Dusun people in the context of Kota Marudu District

Central Dusun, also known as Bunduliwan (Boros Dusun), is an Austronesian language and one of the more widespread languages spoken by the Dusun (including Kadazan) peoples of Sabah, Malaysia.

The Ranau District (Malay: Daerah Ranau) is an administrative district in the Malaysian state of Sabah, part of the West Coast Division which includes the districts of Kota Belud, Kota Kinabalu, Papar, Penampang, Putatan, Ranau and Tuaran.

The capital of the district is in Ranau Town. The landlocked district bordering the Sandakan Division to the east until it meets the Interior Division border. Ranau sits 108 km (67 mi) east of Kota Kinabalu and 227 km (141 mi) west of Sandakan. As of the 2010 Census, the population of the district was 94,092, an almost entirely Dusun ethnic community.

West Coast Division (Malay: Bahagian Pantai Barat) is an administrative division of Sabah, Malaysia. It occupies the northwest portion of Sabah. With an area of 7,588 square kilometres, it occupies 10.3% of Sabah's territory. It also has approximately 30% of Sabah's total population, with the main indigenous inhabitants comprising the Bajau, Bisaya, Bruneian Malay, Dusun, Illanun, Kadazan and Kedayan, as well with a significant numbers of Chinese. The division is divided into the districts of Ranau, Kota Belud, Tuaran, Penampang, Papar, Putatan and the state capital Kota Kinabalu. The main towns are as in the names of the districts, plus other towns including Petagas, Lok Kawi, Menggatal, Inanam, Telipok, Tamparuli, Tenghilan, Kiulu, Kundasang, Pekan Nabalu, Kinarut, Kimanis and Bongawan.

Kota Kinabalu Harbour is the main sea ports in the state's capital with an estimate size of 1,440 kilometres long coast. It serves as the gateway for water transport in Sabah. It handles and handles 4,031,000 freight tonne annually. The Kota Kinabalu International Airport serves as the main gateway into the state by air.

Kuala Penyu Town (Malay: Pekan Kuala Penyu) is the capital of the Kuala Penyu District in the Interior Division of Sabah, Malaysia. This district can be reached by road or by boat via the sea route. It is only 145 kilometres from Kota Kinabalu via the Beaufort route, and if travelling through Membakut/Pimping, the distance is now just 106 kilometres. Besides saving travel time, visitors taking the Membakut/Pimping route also have the opportunity to use the ferry service to cross Setompok Bay. Its population was estimated to be around 659 in 2010, with ethnic Dusun Tatana sub-group forming the largest single ethnic group.

The Kadazan people, or simply the Kadazans, are an Austronesian ethnic group indigenous to Sabah, Malaysia. They primarily live in the West Coast Division, in the districts of Penampang, Putatan and Papar, the surrounding areas, and various locations in the Interior Division, such as Beaufort and Membakut, as well as, to a lesser extent, the eastern Kadazans of Labuk-Kinabatangan.

The Kadazans form another major indigenous ethnic group within the western coast of the Sabah region with rich traditional heritage, distinct dress, language and customs based on different districts, with an estimated 568,575 (mixed with the Dusuns) spread across the state. They are among the earliest indigenous people within northern Borneo exposed to the early Christian mission and faced various interactions with the Sultanate of Brunei in the 18th century and later the British that resulted in their rapid subsequent modernisation in the late 19th century, when many of the British administration towns within North Borneo were constructed close to many of the Kadazans' homelands. The majority of Kadazans are Roman Catholics although traditional culture remains important to the community, with their Adats are recognised by the Native Court of Sabah.

The Interior Division (Malay: Bahagian Pedalaman) is an administrative division of the state of Sabah, Malaysia. It occupies the southwest portion of Sabah, bordered by the neighbouring state of Sarawak on its west. With an area of 18,298 square kilometres, it covers 24.9% of Sabah's territory and is home to approximately 14.7% of Sabah's total population. The largest town in the Interior Division is Keningau. Other main towns in this division include Beaufort, Kuala Penyu, Sipitang, Tambunan and Tenom.

The coastal parts of the Division are settled mainly by Bisaya, Bruneian Malays and Kedayan, whereas the inland areas to the east of the Crocker Range are mostly settled by various subgroups of the Dusun people. The town of Tambunan is considered to be a major centre of Dusun culture, while Tenom is the largest town in the heartland of the Murut people. The Long Pasia and Long Mio are the gateway to the Lun Bawang/ Lun Dayeh tribes in Sipitang. In addition, there are large numbers of Chinese people in most of the towns, particularly Beaufort, Keningau and Tenom. The majority of the Division's ethnic Chinese residents are of the Hakka subgroup.

The Bisaya are a group of indigenous people from the northwest coast of East Malaysia and Brunei, on the island of Borneo. Their populations are concentrated around the towns of Beaufort and Kuala Penyu in southern Sabah (where they are included under the Kadazan-Dusun group of peoples), Labuan Federal Territory, and in Limbang District of Sarawak (in which they are grouped under the Orang Ulu designation). The Bisaya tribe bears many similarities to the Tatana Dusun tribe, especially in terms of language, as there is a high degree of mutual intelligibility between the two groups. Nowadays, most Bisaya in Sabah are Muslim, while those living in Sarawak are mostly Christians. In Brunei, they are referred to as Dusun, Jati Dusun, and Bisaya.