Ranau is a district as well as a town in the East Malaysian state of Sabah
on the island of Borneo
and it is situated in the West Coast Division of Sabah. According to 2000 Population Census estimates, the population of the district was 70,649 with 86.66% of the population is ethnic Dusun
.
Located at an altitude of 1176m above sea level, Ranau is known for its hilly geographical structure and is the largest producer of highland vegetables in the state of Sabah. Apart from agriculture, Ranau is a must see tourism destination and has many wonderful places such as Mount Kinabalu
, Poring Hot Springs, Kundasang War Memorial, Sabah Tea Garden and much more. Malaysia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Kinabalu National Park
is also located here.
Etymology
The origin of the name "Ranau" comes from the Dusun word "Ranahon" which means paddy fields. Usually the Dusun people who live in the highland grow mountain rice on the hills (called tumo/dumo and the mountain rice is called parai tidong in Dusun), however, for those who live in the lowland of Ranau, they cultivate rice in watery paddy fields. Over time, “Ranahon” is shortened to “Ranau” and since the central district administration is nearer to the lowland, the name “Ranau” is adopted as the official name for the district.
Geography
Ranau is situated between 5°30’N to 6°25’N and 116°30’E to 117°5’E.
The district has a total area of 1978.5 km² (763.9 sq mi) but the number is expected to increase to 3555.51 km² (1,372.8 sq mi) if the new change of border between Tambunan and Beluran districts is done.
Administrative Divisions
In the national and state level, Ranau has only one parliamentary seat for the Dewan Rakyat
(House of Representatives) which is P179 Ranau but it is represented by three state assemblymen in the Sabah State Legislative Assembly, each one for N29 Kundasang, N30 Karanaan and N31 Paginatan state assembly seats respectively. The current Member of Parliament for Ranau is Datuk Siringan Gubat and the current state assemblymen representing the district are Dr Joachim Gunsalam for N29 Kundasang, Datuk Haji Masidi Manjun for N30 Karanaan and Datuk Ewon Ebin for N31 Paginatan.
Meanwhile, in the district level,Ranau is governed under a district office form of local government headed by a District Officer. Since 2009, the District Officer of Ranau is Haji Faimin Kamin. There is only a Magistrates’ Court in the district but there is also a Native Court, having jurisdiction on matters of native law and custom. Normally, each village will have a Village Head working as a leader, together with a Village Development and Safety Committee carrying out activities pertaining to the villagers’ interests.
Ranau district is divided into 14 sub-districts and each sub-district is divided into villages (Malay: kampung, abbreviation: kg.). There are a total of 212 villages in Ranau. The following are the 14 sub-districts in Ranau with its respective villages in order of proximity to Ranau township:
- Liwagu
-
- Pekan Ranau, Kimolohing, Muhibbah, Paka II, Longut Baru, Kiaburi, Rapak/Takurik, Lintuhun, Lingkudau Lama, Lingkudau Baru, Tiang Baru, Kasiladan/Giman/Kawog, Kandawayon, Mininsalu Baru
- Tanah Rata/Kituntul
