Map of Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

Kota Kinabalu is the administrative centre of Sabah, Malaysia, with a population of about 500,421. It lies at 5.9749°N, 116.0724°E. Kota Kinabalu is about 1,625 km (1,010 mi) east of Kuala Lumpur, the capital. The nearest city on our map is Putatan, 6 km to the south.

Kota Kinabalu at a glance

Where is Kota Kinabalu?

• The 11th largest city in Malaysia by recorded population.
• The largest city in Sabah on this site.
• Located in the Northern and Eastern hemispheres.
• Daylight ranges from about 11 h 47 min on the shortest day to 12 h 28 min on the longest day (around 21 December and 21 June).

Cities near Kota Kinabalu

• Putatan — 6 km south
• Keningau — 72 km south
• Bandar Labuan — 119 km southwest
• Labuan — 120 km southwest
• Mentiri — 161 km southwest, Brunei
• Bandar Seri Begawan — 174 km southwest, Brunei
• Bangar — 179 km southwest, Brunei
• Limbang — 180 km southwest
• Tutong — 204 km southwest, Brunei
• Sandakan — 227 km east

Largest cities in Sabah

• Sandakan — 439,050
• Tawau — 372,615
• Lahad Datu — 105,622
• Putatan — 78,340
• Keningau — 77,650
• Semporna — 62,641
• Bandar Labuan — 54,752

Largest cities in Malaysia

• Kuala Lumpur — 1,453,975
• Johor Bahru — 858,118
• Kampung Baru Subang — 833,571
• Petaling Jaya — 807,879
• Ipoh — 759,952
• Shah Alam — 740,750
• Malacca — 579,000
• Kota Bharu — 568,900
• Kuantan — 548,014
• Sungai Petani — 544,851

Map of Malaysia and all its cities →

Sources: place names, coordinates, populations and time zones from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0, data retrieved October 2026). Population figures are the latest values recorded in GeoNames; depending on the country they refer to the city proper, a municipality or a wider urban area, so they can differ from census or metro-area figures. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.