Penampang

Penampang is a district within the West Coast Division of Sabah, Malaysia. It has virtually become a suburb of Kota Kinabalu which is Sabah's capital and is considered as part of Greater Kota Kinabalu area. Its population was estimated to be around 121,934 in 2010, with ethnic Kadazan as the majority. Donggongon is the main town in the district.

History

The name Penampang came from an old village within the district. The village's name in turn originates from a Kadazan word pampang meaning a big rock. This is because huge rocks were easily found within the vicinity of the village a long time ago.

The name Penampang in contemporary usage refers to the district, with the town of Donggongon as the main town within the district. The name Donggongon originates from a Kadazan word tundo'ongon which means a 'shelter' or a 'resting area', referring to its historical role as a stop-over for people from the interior who journeyed down the coast to trade.

Penampang as a name reference of this area is of a relatively new origin. Early British explorer, John Whitehead who had explored North Borneo in the 1880s referred to this district as Patatan.Owen Rutter, a civil servant in North Borneo from 1910 to 1914 similarly referred to this area as Putatan.