Etymology

The origin of the name Sabah is uncertain, and there are many theories that have arisen. One theory is that during the time it was part of the Bruneian Sultanate, it was referred to as Saba because of the presence a variety of banana called pisang saba (also known as pisang menurun), which is grown widely on the coast of the region and popular in Brunei. The Bajau community called it as pisang jaba. While the name Saba also refers to a variety of banana in both Tagalog and Visayan languages, the word in Visayan has the meaning of "noisy". Perhaps due to local dialect, the word Saba has been pronounced as Sabah by the local community.

While during Brunei become a vassal state of Majapahit, the Old Javanese eulogy of Nagarakretagama described the area in what is now Sabah as Seludang. Meanwhile, although the Chinese during the Song dynasty had long been associated with the island of Borneo, they did not have any specific names for the area. Instead they referring the whole island as Po Ni (also called as Bo Ni), which is the same name been used to referring the Sultanate of Brunei at the time. Due to the location of Sabah in relation to Brunei, it has been suggested that Sabah was a Bruneian Malay word meaning upstream or "in a northernly direction". Another theory suggests that it came from the Malay word sabak which means a place where palm sugar is extracted. Sabah ('صباح') is also an Arabic word which means sunrise. The presence of multiple theories makes it difficult to pinpoint the true origin of the name.

History

Main article: History of Sabah

Prehistory

Main article: Prehistoric Malaysia

Earliest human settlement into the region can be dated back to about 20,000-30,000 years ago as evidenced by the excavations along the Darvel Bay area at Madai-Baturong caves near the Tingkayu river where stone tools and food remains were found. The earliest inhabitants in the area were thought to be like the Australian aborigines, but their disappearance reason were unknown. In 2003, archaeologists discovered the Mansuli valley in the Lahad Datu district, which dates back the history of Sabah to 235,000 years. The first southern Mongoloid migration then occurred between 5,000 years ago, as evidenced from the discovery of archaeological site at Bukit Tengkorak, Semporna which is famed for being the largest pottery making site during the Neolithic Southeast Asia. Some anthropologists such as S.G. Tan and Thomas R. Williams believe that these Mongoloids (comprising today of Kadazan-Dusun, Murut and Orang Sungai etc.) are said to be originating from South China and Northern Vietnam as well close to a number of indigenous groups in the Philippines and Formosa (Taiwan) than to the indigenous peoples of neighbouring Sarawak and Kalimantan.

Bruneian empire and the Sulu sultanate

During the 7th century CE, a settled community known as Vijayapura, a tributary to the Srivijaya empire, was thought to have existed in northwest Borneo. The earliest kingdom which suspected to have existed beginning the 9th century was Po Ni as been recorded on the Chinese Taiping Huanyu Ji. It was believed that Po Ni existed at the mouth of Brunei River and was the predecessor to the Bruneian Empire. In the 14th century, Brunei became the vassal state of Majapahit but in 1370 transferred their allegiance to Ming dynasty of China. The Maharaja Karna of Borneo then paid a visit to Beijing with his family until his death. He was succeeded by his son Hiawang who agreed to sent tribute to China once every three years. Since then, Chinese junks come to northern Borneo with cargoes of spices, bird nests, shark fins, camphor, rattan and pearls. Many of this Chinese traders eventually settled and established their own colony in Kinabatangan River as been stated on both Brunei and Sulu records. A sister of the Governor of the Chinese settlement, Huang Senping (Ong Sum Ping) then married with Muhammad Shah (the founder of the Sultanate of Brunei after embracing Islam). Perhaps due to this relations, a burial place with 2,000 wooden coffins with an estimate of 1,000 years were discovered in Agop Batu Tulug Caves, also in the Kinabatangan area. It is believed that this type of funeral culture was brought by traders from Mainland China and Indochina to northern Borneo as similar wooden coffins were also discovered in these countries. In addition with the discovery of Đông Sơn drum in Bukit Timbang Dayang on Banggi Island that had existed between 2,000-2,500 years ago.

During the reign of the fifth sultan of Bolkiah between 1485-1524, the Sultanate's thalassocracy extended over northern Borneo and the Sulu Archipelago, as far as Kota Seludong (present-day Manila) with its influence extending as far of Banjarmasin, taking advantage of maritime trade after the fall of Malacca to the Portuguese. Many Brunei Malays migrated to this region during this period, although the migration has begun as early as the 15th century after the Brunei conquest of the territory. But plaguing by internal strife, civil war, piracy and the arrival of western powers, the Bruneian Empire began to shrank. The first European to visit Brunei is the Portuguese, of which they describe the capital of Brunei at the time surrounded by a stone wall. This was followed by Spanish soon after Ferdinand Magellan death on 1521, when they sailed to the islands of Balambangan and Banggi in the northern tip Borneo and later led to a conflict known as the Castilian War. The Sulu gaining its own independence on 1578, forming their own sultanate known as the Sultanate of Sulu.

When the civil war began to broke in Brunei between Sultans Abdul Hakkul Mubin and Muhyiddin, the Sulu's asserted their claimed into Brunei's territories on northern Borneo. The Sulu claimed Sultan Muhyiddin had promised to cede the northern and eastern portion of Borneo to them in compensation for their help in settling the civil war. The territory seems to never been ceded in practice, but the Sulu's continued to claimed the territory as theirs. Brunei at the time cannot do as much as they are weakening moreover after the war with Spanish with the area in northern Borneo began to fall under the influence of the Sulu Sultanate. The seafaring Bajau-Suluk and Illanun people then arrived from the Sulu Archipelago and started to settling in the coasts of north and eastern Borneo. As Sulu were also been threatened with the arrival of Spanish, it is believed that many of them were fleeing from the oppression of the Spanish colonist in their region. While the thalassocratic Brunei and Sulu sultanates controlled the western and eastern coasts of Sabah respectively, the interior region remained largely independent from either kingdoms.

British North Borneo era

Main articles: North Borneo Chartered Company, North Borneo and Madrid Protocol of 1885

In 1761, Alexander Dalrymple, an officer of the British East India Company, concluded an agreement with the Sultan of Sulu to allow him to set up a trading post for the first time in the northern Borneo area, although it proved to be failure. In 1765, Dalrymple managed to obtained the island by having concluded a Treaty of Alliance and Commerce with the Sultan of Sulu. A small British factory was then established in 1773 on Balambangan Island, a tiny island situated off the north coast of Borneo. The British sees the island as a suitable location to control the trade route in the East, which capable of diverting traders from the Spanish port of Manila and Dutch port of Batavia especially with its strategic location between the South China Sea and Sulu Sea. But the British abandoned the island two years later when the Sulu pirates began to attacking. This forced the British to seek refuge in Brunei in 1774, and temporary stop to find any alternative sites to replace their failed factory at Balambangan Island. Although an attempt was made in 1803 to turn Balambangan into a military station, the British did not re-establish any further trading posts in the region until Stamford Raffles began to founded Singapore in 1819.

