The Pitas District ( ms, Daerah Pitas) 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

Kudat Division Kudat Division ( ms, Bahagian Kudat) is an administrative division in the state of Sabah, Malaysia. It occupies the northern tip of Sabah. Its total area of 4,623 square kilometres (6.3% of Sabah's total territory) makes it the smallest of the fi ...

which includes the districts of

Kota Marudu Kota Marudu ( ms, Pekan Kota Marudu) is the capital of the Kota Marudu District in the Kudat Division of Sabah, Malaysia. Its population was estimated to be around 8,716 in 2010. It is located 130 kilometres north of the state capital, Kot ...

Kudat Kudat ( ms, Pekan Kudat) is the capital of the Kudat District in the Kudat Division of Sabah, Malaysia. Its population was estimated to be around 29,025 in 2010. It is located on the Kudat Peninsula, about north of Kota Kinabalu, the state cap ...

and Pitas. The capital of the district is in Pitas Town.

Etymology

Pitas is derived from the word "Nopitas" of Sungai language which means "lost". The Bengkoka River was once flooded and as a result of the heavy floods the river was cut off. The name subsequently enshrined by the people at the time which became Pitas.

History

The Pitas District was once under the Kudat District Administration where Pitas was only known as a small district until 1974. It was then recognised as a full district the following year. The district office moved several times to a different location before a tragedy struck in 1999 where the district office was totally burned out and most important documents about the district are destroyed.

Demographics

According to the last census in 2010, the population of the district is 37,808 which consists of a majority of

Rungus The Momogun Rungus are an ethnic group of Borneo, residing primarily in northern Sabah in the area surrounding Kudat Peninsular, Kota Marudu, Pitas Bengkoka Peninsular and Beluran. A sub-group of the Dayak, they have a distinctive language, ...

, a sub-group of the

Kadazan-Dusun Kadazan-Dusun (also written as Kadazandusun or Mamasok Kadazan-Dusun) also less-known as "Mamasok Sabah" are two indigenous peoples of Sabah, Malaysia—the ethnic groups Kadazan and Dusun. The Kadazandusun is the largest native group of Bu ...

people and

Orang Sungai The Orang Sungei ( Malay word for "River People") are a group of indigenous people native to the state of Sabah, Malaysia. Groups of communities live along the rivers of Kinabatangan, Paitan, Labuk, Kudat, Membakut and Lahad Datu. The name "O ...

(to which also the Tambanuo is included). As in other districts of Sabah, 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 the 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.

Gallery

Pitas Sabah MasjidAlAmin-02.jpg, Al Amin Mosque. File:Rokom Pitas Sabah GerejaAdventist-01.jpg, Pitas Seventh Day Adventist Church. File:Benkoka Sabah Jetty-at-Dataran-Benkoka-Pitas-01.jpg, Benkoka Jetty. File:Mempakad Sabah MaruduBay-05.jpg, Mempakad facing the Marudu Bay.

References

External links

*
Pitas District Office
{{Districts of Malaysia