Kota Kinabalu, city in eastern Malaysia, on the South China Sea, capital of Sabah state. Kota Kinabalu, known as Jesselton until 1968, is the commercial and administrative center of the region. There is some industry, manufacturing furniture, rubber, and plastics. Tourism plays an increasing role in the economy, and there is an international airport. The city lies between rain forest, the beautiful Crocker Range, and the coastline and coral reefs of the Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park. Kota Kinabalu has had a dramatic history. It was sacked so frequently by 19th-century pirates that it was nicknamed “Api! Api!” by residents, meaning “Fire! Fire!” The town was relocated in 1899, destroyed by bombing in World War II (1939-1945), and rebuilt in 1946 as the capital of British North Borneo. Kota Kinabalu contains the Sabah museum of ethnology and the impressive State Mosque (built in 1977), designed by Italian architects. Population (1996) 76,120.
