Papar

Papar is a town and a district in West Coast Division, Sabah, Malaysia. It is 38 kilometres south of the state capital, Kota Kinabalu. It is located along the main federal highway linking the south of Sabah to Kota Kinabalu, with Papar railway station become one of the main stops of the Sabah State Railway.The Papar area is characterised by low-lying coastal areas which extend inland towards the Crocker Range. Such land was traditionally used for growing rice, and the flat paddy fields once common in the district may have given it its name. Despite the rapid expansion of Kota Kinabalu, the district is still dominated by paddy fields, which are largely worked by natives, and fruit orchards, most of which belong to the ethnic Chinese minority.Etymology and HistoryThe name 'Papar' comes from a Bruneian word meaning 'flat or open land'. As with most of the west coast of Sabah, it was originally ruled by the Bruneian sultanate. Its first local leader was Datu Amir Bahar, of Bajau descent. It was then handed to the Overbeck and Dent brothers in 1877.The first British officer to serve in Papar was H.L. Leicester, who took office in February 1878 aiming to increase Papar's revenues. He was replaced by Alfred Hart Everett after failing to improve Papar's economic outlook.