-
- Lukapon, Tagudon Baru, Sinarut, Lasing, Marakau, Kilimu, Tanah Merah, Bahab, Libang, Kokob Baru, Tudangan, Matan, Silou, Badukan, Boduyon, Kituntul Lama, Kituntul Baru,Togoyog/Lipoi, Kinapulidan, Mindahuon Baru, Rugading, Kigiok
- Tambiau/Mohimboyon
-
- Kibbas, Purakagis, Koporingan,Tambiau, Sarapong, Paka I,Toboh Baru, Lipasu Baru, Lipasu Lama, Wa'ang, Kiwawoi, Mohimboyon
- Suminimpod/Kopongian
-
- Gana-Gana, Kopongian, Giring-Giring, Nampasan Lama, Gaur, Suminimpod, Mininsalu Lama/Narambai, Niasan, Bayag, Kita'ie, Longut, Tiang Lama
- Kundasang/Bundu Tuhan
-
- Pinausuk,Tambalang, Ruhukon, Sinisian, Samuroh, Naradau, Desa Aman, Lembah Permai, Dumpiring Bawah, Kinaundusan, JKDB Pekan Kundasang, Dumpiring Atas, Kinasaraban, Kundasang Lama, Cinta Mata, Kalangaan, Kauluan, Mesilou, Sokid Bundu Tuhan, Siba Bundu Tuhan, Gondohon
- Lohan/Bongkud
-
- Lohan Ulu, Karanaan Baru, Kinasaraban Baru, Lohan Scheme I, Minihas/Maukab Baru, Randagong Baru, Kinorotuan, Silad, Lohan Scheme II, Simpangan Poring, Nampasan Baru, Poring, Nopung II, Nopung I, Narawang, Namaus Bongkud, Bongkud, Lutut, Waluhu
- Randagong
-
- Mumpait, Kinirisan, Poropot, Randagong, Lagkau, Kosisingan,Tungou, Sumalang, Maukab
- Perancangan
-
- Singgaron Baru,Togis, Perancangan, Debut Langsat, Takutan, Langsat, Nalumad, Kilanas Baru, Kirokot
- Nalapak
-
- Sodul I, Sodul II, Muruk, Luanti Baru, Nalapak, Kobuh Baru, Nabutan, Sungangon, Sagindai Baru, Sagindai Lama
- Timbua
-
- Tarawas, Pinawantai, Pahu Pinawantai, Debut Timbua, Kimboroi Timbua,Timbua, Lobou Baru, Togop Laut, Tinutuan, Togop Darat, Merungin I, Lobou Timbua, Merungin II, Pinampadan,Tibabar,Turuntungan, Monggis,Tumbalang, Lobou Lama, Daramakon, Keiyep, Nawanon, Kantas Baru, Pugi
- Karanaan/Tagudon
-
- Karanaan, Sosondoton, Komburongoh/Mogoho/Soyod, Piasau,Tagudon Lama/Pulutan, Himbaan, Pahu, Ratau, Terolobou, Tinatasan, Toboh Pahu,Toboh Lama,Tudan II,Tudan I
- Paginatan
-
- Matupang, Tarikon/Tadsom, Minihas, Paginatan, Bunakon, Lungkidau, Soborong Paginatan, Maringkan, Balisok, Tabah, Nunuk Ragang, Toupus, Miruru, Mangkadait, Mindahuon Lama, Toporoh, Mentapok
- Malinsou
-
- Mokodou, Kopuakan,Tanid, Linapasan, Malinsou Darat / Nasakot, Sumbilangon, Wayan, Tinindoi, Sinurai, Mangkapoh I,Tinaum/Mangkapoh II, Mampakot/Malinsou
- Kaingaran
-
- Paka Sugut, Meningkulau, Kawiyan, Kilanas Sugut, Giring, Pinutudaan/Minintob, Kaingaran, Kotog, Meridi, Betong, Tinongian, Namaus, Ulu Sugut, Kiwakau, Karagasan, Pamaitan, Patau,Tundangon Ulu Sugut, Mansalu, Gan, Gusi
Ethnicity
The majority of Ranau population is composed of the Dusun natives. There is a small population of Chinese
of Hakka
, Hokkien
and others Chinese descent who have settled for a fairly long time in Ranau. In addition, there are also people from other ethnicities as well, such as Malay, Kadazan
, Bajau
, Murut
and other natives. Due to Ranau’s status as an agriculture-based district, there are a sizeable number of foreign workers from Indonesia
and the Philippines
working as labors in large farms and plantations. Indians make up a very small number of Ranau population.
The multiethnic composition of the population has resulted in many interracial marriages notably the Sino-Dusun.
