The Interior Division (Malay: Bahagian Pedalaman) 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 24.9% of Sabah's territory and is home to approximately 14.7% of Sabah's total population.[1] The largest town in the Interior Division is Keningau. Other main towns in this division include Beaufort, Kuala Penyu, Sipitang, Tambunan and Tenom.[1]
The coastal parts of the Division are settled mainly by Bisaya, Bruneian Malays and Kedayan, whereas the inland areas to the east of the Crocker Range are mostly settled by various subgroups of the Dusun people. The town of Tambunan is considered to be a major centre of Dusun culture,[2] while Tenom is the largest town in the heartland of the Murut people.[3] The Long Pasia and Long Mio are the gateway to the Lun Bawang/ Lun Dayeh tribes in Sipitang.[1][4] In addition, there are large numbers of Chinese people in most of the towns, particularly Beaufort, Keningau and Tenom. The majority of the Division's ethnic Chinese residents are of the Hakka subgroup.[5][6]
- ^ a b c "General Information". Lands and Surveys Department of Sabah. Borneo Trade. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
- ^ James Alexander (2006). Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore. New Holland Publishers. pp. 369–. ISBN 978-1-86011-309-3.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Cecilia Leong (1982). Sabah, the first 100 years. Percetakan Nan Yang Muda.
- ^ "Lun Bawang festival to bring cheer to Lawas". The Star. 10 May 2010. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
- ^ "Beaufort: The green orange, pineapple district in Sabah". The Borneo Post. 1 July 2016. Archived from the original on 8 May 2017. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
- ^ David de la Harpe (25 November 2016). "Tenom – where the railway ends". New Sabah Times. Archived from the original on 7 May 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2017.