Editing Sabah

{{short description|State of Malaysia in Borneo}}
{{pp|small=yes}}
{{About|the Malaysian state|other uses}}
{{Very long|date=June 2023|words=15,300}}
{{Good article}}
{{use British English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox political division 
| name               = Sabah
| official_name      = {{ubl
  | State of Sabah
  | {{nobold|{{native name|ms|Negeri Sabah}}}}
  }}
| settlement_type    = [[States and federal territories of Malaysia|State]]
| image_skyline      =
| imagesize          =
| image_alt          =
| image_caption      =
| image_flag         = Flag of Sabah.svg
| flag_size          =
| flag_alt           = Flag of Sabah
| image_shield       = Coat of arms of Sabah.svg
| shield_size        = 50px
| shield_alt         = Coat of arms of Sabah
| nickname           = ''Negeri Di Bawah Bayu''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sabah.gov.my/main/ms/Home/About |title=Mengenai Sabah |trans-title=About Sabah |language=ms |publisher=[[Government of Sabah|Sabah State Government]] |access-date=19 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160519124851/http://www.sabah.gov.my/main/ms/Home/About |archive-date=19 May 2016 }}</ref><br />{{small|Land Below the Wind}}<ref name="sbh">{{cite web |url=http://www.sabah.gov.my/main/en/Home/About |title=About Sabah |publisher=Sabah State Government |access-date=20 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160520105020/http://www.sabah.gov.my/main/en/Home/About |archive-date=20 May 2016 }}</ref>
| motto              = ''Sabah Maju Jaya''<ref name="crest">{{cite web |url=http://www.sabah.gov.my/pd.nbw/dcm/english/engdoc/crest.html |title=The Meaning of the Sabah State Crest |publisher=Sabah State Government |access-date=10 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140610031143/http://www.sabah.gov.my/pd.nbw/dcm/english/engdoc/crest.html |archive-date=10 June 2014 }}</ref><br />{{small|Let Sabah Prosper}}<ref name="crest"/>
| anthem             = ''[[Sabah Tanah Airku]]''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sabah.gov.my/main/ms/Home/PatrioticSong |title=Lagu-Lagu Patriotik |trans-title=Patriotic Songs |language=ms |publisher=Sabah State Government |access-date=20 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160520150035/http://www.sabah.gov.my/main/ms/Home/PatrioticSong |archive-date=20 May 2016 }}</ref><br />{{small|Sabah, My Homeland}}{{center|[[File:Lagu Rasmi Sabah - Sabah Tanah Airku.ogg]]}}
| image_map          = Sabah in Malaysia.svg
| mapsize            =
| map_alt            =
| map_caption        = {{Legend inline|#C41E3A|outline=silver}} '''Sabah''' in {{Legend inline|#FDF9D2|outline=silver}} '''[[Malaysia]]'''
| coordinates        = {{coord|5|15|N|117|0|E|display=it}}
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = {{MYS}}
| established_title  = Established under the [[Bruneian Empire]]
| established_date   = 15th century
| established_title1 = [[Sultanate of Sulu]]
| established_date1  = 1704
| established_title2 = [[North Borneo|British North Borneo]]
| established_date2  = 1882
| established_title3 = [[Japanese occupation of British Borneo|Japanese occupation]]
| established_date3  = 1942
| established_title4 = [[Crown Colony of North Borneo|British crown colony]]
| established_date4  = 15 July 1946
| established_title5 = Gained [[Sabah Day|self-governance]]
| established_date5  = 31 August 1963<ref name="tna1"/><ref name="tna2"/>
| established_title6 = [[Malaysia Agreement|Federated into Malaysia]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1963/35/pdfs/ukpga_19630035_en.pdf|title=Malaysia Act 1963 (Chapter 35)|work=The National Archives|publisher=[[United Kingdom legislation]]|access-date=12 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114081253/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1963/35/pdfs/ukpga_19630035_en.pdf|archive-date=14 November 2012}}</ref>
| established_date6  = 16 September 1963<ref name="Agreement relating to Malaysia">{{cite Wikisource |title=Agreement relating to Malaysia between United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Federation of Malaya, North Borneo, Sarawak and Singapore |wslink=Agreement relating to Malaysia between United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Federation of Malaya, North Borneo, Sarawak and Singapore |year=1963 |page=1}}</ref>
| seat_type          = [[List of capitals in Malaysia|Capital]]<br />{{nobold|(and largest city)}}
| seat               = [[Kota Kinabalu]]
| parts_type         = [[Divisions of Malaysia|Divisions]]
| parts_style        = list
| parts              =
| p1                 = [[Interior Division|Interior]]
| p2                 = [[Kudat Division|Kudat]]
| p3                 = [[Sandakan Division|Sandakan]]
| p4                 = [[Tawau Division|Tawau]]
| p5                 = [[West Coast Division|West Coast]]
| ethnic_groups_year  = 2020
| ethnic_groups_ref   = {{my10|2020kf}}
| ethnic_groups       = {{Plainlist|
{{tree list}}
* 67.6% [[Bumiputera (Malaysia)|Bumiputera]]
** 19.3% [[Kadazan-Dusun]]
** 16.5% [[Bajau people|Bajau]]
** 9.0% [[Malaysian Malays|Malay]]
** 3.1% [[Murut people|Murut]]
** 19.7% Other natives
* 7.3% [[Malaysian Chinese|Chinese]]
* 0.2% [[Malaysian Indian|Indian]]
* 1.2% Other ethnicities
* 23.7% Non-citizens}}
{{tree list/end}}
| religion_year       = 2020
| religion_ref        = {{my10|2020kf}}
| religion            = {{Plainlist|
* 69.6% [[Sunni Islam]]
* 24.7% [[Christianity in Malaysia|Christianity]]
* 5.1% [[Buddhism in Malaysia|Buddhism]]
* 0.1% [[Hinduism]]
* 0.1%  Others
* 0.4% [[Irreligion|No religion]]/Unknown
  }}
| government_type    = [[Parliamentary system|Parliamentary]]
| leader_title1       = [[Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sabah|Yang di-Pertua Negeri]]
| leader_name1        = [[Musa Aman]]
| leader_title2      = [[Chief Minister of Sabah|Chief Minister]]
| leader_name2       = [[Hajiji Noor]]
| legislature        = [[Sabah State Legislative Assembly|Legislative Assembly]]
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="Malaysia census 2020"/>
| area_km2            = 73,904
| area_rank           = 11th
| area_rank_link      = States and federal territories of Malaysia#States
| elevation_max_m     = 13435
| elevation_max_point = [[Mount Kinabalu]]
| demonym = Sabahan
| population_census   = {{increase}} 3,418,785 ([[Demographics of Malaysia#Population distribution by states and territories|3rd]])
| population_census_year = 2020
| population_density_km2 = 46
| population_footnotes = <ref name="Malaysia census 2020"/>
| population_density_rank = 3rd
| population_density_rank_link =
| demographics1_title1 =
| demographics1_info1 =
| demographics1_title2 =
| demographics1_info2 =
| demographics_type2 = Languages
| demographics2_title1 = Official
| demographics2_info1 =  [[English language|English]], [[Malay language|Malay]]
| demographics2_title2 = Other spoken
| demographics2_info2 = {{Plainlist|
* [[Sabahan languages|Sabahan]]
* [[Dusunic languages|Dusunic]]
* [[Chinese language|Chinese]]
* [[Coastal Kadazan language|Coastal Kadazan]]
* [[Momogun language|Momogun/Rungus]]
* [[#Languages|ethnic minority languages]]}}
| timezone1          = [[Malaysian Standard Time|MST]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.math.nus.edu.sg/aslaksen/teaching/timezone-old.html |title= Time Zones in Malaysia |author= Helmer Aslaksen |publisher= Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, [[National University of Singapore]] |date=28 June 2012 |access-date=21 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160521034731/http://www.math.nus.edu.sg/aslaksen/teaching/timezone-old.html |archive-date=21 May 2016 }}</ref>
| utc_offset1        = +8
| postal_code_type   = [[List of postal codes in Malaysia|Postal code]]
| postal_code        = 88xxx<ref>{{cite web |url=https://postal-codes.cybo.com/malaysia/sabah/?p=1 |title=Postal codes in Sabah |publisher=cybo.com |access-date=12 July 2016 |archive-date=17 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817163903/https://postal-codes.cybo.com/malaysia/sabah/?p=1 }}</ref> to 91xxx<ref>{{cite web |url=https://postal-codes.cybo.com/malaysia/semporna/ |title=Postal codes in Semporna |publisher=cybo.com |access-date=12 July 2016 |archive-date=17 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817171649/https://postal-codes.cybo.com/malaysia/semporna/ }}</ref>
| area_code_type     = [[Telephone numbers in Malaysia|Calling code]]
| area_code          = 087 <small>(Inner District)</small> <br />088 <small>([[Kota Kinabalu District|Kota Kinabalu]] & [[Kudat District|Kudat]])</small> <br />089 <small>([[Lahad Datu District|Lahad Datu]], [[Sandakan District|Sandakan]] & [[Tawau District|Tawau]])</small><ref>{{cite web |url=https://area-codes.cybo.com/malaysia/sabah/?p=1 |title=Area codes in Sabah |publisher= | website= cybo.com |access-date=12 July 2016 |archive-date=17 August 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160817200020/https://area-codes.cybo.com/malaysia/sabah/?p=1 }}</ref>
| iso_code           = [[ISO 3166-2:MY|MY-12]]
| registration_plate = [[Malaysian vehicle license plates|SA, SAA, SAB, SAC, SY]] <small>(West Coast)</small> <br />SB <small>([[Beaufort District|Beaufort]])</small> <br />SD <small>(Lahad Datu)</small> <br />SK <small>(Kudat)</small> <br />SS, SSA, SM <small>(Sandakan)</small> <br />ST, STA, SW <small>(Tawau)</small> <br />SU <small>([[Keningau District|Keningau]])</small><ref>{{cite web |url=http://malaysiandigest.com/features/546797-some-little-known-facts-on-malaysian-vehicle-registration-plates.html |title=Some Little Known Facts On Malaysian Vehicle Registration Plates |author=Teh Wei Soon |publisher=Malaysian Digest |date=23 March 2015 |access-date=12 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150708091603/http://malaysiandigest.com/features/546797-some-little-known-facts-on-malaysian-vehicle-registration-plates.html |archive-date=8 July 2015 |url-status=usurped}}</ref>
<!-- blank fields (section 1) -->| blank_name_sec1    = [[Human Development Index|HDI]] {{nobold|(2022)}}
| blank_info_sec1    = {{increase}} 0.772<ref>{{cite web |url=https://hdi.globaldatalab.org/areadata/shdi/ |title=Subnational Human Development Index (2.1) [Sabah – Malaysia] |publisher=Global Data Lab of Institute for Management Research, [[Radboud University Nijmegen|Radboud University]] |access-date=12 November 2018}}</ref><br /><span style="color:#0c0;">high</span> · [[List of Malaysian states by Human Development Index|13th]]
| blank1_name_sec1   = [[Gross domestic product|GDP]] {{nobold|(nominal)}}
| blank1_info_sec1   = 2022
| blank2_name_sec1   = &nbsp;• Total
| blank2_info_sec1   = {{increase}} $27.758 billion<br />([[Malaysian ringgit|RM]] 122.138 billion)<ref name=":dosm">{{Cite web |last=DOSM |title=Department of Statistics Malaysia |url=https://www.dosm.gov.my/portal-main/release-content/gross-domestic-product-gdp-by-state- |access-date=11 September 2023 |website=www.dosm.gov.my}}</ref> ([[List of Malaysian states by GDP|5th]])
| blank3_name_sec1   = &nbsp;• Per capita
| blank3_info_sec1   = {{increase}} $8,186<br />([[Malaysian ringgit|RM]] 36,020)<ref name=":dosm" /> ([[List of Malaysian states by GDP#Gross Domestic Product per capita by state|11th]])
| blank4_name_sec1   = [[Gross domestic product|GDP]] {{nobold|([[Purchasing power parity|PPP]])}}
| blank4_info_sec1   = 2022
| blank5_name_sec1   = &nbsp;• Total
| blank5_info_sec1   = {{increase}} $77.938 billion ([[List of Malaysian states by GDP|6th]])
| blank6_name_sec1   = &nbsp;• Per capita
| blank6_info_sec1   = {{increase}} $22,797 ([[List of Malaysian states by GDP#Gross Domestic Product per capita by state|11th]])
<!-- blank fields (section 2) -->| blank_name_sec2    = [[Left- and right-hand traffic|Driving side]]
| blank_info_sec2    = Left
| blank1_name_sec2   = [[Mains electricity by country|Electricity voltage]]
| blank1_info_sec2   = 230 V, 50 Hz
| blank2_name_sec2   = Currency
| blank2_info_sec2   = [[Malaysian ringgit]] (RM/MYR)
| website            = {{official website}}
}}