Language
Most Ranau people speak the Sabahan Malay dialect but the Dusun language is primarily spoken as well especially among the older generations. Mandarin and Chinese dialects especially Hakka is spoken among the Chinese community and native languages of the other ethnicities can be heard as well. English is more or less spoken and understood by the younger generations and the locals who work in the professional sectors.
Religion
According to the Population Census in 2000, 46.85% of the population practices Islam
. Closely behind, Christians make up 45.68% of the population while 1.09% are Buddhists and 0.06% are Hindus. 6.31% were recorded as “Others”, presumably referring to quite a number of the Dusun people and other natives who still practice animistic ancestral beliefs and traditions.
The main mosque in Ranau township is the Ar-Rahman Mosque (Masjid Jamek Ar-Rahman). The Chinese temple in the town area is the Ranau Wah San Chon Chu Kung . Main churches of different denominations are located within the vicinity of Ranau township too. The Roman Catholic St. Peter Claver Church is located in the town area and so does the Ranau Basel Christian Church of Malaysia. Within two kilometer radius from the township, there are the Ranau Town Evangelical Church
of Borneo
(Sidang Injil Borneo Pekan Ranau), St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Seventh-Day Adventist Church, True Jesus Church
and GPI Church (Gereja Perkhabaran Injil). The Basel church, the Chinese temple and the mosque are located next to each other along the same road called Mosque Road (Jalan Masjid).
Economy
Ranau is an important agricultural and tourism center in Sabah and this two sectors have been the main economy backbone for the district. Most of the tourism business are centered around the highlands of Kundasang
, a sub-district in Ranau while agriculture business is widespread all over Ranau. Therefore most people of Ranau work as farmers or operators of their own business although there are white-collar workers as well mainly in the government sectors such health, education, service and administration and a few in the banking sector.
Agriculture
The moderate temperature of the Ranau highlands coupled with its fertile soil has been fully utilized by farmers to grow different types of vegetables and fruits such as cabbage, spring onion, tomato, lettuce, carrot and to a certain extent cauliflower, capsicum and many others. Strawberry has been successfully cultivated here and there were attempts in growing apple as well although the result has been varying. Flowers of different species are also planted here for commercial purposes.
Kundasang also boasts a dairy farm owned by Desa Cattle (Sabah) Sdn. Bhd company located at Mesilau.
Tourism
Hotels, resorts, motels and lodging houses can be found concentrated nearer to the Kinabalu National Park. Not only do these facilities improved the growth of tourism business by attracting more visitors to stay longer but the local residents have also benefited as more jobs have been created for them.
Among the well-known hotels in Kundasang are the Mount Kinabalu Heritage Resort & Spa and Kinabalu Pine Resort. A new 5-star hotel called the Royal Kinabalu Mountain Resort & Hotel Suites located 800 meters from the entrance of Kinabalu Park is currently undergoing construction.
During weekends and school holidays, lots of tourist buses and vans plus private cars from Sarawak and Brunei can be seen heading to Ranau.
Other business
Apart from that, other business such as restaurants, superstores such as Milimewa and G-Mart, grocery shops, clothing stores, handphone shops and cyber cafes are mainly operated within the township area. CIMB Bank and Bank Simpanan Nasional each have their branch in Ranau. The only fast food restaurant in Ranau is KFC
.
Education
All primary schools and secondary schools in Ranau are public schools although a small private school for secondary school students do exist and a number of privately-owned kindergartens as well. The Ranau Education Office operates 11 secondary schools and 67 primary schools.
There is only one Chinese national-type school in Ranau which is Ranau Pei Wen Primary School and two schools with Christian
missionaries background, St. Benedict's Ranau Primary School in the town area and Don Bosco Bundu Tuhan Primary School in Kg. Bundu Tuhan. Apart from the typical primary schools, there are also Islamic primary schools that cater to Islamic education for primary students.For Islamic secondary school, there are only two such schools in the district i.e. the SMA Mohammad Ali Ranau in Kg. Lohan and SMA Al-Irsyadiah Marakau Ranau in Kg. Marakau.
