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18-610: Turtle Islands Park ( Taman Pulau Penyu ) is located within the Turtle Islands, which lie in the Sulu Sea some 3 kilometres (1.9 miles) north of Sandakan in Sabah , Malaysia . It consists of 3 islands - Selingaan , Little Bakkungan and Gulisaan (often spelt with -an instead of the traditional -aan), including the surrounding coral reefs and ocean. The Park is noted for its green turtles and hawksbill turtles which lay their eggs on

36-586: A line through Semirara and Caluya Islands to Nasog Point ( 11°53′N 121°53′E  /  11.883°N 121.883°E  / 11.883; 121.883 ) the Northwestern extreme of Panay , along the West and Southeast coast of that island to Tagubanhan Island ( 11°08′N 123°07′E  /  11.133°N 123.117°E  / 11.133; 123.117 ), thence a line to the Northern extreme of Negros and down

54-590: A line to Bitinan Island ( 6°04′N 121°27′E  /  6.067°N 121.450°E  / 6.067; 121.450 ) off the Eastern end of Jolo Island , through Jolo to a point in long. 121°04'E on its South coast, thence through Tapul and Lugus Islands and along the North coast of Tawi Tawi Island to Bongao Island off its Western end ( 5°01′N 119°45′E  /  5.017°N 119.750°E  / 5.017; 119.750 ), and from thence to Tanjong Labian,

72-515: Is 4,400 meters (14,400 ft) deep but on its southern end Sulu Archipelago raises the sea floor to 100 meters (330 ft). On the Northwest. From Tanjong Sempang Mangayau , the North point of Borneo , along the Eastern limit of South China Sea to Cape Calavite, the Northwest point of Mindoro . On the Northeast. The Southwest coast of Mindoro to Buruncan Point, its Southern extreme, thence

90-487: Is administered by Sabah Parks . Only on Selingan are there chalets for overnight visitors, and those who wish to see the turtles laying eggs must stay overnight. A curious fact of the three islands is that turtles come ashore nightly, not only during certain seasons and thus one is virtually guaranteed to see them. During the peak season (October) up to 50 turtles come ashore to lay eggs. However, park rules and regulations are strictly enforced and visitors are not allowed on

108-435: Is shaded, while the rest remains under the open sun. After the transplantation of the eggs visitors will get turtle hatchlings – baby turtles – to release into the sea, which is also done by night to further increase their chances of survival. Not all nests are emptied by the park rangers, but some remain undisturbed and develop naturally. By conserving the turtles the park does not want to endanger other wildlife on

126-460: Is volcanic. The northern islands of Quiniluban seem to be uplifted coral atolls, although the heights of some of the peaks strongly suggest volcanic uplift. There have been plans before to establish the Cuyo Archipelago as a separate province from Palawan, just like what happened when Batanes became independent from Cagayan province. Many other islands of the group are purely corallian. Cuyo

144-603: The Northeastern extreme of Borneo. On the Southwest. The North coast of Borneo between Tanjong Labian and Tanjong Sempang Mangayau. The Star Trek character Hikaru Sulu is named after the Sulu Sea. According to Sulu actor George Takei , " [Gene] Roddenberry's vision for Sulu was to represent all of Asia, being named for the Sulu Sea instead of using a country-specific name". Cuyo Islands The 45 islands and islets of

162-901: The Sulu Sea include the Iloilo Strait , the Guimaras Strait , and the Basilan Strait . The sea's surface area is 260,000 square kilometers (100,000 sq mi). The Pacific Ocean flows into Sulu Sea in northern Mindanao and between Sangihe talaud Archipelago, North Sulawesi. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) defines the Sulu Sea as being one of the waters of the East Indian Archipelago . The IHO defines its limits as follows: It extends about 490 miles (790 km) from north to south and 375 miles (604 km) from east to west. Waves can stretch across 25 kilometers (16 mi) to 35 kilometers (22 mi). The sea

180-551: The West coast to Siaton Point, its Southern extreme, thence across to Tagolo Point ( 8°44′N 123°22′E  /  8.733°N 123.367°E  / 8.733; 123.367 ), Mindanao . On the Southeast. From Tagolo Point, down the West coast of Mindanao to the Southwest extremity thence to the North coast of Basilan Island ( 6°45′N 122°04′E  /  6.750°N 122.067°E  / 6.750; 122.067 ), through this island to its Southern extremity, thence

198-577: The archipelago form a total land area of 50 square miles (130 km ). Cuyo is divided into two island groups. To the north is the Quiniluban group. To the south is the Cuyo group, where the centers of the three municipalities namely Cuyo, Agutaya, and Magsaysay are located. Geologically, the islands are related to the main island of Palawan . They are positioned on the western edge of the Luzon Arc . Cuyo island

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216-440: The beach from sunset to sunrise so as not to disturb the turtles. A ranger will call all visitors to observe only one turtle laying eggs per night. The eggs are collected and the visitors vacate the beach immediately so as not to scare away other turtles, which are very sensitive to movement on the beach. After the laying and collection of eggs, and eventual tagging of the turtle if it is a first-time visitor, tourists are allowed into

234-614: The beaches of the islands. The Park covers an area of 17.4 km². The name Turtle Islands , however, refers to 10 islands, 3 of which are part of Turtle Islands Park of Malaysia, and 7 which belong to the Turtle Islands Wildlife Sanctuary of Tawi-Tawi province , Philippines . On 1 August 1966, the first turtle hatchery in Malaysia was established on Selingan, funded entirely by the Sabah state government. Turtle hatcheries on

252-403: The hatchery to observe the further work of the rangers: the transplantation of the freshly laid eggs into a man-made incubation chamber. The chamber is no different from that of the turtle: between 60–75 cm deep, in the sand, but within a protected hatchery to make it impossible for natural predators to dig the nests open. Since temperature determines the sex of the turtles part of the hatchery

270-483: The island: many animals that are natural predators of the turtles such as monitor lizards, a crab specialising in turtle hatchlings, eagles and other birds, and marine animals such as sharks. They need the turtles for their survival. The turtle conservation programme in Sabah is the oldest in the world and with the most detailed statistics and research. Marine turtles have been around for 230 million years at least, but because of human activities they have been brought, over

288-655: The northeast. The Sulu Sea contains a number of islands. The Cuyo Islands and the Cagayan Islands are part of the province of Palawan whereas Mapun and the Turtle Islands are part of the province of Tawi-Tawi . Sulu Sea is also where the Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park , one of the World Heritage Sites is located. Panay Gulf is an extension of the Sulu Sea. Straits out of

306-694: The past hundred years, to the brink of extinction. Sulu Sea The Sulu Sea ( Filipino : Dagat Sulu ; Tausug : Dagat sin Sūg ; Malay : Laut Sulu ) is a body of water in the southwestern area of the Philippines , separated from the South China Sea in the northwest by Palawan and from the Celebes Sea in the southeast by the Sulu Archipelago . Borneo is found to the southwest and Visayas to

324-445: The remaining two islands followed shortly after. In 1972, Selingan, Bakkungan Kechil and Gulisan were designated as a Game and Bird Sanctuary. In 1977, this status was upgraded to that of a Marine Park. Permanent park staff monitor the turtles, protect the hatcheries and tag the turtles for research purposes. Libaran Island is also designated within the park boundaries, however it is not a major turtle hatching spot. Turtle Islands Park

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