Tenom Pekan Tenom | |
|---|---|
Town anddistrict capital | |
 Tenom town centre. | |
 Location of Tenom Town in Tenom District | |
  Tenom | |
| Coordinates:5°08′00″N115°57′00″E / 5.13333°N 115.95000°E /5.13333; 115.95000 | |
| Country |  Malaysia |
| State |  Sabah |
| Division | Interior |
| Administration | Tenom District Council |
| Government | |
| • Body | Tenom District Council |
| • District Officer | Mas Syazwan bin Masood |
| • Executive Officer | Hj Mohd Saidi Hj Mohd Ibrahim |
| • MP | Yang Berhormat Tuan Riduan Rubin |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 48,026[1] |
| Postal code | 899XX |
| Area code | 087 |
| Neighborhood Area | Keningau, Kemabong, Melalap |
| Website | mdtenom pdtenom |
Tenom (Malay:Pekan Tenom,Malay pronunciation:[te.nom]) is the capital of theTenom District in theInterior Division ofSabah,Malaysia. It is located about 176 kilometres south ofKota Kinabalu and 128 kilometres north ofLong Pasia, which is one of the famous attractions in Sabah. Tenom is also famous for its Tenom Coffee, which is a landmark of the town.[2] Its population was estimated to be around 48,026 in 2020. In the early days of British colonial rule in Malaysia, the town was called Fort Birch. The town is considered the unofficial capital of theMurut community, whose most important festival, the annualPesta Kalimaran (Kalimaran Festival), is held in the town. It is also the main gateway to other areas within theMurut heartland and the minority ofLundayeh.
The fertile land in Tenom and its surrounding area has made it primarily an agricultural area. The main agriculture sources in the area arerubber whilesoy beans,maize, vegetables,cocoa andcoffee became the second contributor to the Tenom economy.[3]
Tenom coffee is a popular type ofkopi, aMalay term forcoffee beverage made from beans grown in Tenom. Among the main and largest producer of Tenomcoffee is theYit Foh Tenom Coffee, Tong Fah Coffee Factory and Fatt Choi Tenom Coffee.[4]
Tenom coffee is made fromRobusta variety. Thecoffee bean was processed using traditional firewood and drum rotation methods followed for almost 50 years without adding any artificial ingredients or colourings.[5]
Originally, coffee started to be planted in Sabah during the administration ofBritish North Borneo, but only focused in the area of the east coast on theforest reserve near mangrove areas. However, due to an outbreak of disease, it was abandoned in 1910.[6] Since then, coffee production was concentrated in the west coast area. Tenom received attention when theBritish North Borneo Chartered Company (BNBCC) established coffee and other plantations in the area. To take the resources to major towns, arailway line from Melalap to Jesselton (nowKota Kinabalu) was built by the British in the late 1890s. To increase the coffee production, many labourers fromChina, mainly those ofHakka andCantonese descent, were brought to Tenom by the British as local workforce.[7] Today, Tenom is widely known as anagriculture site with large coffee production and has been dubbed as the "Sabah's coffee capital".[8] Together withcocoa,rice field and fruit crops, coffee is the second largest contributor to the Tenom agriculture economy afterrubber.[9] Due to its large demand from other countries since 2010s, the government began to help to address the shortage of raw coffee supply in Tenom.[10]
Among the primary tourist attractions in the district are the Sabah Agricultural Park (Lagud Seberang Agriculture Research Station), the Tenom Orchid Centre and the Murut Cultural Centre. The town is also known in the tourism industry for whitewater rafting on the Padas River and the coffee factory.Tenom railway station is the final stop of theSabah State Railway, which originates from Tanjung Aru.
Media related toTenom at Wikimedia Commons
Capital:Kota Kinabalu | |||||||||||
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