Semporna
Semporna
Pekan Semporna | ||
---|---|---|
Town and District Semporna | | |
Population (2010) | ||
• Total | 35,301 |
Semporna (Malay: Pekan Semporna) is the capital of the Semporna District in the Tawau Division of Sabah, Malaysia. Its population was estimated to be around 35,301 in 2010.[1]
The federal constituency represented in the Dewan Rakyat is Semporna.
History
Semporna was founded soon after the
Including other parts of eastern Sabah, this area was ruled by the Sultanate of Sulu before being handed over to the British North Borneo Chartered Company in 1876 by agreement.[2] From that time on the area came under permanent British administration.[2] Other western powers, including the Dutch, tried to conquer this area in June 1876 but were repelled by the British presence here.[2]
This area also was long a main landing point for
Geography
Semporna is located at the tip of Semporna Peninsula around Lahad Datu Bay (also known as Darvel Bay), and is visited by tourists as a base for scuba diving or snorkelling trips to Pulau Sipadan (Sipadan Island), some 36 kilometres southeast of town.
Climate
Semporna has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) with heavy rainfall year-round.
Climate data for Semporna | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 29.6 (85.3) |
29.7 (85.5) |
30.2 (86.4) |
30.9 (87.6) |
31.4 (88.5) |
31.3 (88.3) |
31.3 (88.3) |
31.5 (88.7) |
31.3 (88.3) |
31.2 (88.2) |
30.7 (87.3) |
30.1 (86.2) |
30.8 (87.4) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 26.2 (79.2) |
26.3 (79.3) |
26.6 (79.9) |
27.0 (80.6) |
27.3 (81.1) |
27.2 (81.0) |
27.0 (80.6) |
27.1 (80.8) |
27.0 (80.6) |
27.0 (80.6) |
26.8 (80.2) |
26.5 (79.7) |
26.8 (80.3) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 22.9 (73.2) |
23.0 (73.4) |
23.1 (73.6) |
23.2 (73.8) |
23.3 (73.9) |
23.1 (73.6) |
22.8 (73.0) |
22.8 (73.0) |
22.8 (73.0) |
22.9 (73.2) |
23.0 (73.4) |
23.0 (73.4) |
23.0 (73.4) |
Average rainfall mm (inches) | 201 (7.9) |
136 (5.4) |
135 (5.3) |
149 (5.9) |
210 (8.3) |
183 (7.2) |
160 (6.3) |
163 (6.4) |
124 (4.9) |
180 (7.1) |
194 (7.6) |
190 (7.5) |
2,025 (79.8) |
Source: Climate-Data.org[7] |
Demographics
The majority of the population is
There are thousands of Bajau Laut (also known as Sea Gypsies or Pala'u) people live on the sea around Semporna. They are one of the few nomadic seaborne peoples of the world, and spend most of their lives on boats, making a livelihood from the coral reefs in the area. For some Bajau Laut people, the only time that their bodies spend any extended time on land is when they are buried after death.
Additionally, there are also large segments of populations Bajau Darat (Land Bajaus) in Semporna. They are nonmigrating, inhabiting the coastal areas and many adopted a land-based economy.
Among other large ethnic community in Semporna being the
Other main ethnic minority populations in Semporna are the
Religion
Languages
Semporna is also home to the only Chavacano-speaking community in Malaysia. Semporna's Chavacano speakers are refugees (or descendants of refugees) who fled the Moro conflict of the Philippines. A large number of these refugees live in Malaysia illegally.
Economy
Marine products are still the mainstay of the local economy, as well as tourism. Pearl culturing is a major component of this industry. In recent real estate developments, as of the latest 12 months available past transactions data,[8] the median price for residential properties in Semporna was RM280,000 , with a price per square foot of RM191.86, based on 15 transactions. [9]The median price for commercial properties was RM800,000 , with a price per square foot of RM585.02, based on 11 transactions.[10] These figures are sourced from NAPIC.
Tourism
Semporna is also known for the Regatta Lepa traditional boat races which occur annually in April. Semporna was also the location of the finish line of Eco-Challenge: Borneo, held in 2000. Off the coast is a marine park called Tun Sakaran Marine Park, also known as Semporna Islands Park. It was gazetted by Sabah Parks in 2004.
Semporna is the gateway to diving in world-renowned island paradises like
among others. Visitors to Semporna are mainly sunseekers looking for relaxation or watersports activities such as scuba diving or snorkelling.Cuisine
As Semporna is a coastal town, the local cuisine is largely influenced by seafood and marine produce.
References
- ^ "Population by ethnic group, Local Authority area and state, Malaysia" (PDF). Department of Statistics, Malaysia. 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Sejarah Semporna" (in Malay and English). Semporna District Office. Archived from the original on 8 November 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
- ^ British North Borneo Herald, 16 August 1918, p. 149.
- ^ Lesho, Marivic (2013). The Sociophonetics and Phonology of the Cavite Chabacano Vowel System (Graduate). Ohio State University. p. 171.
Cavite Chabacano /s/ occurs in onset or coda, but there is some vestigial aspiration or deletion that occurs in final position. The aspiration or deletion of coda /s/ is widespread in southern Peninsular and Latin American Spanish dialects (Hualde 2005:161-165), and the occurrence of this feature in certain modern Cavite Chabacano words reflects an earlier period when those processes were more common in the Spanish of Cavite. According to Lipski (1986), the earlier variety of Spanish spoken in the Philippines had Mexican and Andalusian Spanish features, including /s/ aspiration, but in the late 1800s a more conservative non-aspirating variety of Peninsular Spanish was spoken there. As a result, certain Cavite Chabacano words have aspiration or deletion while others do not.
- ^ "SECOND BOOK OF THE SECOND PART OF THE CONQUESTS OF THE FILIPINAS ISLANDS, AND CHRONICLE OF THE RELIGIOUS OF OUR FATHER, ST. AUGUSTINE" (Zamboanga City History) "He (Governor Don Sebastían Hurtado de Corcuera) brought a great reënforcements of soldiers, many of them from Perú, as he made his voyage to Acapulco from that kingdom."
- ^ Reading Song-Ming Records on the Pre-colonial History of the Philippines By Kansai University
- ^ "Climate: Semporna". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
- ^ "Property Genie | Transaction and Statistics". Transaction and Statistics | Property Genie. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ "Residential Transaction Prices in Semporna, Sabah | Propertygenie.com.my". Property Genie | Transaction and Statistics. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ "Commercial Transaction Prices in Semporna, Sabah | Propertygenie.com.my". Property Genie | Transaction and Statistics. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
External links
Media related to Semporna at Wikimedia Commons
- Semporna travel guide from Wikivoyage