In 1846, the island of Labuan on the west coast of Sabah was ceded to Britain by the Sultan of Brunei through the Treaty of Labuan, and in 1848 it became a British Crown Colony. Seeing the presence of British in Labuan, the American consul in Brunei, Claude Lee Moses obtained a ten-year lease in 1865 for a piece of land in northern Borneo. Moses then passed the land to the American Trading Company of Borneo, a company owned by Joseph William Torrey and Thomas Bradley Harris as well Chinese investors. The company choose Kimanis (whom they renamed "Ellena") and start to built base there. Attempts for financial backing from the US government however were futile and their settlement was then abandoned. Before they left, Torrey managed to sell all his rights to the Austrian Consul in Hong Kong, Baron Von Overbeck. Overbeck then go to Brunei and meet the Temenggong to renewed the concession. Brunei agreed to ceded all territory in the northern Borneo that was under their control with their Sultan will receiving an annual payment of $12,000 while the Temenggong, a sum of $3,000. A year after, the territory on the northern and eastern part were also ceded by Sulu to Overbeck, with the Sultan receiving an annual payment of $5,000.

After a series of transfers, Overbeck tried to sell the territory to German Empire, Austria-Hungary and the Kingdom of Italy but all turned his offer. Overbeck then co-operated with the British Dent brothers (Alfred Dent and Edward Dent) for a financial backing to develop the land, with the Dent company persuaded him that any investors would need guarantees of British military and diplomatic support. Overbeck agreed with the co-operation, especially with the counterclaims of the Sultan of Sulu, which part of their territory in the Sulu Archipelago have been occupied by Spain. Overbeck however withdrew in 1880 and all the rights over the territory were transferred to Alfred, whom in 1881 formed the North Borneo Chartered Company. In the following year, Kudat was made its capital but due to frequent pirate attacks, the capital was moved to Sandakan in 1883. To prevent further dispute with Spain and German intervention, the governments of the United Kingdom, Spain and German signed the Madrid Protocol in 1885, which recognised the sovereignty of Spanish East Indies over the Sulu Archipelago in return for the relinquishment of all Spanish claims over northern Borneo. North Borneo then became a protectorate of the United Kingdom in 1888 while receiving local resistance from 1894-1900 by Mat Salleh and Antanum in 1915.

Japanese occupation and Allied liberation

Main articles: Japanese occupation of British Borneo and Borneo campaign (1945)

The Japanese forces landed in Labuan on 1 January 1942 prior to the Second World War, and continued to invade the rest of northern Borneo. From 1942 to 1945, Japanese forces occupied North Borneo, along with most of the island as part of the Empire of Japan. The British sees the Japanese advance to the area are motivated by political and territorial ambitions rather than economic factors. The occupation drove many people in the coastal towns to interior in search for food and escaping the Japanese brutality. The Malays was generally appeared to be favoured by the Japanese, although some of them were also oppressed whilst others races such as the Chinese and indigenous natives were severely oppressed. The Chinese were already resist from Japanese occupation especially with the Sino-Japanese War in Mainland China. They formed a resistance known as Kinabalu Guerillas that was led by Albert Kwok with broader supports from various ethnic groups in northern Borneo such as Dusun, Murut, Suluk and Illanun peoples. The movement was also supported by Mustapha Harun. Kwok along with many other sympathisers were however executed after the Japanese foiled their movement.

As part of the Borneo Campaign to retake Borneo, Allied forces then bombed most of the major towns that was control by the Japanese including Sandakan, which was devastatingly razed to the ground. There was once a brutal prisoner of war (POW) camp known as Sandakan camp run by the Japanese for every enemies that side with the British. Majority of the POWs are British and Australian soldiers that was captured after the fall of Malaya and Singapore. The prisoners suffered under notoriously inhuman conditions, and continuous Allied bombardments caused the Japanese to forced them to march into Ranau, which is about 260 kilometres away in an event known as the Sandakan Death March. The number of prisoners were reduced to 2,504, with many of them been killed in the run by either friendly fire or by the Japanese. Except for only six Australians, all of the prisoners died. In addition, of the total of 17,488 Javanese labourers brought in by the Japanese during the occupation, only 1,500 survived mainly due to starvation, harsh working conditions and maltreatment. The war ended on 10 September 1945 after Borneo successfully being liberated by the Australian Imperial Forces (AIF).

British crown colony

Main article: Crown Colony of North Borneo

After the Japanese surrender, North Borneo was administered by the British Military Administration and in 18 July 1946 it became a British Crown Colony. The Crown Colony of Labuan also integrated as part of this new colony. During the ceremony, both the Union Jack and Chinese flag been raised from the bullet-ridden Jesselton Survey Hall building. The Chinese represented by Philip Lee who part of the resistance movement against the Japanese eventually support the transfer of power to the Crown colony. He said:

“

Let their blood be the pledge of what we wish to be—His Majesty's most devoted subjects.

”

Due to massive destruction in the town of Sandakan since the war, Jesselton was chosen to replace the capital with the Crown continued to rule North Borneo until 1963. The Crown colony government established many departments to oversee the welfare of its residents as well to revive the economy of North Borneo after the war. Upon Philippine independence in 1946, seven of the British-controlled Turtle Islands off the northeast of Borneo were ceded to the Philippines as been negotiated early between the American and British colonial governments.

Self-government and the Federation of Malaysia

Main articles: Malaysia Agreement, 20-point agreement and Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation

On 31 August 1963, North Borneo attained self-government. The Cobbold Commission was set up on 1962 to determine whether the people of Sabah and Sarawak favoured the proposed union of the Federation of Malaysia, and found that the union was generally favoured by the people. Most ethnic community leaders of Sabah, namely, Mustapha Harun representing the native Muslims, Fuad Stephens representing the non-Muslim natives, and Khoo Siak Chew representing the Chinese, would eventually support the union. After discussion culminating in the Malaysia Agreement and 20-point agreement, on 16 September 1963 North Borneo, as Sabah, was united with Malaya, Sarawak and Singapore, to form the independent Federation of Malaysia.

From before the formation of Malaysia until 1966, Indonesia adopted a hostile policy towards the British backed Malaya, and after union to Malaysia that led to the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation. This undeclared war stems from what Indonesian President Sukarno perceive as an expansion of British influence in the region and his intention to wrest control over the whole of Borneo under the Greater Indonesian concept. While Philippines President Diosdado Macapagal have begun filing a claim to Sabah since 22 June 1962 on the basis of a historical context in relation to the Sultanate of Sulu. The President sees the attempt to integrate Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei into the Federation of Malaysia as "trying to impose authority of Malaya into these states" while believing that Sabah is a proprietary ownership of the Sultanate of Sulu. Following the success of formation of Malaysia, Fuad Stephens became the first chief minister of Sabah. The first Governor (Yang di-Pertua Negeri) was Mustapha Harun. Sabah held its first state election in 1967. In the same year, the state capital name of "Jesselton" was renamed to "Kota Kinabalu".

On 14 June 1976, the state government of Sabah signed an agreement with Petronas, the federal government-owned oil and gas company, granting it the right to extract and earn revenue from petroleum found in the territorial waters of Sabah in exchange for 5% in annual revenue as royalties based on the 1974 Petroleum Development Act. The state government of Sabah ceded Labuan to the Malaysian federal government, and Labuan became a federal territory on 16 April 1984. In 2000, the state capital Kota Kinabalu was granted city status, making it the 6th city in Malaysia and the first city in the state. Prior to a territorial dispute between Indonesia and Malaysia since 1969 over two islands of Ligitan and Sipadan in the Celebes Sea, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) made a final decision to award both islands to Malaysia in 2002 based on their "effective occupation".