The oldest national secondary school in Ranau is Dato Paduka Mat Salleh Ranau Secondary School while the oldest primary school is Ranau Town Primary School. Among the newly built schools in Ranau are Ranau Secondary School and Kilimu Primary School.
- Secondary schools in Ranau:
- National school:
- SMK Dato Paduka Mat Salleh, Pekan Ranau, SMK Ranau, Kg. Kilimu, SMK Bundu Tuhan, Kg. Bundu Tuhan, SMK Kundasang, Kg. Kundasang, SMK Matupang Jaya, Kg. Matupang, SMK Timbua, Kg. Timbua, SMK Lohan, Kg.Lohan Ulu, SMK Ulu Sugut, Kg. Kaingaran, SMK Kemburongoh, Kg. Kemburongoh
- Islamic school:
- SMA Mohammad Ali Ranau, Kg. Lohan, SMA Al-Irsyadiah Marakau Ranau, Kg. Marakau
Secondary school leavers can also opt to take vocational courses at the Ranau MARA
Vocational Centre (Pusat Giat MARA Ranau). There is also a bible school; Maktab Teologi Sabah (Sabah Theology School) located in Kg. Namaus which offers up until degree level programs.
Ranau Sports Complex (KSR)
Ranau Sports Complex is located at an altitude of 780 m above the sea level and surrounded by hills. The chilly climate engulfing the sports complex makes it very suitable as a training ground for all sports.
Ranau Recreation & Golf Club (RRGC)
RRGC located at Kilometer 1, Jalan Ranau - Tambunan
, Ranau, Sabah
. 9 hole golf course with panoramic view of the imposing Mount Kinabalu
. With state of the rolling fairways and green are difficult to read, it could test the strategy of golfers. Some players say, it is a 9 hole golf course is the best in the state. The club was joined by some of the best clubs around. With a total length of 5.737 meters for men and 5.053 meters for lady. Course rating : Par 72. Slope Rating : 128 (Men) / 118 (Lady).
Culture
A number of festive celebrations observed by Ranau people can be seen celebrated throughout the year, be it religious or cultural celebrations and among them, the major ones are Tadau Kaamatan
(Harvest Festival), Hari Raya Aidifitri (Eid ul-Fitr
), Hari Krismas/Natal (Christmas
), and Tahun Baru Cina (Chinese New Year
).
Tadau Kaamatan
is an annual event celebrated by the Dusun people in Ranau district in the month of May although the exact date is subject to change each year but as with any district level Kaamatan celebration, the date precedes the Sabah state level Kaamatan celebration which falls on May 30 and May 31 every year. However, it is interesting to note that, at village level, the Kaamatan may be celebrated as late as June or July depending on their own preferences.
Originally a ritualistic event, Kaamatan was usually marked by strict observance of animistic rituals and rites to be performed to appease the spirit of rice at the end of the harvesting season. Nevertheless, today, Kaamatan is more akin to Thanksgiving
as the majority of Dusun people have converted to mainstream religion although some still practice the rituals and rites but rarely to be seen. Among the highlights of Kaamatan events which usually attract the most people are Sugandoi (singing competition) and Unduk Ngadau (cultural beauty queen pageant) while traditional sports competitions are also held.
During Hari Raya Aidifitri, open houses are the norm, with Ranau people, regardless of religion, visiting the houses of their Muslim relatives and friends to mark the celebration. Like many other Christians in Asia
, Christmas is still being observed in a religious fashion where churches usually hold congregation throughout the Christmas week with the highlights on Christmas Eve
and Christmas Mass
. Carol
ling can also be seen done among the younger generations although they only visit houses where they are invited to carol. Open houses and Mass, usually by the Ranau Council of Churches where different Christians denominations celebrate together and by Christian politicians can also be seen.
