Beaufort which was named after former British Governor L.P. Beaufort is a town and also a district located in
Interior Division of
Sabah,
Malaysia. Its population was estimated to be around 64,350 in 2010. It is a quiet provincial town about 90 kilometres south of
Kota Kinabalu, with shophouses built high above the roads to avoid the periodic floods of the Padas River (
Sungai Padas). The population of Beaufort is composed mainly of Brunei Malays,
Bisaya,
Kadazans,
Lun Bawang/Lun Dayeh and Chinese (mainly
Hakkas). Like
Papar, Malaysia, Beaufort was one of the major initial Hakka population centres in Sabah and boasts a large Hakka minority to this day.