Politics

Government

See also: Government of Sabah, Politics of Malaysia, 1986 Sabah riots, and Table of precedence of Sabah

The Yang di-Pertua Negeri sits at the top of the hierarchy followed by the state legislative assembly and the state cabinet. It is the head of state although its functions are largely ceremonial. The chief minister is the head of government as well the leader of the state cabinet. The legislature is based on the Westminster system and therefore the chief minister is appointed based on his or her ability to command the majority of the state assembly. While local authorities being fully appointed by the state government owing to the suspension of local elections by the federal government. A general election representatives in the state assembly must be held every five years, when 60 seats are subject of universal suffrage for all citizens above 21 years of age. Legislation regarding state elections are within the powers of the federal government and not the state.

The assembly meets at the state capital, Kota Kinabalu. Members of the state assembly are elected from 60 constituencies which are delineated by the Election Commission of Malaysia and may not necessarily result in constituencies of same voter population sizes. Sabah is also represented in the federal parliament by 25 members elected from the same number of constituencies. The present elected state and federal government posts are held by Barisan Nasional (BN), a coalition of parties which includes United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (UPKO), Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS), Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), and Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA).

Prior to the formation of Malaysia in 1963, the then North Borneo interim government submitted a 20-point agreement to the Malayan government as conditions before North Borneo would join to formed the federation. Subsequently, North Borneo legislative assembly agreed on the formation of Malaysia on the conditions that North Borneo rights will be safeguarded. North Borneo hence entered Malaysia as an autonomous state with autonomous laws in immigration control and Native Customary Rights (NCR), with the territory name been changed to "Sabah". However, under the administration of the United Sabah National Organisation (USNO) led by Mustapha Harun, this autonomy has been gradually eroded with federal government influence and hegemony with a popular belief amongst Sabahans that both USNO and UMNO have been working together in harbouring illegal immigrants from the southern Philippines and Indonesia to stay in the state and become citizens to vote the Muslim parties. This was continued under the Sabah People's United Front (BERJAYA) administration led by Harris Salleh with a total of 73,000 Filipino refugees from the southern Philippines were registered.

In addition, the cession of Labuan island to federal government by the Sabah state government under BERJAYA rule and unequal sharing and exploitation of Sabah's resources of petroleum also become the political contention often raised by Sabahans until today which has resulted in strong anti-federal sentiments and even occasional call for secession from the federation amongst the people of Sabah. Until the Malaysian general election, 2008, Sabah, along with the states of Kelantan and Terengganu, are the only three states in Malaysia that had ever been ruled by opposition parties not part of the ruling BN coalition. Under Joseph Pairin Kitingan, PBS formed government after winning the 1985 state election and ruled Sabah until 1994. In the 1994 state election, despite PBS winning the elections, subsequent cross-overs of PBS assembly members to the BN component party resulted in BN having majority of seats and hence took over the helm of the state government.

A unique feature of Sabah politics was a policy initiated by then Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in 1994 whereby the chief minister's post is rotated among the coalition parties every two years regardless of the party in power at the time, thus theoretically giving an equal amount of time for each major ethnic group to rule the state. However, in practice this system was problematic as it is too short for any leader to carry-out long term plan. This practice has since stopped with power now held by majority in the state assembly by the UMNO party, which also holds a majority in the national parliament. Direct political intervention by the federal, for example, introduction and later convenient abolition of the chief minister's post and earlier PBS-BERJAYA conflict in 1985, along with co-opting rival factions in East Malaysia, is sometimes seen as a political tactic by the UMNO-led federal government to control and manage the autonomous power of the Borneo states. The federal government however tend to view that these actions are justifiable as the display of parochialism amongst East Malaysians is not in harmony with nation building. This complicated Federal-State relations hence become a source of major contention in Sabah politics.

Administrative division

Main articles: Divisions of Malaysia and Districts of Malaysia

Sabah consists of five administrative divisions, which are in turn divided into 25 districts. These administrative divisions are inherited from the British administration. During the British rule, a Resident was appointed to govern each division and provided with a palace (Istana). The post of the Resident was abolished and replaced with district officers for each of the district when North Borneo became part of Malaysia. As in the rest of Malaysia, local government comes under the purview of state government. However, ever since the suspension of local government elections in the midst of the Malayan Emergency, which was much less intense in Sabah than it was in the rest of the country, there have been no local elections. Local authorities have their officials appointed by the executive council of the state government.

Kudat Kota Marudu Pitas Kota
Belud Kota Kinabalu Papar Penampang Putatan Ranau Tuaran Beaufort Keningau Kuala
Penyu Nabawan Sipitang Tambunan Tenom Beluran Kinabatangan Sandakan Tongod Kunak Lahad Datu Semporna Tawau North Kalimantan Labuan Sarawak Kudat Division West Coast Division Interior Division Sandakan Division Tawau Division

	Division Name	Districts	Area (km²)	Population (2010)
1	West Coast Division	Kota Belud, Kota Kinabalu, Papar, Penampang, Putatan, Ranau, Tuaran	7,588	1,067,589
2	Interior Division	Beaufort, Nabawan, Keningau, Kuala Penyu, Sipitang, Tambunan, Tenom	18,298	424,534
3	Kudat Division	Kota Marudu, Kudat, Pitas	4,623	192,457
4	Sandakan Division	Beluran, Kinabatangan, Sandakan, Tongod	28,205	702,207
5	Tawau Division	Kunak, Lahad Datu, Semporna, Tawau	14,905	819,955

Security

The Ninth Schedule of the Constitution of Malaysia states that the Malaysian federal government is solely responsible for foreign policy and military forces in the country. Before the formation of Malaysia, North Borneo security was the responsible of Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand. In the wake of threats of "annexation" from the Philippines after the late President of Ferdinand Marcos signed a bill by including Sabah as part the Republic of the Philippines on its maritime baselines in the Act of Congress on 18 September 1968, the British responds in the next day by sending their Hawker Hunter fighter-bomber jets to Kota Kinabalu with the jets stopped over at the Clark Air Base not far from the Philippines capital of Manila. British Army senior officer Michael Carver then reminded the Philippines that Britain would honour its obligations under the Anglo-Malayan Defence Agreement (AMDA) if fighting broke out. In addition, a large flotilla of British warships would sail to Philippines waters near Sabah en route from Singapore along with the participation of ANZUS forces. The AMDA treaty have since been replaced by the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) although the present treaty does not include East Malaysian states as its main priority, British security protection intervention can still be included over the two states. Citing in 1971 when British Prime Minister Edward Heath been asked in Parliament of London on what threats the British intended to counter under the FPDA, the Prime Minister replied:

“

To “forces outside in southern Thailand and north of the Malaysian border”.

”

Territorial disputes

Main articles: Ligitan and Sipadan dispute, Spratly Islands dispute and North Borneo dispute

Sabah has seen several territorial disputes with Malaysia's neighbours Indonesia and the Philippines. In 2002, both Malaysia and Indonesia submitted to arbitration by the ICJ on a territorial dispute over the Ligitan and Sipadan islands which were later won by Malaysia. There are also several overlapping claims over the Ambalat continental shelf in the Celebes Sea. Malaysia's claim over a portion of the Spratly Islands is also based on sharing a continental shelf with Sabah.

