Tambunan is a town located in Interior Division of Sabah, east Malaysia on the island of Borneo. Its population was estimated to be around 19,760 in 1991, almost entirely Kadazan-Dusun. It is about 81 kilometers from Kota Kinabalu, and is located in a pleasant, Shangri-La setting at an altitude of around 1000 meters, in the Crocker Range. The town is surrounded by terraced padi fields and 70 picturesque villages. The dense forests of bamboo around Tambunan are a legacy of the British colonial period, during which time an edict stated that 20 bamboo sprouts had to be planted for every bamboo cut. Interior Division is an administrative division of Sabah, east Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. ... State motto: Sabah Maju Jaya Capital Kota Kinabalu Governor Ahmadshah Abdullah Chief Minister Hj. ... Borneo (politically divided between Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei) is the third largest island in the world. ... The Kadazan is the largest ethnic group in Sabah (a state in Malaysia) making up about one third of the population. ... Dusun is the name of a tribe or ethnic and linguistic group in the Malaysian state of Sabah. ... Kota Kinabalu (354,153 estimated population 2000, 900,000 including suburban areas), formerly Jesselton, is the capital of Sabah, east Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. ... Shangri-La is a fictional place described in the novel, Lost Horizon, written by British writer James Hilton in 1933. ... The Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) is the worlds largest recreational diving membership organization and diver training organization. ... Diversity Around 91 genera and 1,000 species Subtribes Arthrostylidiinae Arundinariinae Bambusinae Chusqueinae Guaduinae Melocanninae Nastinae Racemobambodinae Shibataeinae See the full Taxonomy of the Bambuseae. ...

East of Tambunan is Sabah's second highest mountain, Trus Madi (2642 meters).

Just outside town is a monument to the Bajau hero Mat Salleh, who led a rebellion against the British in the late 19th century. His agreement to a truce with the British so outraged his own people that he was forced to flee to Tambunan, where he was eventually beseiged and killed. The Bajau are an indigenous ethnic group residing in Sabah, eastern Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia. ...

Tambunan is noted for the quality of its lihing, or rice wine. Sake barrels at Itsukushima Shrine Sake (酒; pronounced SAH-KEH in Japanese, but often SAH-ki by English speakers) is a Japanese alcoholic beverage, brewed from rice. ...

Outside of Tambunan is the Tambunan Rafflesia Reserve, devoted to the world's largest flower, the rafflesia. Species Rafflesia arnoldi Rafflesia cantleyi Rafflesia gadutensis Rafflesia hasseltii Rafflesia keithii Rafflesia kerrii Rafflesia manillana Rafflesia micropylora Rafflesia patma Rafflesia pricei Rafflesia rochussenii Rafflesia schadenbergiana Rafflesia speciosa Rafflesia tengku-adlinii Rafflesia tuan-mudae Rafflesia is a genus of parasitic flowers. ...