|
Beaufort
which was named after former British Governor L.P. Beaufort is a town and
also a district located in Interior Division of
Sabah in east Malaysia on
the island of Borneo. Its population was estimated to be around 64,350 in
2010.
It is a quiet provincial town about 90 kilometres south of Kota Kinabalu,
with shophouses built high above the roads to avoid the periodic floods of
the Padas River (Sungai Padas). The population of Beaufort is composed
mainly of Brunei Malays, Bisaya, Kadazans, Lun Bawang / Lun Dayeh and
Chinese (mainly Hakkas). Like Papar, Malaysia, Beaufort was one of the
major initial Hakka population centres in Sabah and boasts a large Hakka
minority to this day.
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 one of the most important
skirmishes of the war between the Japanese and Australians.
Its current prosperity depends on the booming palm oil industry.
Beaufort is a stop of the Sabah State Railway (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.
Sources:
Wikipedia
|