The Philippines has a territorial claim over much of the eastern part of Sabah. It claims that the territory is connected with the Sultanate of Sulu and was only leased to the North Borneo Chartered Company in 1878 with the Sultanate's sovereignty never being relinquished. Malaysia however, considers this dispute as a "non-issue", as it interprets the 1878 agreement as that of cession and that it deems that the residents of Sabah had exercised their right to self-determination when they joined to form the Malaysian federation in 1963. The Philippine claim can be originated based on three historical events; such as the Brunei Civil War from 1660 until 1673, treaty between Dutch East Indies and the Bulungan Sultanate in 1850 and treaty between Sultan Jamalulazam with Overbeck in 1878.

Further attempts by several Filipino politicians such as Ferdinand Marcos to "destabilise" Sabah proved to be futile and led to the Jabidah massacre in Corregidor Island, Philippines. As a consequence, this led the Malaysian government to once supporting the insurgency in southern Philippines. Although the Philippine claim to Sabah has not been actively pursued for some years, some Filipino politicians are promising to bring it up again, while the Malaysian government asks the Philippines not to threaten ties over such issue. The Royal Malaysia Police and the Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister made a proposal to ban barter trade between Malaysia and the Philippines as it was seen only benefited to one side and threatening the security of the state. This was enforced then although facing numerous opposition from Filipino resident on the nearest Philippine islands due to the raise of the living cost in their region after the ban as well from the Malaysian opposition parties, while receiving positive welcomes by Sabahans residents and politicians.

Environment

Geography

The total land area of Sabah is nearly 72,500 square kilometres (28,000 sq mi) surrounded by the South China Sea in the west, Sulu Sea in the northeast and Celebes Sea in the southeast. Sabah has a total of 1,743 kilometres (1,083 mi) coastline, of which 295.5 kilometres (183.6 mi) have been eroding. Because of Sabah coastline facing three seas, the state receive an extensive marine resources. Its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is much larger towards the South China Sea and Celebes Sea than to the Sulu Sea. The state coastline is covered with mangrove and nipah forests. The mangroves cover about 331,325 hectares of the state land and constitute 57% of the total mangroves in the country.

Both coastal areas in the west coast and east coast are entirely dominating by sand beaches, while in sheltered areas the sand was mixed with mud. The northern area of Tanjung Simpang Mengayau has a type of pocket beach. The areas in the west coast has a large freshwater wetlands, with the Klias Peninsula hosts a large area of tidal wetlands. The western part of Sabah is generally mountainous, containing three highest peak. The main mountain ranges is the Crocker Range with several mountains varying height from about 1,000 metres to 4,000 metres. Adjacent to the Crocker Range is the Trus Madi Range with Mount Trus Madi, with a height of 2,642 metres. The highest peak is the Mount Kinabalu, with a height around 4,095 metres. It is one of the highest peak between the Himalayas and New Guinea. While located not far from Mount Kinabalu is Mount Tambuyukon, with a height of 2,579 metres.

These mountains and hills are traversed by an extensive network of river valleys and are in most cases covered with dense rainforest. There are lower ranges of hills extending towards the western coasts, southern plains, and the interior or central part of Sabah. The central and eastern portion of Sabah are generally lower mountain ranges and plains with occasional hills. In the east coast located the Kinabatangan River, which is the second longest river in Malaysia after Rajang River in Sarawak with a length of 560 kilometres. The river begins from the western ranges and snakes its way through the central region towards the east coast out into the Sulu Sea. Other major rivers including the Kalabakan River, Kolopis River, Liwagu River, Padas River, Paitan River, Segama River and Sugut River. In addition to Babagon River, Bengkoka River, Kadamaian River, Kalumpang River, Kiulu River, Mawao River, Membakut River, Mesapol River, Nabawan River, Papar River, Pensiangan River, Tamparuli River and Wario River.

The land of Sabah is located in a tropical geography with equatorial climate. It experiences two monsoon seasons of northeast and southwest. The northeast monsoon occurs from November to March with heavy rains, while the southwest monsoon prevails from May to September with less rainfall. In addition, it also received two inter-monsoon season from April to May and September to October. The average daily temperature varies from 27 °C (81 °F) to 34 °C (93 °F), with a considerable amount of rain from 1,800 milimetres to 4,000 milimetres. The coastal areas occasionally experience severe storms as the state is situated south of the typhoon belt. Due to its location is very close to the typhoon belt, Sabah experience the worst Tropical Storm Greg in 25 December 1996. The storm leaves more than 100 peoples died, with another 200-300 are missing and 3,000-4,000 people are left homeless.

As Sabah is also lies within the Sunda Plate with a compression from the Australian and Philippine Plate, it is prone to earthquake with the state itself have experienced three major earthquakes since 1923, with the 2015 earthquake being the latest major earthquake. The Crocker Ranges together with Mount Kinabalu was formed since during the middle Miocene period after been uplifted by the Sabah Orogeny through compression.

• Landscapes of Sabah

• Subsidiary peak of Mount Kinabalu

• Lahad Datu sea panoramic view

• Padas River Valley

Biodiversity

See also: Fauna of Borneo and Deforestation in Borneo

The jungles of Sabah host a diverse array of plant and animal species. Most of Sabah's biodiversity is located in the forest reserve areas, which formed half of its total landmass of 7.34 million hectares. Its forest reserve are part of the 20 million hectares equatorial rainforests demarcated under the "Heart of Borneo" initiative. The forests surrounding the river valley of Kinabatangan River is the largest forest-covered floodplain in Malaysia. The Crocker Range National Park is the largest national park in the state, covering an area of 139,919 hectares. Most of the park area are covered in dense forest and important as a water catchment area with its headwater connecting to five major rivers in the west coast area. Kinabalu National Park was inscribed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000 for its richness in plant diversity combined with its unique geological, topographical, and climatic conditions. The park hosts more than 4,500 species of flora and fauna, including 326 bird and around 100 mammal species along with over 110 land snail species.

Tiga Island is formed through the eruption of mud volcano in 1897. The island is now part of the Tiga Island National Park together with Kalampunian Besar and Kalampunian Damit islands as a tourist attractions, with a mud bath tourism. The Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park comprises a group of five islands of Gaya, Manukan, Mamutik, Sapi and Sulug. These islands are believed to once connected to the Crocker Range but separated when sea levels rose since the last ice age. The Tun Mustapha Marine Park is the largest marine park located in the north of Sabah. It covers the three major islands of Banggi, Balambangan and Malawali. Another marine park is the Tun Sakaran Marine Park located in the south-east of Sabah. The park comprising the islands of Bodgaya, Boheydulang, Sabangkat and Salakan along with sand cays of Maiga, Mantabuan and Sibuan. Bodgaya is gazetted as a forest reserve, while Boheydulang as a bird sanctuary. These islands are formed by Quaternary pyroclastic material that was ejected during explosive volcanic activities.

The Tawau Hills National Park established as a natural water catchment area. The park contains rugged volcanic landscapes including a hot spring and spectacular waterfalls. Bordering the Philippine Turtle Islands is the Turtle Islands National Park, it consists of three islands of Selingaan, Bakkungan Kechil and Gulisaan which is notable as the nesting place for green turtle and hawksbill sea turtle. Other important wildlife regions in Sabah include the Maliau Basin, Danum Valley, Tabin, Imbak Canyon and Sepilok. These places are either designated as national parks, wildlife reserves, virgin jungle reserves, or protection forest reserve. Beyond the coasts of Sabah lie a number of islands rich with coral reefs such as Ligitan, Sipadan, Selingaan, Tiga and Layang-Layang (Swallow Reef). Other main islands including the Jambongan, Timbun Mata, Bum Bum and the divided Sebatik.

