malay: Pula Redang) is an island in Kuala Nerus District, Terengganu, Malaysia. It is one of the largest islands off the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia and one of the most beautiful islands in the world. It is famous for its crystal clear waters and white sandy beaches. It is one of nine islands that made up an eponymous marine sanctuary park offering snorkeling and diving opportunities for tourists.

Geography

Geographically, Redang Island has an area of about 24 km² (9.3 sq mi) and measures about 7 km (4.3 mi) long and 6 km (3.7 mi) wide. Its highest peak is Bukit Besar at 359 metres (1,178 feet) above sea level.

For land administration purpose, 18 islands including Redang Island form the Redang Island Mukim of the Kuala Nerus District. Of these, 7 islands were protected and gazetted as marine parks by the Department of Fisheries and zoned 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) from the shore at lowest tide.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Redang Island
Lima Island
Paku Besar Island
Paku Kecil Island
Kerengga Besar Island
Kerengga Kecil Island
Ekor Tebu Island
Ling Island
Pinang Island
Lang Tengah Island
Bidong Island
Cipu Island
Geluk Island
Batu Bara Island
Kapak Island
Tengkorak Island
Yu Besar Island
Yu Kecil Island

Tourism

A beach in Pulau Redang during sunset.

In contrast to the neighbouring Perhentian Islands, Redang has a more upmarket image, as almost all accommodation on the island is resort-based. The largest beach is Pasir Panjang on the east side, featuring half a dozen resorts. The beach is covered with soft white sand. Coral and fish can be seen just a few metres from the beach. The other beach resorts are located in Teluk Dalam on the north and Teluk Kalong to the south.

The 2000 film, Summer Holiday was filmed on the Laguna Redang Island Resort, and a replica of the tea house now serves as the resort's gift shop.

Summer Collection is one of the most popular oldest souvenir, beachwear, and swimwear seller on the island after the island became famous through the film. They started their business about 20 years ago at Redang Pelangi Resort.

The island is a turtle nesting site, and these turtles serve as a draw for ecotourism.^[4]

Climate

Redang has a tropical climate with temperatures steadily around 30 °C (86 °F) and frequent but brief thunderstorms. Like the rest of Malaysia's east coast, Redang is affected by the northeast monsoon from the South China Sea, so most resorts are closed and ferry transport schedules are severely restricted between October and March. The amount of monthly rainfall varies throughout the year, with November to February being the wettest months, whilst April to August being the driest. The island experiences on average about 2,600 millimetres (100 in) of rain per year.

Climate data for Pulau Redang
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	32.9 (91.2)	34.5 (94.1)	34.8 (94.6)	35.5 (95.9)	35.8 (96.4)	35.5 (95.9)	34.9 (94.8)	35.5 (95.9)	35.2 (95.4)	34.0 (93.2)	33.7 (92.7)	32.3 (90.1)	35.8 (96.4)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	29.7 (85.5)	30.5 (86.9)	31.5 (88.7)	32.7 (90.9)	33.1 (91.6)	32.7 (90.9)	32.3 (90.1)	32.2 (90.0)	31.9 (89.4)	31.5 (88.7)	30.0 (86.0)	29.3 (84.7)	31.5 (88.6)
Daily mean °C (°F)	26.3 (79.3)	26.6 (79.9)	27.2 (81.0)	27.9 (82.2)	28.0 (82.4)	27.5 (81.5)	27.3 (81.1)	27.0 (80.6)	26.9 (80.4)	26.7 (80.1)	26.3 (79.3)	26.2 (79.2)	27.0 (80.6)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	23.7 (74.7)	23.3 (73.9)	23.7 (74.7)	24.1 (75.4)	24.3 (75.7)	24.0 (75.2)	23.7 (74.7)	23.6 (74.5)	23.6 (74.5)	23.7 (74.7)	23.7 (74.7)	23.8 (74.8)	23.8 (74.8)
Record low °C (°F)	19.7 (67.5)	19.4 (66.9)	19.8 (67.6)	22.5 (72.5)	21.3 (70.3)	21.2 (70.2)	20.9 (69.6)	21.0 (69.8)	21.2 (70.2)	21.2 (70.2)	21.3 (70.3)	20.8 (69.4)	19.4 (66.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	124.6 (4.91)	73.5 (2.89)	162.5 (6.40)	87.0 (3.43)	104.0 (4.09)	116.5 (4.59)	105.1 (4.14)	137.5 (5.41)	188.2 (7.41)	224.3 (8.83)	732.0 (28.82)	534.8 (21.06)	2,590 (101.98)
Average precipitation days	16	8	10	9	10	11	10	13	15	19	23	22	166
Average relative humidity (%)	81	81	82	82	83	83	83	84	84	85	87	84	83
Source: Malaysian Meteorological Department^[5]

Transportation

By sea, access to the island is from Merang or Shahbandar jetty on boats operated by the resorts. For air travel, SKS Airways also provides daily scheduled flights from Subang Airport. Berjaya Air is also available for charter flights to the island from both Subang Airport and Singapore's Seletar Airport. Redang Airport, the island's primary STOL airport lies to the south of the island.