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, Kadazan-Dusuns, Lun Bawang/Lun Dayeh, Muruts 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.