The Sabah state government has enacted several laws to protect its forests and endangered wildlife species under the Animals Ordinance 1962, Forest Enactment 1968 and the Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997 among others. Under the Wildlife Conservation Enactment, any persons hunting inside conservation lands are liable for imprisonment for five years and fined with RM50,000. The state government also plans to implement seasonal huntings as part of its conservation efforts to prevent the continuous lose of its endangered wildlife species while mantaining the state indigenous hunting traditions.

Conservation issues

Since the post-World War II timber boom driven by the need of raw materials from industrial countries, Sabah forests have been gradually eroded by uncontrolled timber exploitation and the conversion of Sabah forest lands into palm oil plantations. Since 1970, forestry sector have contributed for over 50% of the state revenue, of which a study conducted in 1997 revealed the state had almost depleted all of its virgin forests outside the conservation areas. The state government were determined to mantain the state biodiversity while to make sure the state economy continue to alive. While in the same time facing hard task to control such activities although there is laws to prevent it. In addition, the need for development and basic necessities also became an issue while to preserving the nature. Mining activities had directly release pollutants of heavy metals into rivers, reservoirs, ponds and affecting groundwater through the leaching of mine tailings. An environmental report released in 1994 reported the presence of heavy metal at the Damit/Tuaran River that exceeded the water quality safe levels for consumption. The water in Liwagu River also reported the presence of heavy metal which was believed to be originated from the Mamut Copper Mine.

Moreover, the illegal activities of the extraction of river sand and gravel in the rivers of Padas, Papar and Tuaran had become the latest concern along with the wildlife and marine hunting and poaching. Due to severe deforestation along with massive wildlife and marine poaching, the Sumatran rhino have been declared as extinct in early 2015. Some other species that was threatened with extinction is banteng, bearded pig, clouded leopard, dugong, elephant, false gharial, green turtle, hawksbill sea turtle, orangutan, pangolin, proboscis monkey, river shark, roughnose stingray, sambar deer, shark and sun bear. Although the indigenous community are also involved in hunting, they only hunt based on their spiritual believes and practice, of which they did not hunt in large scales which differentiating them from poachers. A well-known indigenous practice such as "maganu totuo" or "montok kosukopan", "tuwa di powigian", "managal" or "tagal" and "meminting" have helped to prevent massive taken of resources while mantaining the resource continuation.

Economy

Sabah economy relies on three key development sectors; agriculture, tourism and manufacturing. Petroleum and palm oil remained the two most exported commodities. Sabah imports mainly automobiles and machinery, petroleum products and fertilisers, food and manufactured goods. In the 1970s, Sabah was ranked second behind Selangor including Kuala Lumpur as the richest state in Malaysia. As of 2010, Sabah is the poorest state in Malaysia. GDP growth was 2.4%, the lowest in Malaysia behind Kelantan. Proportion of population living below US$1 per day declined from 30% in 1990 to 20% in 2009 but still lag behind other states that have lowered poverty rate significantly from 17% in 1990 to 4% in 2009.

Slum is nonexistent in Malaysia but the highest number of squatter settlements is in Sabah with households between 20,000 and 40,000. After Kuala Lumpur, most low-cost public housing units under the People's Housing Program were built in Sabah. Cabotage policy imposed on Sabah and Sarawak is one of the reason behind the higher price of goods. The rules set in the early 1980s made sure that all domestic transport of foreign goods between peninsula and Sabah ports are only for Malaysian company vessels. This leads to shipping cartel charging excessive costs and ultimately a higher cost of living in East Malaysia. Cabotage rules also affected the industry sector. Tan Chong Motor is planning to build a Nissan 4WD factory in KKIP but higher cost of shipping stalled the plan that could provide new jobs. Lack of industry providing jobs for professional and highly skilled workers forced large numbers of Sabahans to seek opportunities in Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and United States.

The 5% fixed oil royalty Sabah currently receives from Petronas according to Petroleum Development Act 1974 is also an issue of contention. The three oil producing states namely Sabah, Sarawak and Terengganu demanded Petronas to review the agreement and increase royalty to no avail.

Agriculture

Sabah was traditionally heavily dependent on lumber based on export of tropical timber, but with increasing depletion at an alarming rate of the natural forests, ecological efforts to save the remaining natural rainforest areas were made in early 1982 through forest conservation methods by collecting seeds of different species particularly acacia mangium and planting it to pilot project areas pioneered by the Sandakan Forest Research Institute researchers. Other important agricultural activities for the Sabah economy include rubber and cocoa. The palm oil now has become the largest agricultural source for Sabah, however the activities has results on the largest deforestation which destroys the habitat of borneo pygmy elephant, proboscis monkey, orangutan and rhinoceros. America's lobster breeding company Darden will start a huge investment to breed lobsters in Sabah waters for export to the United States in the coming years. Agriculture sector is supported by Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture & Food Industry and Palm Oil Industrial Cluster.

Tourism

Tourism, particularly eco-tourism, is a major contributor to the economy of Sabah. In 2006, 2,000,000 tourists visited Sabah and it is estimated that the number will continue to rise following vigorous promotional activities by the state and national tourism boards and also increased stability and security in the region. Sabah currently has six national parks. One of these, the Kinabalu National Park, was designated as a World Heritage Site in 2000. It is the first of two sites in Malaysia to obtain this status, the other being the Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak. These parks are maintained and controlled by Sabah Parks under the Parks Enactment 1984. The Sabah Wildlife Department also has conservation, utilisation, and management responsibilities. Tourism sector is supported by Ministry of Tourism, Culture & Environment and Sabah Tourism Board. Sri Pelancongan Sabah, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sabah Tourism Board, organises the annual Sunset Music Fest at the Tip of Borneo, which is Sabah's largest outdoor concert. The venue is in Tanjung Simpang Mengayau, Kudat, and has been held annually since 2009, attracting both local and international acts.

Manufacturing

There are hundreds of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and industries (SMIs) in Sabah and some companies have become a household name such as Gardenia. Sabah government is seriously pursuing industrialisation with the Sabah Development Corridor plan specifically in Sepanggar area where KKIP Industrial Park and Sepanggar Container Port Terminal located. Sabah manufacturing are supported by Ministry of Industrial Development and Department of Industrial Development & Research.

Urban centres and ports

There are currently 7 ports in Sabah: Kota Kinabalu Port, Sepanggar Bay Container Port, Sandakan Port, Tawau Port, Kudat Port, Kunak Port, and Lahad Datu Port. These ports are operated and maintained by Sabah Ports Authority. The main city and towns are:

Rank	City and main towns	Population (2010)
1	Kota Kinabalu	628,725
2	Sandakan	396,290
3	Tawau	397,673
4	Lahad Datu	298,584
5	Keningau	200,495

Demographics

Population

Population in North Borneo - 1960 Census (now Sabah and Labuan)
Population			Percent
Kadazan-Dusun			32%
Murut			4.9%
Bajau			13.1%
Malay			0.4%
Other Muslim groups			15.8%
Indonesians			5.5%
Filipinos			1.6%
Chinese			23%
Sources: British North Borneo (1961)

Over three-quarters of the human population inhabit the coastal plains. Major towns and urban centres have sprouted along the coasts of Sabah. The interior region remains sparsely populated with only villages, and the occasional small towns or townships. Sabah’s population numbered 651,304 in 1970 and grew to 929,299 a decade later. But in the two decades following 1980, the state’s population rose significantly by a staggering 1.5 million people, reaching 2,468,246 by 2000. As of 2010, this number had grown further to 3,117,405, with foreigners making up 27% of the total The population of Sabah is 3,117,405 as of the last census in 2010 which showed more than a 400 percent increase from the census of 1970 (from 651,304 in 1970 to 3,117,405 in 2010). and is the third most populous state in Malaysia after Selangor and Johor. In 2015, the population was reported to be 3,543,500, while non-Malaysian citizens was reported to be 870,400, the highest in all Malaysian states.

