The Tanjung Aru Association occurs intermittently around the coast with major developments:
Between Kuala Penyu and Papar,
At Tanjung Aru,
At Tuaran,
At Kota Belud,
In the north and south of Trusan on the Sugut estuary, and
Between the Sandakan and Segama estuary.
The association occurs in coastal beaches, beach strand and on old beaches, which most commonly are inland from the present-day coast, but may be at the coast, where there is active erosion. The beaches are often in series of parallel ridges with intervening swales. The soils are formed on alluvium mainly in the form of siliceous sand, but between Kuala Abai and Pandasan, in the Kota Belud District, the sands contain relatively high contents of ferromagnesian minerals.
Natural vegetation is with Casuarina maritima on the coastal beaches and beach forest, in which nibong (Onchosperma sp.) is prominent, on beach stands and old beaches inland.