Keningau
Encyclopedia
Interior Division
Interior Division is an administrative division of Sabah, east Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. It occupies the southwest portion of Sabah, bordering on Sarawak...
of Sabah
Sabah
Sabah is one of 13 member states of Malaysia. It is located on the northern portion of the island of Borneo. It is the second largest state in the country after Sarawak, which it borders on its southwest. It also shares a border with the province of East Kalimantan of Indonesia in the south...
, east Malaysia on the island of Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
. It is the oldest and largest district in the interior part of Sabah.
Geography
The Keningau District has an area of 3532.82 km² (1364 sq mi) and is situated in a valley surrounded by the Crocker RangeCrocker Range
Crocker Range , is a mountain range on the island of Borneo. Politically, it is within the boundary of the Malaysian state of Sabah, located in the northern half of Borneo. The mountain range separates the east coast and west coast of Sabah. At an average height of 1800m, it is the highest mountain...
to the west and the Trus Madi Range
Trus Madi Range
The Trus Madi Range is a range of mountains in Sabah, Borneo. It includes the state's second highest peak, Mount Trus Madi, after which it is named. The Trus Madi Range is a part of the Western Hill Ranges....
to the east and south. The district consists of 43 mukim
Mukim
In Brunei, a mukim is a subdivision of a daerah . The equivalent of the word 'mukim' in English would be 'sub-district'.In Malaysia, a mukim can either be a subdivision of a daerah or a subdivision of sub-district, In Singapore, a mukim is one of two varieties of survey...
s and 245 villages.
History
The name Keningau is derived from that of the Javanese cinnamon tree (Cinnamomun burmannii), or locally known as 'Koningau' which is abundant in the area. The tree is also known as 'Kayu Manis' in Malay and it has also been referred to as the 'king of spice'. The bark of this tree was collected by the British North Borneo CompanyBritish North Borneo Company
The North Borneo Chartered Company or British North Borneo Company was a chartered company assigned to administer North Borneo in August 1881. North Borneo became a protectorate of the British Empire with internal affairs administered by the company until 1946 when it became the colony of British...
(Syarikat Inggeris Borneo Utara) to be sold as spice.
Keningau used to be one of the most important administration centres of the British in the early 1900s. The Japanese also made use of Keningau as one of its government centres during their occupation of Sabah in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The village of Nuntunan in Apin-Apin was known as "44" during British rule. This indicated its distance of 44 miles (70.8 km) from Tenom, another British administration centre. Nuntunan was also known as "Office", because the British had its office by the Sg Apin-Apin riverbank which was later taken over by the Japanese. When the British returned after the surrender of the Japanese, the remaining Japanese soldiers surrendered at Nuntunan. The locals still believe that the Japanese soldiers had hidden some treasures around the village before their retreat, although this claim has never been properly investigated. Nuntunan, a particularly inaccessible locale, is believed to be the place where the Japanese soldiers hid their shotguns or even their gold treasures.
Demographics
90% of the population in Keningau are DusunDusun
Dusun is the collective name of a tribe or ethnic and linguistic group in the Malaysian state of Sabah of North Borneo. Due to similarities in culture and language with the Kadazan ethnic group, a new unified term called "Kadazan-Dusun" was created. Collectively, they form the largest ethnic group...
s and Murut
Murut people
The Murut is the warrior tribe of indigenous ethnic groups inhabiting northern inland regions of Borneo. The Murut comprise several people groups that are scattered in parts of Borneo Island including Brunei, Kalimantan...
s, 8% are Chinese and other indigenous locals.
The breakdown of ethnic groups are:
- Dusun - 55,607
- Murut - 23,823
- Chinese - 9,082
- Bajau - 9,009
As with most other major population centres in the state of Sabah
Sabah
Sabah is one of 13 member states of Malaysia. It is located on the northern portion of the island of Borneo. It is the second largest state in the country after Sarawak, which it borders on its southwest. It also shares a border with the province of East Kalimantan of Indonesia in the south...
, most of the Chinese in Keningau are of Hakka
Hakka
The Hakka , sometimes Hakka Han, are Han Chinese who speak the Hakka language and have links to the provincial areas of Guangdong, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan and Fujian in China....
descent.
The actual population of Keningau is however much larger than the recorded figure above, as illegal immigrants from Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
and the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
form a major component of the district. These illegal immigrants can enter Sabah easily via the open surrounding seas or the porous inland border with Indonesia.
Keningau Oath Stone
A monument erected and officiated on September 16, 1963 acknowledging the guarantees granted to the state of Sabah that led to the formation of Malaysia. The monument is currently located in the compound of the Keningau District Office.Communications and Transportation
The Keningau township is connected by road through either the Kimanis-Keningau Highway or Tambunan roadMalaysia Federal Route 500
Federal Route 500 is a federal highway in Sabah, Malaysia, connecting Kota Kinabalu to Tenom. It serves as the main highway from Kota Kinabalu to towns and villages in the Interior Division of Sabah...
from Kota Kinabalu
Kota Kinabalu
Kota Kinabalu , formerly known as Jesselton, is the capital of Sabah state in East Malaysia. It is also the capital of the West Coast Division of Sabah. The city is located on the northwest coast of Borneo facing the South China Sea. The Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park lies on one side and Mount...
, which is about 138 kilometers in length. Keningau is 67 kilometers from Nabawan
Nabawan
Nabawan is a town located in Interior Division of Sabah, east Malaysia on the island of Borneo. Its population was estimated to be around 23,890 in 2000, and is almost entirely ethnic Murut. Nabawan covers an area of 6089km²...
, 35 kilometers from Sook
Sook
Sook may refer to:* Sook, Sabah, a small town in Interior Division, Sabah, Malaysia* Cry baby* Glynko da Sook, powerlifter* Hoon Sook Pak, ballerina* Moon Nam Sook, Korean voice actor* Ryan Sook, comic book artist...
and 48 kilometers from Tenom
Tenom
Tenom is a town located in Interior Division of Sabah, east Malaysia on the island of Borneo. The town was called Fort Birch in the early colonial period. Its population was estimated to be around 46,200 in the year 2000....
. There is also an abandoned airport. The last flight to Keningau by Malaysia Airlines was in the 1970s.