'''Sabah''' ({{IPA|ms|ˈsabah}}) is a [[States and federal territories of Malaysia|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 (Malaysia)|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 [[Government of Sabah|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.<ref name="Malaysia census 2020">{{cite web|url=https://cloud.stats.gov.my/index.php/s/BG11nZfaBh09RaX#pdfviewer|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220418044258/https://cloud.stats.gov.my/index.php/s/BG11nZfaBh09RaX#pdfviewer|archive-date=18 April 2022|title=Key Findings Population and Housing Census of Malaysia 2020|publisher=Department of Statistics, Malaysia|access-date=20 August 2022}}</ref> It has an [[equatorial climate]] with tropical [[rainforest]]s, abundant with animal and plant species. The state has long [[mountain range]]s 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 [[Japanese occupation of British Borneo|occupied by the Japanese]] for three years. It became a [[Crown Colony of North Borneo|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.<ref>{{*}} {{cite news |url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2512&dat=19680924&id=iRNIAAAAIBAJ&pg=2922,2921522&hl=en |title=Filipino Students Protest in Manila Over Sabah Issue |newspaper=[[The Morning Journal]] |date=24 September 1968 |access-date=23 September 2016}}<br />{{*}} {{cite book |author= Hans H. Indorf |title= Impediments to Regionalism in Southeast Asia: Bilateral Constraints Among ASEAN Member States |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=_EPye5cCJZwC&pg=PA25 |year=1984 |publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies |isbn=978-9971-902-81-0 |page=25}}<br />{{*}}{{cite web |url=https://www.newmandala.org/sabah-the-question-that-wont-go-away/ |title=Sabah – the question that won't go away |author=Acram Latiph |publisher= New Mandala |date=13 March 2013 |access-date=23 July 2020}}</ref>

