The Kuala Penyu District ( ms, Daerah Kuala Penyu) is an

administrative district Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...

in the

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

n state of

Sabah Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indone ...

, part of the

Interior Division The Interior Division ( ms, Bahagian Pedalaman) is an administrative division of the state of Sabah, Malaysia. It occupies the southwest portion of Sabah, bordered by the neighbouring state of Sarawak on its west. With an area of 18,298 square ki ...

which includes the districts of

Beaufort Beaufort may refer to: People and titles * Beaufort (surname) * House of Beaufort, English nobility * Duke of Beaufort (England), a title in the peerage of England * Duke of Beaufort (France), a title in the French nobility Places Polar regions ...

Keningau Keningau ( ms, Pekan Keningau) is the capital of the Keningau District in the Interior Division of Sabah, Malaysia. It is the fifth-largest town in Sabah, as well one of the oldest. Keningau is between Tambunan and Tenom. The town had an es ...

, Kuala Penyu,

Nabawan Nabawan ( ms, Pekan Nabawan) is the capital of the Nabawan District in the Interior Division of Sabah, Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federa ...

Sipitang Sipitang ( ms, Pekan Sipitang) is the capital of the Sipitang District in the Interior Division of Sabah, Malaysia. Its population was estimated to be around 4,298 in 2010. It is the closest town in Sabah to the Sarawak border, and is 44 kil ...

Tambunan Tambunan ( ms, Pekan Tambunan) is the capital of the Tambunan District in the Interior Division of Sabah, Malaysia. Its population was estimated to be around 35,667 in 2010. It is located 80 kilometres east of the state capital, Kota Kinabalu ...

and

Tenom Tenom ( ms, Pekan Tenom, ) is the capital of the Tenom District in the Interior Division of Sabah, Malaysia. Its population was estimated to be around 5,148 in 2010. It is located about 176 kilometres south of Kota Kinabalu and 128 kilometres n ...

. The capital of the district is in Kuala Penyu Town.

History

Kuala Penyu was declared as full district in the year 1975 and established as focal point for administrative and business centre. This district call as Kuala Penyu - derived from a group stones forming types of "Turtle" or call penyu situated at river bank or Kuala (in Malay). In early 60's this area was popularly known as "sitompok" whereby it refers to a group of stones.

Demographics

The population of the Kuala Penyu district according to the last census in the year 2010 is 18,958 inhabitants and consists mainly of

Kadazan The Kadazans are an ethnic group indigenous to the state of Sabah in Malaysia. They are found mainly in Penampang on the west coast of Sabah, the surrounding locales, and various locations in the interior. As a result of integration in cultur ...

or Dusun Tatana, which make up the largest ethnic group. There are also a significant number of illegal immigrants from the nearby southern

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, mainly from Sulu Archipelago and

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...

which are not included in the population statistics.

Tourism

It is one of the gateways to

Pulau Tiga National Park Tiga Island Park was established in 1978, although the area has been under protection as a forest reserve since 1933. It is located north of Kuala Penyu, opposite the swampy Klias Peninsula, in Sabah, Malaysia. The park covers 158 square kilo ...

, where Survivor: Borneo was set. Kuala Penyu is also famous for its beaches, especially Tempurung beach, Sawangan beach and Sungai Labuan Waterfront. Sungai Labuan, as the name implies was taken from the name of a river flowing in the heart of Kuala Penyu. ''Pesta Rumbia'' is a special celebration for "Sago" trees which are only planted widely in the district. This festive season targets to promote "sago" as traditional food and multi purpose product with full of nutrition. More recently Kuala Penyu's surrounding long, deserted beaches have brought in both international and local tourists to the area. Positioned perfectly for a sun rise, or sunset, depending on which side of the peninsular you are, the location is proving to be a 'weekend hot spot' for those escaping the city life. In addition, Kuala Penyu district also hosts a minor seaport or jetty and a major gateway to the island destination of

Labuan Labuan (), officially the Federal Territory of Labuan ( ms, Wilayah Persekutuan Labuan), is a Federal Territory of Malaysia. Its territory includes and six smaller islands, off the coast of the state of Sabah in East Malaysia. Labuan's capit ...

through the town of

Menumbok Menumbok is a sub-district in the west of the Malaysian state of Sabah which is also one of the three administrative parts of Kuala Penyu District. This town is also administered as a sub-district within the jurisdiction of the Kuala Penyu distr ...

where

ro-ro Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels or usin ...

ferries depart and arrive for the daily Labuan-Sabah ferry crossings.

Gallery

File:KualaPenyu Sabah Masjid-1.jpg, Kuala Penyu Mosque. File:Klias Wetlands Double Rainbow 01.jpg, Rainbow in Klias Wetlands. File:RiversOfSabah SungaiSitompok-09.jpg, Sitompok River. File:KualaPenyu Sabah TurtlesAndFerry-2.jpg, An history inscription of the origin of Kuala Penyu name near the Sitompok River.

References

External links

*
Kuala Penyu District Council
*
Kuala Penyu District Office
{{Districts of Malaysia