Papar, Malaysia

Papar
Country	Malaysia
State	Sabah
Population  (2006)
• Total	105,200

Papar is a town as well as a district located in West Coast Division of Sabah, east Malaysia. It is situated 38 kilometres south of Kota Kinabalu and is one of the main stops on the North Borneo Railway line. Papar is also a major stopover point for travelers from the southern towns eg Beaufort bound for Kota Kinabalu, as it would be at least twenty kilometers to the next township at both ends of the North Borneo highway (Lokkawi-Putatan to the north, Bongawan to the south).

The main road which branches off the Pan Borneo Highway into Papar town centre.

File:Pekan Papar.jpg

The main road in Papar town.

District

The population in the district was estimated to be around 105,200 in 2006, almost evenly divided between ethnic Kadazan (Rampazan, Limbahau, Kinarut, Kopimpinan, Lakut, Limputung), Dusun (Mondolipau, Koiduan, Ulu Kimanis, Sumbiling Bongawan) and Bajau (Pengalat Besar, Pengalat Kecil). A sizeable ethnic Chinese minority, which is majority Hakka, is also scattered throughout the district and there are several Buddhist temples and vernacular Chinese schools scattered throughout the district. In fact, Papar was one of the earliest major population centers for Sabahan Hakkas due to its fertile land, suitable for agricultural activities such as the planting of paddy and fruit trees.

Papar means flat or open land, and the area is characterised by low lying coastal areas which extend inland towards the Crocker Range. Traditionally this was good rice growing land and the flat open paddy fields may have given it the name. Even today, despite the rapid expansion of the city of Kota Kinabalu around 40 km north of Papar, the district is still dominated by paddy fields, which are largely worked by natives, and fruit orchards, most of which belong to the Hakka Chinese.

Town

A typical small-town sundry shop owned by ethnic Hakka Chinese in Papar.

Papar town centre.

The town itself occupies the southern banks of the Papar River not far from the sea. There are also areas of tidal wetland that are home to mangrove trees and saltwater palm or nipah. Both banks are connected by two steel-concrete bridges, one (a railway bridge) directly into the town itself and another much farther upriver (on the old Kota Kinabalu-Papar road) leading into the paddy plantation hamlets.

The town has seen considerable growth in recent years but still preserves some of its older buildings and features, such as the railway station and a large banyan tree. St Joseph's Secondary School stands opposite the station and behind the Catholic Church of St Joseph's. The older segments of the town, identifiable by timber buildings and comprising of mostly cafés and sundry shops, are being renovated either by design or as the result of fires that have destroyed parts of the town. Other older landmarks have been lost, for example rubber plantations that existed on the northern bank of the river were cut down and replaced by the villages Buang Sayang and Melugus along with a very large school complex.

File:Papar.jpg

Papar town during rain.

Important architectural features which can be seen in the Papar town includes: the District Office-Public Library-Public Park complex; the Papar Market; the OKK Mahali Park (which constitutes a large part of the new town); a Public Hall (which also hosts a weekly wet market on its compounds); a sports complex with a field, a stand and a gymnasium; and the train station, which doubles as a bus and mini-van station which serves the Kota Kinabalu-Papar-Beaufort route.

Despite repair and refurbishment over the years, the Papar railway bridge looks much as it did in the Second World War. It featured in Allied plans to retake North Borneo from the Japanese. References to it and the Papar River can be found in reports on covert intelligence operations Agas and Semut, and later in attack plans Stallion and Oboe 6.

List of school in Papar

Chinese Independent High Schools:

Papar Middle School 沙巴吧巴中学.

Primary education: Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK):

SK Benoni
SK Beringis
SK Buang Sayang
SK Daingin
SK Gana
SK Kaiduan
SK Kawang
SK Kayau
SK Kelanahan
SK Kelatuan
SK Kogopon
SK Kuala
SK Langkawit
SK Limputong
SK Lingan Baru
SK Lingan Ulu
SK Mandalipau
SK Mook
SK Padawan
SK Pekan Kinarut
SK Pekan
SK Pengalat Besar
SK Pengalat Kecil
SK Rampazan
SK Sabandil
SK Tampasak
SK Tanaki

Secondary education: Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK):

SM St. Joseph
SM St. Mary
SMK Benoni
SMK Kinarut
SMK Majakir
SMK Takis

Primary education: Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (SJK):

SJK (C) St. Joseph

Requested move

Papar, Sabah → Papar, Malaysia — more well-known and popular among citizen.