Sabah has one of the highest population growth rates in the country as a result of legal and purportedly state-sponsored illegal immigration and naturalisation from elsewhere in Malaysia, Indonesia and particularly from the Muslim-dominated southern provinces of the Philippines who were awarded Malay stock and granted citizenship. As a result, the Bornean Sabahan, most of whom are non-Muslim, have become minorities in their own homeland and this problem has become the main cause of ethnic tension in Sabah. Therefore, on 1 June 2012, Prime Minister Najib Razak of the Malaysia announced that the federal government has agreed to set up the Royal Commission of Inquiry on illegal immigrants in Sabah to investigate. The report findings has stated that Project IC have existed.

Population in Sabah - 2010 Census
Population			Percent
Kadazan-Dusun			17.82%
Murut			3.22%
Bajau			14%
Malay			5.71%
Other bumiputra			20.56%
Chinese			9.11%
Other non-bumiputra			1.5%
Non-Malaysian citizen			27.81%
Sources: Department of Statistics, Malaysia.

• Kadazan-Dusun: 17.82% (555,647)
• Bajau: 14% (436,672)
• Malay (Bruneian Malays, Kedayan, Banjar, Cocos and also include Peninsular Malays): 5.71% (178,029)
• Murut: 3.22% (100,631)
• Other bumiputra: 20.56% (640,964) - which consists of Rungus, Iranun, Bisaya, Tatana, Lun Bawang/Lun Dayeh, Tindal, Tobilung, Kimaragang, Suluk, Tagal, Timogun, Nabay, Orang Sungai, Makiang, Minokok, Mangka’ak, Lobu, Bonggi, Tidong, Bugis, Ida’an (Idahan), Begahak, Kagayan, Talantang, Tinagas, Banjar, Gana, Kuijau, Tombonuo, Dumpas, Peluan, Baukan, Sino, Jawa
• Chinese (majority Hakka): 9.11% (284,049)
• Other non-bumiputra: 1.5% (47,052)
• Non-Malaysian citizens (Filipino, Indonesian): 27.81% (867,190)

Language and ethnicity

Malay language is the national language spoken across ethnicities, although Sabahan creole is different from the Standard West Malaysian dialect of Johor-Riau. Sabah also has its own slang for many words in Malay, mostly originated from indigenous words, and to an extent, Indonesian and Bruneian Malay. In addition, indigenous languages such as Kadazan, Dusun, Bajau, Brunei, Murut and Suluk have their own segments on state radio broadcast as well as English.

English remains an active second language, with its use allowed for some official purposes under the National Language Act of 1967. As there are quite significant population of ethnic Chinese Sabahans, and with many Bumiputera Sabahans sending their children to Chinese vernacular schools, Mandarin is also widely used in Sabah. Spanish based creole, Zamboangueño, a dialect of Chavacano, has spread into one village in Semporna from the southern Philippines.

The people of Sabah are divided into 32 officially recognised ethnic groups, in which 28 are recognised as Bumiputra, or indigenous people. The largest non-bumiputra ethnic group is the Chinese (13.2%). The predominant Chinese dialect group in Sabah is Hakka, followed by Cantonese and Hokkien. Most Chinese people in Sabah are concentrated in the major cities and towns, namely Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan and Tawau. The largest indigenous ethnic group is Kadazan-Dusun, followed by Bajau, and Murut. There is a much smaller proportion of Indians and other South Asians in Sabah compared to other parts of Malaysia. Collectively, all persons coming from Sabah are known as Sabahans and identify themselves as such.

Sabah demography consists of many ethnic groups, for example:

• Kadazan-Dusun
• Bajau
• Malay (Bruneian Malays, Kedayan, Banjar and Cocos)
• Murut
• Rungus
• Bisaya
• Lotud
• Kwijau
• Tambanuo
• Orang Sungai
• Dumpas
• Mangka'ak
• Tidong
• Maragang
• Ida'an
• Minokok
• Rumanau
• Paitan
• Lun Bawang/Lun Dayeh
• Illanun
• Suluk
• Chinese Sabahan (including of mixed ancestry with the natives (Sino))

Other inhabitants:

• West Malaysian - Malay, Chinese, Indian
• Chinese Sabahan - Hakka, Cantonese, Teochew, Hainanese
• Filipino - Chavacano, Visayan, Ilocano, Badjao, Iranun, Tausug/Suluk, Tagalog
• Indonesian - Bugis, Javanese, Ambonese, Banjarese, Torajan, Chinese Indonesian
• Indian - Punjabi, Tamil
• Sarawakian - Iban, Penan, Dayak, Orang Ulu, Sarawakian Malay, Sarawakian Chinese
• Pakistani - Pashtun
• Arab people - Hadhrami
• Eurasian
• Timorese
• Japanese
• Koreans

Religion

Since independence in 1963, Sabah has undergone a significant change in its religious composition, particularly in the percentage of its population professing Islam. In 1960, the percentage of Muslims was 37.9%, Christians - 16.6%, while about one-third remained animist. In 2010, the percentage of Muslims had increased to 65.4%, while people professing Christianity grew to 26.6% and Buddhism at 6.1%.

Religion in North Borneo - 1960 Census (now Sabah and Labuan)
Religion			Percent
Islam			37.9%
Animism			33.3%
Christianity			16.6%
Other			12.2%

In 1973, USNO amended the Sabah Constitution to make Islam the religion of State of Sabah. USIA vigorously promote conversion of Sabahans natives to Islam by offering rewards and office position, and also through migration of Muslim immigrants from the Philippines and Indonesia. Expulsion of Christian missionaries from the state were also performed to reduce Christian proselytisation of Sabahan natives. Filipino Muslims and other Muslim immigrants from Indonesia and even Pakistan were brought into the state on the instructions of the USNO chief at the time Tun Mustapha and were given identity cards in the early 1990s to help topple the PBS state government and let him become state governor. Although his plan was ultimately unsuccessful, the illegal immigration changed the demography of Sabah.

These policies were continued when Sabah was under the BERJAYA's administration headed by Datuk Harris, in which he openly exhorted to Muslims of the need to have a Muslim majority, to control the Christian Kadazans (without the help of the Chinese minority).

