Langkawi Island is an archipelago of 99 islands in the Andaman Sea, about 30 km off the coast of northwest Malaysia. The islands are part of Malaysia’s Kedah state, but are adjacent to the Thai border.
Langkawi is located north of the Strait of Malacca in the south of the Andaman Sea near the border between Malaysia and Thailand.
Langkawi is the highest point Gunung Raya, rising to 890 m above sea level on the main island of the centre-east. The islands of Langkawi consists of 104 islands with a total area of approximately 528 square kilometres (204 square meters).
Langkawi is coined from the Malay words Lang and Kawi. Lang is a brown eagle and Kawi is a local manganese stone. The ancient fishermen must have seen eagles flying clutching the manganese stones! A giant monument of a brown eagle clutching the manganese stone greets all visitors to Langkawi near the Kuah Jetty.
This island is unique in the sense that it has so many legendsand myths associated with it. Langkawi Island is therefore also called Pulau Lagenda or Legendary Island.
