Menggatal
Encyclopedia
Menggatal is a Malaysian town and sub-district on the west coast 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...

, on the outskirts of the capital, 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...

. It is under the jurisdiction of Dewan Bandaraya Kota Kinabalu
Dewan Bandaraya Kota Kinabalu
Dewan Bandaraya Kota Kinabalu or Kota Kinabalu City Hall is the city council which administers the city and district of Kota Kinabalu in the state of Sabah, Malaysia. This council was established after the city was officially granted city status on February 2, 2000...

 (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...

 City Hall).

The name 'Menggatal' is largely believed to refer to the name of a tree that cause skin itchiness, hence the name which means 'causing itch' in Malay.

The sub-district was originally populated sparsely by native Dusun
Dusun
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, but of late there has been a drastic increase in the population of Filipino and Indonesian immigrants, many of whom have been naturalised (both legally and illegally) and remain in squatter colonies not only in Menggatal but in many other parts 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...

.

The state's main institution of learning, Universiti Malaysia Sabah
Universiti Malaysia Sabah
Universiti Malaysia Sabah or UMS is the ninth Malaysian public university located in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia and was established on November 24, 1994...

, is located at a seaside area of the sub-district. However, it is not in the vicinity of the town proper.

Menggatal town proper consists of several rows of shophouses. Of these, most are modern concrete ones but there are three remaining blocks of wooden shophouses that date back to the pre-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...

 era. The occupants of Menggatal's shophouses are mainly ethnic Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....

. In the centre of the town near the current bus terminal stands the former Paramount Cinema, now housing several shops.

The town is linked to 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...

 city centre by Jalan Tuaran (Tuaran Road), which is the main road out north from the city. The nearest other suburb is Inanam
Inanam
Inanam is a town and sub-district of Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysia. It is situated 10km from Kota Kinabalu city centre.The town population consists of mainly the Dusun, and the Chinese who operate the shops. Of late however there is a large influx of immigrants both from the southern Philippines...

.

External links

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