Religion in Sabah - 2010 Census
Religion			Percent
Islam			65.4%
Christianity			26.6%
Buddhism			6.1%
Other			1.6%
No religion			0.3%

As of 2010 the population of Sabah follows:

• 2,096,153 Muslim
• 853,726 Christian
• 194,428 Buddhist
• 3,037 Hindu
• 2,495 Confucianism/Taoism
• 3,467 followers of other religions
• 9,850 non-religious
• 43,586 unknown religion

Meanwhile, population distribution by religion in Sabah for Malaysian citizens only are as follows:-

• 1,343,210 Muslim - 58%
• 730,202 Christian - 32%
• 192,881 Buddhist - 8%
• 2,479 Hindu - 0.1%
• 2,426 Confucianism/Taoism - 0.1%
• 2,320 followers of other religions - 0.1%
• 8,559 non-religious - 0.3%
• 34,886 unknown religion - 1.4%

The huge number of non-Malaysian Muslim citizens residing in Sabah, and also based on some of the findings from Royal Commission of Inquiry on illegal immigrants in Sabah, has led to the conclusion that Sabah has gone through a systematic granting of citizenship to foreigners to ensure favourable demographic pattern to the ruling government, in an operation named Project IC.

Education and culture

See also: List of schools in Sabah

Universities

Official Name in Malay	Name in English	Acronym
Kolej Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman	Tunku Abdul Rahman University College	TARC
Universiti Malaysia Sabah	Malaysia Sabah University	UMS
Universiti Teknologi MARA	MARA Technology University	UiTM
Universiti Terbuka Malaysia	Open University Malaysia	OUM

Colleges

Official Name in Malay	Name in English	Acronym	Website
Kolej Kinabalu	Kinabalu College
Institut Seni Sabah	Sabah Institute of Art	SIA
Kolej Yayasan Sabah	Sabah Foundation College	KYS
Kolej SIDMA Sabah	SIDMA College Sabah	SIDMA
Kolej Pelancongan Asia Antarabangsa	Asian Tourism International College	ATIC
Sekolah Perniagaan AMC	Advanced Management College	AMC
Politeknik Kota Kinabalu	Kota Kinabalu Polytechnic	POLITEKNIK
Kolej Pentadbiran Dinamik Antarabangsa Sabah	Sabah International Dynamic Management College	SIDMA
Institut Sinaran	Sinaran Institute	SINARAN
Kolej Antarabangsa AlmaCrest	AlmaCrest International College	ACIC
Kolej Eastern	Eastern College	EASTERN
Institut Prima Bestari	Prima Bestari Institute	IPB
Kolej Informatics	Informatics College	INFORMATICS
Kolej INTI	INTI College	INTI
Pusat Teknologi dan Pengurusan Lanjutan	Advanced Management and Technology Centre	PTPL
Kolej Teknologi Cosmopoint	Cosmopoint Kota Kinabalu	COSMOPOINT
Kolej Multimedia	Multimedia College	MMC
Institut Teknologi Sabah	Sabah Institute of Technology	SIT
Institut Perguruan Kampus Gaya	Gaya Teachers Training Institute	IPGKG
Institut Perguruan Kampus Keningau	Keningau Teachers Training Institute	IPGKK
Institut Perguruan Kampus Tawau	Tawau Teachers Training Institute	IPGKT
Institut Perguruan Kampus Kent	Kent Teachers Training Institute
Kolej Masterskill	Masterskill College	MASTERSKILL
Kolej MAHSA	MAHSA College	MAHSA
Institut Latihan Perindustrian (ILP) Kota Kinabalu	Kota Kinabalu Industrial Training Institute	ILPKK
Institut Latihan Perindustrian (ILP) Sandakan	Sandakan Industrial Training Institute	ILPSDK
Kolej Sains & Kesihatan Aseana	Aseana School of Health	ASEANA
Kolej Cosmopoint	Cosmopoint College
Universiti Kolej Yayasan Sabah	University College Sabah Foundation	UCSF

Communication

Radio Televisyen Malaysia operates 2 statewide free-to-air terrestrial radio channels, Sabah FM and Sabah VFM as well as district specific channels such as Keningau FM, Sandakan FM and Tawau FM. KK FM is run by Universiti Malaysia Sabah. Bayu FM is only available through Astro satellite feed. While an independent radio station called the Kupi-Kupi FM was recently launched in 2016. KL based AMP Radio Networks and Suria FM also had set up their base to tap the emerging market. Sabahan DJs were hired and the content caters to Sabahan listeners.

Sabah's first established newspaper was the New Sabah Times. The newspaper was founded by Tun Fuad Stephens, who later became the first Chief Minister of Sabah. Today the main newspapers are the New Sabah Times, Daily Express and Borneo Post.

Movies and TV

The earliest known footage of Sabah is from two movies by Martin and Osa Johnson titled Jungle Depths of Borneo and Borneo filmed at Abai, Kinabatangan. Three Came Home was a 1950 Hollywood movie based on the memoir of the same name by Agnes Newton Keith depicting the Second World War in Sandakan.

Bat*21, a 1988 Vietnam War film directed by Peter Markle, was shot at various locations in the suburbs north of Kota Kinabalu, including Menggatal, Telipok, Kayu Madang and Lapasan.

At The Fall Of Malaysian Film Industries In Early 1970s, Dedie M Borhan Founded "Sabah Film Production' And Ultimately Revive The Malaysian Film Industries As It Stands Today. First film produce by the his founded production is "Keluarga Si Comat" Starred Aziz Sattar And Ibrahim Pendek. Another memorable film is 1976 "Hapuslah Air Matamu" one of the film collaboration between Sabah Film Production and Indonesian Film Production Starred Broery Marantika and Sharifah Aini. "Azura" is the most memorable film which is the first highest grossed box-office ever in the Malaysian film history. 17 film been produced by Sabah Film Production and Dedie M Borhan retired in middle of 90s. The Malaysian film today is a legacy from the Renaissance from late 70s and 80s film industries.

Sabah's first homegrown film was Orang Kita, starring Abu Bakar Ellah. Sabah-produced TV programs such as dramas or documentaries are usually aired on TV1 while musicals aired through special Sabah slots in Muzik Aktif.

Foreign films and TV shows filmed in Sabah include the reality show Survivor: Borneo, The Amazing Race, Eco-Challenge Borneo as well as a number of Hong Kong production films such as Born Rich. Sabah was featured in Sacred Planet, a documentary hosted by Robert Redford.

Sabah was also featured in Law of the Jungle, a reality show produced by Seoul Broadcasting System(SBS) that features a cast of celebrities as they travel to primitive and natural places. Out in the wild, cast members have to survive on their own and experience life with local tribes.

Sports

Sabah FA won the Malaysia FA Cup in 1995 then become the Malaysian Premier League champion in 1996.

Matlan Marjan is a former football player for Malaysia. He scored two goals against England in an international friendly on 12 June 1991. The English team included Stuart Pearce, David Batty, David Platt, Nigel Clough, Gary Lineker, was captained by Bryan Robson and coached by Bobby Robson. He again made history for Sabah when he was named the captain of the national team in the 1995 match against Brazilian football club, Flamengo XI, in which the team famously held their opponent to a 1-1 draw. In 1995, he along with six other Sabah players, were arrested on suspicion of match-fixing. Although the charges were dropped, he was prevented from playing professional football and was banished to another district. He was banished under the Restricted Residence Act.

Martin Guntali was a weightlifter who won the Commonwealth Games bronze medal. Lim Keng Liat was a swimmer who won the Asian Games gold medal in 2006. Arrico Jumiti is a weightlifter who won the Asian Games gold medal at Guangzhou in 2010.

Literature

Australian author Wendy Law Suart lived in Jesselton between 1949-1953 and wrote The Lingering Eye - Recollections of North Borneo about her experiences.

