Beaufort ( ) is the capital of the Beaufort District in the

Interior Division The Interior Division () 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 kilometres, it covers 24 ...

Sabah Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah has land borders with the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and Indonesia's North Kalima ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

. It was named after former British Governor Leicester Paul Beaufort. Its population was estimated to be around 12,742 in 2010. It is about 90 kilometres south of

Kota Kinabalu Kota Kinabalu (; formerly known as Jesselton), colloquially referred to as KK, is the state capital of Sabah, Malaysia. It is also the capital of the Kota Kinabalu District as well as the West Coast Division of Sabah. The city is located on the ...

and about 167 kilometres north of Long Pasia (one of the famous tourist attractions in

). It has shophouses built high above the roads to avoid the periodic floods of the Padas River. The population of Beaufort is composed mainly of Bisaya, Brunei Malays,

Kadazan-Dusun Kadazandusun (also written as Kadazan-Dusun or Mamasok) are the largest ethnic group in Sabah, Malaysia, an amalgamation of the closely related indigenous peoples, indigenous Kadazan people, Kadazan and Dusun people, Dusun peoples. "Kadazandus ...

s, Lun Bawang/Lun Dayeh, Muruts and Chinese (mainly Hakkas). Bisaya are the majority ethnic, and the population is scattered around the town. Like other towns in Sabah such as

city (including

Penampang Penampang () is the capital of the Penampang District in the West Coast Division 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 ...

), Tuaran,

Papar The ''Papar'' (; from Latin , via Old Irish, meaning "father" or "pope") were Irish monks who took eremitic residence in parts of Iceland before that island's habitation by the Norsemen of Scandinavia. Their existence is attested by the early ...

Tawau Tawau (), formerly known as Tawao, is the capital of the Tawau District in Sabah, Malaysia. It is the third-largest city (or town)While Tawau have a population of more than 100,000 of which is considered city elsewhere in the world it is offic ...

Kudat 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 capital, and is nea ...

and Tenom, Beaufort was one of the major initial Hakka population centres in Sabah and still has a large Hakka minority.

History

Originally set up to help economic development of the interior of Sabah, Beaufort's early prosperity was closely linked to rubber cultivation. During World War II, it was the site of a battle between Japanese and Australian forces in late June 1945. Beaufort Sabah Majlis-Daerah-Beaufort-01

Beaufort Sabah Majlis-Daerah-Beaufort-01

Economy

Its current prosperity depends on the booming

palm oil Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of oil palms. The oil is used in food manufacturing, in beauty products, and as biofuel. Palm oil accounted for about 36% of global oils produced from o ...

industry, rubber, pineapple, mangoes,

durian The durian () is the edible fruit of several tree species belonging to the genus ''Durio''. There are 30 recognized species, at least nine of which produce edible fruit. ''Durio zibethinus'', native to Borneo and Sumatra, is the only species ...

and livestock.

Transportation

Beaufort railway station is a stop on the

Sabah State Railway Sabah State Railway () is a railway system and operator in the state of Sabah in Malaysia. It is the only rail transport system operating on the island of Borneo. The railway consists of a single 134-kilometre line from Tanjung Aru, Kota Kinaba ...

(''Jabatan Keretapi Negeri Sabah'') line from Tanjung Aru to Tenom. Beaufort is usually visited by tourists for white-water rafting through the nearby Padas Gorge on the Padas River, which is rated as a Grade 2 to 4 river.

Healthcare

Medical services are provided by the 140 bed government hospital which has primary care and basic secondary care services. There are three private practitioners within the town area.

Shopping

The open-air market, locally known as ''tamu'', is held weekly from Friday evening until Saturday afternoon. Local produce such as fresh fruits, vegetables, fresh meat and live poultry are sold. There is a recently developed shopping area which includes superstore branches.

Cuisine

Beaufort is also known in Sabah for its local cuisine called ambuyat. Sweet Sambal bambangan is also a popular option, as well as other local dishes such as tapai manis, jelurut, bingka, rojak, soto, nasi ayam special, cendol pulut, satay, mamak foodstuffs and a Chinese noodle dish called Beaufort Mee, served either dry or with soup. It is also famous for its Beaufort oranges, which are featured as three large sculptures in the centre of the town.

Sister cities

As designated by

Sister Cities International Sister Cities International (SCI) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) with the goal of facilitating partnerships between communities within the United States and other countries by establishing sister cities. Sister cities are agreements of ...

, Beaufort is a sister city of: *

Beaufort, North Carolina Beaufort ( , different from that of Beaufort, South Carolina) is a town in Carteret County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. Established in 1713 and incorporated in 1723, Beaufort is the fourth oldest town in North Carolina ( ...

, 2013

References

External links

* {{Sabah Beaufort District Towns in Sabah