Sabah exhibits notable diversity in ethnicity, culture and language. The head of state is the governor, also known as the [[Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sabah|Yang di-Pertua Negeri]], while the head of government is the [[Chief Minister of Sabah|chief minister]] and [[Cabinet of Sabah|his Cabinet]]. The government system is closely modelled on the [[Westminster system|Westminster parliamentary system]] and has one of the earliest state legislature systems in Malaysia. Sabah is divided into five administrative divisions and 27 districts. [[Malaysian language|Malay]] is the official language of the state;<ref name= "official language">{{cite news |url= http://www.theborneopost.com/2015/11/22/bm-is-sabahs-official-language-keruak/|title=BM is Sabah's official language – Keruak |newspaper=The Borneo Post |date=22 November 2015 |access-date=25 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160625094103/http://www.theborneopost.com/2015/11/22/bm-is-sabahs-official-language-keruak/|archive-date=25 June 2016}}</ref><ref name="English restriction">{{cite web |url=http://www.lawnet.sabah.gov.my/lawnet/SabahLaws/StateLaws/NationalLanguage(Application)Enactment1973.pdf |title=National Language (Application) Enactment 1973 |publisher=Sabah State Government (State Attorney-General's Chambers)|date=27 September 1973|access-date=25 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160625094558/http://www.lawnet.sabah.gov.my/lawnet/SabahLaws/StateLaws/NationalLanguage(Application)Enactment1973.pdf |archive-date=25 June 2016 }}</ref> and [[Islam]] is the state religion, but other religions may be practised.<ref name="state religion">{{cite web |url=http://www.lawnet.sabah.gov.my/lawnet/SabahConstitution/PartI.htm |title=Constitution of the State of Sabah |publisher=Sabah State Government (State Attorney-General's Chambers) |access-date=15 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160615120202/http://www.lawnet.sabah.gov.my/lawnet/SabahConstitution/PartI.htm |archive-date=15 June 2016 }}</ref> Sabah is known for its traditional musical instrument, the [[sompoton]]. Sabah has abundant natural resources, and its economy is strongly [[export-oriented economy|export-oriented]]. Its primary exports include oil, gas, timber and [[palm oil]]. The other major industries are agriculture and [[ecotourism]].

== Etymology ==
The origin of the name ''Sabah'' is uncertain, and many theories have arisen.<ref name="sabah history">{{cite web |url=http://repository.um.edu.my/99765/1/06.WONG.pdf |title=The Name of Sabah and the Sustaining of a New Identity in a New Nation |author=Danny Wong Tze Ken |publisher=[[University of Malaya]] Repository |year=2015 |access-date=25 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160225022550/http://repository.um.edu.my/99765/1/06.WONG.pdf |archive-date=25 February 2016 }}</ref> One theory is that when it was part of the [[Bruneian Sultanate (1368–1888)|Bruneian Sultanate]], it was referred to as ''Saba'' because of the presence a variety of banana called ''pisang saba'' (also known as ''pisang menurun''),<ref name="Sabah origin">{{cite web |url=http://sejarahmalaysia.pnm.my/portalBI/list.php?ttl_id=34 |title=Origin of Place Names – Sabah |publisher=[[National Library of Malaysia]] |year=2000 |access-date=3 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080209105734/http://sejarahmalaysia.pnm.my/portalBI/list.php?ttl_id=34&section=sm03 |archive-date=9 February 2008 }}</ref><ref name="etymology">{{cite web|url= https://says.com/my/lifestyle/the-origins-of-state-names-in-malaysia |title=The Stories And Facts Behind How The 13 States Of Malaysia Got Their Names |author=Tang Ruxyn |work=Says.com |date=26 April 2017 |access-date=23 July 2020}}</ref> which are grown widely on the coast of the region and popular in [[Brunei]].<ref name="Hanum1989">{{cite book |author=Zakiah Hanum |title=Asal-usul negeri-negeri di Malaysia |trans-title=Origin of the states in Malaysia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y5UsAAAAIAAJ |year=1989 |language=ms |publisher=Times Books International |isbn=978-9971-65-467-2}}</ref> The [[Bajau people|Bajau community]] referred to it as ''pisang jaba''.<ref name="Hanum1989"/>

Additionally, during the Majapahit era, when Brunei was a [[vassal state]] of [[Majapahit]], the [[Old Javanese]] eulogy of [[Nagarakretagama]] described the area in what is now Sabah as ''Seludang''.<ref name="Group">{{cite book |title=The Report: Sabah 2011 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nKJoQ4o-_DsC&pg=PA10 |publisher=Oxford Business Group |isbn=978-1-907065-36-1 |pages=10–143|year=2011 }}</ref><ref name="Sabah origin"/>

Although the Chinese since the [[Han dynasty]] had been associated with the island of [[Borneo]],<ref name="ancient china">{{cite journal |title=Chinese Migration to Sabah Before the Second World War |journal=Archipel |author=Danny Wong Tze Ken |year=1999 |volume=58 |issue=3 |pages=131–158|doi=10.3406/arch.1999.3538 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sino-platonic.org/complete/spp236_china_borneo_santubong.pdf |title=Examining the Connection Between Ancient China and Borneo Through Santubong Archaeological Sites |author1=Wan Kong Ann |author2=Victor H. Mair |author3=Paula Roberts |author4=Mark Swofford |work=[[Tsinghua University]] and Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations, [[University of Pennsylvania]] |publisher=Sino-Platonic Papers |date=April 2013 |access-date=14 May 2016 |issn=2157-9687 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160514050717/http://www.sino-platonic.org/complete/spp236_china_borneo_santubong.pdf |archive-date=14 May 2016 }}</ref> they did not have any specific names for the area. Instead during the [[Song dynasty]], they referred to the whole island as ''Po Ni'' (also pronounced ''Bo Ni''), which is the same name they used to refer to the Sultanate of Brunei at the time.<ref name="sabah history"/> Due to the location of Sabah in relation to Brunei, it has been suggested that ''Sabah'' was a [[Brunei Malay]] word meaning upstream or "in a northerly direction".<ref name="etymology"/><ref>{{cite periodical |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iGLjAAAAMAAJ |title=The Origin of the name 'Sabah' |author=Allen R. Maxwell |periodical=Sabah Society Journal |volume=VII |issue=2 |year=1981–1982}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.gutenberg.org/files/27547/27547-h/27547-h.htm |title=British Borneo: Sketches of Brunai, Sarawak, Labuan, and North Borneo |author=W. H. Treacher |location=Singapore |publisher=Government Printing Department |via=Project Gutenberg |year=1891 |access-date=15 October 2009 |page=95}}</ref> Another theory suggests that it came from the [[Malay language|Malay]] word ''sabak'' which means a place where [[palm sugar]] is extracted.<ref name="century">{{cite news |url=http://www.bt.com.bn/life/2008/09/21/how_brunei_lost_its_northern_province |title=How Brunei lost its northern province |author=Rozan Yunos |newspaper=[[The Brunei Times]] |date=21 September 2008 |access-date=28 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140617040008/http://www.bt.com.bn/life/2008/09/21/how_brunei_lost_its_northern_province |archive-date=17 June 2014 }}</ref> 