American author Agnes Newton Keith lived in Sandakan between 1934-1952 and wrote four books about Sabah, Land Below the Wind, Three Came Home, White Man Returns and Beloved Exiles. The second book was made into a Hollywood motion picture.

In the Earl Mac Rauch novelisation of Buckaroo Banzai (Pocket Books, 1984; repr. 2001), and in the DVD commentary, Buckaroo's archenemy Hanoi Xan is said to have his secret base in Sabah, in a "relic city of caves."

Ethnic dances

There are many types of traditional dances in Sabah, most notably:

• Sumazau: Kadazandusun traditional dance which performed during weddings and Kaamatan festival. The dance form is akin to a couple of birds flying together.
• Magunatip: Famously known as the Bamboo dance, requires highly skilled dancers to perform. Native dance of the Muruts, but can also be found in different forms and names in South East Asia.
• Daling-daling: Danced by Bajaus and Suluks. In its original form, it was a dance which combined Arabic belly dancing and the Indian dances common in this region, complete with long artificial finger nails and golden head gear accompanied by a Bajau and Suluk song called daling-daling which is a love story. Its main characteristic is the large hip and breast swings but nowadays it is danced with a faster tempo but less swings, called Igal-igal by the Bajau from Semporna District.

Notable residents

Mat Salleh was a Bajau leader who led a rebellion against British North Borneo Company administration in North Borneo. Under his leadership, the rebellion which lasted from 1894 to 1900 razed the British Administration Centre on Pulau Gaya and exercised control over Menggatal, Inanam, Ranau and Tambunan. The rebellion was by Bajaus, Dusuns and Muruts.

Antanum or Antanom (full name Ontoros Antonom) (1885-1915) was a famous and influential Murut warrior who led the chiefs and villagers from Keningau, Tenom, Pensiangan and Rundum to start the Rundum uprising against the British North Borneo Company but was killed during fighting with the Company's army in Sungai Selangit, near Pensiangan.

Another notable Sabahan is Donald Stephens who helped form the state of Sabah under the UN appointed Cobbold commission. He was an initial opponent of Malaysia but later converted to the support of it. He was also the first Huguan Siou or paramount leader of the Kadazan-dusun and Murut people.

Tun Datu Mustapha was a Bajau-Kagayan-Suluk Muslim political leader in Sabah through the United Sabah National Organisation (USNO) party. He was a vocal supporter of Malaysia but fell out of favour with Malayan leaders despite forming UMNO branches in Sabah and deregistering USNO. Efforts to re-register USNO have not been allowed, unlike UMNO that was allowed to be re-registered under the same name.

Former Chief Minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan is the current Huguan Siou and the President of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS). Pairin, the longest serving chief minister of the state and one of the first Kadazandusun lawyers, was known for his defiance of the federal government in the 1980s and 1990s in promoting the rights of Sabah and speaking out against the illegal immigration problems. Sabah was at the time one of only two states with opposition governments in power, the other being Kelantan. PBS has since rejoined BN and Datuk Pairin is currently the Deputy Chief Minister of Sabah.

Another former Chief Minister of Sabah is Yong Teck Lee, who held the post from 1996 to 1998. He is one of three ethnic Chinese persons to have become Chief Minister of Sabah, the others being Peter Lo Sui Yin from 1965 to 1967 and Chong Kah Kiat from 2001 to 2003. Yong is also President of the Sabah Progressive Party, a political party which seeks greater autonomy for the Sabah state government.

The 8th and current Attorney General of Malaysia, Abdul Gani Patail, comes from Sabah.

In 2006, Penampang-born Richard Malanjum was appointed Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak and became the first Kadazandusun to hold such a post.

Penny Wong, born in Kota Kinabalu in 1968, moved to Australia at age 5. She became the first Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency and the Minister for Finance and Deregulation in Australia. She was the first Asian-born member of the Australian cabinet. She is currently the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate in Australia.

Philip Lee Tau Sang (died 1959) was one of the most prominent Sabahan Chinese politicians in the colonial era. Of Hakka descent, he was greatly favoured by the British colonists. He was a Member of the Advisory Council of North Borneo (1947-1950), Legislative Council of North Borneo (1950-1958) and Executive Council of North Borneo (1950-1953, 1956-1957). He was posthumously honoured with a road named after him in the town of Tanjung Aru, near the Kota Kinabalu International Airport.

Che'Nelle (real name Cheryline Lim) is a Sabahan-born Australian recording artist most famous for her single I Fell in Love with the DJ. She was born in Kota Kinabalu on 10 March 1983 to an ethnic Chinese father and a mother of mixed Indian and Dutch heritage. The family emigrated to Perth, Australia when she was 10 years old.

Places of interest

The Kinabalu Park. is the entrance to Mount Kinabalu, standing at 1,585 metres above sea level, covering an area of 754sq km which is made up of Mount Kinabalu, Mount Tambayukon and the foothills. The park has a fascinating geological history, taking millions of years to form.

Sipadan Island is Malaysia's sole oceanic island, rising 700m from the sea floor and only 12 hectares in size. Surrounded by crystal clear waters, the island is a treasure trove of some of the most amazing species such as sea eagles, kingfishers, sunbirds, starlings, wood pigeons, coconut crab, turtles, bumphead parrotfish and barracudas.

The Rainforest Discovery Centre is part of the Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve. Enjoy spectacular views of the beautiful rainforest from 28 metres above ground on the 147- metre long canopy walkway, and catch a glimpse of wildlife such as cunning mousedeer, wily civet cats, cute tarsiers and various insects and birds, as well as flora such as 250 species of native orchids in bloom in the Plant Discovery Garden.

Sepilok Orang Utan Sanctuary is as a rehabilitation centre for orangutans where one can visit and observe the primates. Aside from orang utans, over 200 species of birds and a variety of wild plants can be found within the 5.666ha. forest reserve.

The Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park comprises a cluster of five idyllic islands, Pulau Manukan, Pulau Mamutik, Pulau Sulug, Pulau Gaya and Pulau Sapi, spread over 4,929 hectares, of which two-thirds is sea. The islands have soft white beaches that are teeming with fish and coral, and is home to a variety of exotic flora and fauna such as the intriguing Megapode or Burung Tambun, a chicken look-alike bird with large feet that makes a meowing sound like a cat.

Danum Valley is blessed with a startling diversity of tropical flora and fauna such as the rare Sumatran Rhinoceros, orang utans, gibbons, mousedeer, clouded leopard and some 270 species of birds. Activities offered are jungle treks, river swimming, bird watching, night jungle tours and excursions to nearby logging sites and timber mills.

Mabul Island is located in the clear waters of the Celebes Sea off the mainland of Sabah, surrounded by gentle sloping reefs two to 40m deep and home to the Pala'u (Bajau Laut) tribe. The main activity on the island is diving, with over eight popular dive spots. Marine life that can be seen in the surrounding waters include sea horses, exotic starfish, fire gobies, crocodile fish, pipefish and snake eels.

Conservation

Other reserves or protected areas include;

• Tabin Wildlife Reserve - Stronghold for rare large mammals like Bornean elephant, Sumatran rhinoceros, Bornean banteng and Bornean clouded leopard
• Turtle Islands Park - Conservation efforts for endangered sea turtles
• Pulau Tiga Park
• Crocker Range Park
• Tawau Hills Park

[ Source: Wikipedia ]