Penampang ( ms, Pekan Penampang) is the capital of the Penampang District in the

West Coast Division West Coast Division ( ms, Bahagian Pantai Barat) is an administrative division of Sabah, Malaysia. It occupies the northwest portion of Sabah. With an area of 7,588 square kilometres, it occupies 10.3% of Sabah's territory. It also has approxim ...

of Sabah, Malaysia. Its population was estimated to be around 93,616 in 2010, with ethnic Kadazan as the majority. It contains, or is synonymous with, Donggongon, which as of 2007, it has a population of 78,086. The town has virtually become a suburb of Kota Kinabalu and considered as part of Greater Kota Kinabalu area.

Etymology

The name ''Penampang'' came from an old village within the district. The village's name in turn originates from a Kadazan word ''pampang'' meaning a big rock. This is because huge rocks were easily found within the vicinity of the village a long time ago. The name in contemporary usage refers to the district, with the town of ''Donggongon'' as the main town within the district of Penampang. The name Donggongon originates from Kadazan word ''tundo'ongon'' which means a 'shelter' or a 'resting area', referring to its historical role as a stop-over for people from the interior who journeyed down the coast to trade. Penampang as a name reference of this area is of a relatively new origin. Early British explorer, John Whitehead who had explored

North Borneo North Borneo (usually known as British North Borneo, also known as the State of North Borneo) was a British Protectorate, British protectorate in the northern part of the island of Borneo, which is present day Sabah. The territory of North Borneo ...

in the 1880s referred to this district as ''Patatan''.

Owen Rutter Edward Owen Rutter (7 November 1889 – 2 August 1944) was an English historian, novelist and travel writer. After serving with the North Borneo Civil Service from 1910 to 1915, Rutter returned to Britain during the First World War and was commi ...

, a civil servant in North Borneo from 1910 to 1914 similarly referred to this area as ''Putatan''.

Economy

Penampang strives as one of the major industrial and commercial centres within the greater Kota Kinabalu area. Many retail stores are found scattered in the district primarily in the Donggongon area, anywhere along Penampang Lama Road and Penampang-KK Bypass Road. The

Mega Long Mall Mega Long Mall is a shopping centre located in Donggongon, Penampang, Sabah, Malaysia, about 10 kilometres from the Kota Kinabalu city centre. It is the longest shopping mall in Sabah. Lawsuit In early 2015, the mall was sued by 102 shop owner ...

is a shopping centre situated in Donggongon with many retail shops such as Giant Hypermarket, cinema, restaurants and many others. A second shopping centre

ITCC Mall ITCC may refer to: * Irish Touring Car Championship * Italian Touring Car Championship * 1996 International Touring Car Championship * International T-Class Confederation The International T-Class Confederation (ITCC), founded in 2014, promotes ...

located at the Penampang-KK Bypass Road which would consist of a hotel, office space, shopping mall and a multi-purpose commercial centre. The Penampang District Police Headquarters, Penampang District Library, and the Penampang Sports Complex are located in Donggongon. It also features a popular weekly ''tamu'' (market) in the town every Thursday and Friday where the market sells a variety of households products, foods, and traditional handicrafts such as bangles, headbands or gongs.

also located in the town together with a number of restaurants, pubs and karaoke bars. The Chua Ka Seng supermarket made its presence felt before the Megalong Mall was built. ITCC, a shopping complex is now open for shoppers. Shop owners from the razed Kasiigui had moved to Donggongon. This happened decades ago.

References

Penampang District Towns in Sabah {{Sabah-geo-stub