It is nicknamed "Land Below the Wind" (Negeri Di Bawah Bayu in [[Malay language]]) as the state lies below the [[typhoon]] belt of [[East Asia]] and is not often hit by typhoons.<ref name="land below the wind"/><ref name="Welman2017">{{cite book |author=Frans Welman |title=Borneo Trilogy Volume 2: Sabah |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MHVbz8SE6FQC&pg=PA125 |year= 2017 |publisher=Booksmango |isbn=978-616-245-079-2 |page=125}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author1=Joo Tick Lim |author2=Azizan Abu Samah |title=Weather and climate of Malaysia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZGwcAQAAMAAJ |year=2004 |publisher=University of Malaya Press |isbn=978-983-100-176-9}}</ref>

== History ==
{{main|History of Sabah}}

===Prehistory===
{{main|Prehistoric Malaysia}}
[[File:Madai Sabah Madai-Cave-01.jpg|thumb|Entrance to the [[Madai Cave]]]]
The earliest known human settlement in the region existed 20,000–30,000 years ago, as evidenced by stone tools and food remains found by excavations along the [[Darvel Bay]] area at Madai-Baturong caves near the Tingkayu River.<ref name= "MacKinnon1996">{{cite book |author=Kathy MacKinnon |title=The Ecology of Kalimantan |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=70iB6Tf62OkC&pg=PA55 |year= 1996 |publisher=Periplus Editions |isbn= 978-0-945971-73-3 |pages= 55–57 |quote=Since 1980, the Sabah Museum staff have carried out excavations in the Madai and Baturong limestone massifs, at caves and open sites dated back 30,000 years. Baturong is surrounded by large area of alluvial deposits, formed by the damming of the Tingkayu River by a lava flow. The Tingkayu stone industry shows a unique level of skills for its period. The remains of many mammals, snakes, and tortoises were found, all food items collected by early occupants of the rock shelters.}}</ref> The earliest inhabitants in the area were thought to be similar to [[Aboriginal Australians]], but the reason for their disappearance is unknown.<ref name="sabah info">{{cite web |url=http://www.sabah.edu.my/kaupin/guest/sabah/sabah_forever.htm |title=About Sabah |work=Sabah Tourism Promotion Corporation and Sabah State Museum |publisher=Sabah Education Department |access-date=15 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160515105207/http://www.sabah.edu.my/kaupin/guest/sabah/sabah_forever.htm |archive-date=15 May 2016 }}</ref> In 2003, archaeologists discovered the Mansuli valley in the [[Lahad Datu District]], which dates back 235,000 years.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2012/04/10/archaeologists-hit-gold-at-mansuli/ |title=Archaeologists hit 'gold' at Mansuli |author=Durie Rainer Fong |work=The Star |date=10 April 2012 |access-date=26 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141030100432/http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2012/04/10/Archaeologists-hit-gold-at-Mansuli/ |archive-date=30 October 2014 }}</ref> The archaeological site at [[Skull Hill, Malaysia|Skull Hill]] (''Bukit Tengkorak'') in [[Semporna District]] was the largest pottery making site in [[Neolithic]] Southeast Asia.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.seaa-web.org/bulletin2008/bul-essay-08-01.htm |title=Prehistoric Sites and Research in Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia |author=Stephen Chia |publisher= Centre for Archaeological Research Malaysia, University of Science, Malaysia | work=Bulletin of the Society for East Asian Archaeology |year=2008 |access-date=23 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160523083324/http://www.seaa-web.org/bulletin2008/bul-essay-08-01.htm |archive-date=23 May 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.museum.sabah.gov.my/?q=content/bukit-tengkorak-archaeological-sites-semporna |title= Bukit Tengkorak Archaeological Sites, Semporna |publisher=Sabah Museum Department |access-date=26 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325001742/http://museum.sabah.gov.my/?q=content%2Fbukit-tengkorak-archaeological-sites-semporna |archive-date=25 March 2016 }}</ref>

=== Sultanates of Brunei and Sulu influences ===
During the 7th century AD, a settled community known as Vijayapura, a tributary to the [[Srivijaya]] empire, was thought to have existed in northwest Borneo.<ref name="Hutton2000">{{cite book |author=Wendy Hutton |title=Adventure Guides: East Malaysia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YWO5Va53GkgC&pg=PA31 |access-date=26 May 2013 |date= 2000 |publisher=Tuttle Publishing |isbn=978-962-593-180-7 |pages=31–57}}</ref><ref name= "Bala2005">{{cite book| author=Bilcher Bala|title=Thalassocracy: a history of the medieval Sultanate of Brunei Darussalam|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-bQuAQAAIAAJ&q=vijayapura+p%27o-ni| year=2005| publisher=School of Social Sciences, University Malaysia Sabah|isbn=978-983-2643-74-6|page=30}}</ref> The earliest independent kingdom in Borneo, supposed to have existed from the 9th century, was Po Ni, as recorded in the Chinese geographical treatise ''[[Taiping Huanyu Ji]]''. It was believed that Po Ni existed at the mouth of [[Brunei River]] and was the predecessor to the Bruneian Empire.<ref name="Bala2005"/><ref>{{cite book |author1=Barbara Watson Andaya |author2=Leonard Y. Andaya |title=A History of Malaysia |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=5GSBCcNn1fsC&pg=PA57 |access-date=26 May 2013 |year=1984 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |isbn=978-0-312-38121-9 |page= 57}}</ref> When China was conquered by the [[Mongol Empire]], all Chinese vassal states were subsequently controlled by the Mongol emperors of China. Early in 1292, [[Kublai Khan]] is said to have sent an expedition to northern Borneo,<ref name= "Runciman2011">{{cite book |author= Steven Runciman |title=The White Rajah: A History of Sarawak from 1841 to 1946 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=m4_O9GB4KBoC&pg=PA14 |date= 2011 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-12899-5 |page=14}}</ref> before departing for the [[Mongol invasion of Java|invasion of Java]] in 1293.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.ccel.org/g/gibbon/decline/volume2/chap64.htm |title=Fall In The East — The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire [Chapter 64] |author= Edward Gibbon |publisher=[[Christian Classics Ethereal Library]] |year=1788 |access-date=18 October 2017 |quote=Hundred thousand Chinese imitated his example; and the whole empire, from [[Mongol invasions of Vietnam|Tonkin]] to the [[Great Wall of China|great wall]], submitted to the dominion of [[Kublai Khan|Cublai]]. His boundless ambition aspired to the conquest of [[Mongol invasions of Japan|Japan]]: his fleet was twice shipwrecked; and the lives of a hundred thousand Mongols and Chinese were sacrificed in the fruitless expedition. But the neighbouring kingdoms, Corea, [[Tonkin]], [[Cochinchina]], [[Pegu]], [[Bengal]], and [[Tibet]], were reduced in different degrees of tribute and obedience by the effort or terror of his arms. He explored the Indian Ocean with a fleet of a thousand ships: they sailed in sixty-eight days, most probably to Borneo, under the equinoctial line; and though they returned not without spoil or glory, the emperor was dissatisfied that the savage king had escaped from their hands.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author= Henry Miers Elliot |title=The History of India, as Told by Its Own Historians: The Muhammadan Period |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=-knEHQUmBFgC&pg=PA27 |year= 2013 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-108-05585-7 |page=27}}</ref> As a result of this campaign, it is believed that many of his followers in addition to other Chinese traders eventually settled and established their own enclave at [[Kinabatangan River]].<ref name="Runciman2011"/>

