Sabah

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Sabah
State
State of Sabah Negeri Sabah (Malay)
Flag Coat of arms
Nickname(s):  Negeri Di Bawah Bayu[1] Land Below the Wind[2]
Motto(s):  Sabah Maju Jaya[3] Let Sabah Prosper[3]
Anthem: Sabah Tanah Airku[4] Sabah, My Homeland
Sabah in Malaysia
Coordinates: 5°15′N 117°0′E / 5.250°N 117.000°E / 5.250; 117.000
Country	Malaysia
Established under the Bruneian Empire	15th century
Sultanate of Sulu	1658
British North Borneo	1882
Japanese occupation	1942
British crown colony	15 July 1946
Gained self-governance	31 August 1963[5][6][7][8]
Federated into Malaysia[9]	16 September 1963[10]
Capital (and largest city)	Kota Kinabalu
Divisions	List Interior Kudat Sandakan Tawau West Coast
Government
• Type	Parliamentary
• Body	Sabah State Legislative Assembly
• Yang di-Pertua Negeri	Juhar Mahiruddin
• Chief Minister	Hajiji Noor (GRS–GAGASAN)
Area [11]
• Total	73,904 km2 (28,534 sq mi)
Highest elevation (Mount Kinabalu)	4,095 m (13,435 ft)
Population  (2020)[11]
• Total	3,418,785 (3rd)
• Density	46/km2 (120/sq mi)
Demonym	Sabahan
Demographics [12] [11]
• Ethnic composition	67.6% Bumiputera 19.3% Kadazan-Dusun 16.5% Bajau 9.0% Malay 3.1% Murut 19.7% Other natives 7.3% Chinese 0.2% Indian 1.2% Other ethnicities 23.7% Non-citizens
• Religions	69.6% Sunni Islam 24.7% Christianity 5.1% Buddhism 0.1% Hinduism 0.1% Others 0.4% No religion/Unknown
Languages
• Official	English, Malay
• Other spoken	Sabahan Dusunic Chinese Coastal Kadazan Momogun/Rungus ethnic minority languages
Time zone	UTC+8 (MST[13])
Postal code	88xxx[14] to 91xxx[15]
Calling code	087 (Inner District) 088 (Kota Kinabalu & Kudat) 089 (Lahad Datu, Sandakan & Tawau)[16]
ISO 3166 code	MY-12
Vehicle registration	SA, SAA, SAB, SAC, SY (West Coast) SB (Beaufort) SD (Lahad Datu) SK (Kudat) SS, SSA, SM (Sandakan) ST, STA, SW (Tawau) SU (Keningau)[17]
HDI (2022)	0.772[18] high · 13th
GDP (nominal)	2022
• Total	$27.758 billion (RM 122.138 billion)[19] (5th)
• Per capita	$8,186 (RM 36,020)[19] (11th)
GDP (PPP)	2022
• Total	$77.938 billion (6th)
• Per capita	$22,797 (11th)
Driving side	Left
Electricity voltage	230 V, 50 Hz
Currency	Malaysian ringgit (RM/MYR)
Website	Official website

Sabah (Malay pronunciation: [ˈsabah]) is a state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah has land borders with the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and Indonesia's North Kalimantan province to the south. The Federal Territory of Labuan is an island just off Sabah's west coast. Sabah shares maritime borders with Vietnam to the west and the Philippines to the north and east. Kota Kinabalu is the state capital and the economic centre of the state, and the seat of the Sabah State government. Other major towns in Sabah include Sandakan and Tawau. The 2020 census recorded a population of 3,418,785 in the state.^[11] It has an equatorial climate with tropical rainforests, abundant with animal and plant species. The state has long mountain ranges on the west side which forms part of the Crocker Range National Park. Kinabatangan River, the second longest river in Malaysia runs through Sabah. The highest point of Sabah, Mount Kinabalu is also the highest point of Malaysia.

The earliest human settlement in Sabah can be traced back to 20,000–30,000 years ago along the Darvel Bay area at the Madai-Baturong caves. The state has had a trading relationship with China starting from the 14th century AD. Sabah came under the influence of the Bruneian Empire in the 14th and 15th centuries. The state was subsequently acquired by the British North Borneo Chartered Company in the 19th century. During World War II, Sabah was occupied by the Japanese for three years. It became a British Crown Colony in 1946. On 31 August 1963, Sabah was granted self-governance by the British. Following this, Sabah became one of the founding members of the Federation of Malaysia (established on 16 September 1963) alongside the Crown Colony of Sarawak, the Colony of Singapore (expelled in 1965), and the Federation of Malaya (Peninsular Malaysia or West Malaysia). The federation was opposed by neighbouring Indonesia, which led to the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation over three years along with the threats of annexation by the Philippines along with the Sultanate of Sulu, threats which continue to the present day.^[20]

Sabah exhibits notable diversity in ethnicity, culture and language. The head of state is the governor, also known as the Yang di-Pertua Negeri, while the head of government is the chief minister and his Cabinet. The government system is closely modelled on the Westminster parliamentary system and has one of the earliest state legislature systems in Malaysia. Sabah is divided into five administrative divisions and 27 districts. Malay is the official language of the state;^[21][22] and Islam is the state religion, but other religions may be practised.^[23] Sabah is known for its traditional musical instrument, the sompoton. Sabah has abundant natural resources, and its economy is strongly export-oriented. Its primary exports include oil, gas, timber and palm oil. The other major industries are agriculture and ecotourism.