Chinese New Year is celebrated mainly by the Chinese community and during the week of the celebration, one can hear and watch the Ranau Lion Dance
team visiting Chinese peoples' houses throughout the Ranau town and its vicinities to perform the dance accompanied by its trademark musical instrument performance of drums, cymbals and gongs as well.
Other celebration includes the Paskah (Good Friday
) where one would normally see the Christians in the district going to church congregations during the Holy Week
with its culmination is on Good Friday
to Holy Saturday
and usually ends on Easter Sunday. Meanwhile, another religious celebration that can be observed here is the Hari Raya Aidiladha (Eid al-Adha, ( ‘Īdu l-’Aḍḥā).
Miscellaneous
The Kundasang War Memorial Display Garden has plants and flowers from Borneo, Australia and Great Britain. Ranau was the terminus of the infamous Sandakan Death Marches of World War II. Kundasang is a sub-district within Ranau district.
Ranau is the largest producer of highland vegetables in the state of Sabah. Some of it are exported to Sarawak, Brunei and Labuan. Its tea products are exported to US and the Philippines. Tamu , held every Wednesday, Saturday and the 1st day of the month, is a place for the people to sell, buy, occasionally barter trade and meeting old friends. Lots of fresh local produces from all over the districts are up for sale. Middlemens from around the state with vans, trucks and lorries can be seen loading vegetables and fruits, ready to transport them out to other cities and towns.
Ranau used to be the largest producer of cooper in the 70s until the closure of the Mamut Copper Mine in late 90s as the copper ore had been fully mined.
Notable people
- Politics & Local Administration
-
- Tan Sri Haji Abdul Ghani Gilong - Former Federal Cabinet Minister, Minister of Works and Public Utilities, 1968 - 1978
-
- The Late Datuk Mark Koding - Former Sabah Deputy Chief Minister, 1985 - 1989
-
- Tan Sri Kasitah Gaddam - Former Federal Cabinet Minister, Minister of Land and Co-operative Development
-
- Datuk Haji Masidi Manjun - Sabah Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment (current)
-
- Datuk Dr. Ewon Ebin - Sabah Minister of Industrial Development (current)
-
- Dr. Joachim Gunsalam - Chairman of the Sabah Parks Board of Trustees (current)
-
- Datuk Abidin Madingkir - Kota Kinabalu City Mayor (current)
-
- Datuk Matius Sator - Permanent Secretary to the Sabah Local Government and Housing Ministry (current)
-
- Datuk Siringan GubatSiringan GubatDatuk Siringan Gubat is a Malaysian politician. He is currently the Member of the Parliament of Malaysia for the Ranau constituency in Sabah, representing the United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation party in the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition.Siringan was elected to Parliament in...
- Ranau MP (current)- Sports
- Datuk Siringan Gubat
-
- Danny Kuilin, Saffrey Sumping - Malaysia's top mountain runners, 2010 Skyrunner World SeriesSkyrunner World SeriesThe Skyrunner World Series is an annual international championship of high altitude endurance races organised by the Federation for Sport at Altitude . It has been sponsored by Buff, a Spanish headwear company, since 2003....
.
- Danny Kuilin, Saffrey Sumping - Malaysia's top mountain runners, 2010 Skyrunner World Series
- Entertainment
-
- Norlinda Nanuwil - First runner up, Akademi FantasiaAkademi FantasiaAkademi Fantasia is Malaysia's first reality television show in which a number of contestants called students compete for the winning title and a chance to start their career in the entertainment industry. The first season premiered in June 3, 2003 and was one of Astro Ria's highest rated shows...
Season 2 - Siti Adira Suhaimi - First runner up, Akademi FantasiaAkademi FantasiaAkademi Fantasia is Malaysia's first reality television show in which a number of contestants called students compete for the winning title and a chance to start their career in the entertainment industry. The first season premiered in June 3, 2003 and was one of Astro Ria's highest rated shows...
Season 8
- Norlinda Nanuwil - First runner up, Akademi Fantasia
External links
GeneralTourism