In the 14th century, Brunei and Sulu were part of the Majapahit Empire but in 1369, Sulu and the other Philippine kingdoms successfully rebelled and Sulu even attacked Brunei which was still a Majapahit [[tributary state|tributary]],<ref>{{cite book|author=Brunei|title=Brunei Darussalam|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QYa6AAAAIAAJ&q=brunei+majapahit+province|year=2004|publisher=Broadcasting and Information Department, Prime Minister's Office}}</ref> the Sulus specifically invaded Northeast Borneo at Sabah<ref>Ming shi, 325, p. 8411, p. 8422.</ref> the Sulus were then repelled but Brunei became weakened.<ref>{{cite book|author1-link=John N. Miksic|author1=John Norman Miksic|author2=Goh Geok Yian|title=Ancient Southeast Asia| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zjklDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA501|date=2016|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-317-27904-4|page=501}}</ref> In 1370, Brunei transferred its allegiance to [[Ming dynasty]] China.<ref name="Chinese records">{{cite web |url=http://nccur.lib.nccu.edu.tw/bitstream/140.119/68001/1/015101.pdf |title=Malaysia-Philippines Territorial Dispute: The Sabah Case |author1=Mohammad Al-Mahdi Tan Kho |author2=Hurng-yu Chen |publisher=NCCU Institutional Repository |work=[[National Chengchi University]] |date=July 2014 |access-date=9 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160509133532/http://nccur.lib.nccu.edu.tw/bitstream/140.119/68001/1/015101.pdf |archive-date=9 May 2016 }}</ref><ref name="Vienne2015">{{cite book|author=Marie-Sybille de Vienne|title=Brunei: From the Age of Commerce to the 21st Century|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IfpIBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA42|year= 2015|publisher=NUS Press|isbn=978-9971-69-818-8|page=42}}</ref> The [[Maharaja]] Karna of Borneo then paid a visit to [[Nanjing]] with his family until his death.<ref>{{cite book |author=Shih-shan Henry Tsai |title=The Eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ka6jNJcX_ygC&pg=PA152 |year=1996 |publisher=SUNY Press |isbn=978-0-7914-2687-6 |page=152}}</ref> He was succeeded by his son Hsia-wang who agreed to send tribute to China once every three years.<ref name="Chinese records"/><ref name="Vienne2015"/> After that, Chinese [[Junk (ship)|junks]] came to northern Borneo with cargoes of spices, [[bird nest]]s, shark fins, [[camphor]], [[rattan]] and [[pearl]]s.<ref name="Wise1846">{{cite book |author=Henry Wise |title=A Selection from Papers Relating to Borneo and the Proceedings at Sarāwak of James Brooke ... |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CpBeAAAAcAAJ&pg=PR10 |year=1846 |publisher=publisher not identified |page=10}}</ref> More Chinese traders eventually settled in Kinabatangan, as stated in both Brunei and Sulu records.<ref name="Chinese records"/><ref name="sabah edu">{{cite web |url=http://www.sabah.edu.my/itma135/history.htm |title=History of Sabah |publisher=Sabah Education Department |access-date=14 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160514040125/http://www.sabah.edu.my/itma135/history.htm |archive-date=14 May 2016 }}</ref> A younger sister of [[Ong Sum Ping]] (Huang Senping), the governor of the Chinese settlement then married [[Sultan Ahmad of Brunei]].<ref name="Chinese records"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pusat-sejarah.gov.bn/sultanbrunei.htm |title=Sultan-Sultan Brunei |trans-title=Sultans of Brunei |language=ms |publisher=Government of Brunei |access-date=27 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170128124306/http://www.pusat-sejarah.gov.bn/sultanbrunei.htm |archive-date=28 January 2017 }}</ref> Perhaps due to this relationship, a burial place with 2,000 wooden coffins, some estimated to be 1,000 years old, were discovered in [[Agop Batu Tulug Caves]] and around the Kinabatangan Valley area.<ref name="coffins">{{cite web |url=http://www.thestar.com.my/news/community/2007/04/10/coffins-dating-back-1000-years-are-found-in-the-kinabatangan-valley/ |title=Coffins dating back 1,000 years are found in the Kinabatangan Valley |author=Haslin Gaffor |work=[[Bernama]] |publisher=The Star |date=10 April 2007 |access-date=22 October 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171022141115/http://www.thestar.com.my/news/community/2007/04/10/coffins-dating-back-1000-years-are-found-in-the-kinabatangan-valley/ |archive-date=22 October 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.newsabahtimes.com.my/nstweb/fullstory/9939 |title=Intriguing resting place |author=Rozella Mahjhrin |publisher= | work= [[New Sabah Times]] |date=30 September 2016 |access-date=22 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171022140719/http://www.newsabahtimes.com.my/nstweb/fullstory/9939 |archive-date=22 October 2017 }}</ref> 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.<ref name="coffins"/> This was in addition to the discovery of [[Chinese ceramics]] from a shipwreck in [[Tanjung Simpang Mengayau]] estimated to be from between 960 and 1127 AD from the Song dynasty and the Vietnamese [[Đông Sơn drum]] in Bukit Timbang Dayang on [[Banggi Island]] that was between 2,000 and 2,500 years old.<ref name="sabah info"/><ref>{{cite news |url= http://dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=101912 |title=More shipwrecks lurk off Sabah |newspaper=Daily Express |date=29 July 2015 |access-date=8 February 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170208132511/http://dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=101912 |archive-date=8 February 2017 }}</ref><ref name="Ooi2015">{{cite book |author=Ooi |first=Keat Gin |author-link=Keat Gin Ooi |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LcM0CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA22 |title=Brunei: History, Islam, Society and Contemporary Issues |publisher=Routledge |year=2015 |isbn=978-1-317-65998-3 |pages=22–110 |via=Google Books}}</ref>

