Beluran District


The Beluran District is an administrative district in the Malaysian state of Sabah, part of the Sandakan Division which includes the districts of Beluran, Kinabatangan, Sandakan, Telupid and Tongod. The capital of the district is in Beluran Town.

Etymology

The name Beluran was taken after the name of a hill in the district. In the languages of Labuk Dusun, Sungai and Tidong, it is called as "Buludan". Several changes occurred during the British administration as a result of misnomeration by British colonial officials who does not speak fluent local languages causing the name "Buludan" became "Beluran" which later maintained until this day.

History

The district is formerly known as the Labuk-Sugut District and has existed since the North Borneo Chartered Company administration. It is one of the earliest districts in North Borneo. The Beluran District Administration Office was established as early as 1916 but all records and data of the district were destroyed in the Second World War. According to some old sources, B.S Willie was appointed as Beluran District Officer in 1945 with Klagan became the first administrative district of Labuk-Sugut District, but as the area was often flooded, the British authorities transferred the administrative centre to the foothills of present-day Beluran.

Demographics

According to the latest census in 2010, the population of the district is estimated to be around 104,484 inhabitants. The population consists of a mixture of various indigenous ethnic groups, such as Kadazan-Dusun, Tidong, Bajau, Suluk, Orang Sungai as well as a significant presence of Chinese. As in other districts of Sabah, there are a significant number of illegal immigrants from the nearby southern Philippines, mainly from the Sulu Archipelago and Mindanao of whom are not included in the population statistics.

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