During the reign of Sultan [[Bolkiah]] of Brunei between 1485 and 1524, the sultanate extended over northern Borneo and the [[Sulu Archipelago]], as far as ''[[Maynila (historical entity)|Kota Seludong]]'' (present-day [[Manila]]) with its [[sphere of influence|influence]] extending as far of [[Banjarmasin]],<ref>{{cite book |author=Graham Saunders |title=A history of Brunei |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SQ4t_OJgSjAC&pg=PA40 |access-date=26 May 2013 |year=2002 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-7007-1698-2 |page=40| via= Google Books}}</ref> taking advantage of maritime trade after the [[Capture of Malacca (1511)|fall of Malacca to the Portuguese]].<ref name= "HoltLambton1977">{{cite book |author1=P. M. Holt |author2=Ann K. S. Lambton |author3=Bernard Lewis |title=The Cambridge History of Islam: Volume 2A, The Indian Sub-Continent, South-East Asia, Africa and the Muslim West |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=y99jTbxNbSAC&pg=PA129 |date= 1977 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=978-0-521-29137-8 |page=129| via= Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author1=Barbara Watson Andaya |author2=Leonard Y. Andaya |title=A History of Early Modern Southeast Asia, 1400–1830 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=0Rh2BgAAQBAJ&pg=PA159 |date= 2015 |publisher= Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-88992-6 |page=159| via= Google Books}}</ref> Many [[Bruneian Malay people|Brunei Malays]] migrated to Sabah during this period, beginning after the Bruneian conquest of the territory in the 15th century.<ref name= "Brunei migration">{{cite news |url= http://www.bt.com.bn/golden-legacy/2011/10/24/search-brunei-malays-outside-brunei |title=In search of Brunei Malays outside Brunei |author= Rozan Yunos |newspaper=The Brunei Times |date=24 October 2011 |access-date=28 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160514083428/http://www.bt.com.bn/golden-legacy/2011/10/24/search-brunei-malays-outside-brunei |archive-date=14 May 2016 }}</ref> But plagued by internal strife, civil war, piracy and the [[Western imperialism in Asia|arrival of western powers]], the Bruneian Empire began to shrink. The first Europeans to visit Brunei were the Portuguese, who described the capital of Brunei at the time as surrounded by a [[stone wall]].<ref name="HoltLambton1977"/> The Spanish followed, arriving soon after [[Ferdinand Magellan]]'s death in 1521, when the remaining members of his expedition sailed to the islands of Balambangan and Banggi in the northern tip Borneo; later, in the [[Castilian War]] of 1578, the Spanish who had sailed from [[New Spain]] and had taken Manila from Brunei, unsuccessfully declared war on Brunei by briefly occupying the capital before abandoning it.<ref name="Group"/><ref name="Ooi2015"/><ref name= "Sidhu2009">{{cite book |author= Jatswan S. Sidhu |title=Historical Dictionary of Brunei Darussalam |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Bry0sOwstIMC&pg=PR53 |date= 2009 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-7078-9 |page=53| via= Google Books}}</ref> The Sulu region gained its independence in 1578, forming the [[Sultanate of Sulu]].<ref>{{cite book |first1=Trudy |last1=Ring |first2=Robert M. |last2= Salkin |first3=Sharon |last3=La Boda |title=International Dictionary of Historic Places: Asia and Oceania |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=vWLRxJEU49EC&pg=PA160 |date= 1996 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-884964-04-6 |page=160| via= Google Books}}</ref>

When the [[Brunei Civil War|civil war broke out in Brunei]] between sultans [[Abdul Hakkul Mubin]] and [[Muhyiddin of Brunei|Muhyiddin]], the Sultan of Sulu asserted their claim to Brunei's territories in northern Borneo.<ref name="Sidhu2009"/><ref name="myph">{{cite web |url= http://www.ums.edu.my/fksw/images/files/IsuPemilikanWilayahPantaiTimurSabahSatuPenelusurandaripadaSudutSumberSejarah.pdf |title=Isu Pemilikan Wilayah Pantai Timur Sabah: Satu Penulusuran daripada Sumber Sejarah |trans-title=Issues of Ownership of Sabah's East Coast Region: A Study from Historical Sources |author=Eko Prayitno Joko |language=ms, en |publisher=[[Universiti Malaysia Sabah]] |access-date=19 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160519044519/http://www.ums.edu.my/fksw/images/files/IsuPemilikanWilayahPantaiTimurSabahSatuPenelusurandaripadaSudutSumberSejarah.pdf |archive-date=19 May 2016 }}</ref> The Sulus claimed that 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.<ref name= "Sidhu2009"/><ref name="Brunei history">{{cite book |author=Bachamiya Abdul Hussainmiya |title=Brunei: revival of 1906: a popular history |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Q7UuAQAAIAAJ |year=2006 |publisher=Brunei Press |isbn=978-99917-32-15-2| via= Google Books}}</ref> The territory seems have not been ceded formally, but the Sulus continued to claim the territory, with Brunei weakened and unable to resist.<ref name="ssc">{{cite news |url= http://www.bt.com.bn/2013/03/07/sabah-and-sulu-claims |title=Sabah and the Sulu claims |author=Rozan Yunos |newspaper=The Brunei Times |date=7 March 2013 |access-date=20 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140617035533/http://www.bt.com.bn/2013/03/07/sabah-and-sulu-claims |archive-date=17 June 2014 }}</ref> After the war with the Spanish, the area in northern Borneo began to fall under the influence of the Sulu Sultanate.<ref name="Sidhu2009"/><ref name="Brunei history"/> The [[Seafarers|seafaring]] [[Bajau people|Bajau]]-[[Tausūg people|Suluk]] and [[Illanun people]] then arrived from the Sulu Archipelago and started settling on the coasts of north and eastern Borneo,<ref>{{cite book |author=James Francis Warren |title= Iranun and Balangingi: globalization, maritime raiding and the birth of ethnicity |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=w1_3-ff6u-gC&pg=PA409 |date= 2002 |publisher=NUS Press |isbn=978-9971-69-242-1 |page=409| via= Google Books}}</ref> many of them fleeing from the oppression of [[Spanish East Indies|Spanish colonialism]].<ref name="Indonesian demographic">{{cite book |title=Mencari Indonesia: demografi-politik pasca-Soeharto |trans-title=Finding Indonesia: post-Soeharto demographic politics |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oLVTKSefAtIC&pg=PA123 |year=2007 |language=id | via= Google Books |publisher=Yayasan Obor Indonesia |isbn=978-979-799-083-1 |page=123}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite book |author=Ranjit Singh |title=The Making of Sabah, 1865–1941: The Dynamics of Indigenous Society |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j9xuAAAAMAAJ |year=2000 |publisher=University of Malaya Press |isbn=978-983-100-095-3| via= Google Books}}</ref> The [[Sultanate of Bulungan]]'s influence was limited to the Tawau area,<ref>{{cite book |author=R. Haller-Trost |title=The Contested Maritime and Territorial Boundaries of Malaysia: An International Law Perspective |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=65VuAAAAMAAJ |date= 1998 |publisher=Kluwer Law International |isbn=978-90-411-9652-1| via= Google Books}}</ref> which came under the influence of the Sulu Sultanate before gaining its own rule after the 1878 treaty between the British and Spanish governments.<ref>{{cite book |author=Burhan Djabier Magenda |title=East Kalimantan: The Decline of a Commercial Aristocracy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f9T74ges6DIC&pg=PT42 |year=2010 |publisher=Equinox Publishing |isbn=978-602-8397-21-6 |page=42| via= Google Books}}</ref>

=== British North Borneo ===
{{main|North Borneo Chartered Company|North Borneo|Madrid Protocol of 1885}}
{{multiple image
| align             = right
| image1            = Concession of Sabah (Brunei) 1877.jpg
| width1            = 160
| caption1          = The first concession treaty was signed by Sultan [[Abdul Momin]] of Brunei on 29 December 1877<ref name="century"/>
| image2            = Concession of Sabah (Sulu) 1878.jpg
| width2            = 160
| caption2          = The second concession treaty was signed by Sultan [[Jamal ul-Azam]] of Sulu on 22 January 1878<ref name="ssc"/>
| caption_align     = center
| header            = Concession of Sabah
}}
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 in northern Borneo, although this was to prove a failure.<ref>{{cite book |author= Howard T. Fry |title=Alexander Dalrymple (1737–1808) and the Expansion of British Trade |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=flfYsDjH_M4C&pg=PA72 |access-date=25 May 2013 |year=1970 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-7146-2594-2 |page=68–| via= Google Books}}</ref> Following the [[British occupation of Manila]] in 1763, the British freed Sultan [[Azim ud-Din I of Sulu|Alimuddin]] of Sulu from the Spanish and allowed him to return to his throne;<ref name="Sulu Archipelago">{{cite web |url= https://archive.org/stream/ahz9503.0001.001.umich.edu#page/29/mode/1up/search/British |title=The Sulu Archipelago and its people |author= Sixto Y. Orosa |publisher=Yonkers on Hudson, N. Y., World Book Company, [[University of Michigan]]| via= Internet Archive |year=1931 |access-date=26 August 2016 |page=29}}</ref> this was welcomed by the Sulu people and by 1765, Dalrymple managed to obtain [[Balambangan Island]] off the north coast of Borneo, having concluded a Treaty of Alliance and Commerce with the Sultan Alimuddin as a sign of gratitude for the British aid.<ref name="Brunei history"/><ref name="Sulu Archipelago"/> A small British factory was then established in 1773 on the island.<ref name= "Brunei history"/> The British saw the island as a suitable location to control the trade route in the East, capable of diverting trade from the Spanish port of [[Manila]] and the Dutch port of [[Batavia, Dutch East Indies|Batavia]] especially with its strategic location between the [[South China Sea]] and [[Sulu Sea]].<ref name="Brunei history"/> But the British abandoned the island two years later when [[Piracy in the Sulu Sea|Sulu pirates]] began attacking.<ref name="sabah edu"/> This forced the British to seek refuge in Brunei in 1774, and to temporarily abandon their attempts to find alternative sites for the factory.<ref name="Brunei history"/> Although an attempt was made in 1803 to turn Balambangan into a military station,<ref name="sabah edu"/> the British did not re-establish any further trading posts in the region until [[Stamford Raffles]] [[Founding years of modern Singapore|founded Singapore]] in 1819.<ref name="Brunei history"/>

In 1846, the Sultan of Brunei ceded the island of [[Labuan]] on the west coast of Sabah to Britain through the [[Treaty of Labuan]], and in 1848 it became a [[Crown Colony of Labuan|British Crown Colony]].<ref name="sabah edu"/> 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]], owned by [[Joseph William Torrey]], [[Thomas Bradley Harris]] and Chinese investors.<ref name="sabah edu"/><ref name="Fitzgerald2016">{{cite book |author=Robert Fitzgerald |title=The Rise of the Global Company: Multinationals and the Making of the Modern World |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=rTkACwAAQBAJ&pg=PA75 |date= 2016 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-84974-6 |page=75| via= Google Books}}</ref> The company choose [[Kimanis]] (which they renamed "Ellena") as a site for a settlement. Requests for financial backing from the US government proved futile and the settlement was later abandoned. Before he left, Torrey managed to sell all his rights to the Austrian Consul in Hong Kong, [[Gustav Overbeck|Gustav von Overbeck]]. Overbeck then went to Brunei, where he met the [[Temenggong]] to renew the [[Concession (territory)|concession]].<ref name="Fitzgerald2016"/> Brunei agreed to cede all territory in northern Borneo under its control, with the Sultan receiving an annual payment of 12,000 [[Spanish dollar]]s, while the Temenggong received a sum of 3,000.<ref name="Brunei history"/>

In 1872, the Sultanate of Sulu granted use of an area of land in the Sandakan Bay to William Frederick Schuck, a former agent of the German consular service who had lived on the Sulu island of [[Jolo]] since 1864. The arrival of German warship {{SMS|Nymphe|1863|6}} at the Sulu Sea in 1872 to investigate the [[Spanish–Moro conflict|Sulu-Spanish conflict]] made the sultanate believe Schuck was connected with the [[Government of Germany|German government]].<ref>{{cite book |author= Leigh R. Wright |title=The Origins of British Borneo |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=9SzxAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA134 |date= 1988 |publisher=Hong Kong University Press |isbn=978-962-209-213-6 |page=134| via= Google Books}}</ref> The sultanate authorised Schuck to establish a trading port to monopolise the [[rattan]] trade in the northeast coast, where Schuck could operate freely, without the Spanish blockade.<ref>{{cite book |author= James Francis Warren |title=The Sulu Zone, 1768–1898: The Dynamics of External Trade, Slavery, and Ethnicity in the Transformation of a Southeast Asian Maritime State |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=_UyVI5IxcjIC&pg=PA114 |year=1981 |publisher=NUS Press |isbn=978-9971-69-004-5 |pages=114–122| via= Google Books}}</ref> He continued this operation until this land also was ceded to Overbeck, with the Sultan receiving an annual payment of $5,000, by a treaty signed in 1878.<ref name="Brunei history"/>

After a series of transfers, Overbeck tried to sell the territory to [[German Empire|Germany]], [[Austria-Hungary]] and [[Kingdom of Italy|Italy]] but they rejected his offer.<ref name="Fitzgerald2016"/> Overbeck then co-operated with the British Dent brothers ([[Alfred Dent]] and Edward Dent) for financial backing to develop the land, with the Dent company persuading him that any investors would need guarantees of British military and diplomatic support.<ref name="Fitzgerald2016"/> Overbeck agreed to this co-operation, especially with regard to the counterclaims of the Sultan of Sulu, part of whose territory in the Sulu Archipelago had been occupied by Spain.<ref name="Fitzgerald2016"/> Overbeck, however, withdrew in 1879 and his treaty rights were transferred to Alfred Dent, who in 1881 formed the North Borneo Provisional Association Ltd to administer the territory.<ref>{{cite book |author=Charles Alfred Fisher |title= South-East Asia: A Social, Economic and Political Geography |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=dHsOAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA147 |access-date=26 May 2013 |year=1966 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |page= 147 |id=GGKEY:NTL3Y9S0ACC| via= Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=J. M. Gullick |title=Malaysia and Its Neighbours |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=ykM9AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA148 |year= 1967 |publisher=Routledge & K. Paul |isbn=978-0-7100-4141-8 |pages= 148–149| via= Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Keat Gin Ooi |title=Southeast Asia: A Historical Encyclopedia, from Angkor Wat to Timor. R–Z. volume three |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=QKgraWbb7yoC&pg=PA251 |access-date=26 May 2013 |year=2004 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-57607-770-2 |page=251| via= Google Books}}</ref> In the following year, [[Kudat]] was made its capital but due to frequent pirate attacks, the capital was moved to [[Sandakan]] in 1884.<ref name="Hutton2000"/> To prevent further disputes over intervention, the governments of the United Kingdom, Spain and Germany signed the [[Madrid Protocol of 1885]], recognising the sovereignty of the [[King of Spain]] over the Sulu Archipelago in return for the relinquishment of all Spanish claims over northern Borneo.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lawnet.sabah.gov.my/Lawnet/SabahLaws/Treaties/Protocol%28Madrid%29.pdf |title=British North Borneo Treaties. (British North Borneo, 1885) |author=British Government | work= lawnet.sabah.gov.my |publisher= Sabah State Government (State Attorney-General's Chambers) |year= 1885 |access-date=24 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029195606/http://www.lawnet.sabah.gov.my/Lawnet/SabahLaws/Treaties/Protocol%28Madrid%29.pdf |archive-date=29 October 2013 }}</ref> The arrival of the company brought prosperity to the residents of northern Borneo, with the company allowing indigenous communities to continue their traditional lifestyles, but imposing laws against [[headhunting]], [[ethnic conflict|ethnic feuds]], [[History of slavery|slave trade]], and piracy.<ref name="Skutsch2013">{{cite book |author=Carl Skutsch |title=Encyclopedia of the World's Minorities |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yXYKAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA679 |date= 2013 |publisher= Routledge |isbn=978-1-135-19388-1 |page=679| via= Google Books}}</ref><ref name="bnbm">{{cite web |url=http://web.usm.my/km/KM%20XIX,2-2001/THE%20LEGEND%20BY%20SUE%20HARRIS.pdf |title=The Legend by Sue Harris: A Critique of the Rundum Rebellion and a Counter Argument of the Rebellion |author=Callistus Fernandez |work=Department of Sociology, National University of Singapore |language=ms, en |publisher=[[Universiti Sains Malaysia]] |year=2001 |access-date=2 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160602154850/http://web.usm.my/km/KM%20XIX,2-2001/THE%20LEGEND%20BY%20SUE%20HARRIS.pdf |archive-date=2 June 2016 }}</ref> North Borneo then became a [[protectorate]] of the United Kingdom in 1888 despite facing local resistance from 1894 to 1900 by [[Mat Salleh Rebellion|Mat Salleh]] and [[Antanum]] in 1915.<ref name="sabah edu"/><ref name="bnbm"/>

=== Second World War ===
{{main|Battle of Borneo (1941–1942)|Japanese occupation of British Borneo|Battle of North Borneo}}
[[File:Japanese civilians and soldiers, Tawao (AWM 121707).JPG|thumb|[[Japanese prisoners of war in World War II|Japanese civilians and soldiers]] prior to their embarkation to Jesselton after their surrender to the [[Second Australian Imperial Force|Australian Imperial Force]] (AIF) in [[Tawau]] on 21 October 1945.]]
The Japanese forces landed in Labuan on 3 January 1942,<ref>{{cite book| author=Gordon L. Rottman|title=World War II Pacific Island Guide: A Geo-military Study|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ChyilRml0hcC&pg=PA206|year=2002|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-313-31395-0|page=206}}</ref> during the [[Second World War]], and later invaded the rest of northern Borneo.<ref name="sabah edu"/> From 1942 to 1945, Japanese forces occupied North Borneo, along with most of the rest of the island, as part of the [[Empire of Japan]]. The British saw Japanese advances in the area as motivated by political and territorial ambitions rather than economic factors.<ref>{{cite book |author=Takashi Shiraishi |title=The Japanese in Colonial Southeast Asia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6mfCzrbOn80C&pg=PA54 |date= 1993 |publisher=SEAP Publications |isbn=978-0-87727-402-5 |page=54| via= Google Books}}</ref> The residing British and the locals were compelled to obey and gave in to the brutality of the Japanese.<ref name="Three Came Home">{{cite AV media |people=[[Claudette Colbert]], [[Patric Knowles]] |url=https://youtube.com/watch?v=W5dNa0O18wQ  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/W5dNa0O18wQ| archive-date=11 December 2021 |url-status= live|title=Three Came Home (Full Movie) |publisher=20th Century Fox |date=20 February 1950|medium=video |time=00:12:55}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The occupation drove many people from coastal towns to the interior, fleeing the Japanese and seeking food.<ref name="Lim2008">{{cite book |author= Regina Lim |title=Federal-state Relations in Sabah, Malaysia: The Berjaya Administration, 1976–85 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bM4HifRARgYC&pg=PA36 |year=2008 |publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies |isbn=978-981-230-812-2 |pages=36–84| via= Google Books}}</ref> The [[Malays (ethnic group)|Malays]] generally appeared to be favoured by the Japanese, although some of them faced repression, while other groups such as the Chinese and indigenous peoples were severely repressed.<ref>{{cite journal |title=The 'Slapping Monster' and Other Stories: Recollections of the Japanese Occupation (1941–1945) of Borneo through Autobiographies, Biographies, Memoirs, and Other Ego-documents |author=Keat Gin Ooi |journal=Journal of Colonialism and Colonial History |year=2006 |volume=7 |issue=3 |doi=10.1353/cch.2007.0009|s2cid=162251646 }}</ref> The Chinese were already resisting the Japanese occupation, especially with the [[Second Sino-Japanese War|Sino-Japanese War]] in mainland China.<ref>{{cite journal |jstor=20072301 |title=Anti-Japanese Activities in North Borneo before World War Two, 1937–1941 |author=Danny Wong Tze Ken |journal=Journal of Southeast Asian Studies |volume=32 |issue=1 |date= February 2001 |pages=93–105|doi=10.1017/S0022463401000042 |s2cid=162477885 }}</ref> Local Chinese formed a resistance, known as the Kinabalu Guerillas, led by [[Albert Kwok]], with broad support from various ethnic groups in northern Borneo such as [[Dusun people|Dusun]], Murut, Suluk and Illanun peoples. The movement was also supported by [[Mustapha Harun]].<ref name="Gin2010">{{cite book |author=Keat Gin Ooi |title=The A to Z of Malaysia |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=YVViEJmN99kC&pg=PA214 |year= 2010 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-1-4616-7199-2 |page= 214| via= Google Books}}</ref> Kwok along with many other sympathisers were, however, executed after the Japanese foiled their movement in the [[Jesselton Revolt]].<ref name= "Lim2008"/><ref>{{cite book |author=Keat Gin Ooi |title=The Japanese Occupation of Borneo, 1941–45 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Eg_HBQAAQBAJ&pg=PT164 |date= 2010 |publisher= Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-96309-4 |page=164| via= Google Books}}</ref>

As part of the [[Borneo campaign]] to retake the territory, [[Allies of World War II|Allied forces]] bombed most of the major towns under Japanese control, including Sandakan, which was razed to the ground. The Japanese ran a brutal [[prisoner of war]] camp known as [[Sandakan camp]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Tanaka|first=Y.|title=Hidden Horrors: Japanese War Crimes In World War II|publisher=Taylor & Francis|year=2019|isbn=978-0-429-72089-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eWClDwAAQBAJ|access-date=24 January 2025|page=13}}</ref> The majority of the POWs were British and Australian soldiers captured after the [[Malayan campaign|fall of Malaya]] and [[Fall of Singapore|Singapore]].<ref>{{cite book |author1=Jane Bickersteth |author2=Amanda Hinton |title=Malaysia & Singapore Handbook |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E5cuAQAAIAAJ |year=1996 |publisher=Footprint Handbooks |isbn=978-0-8442-4909-4}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.awm.gov.au/encyclopedia/pow/general_info/ |title=General information about Australian prisoners of the Japanese |publisher=[[Australian War Memorial]] |access-date=16 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160516160045/https://www.awm.gov.au/encyclopedia/pow/general_info/ |archive-date=16 May 2016 }}</ref> The prisoners suffered inhuman conditions, and amidst continuous Allied bombardments, the Japanese forced them to march to [[Ranau District|Ranau]], about {{Convert|260|km|mi}} away, in an event known as the [[Sandakan Death March]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.awm.gov.au/exhibitions/stolenyears/ww2/japan/sandakan/ |title=World War II > Japan > Sandakan |publisher=Australian War Memorial |access-date=14 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160514085305/https://www.awm.gov.au/exhibitions/stolenyears/ww2/japan/sandakan/ |archive-date=14 May 2016 }}</ref> The number of prisoners were reduced to 2,345, with many of them killed en route either by [[friendly fire]] or by the Japanese. Only six of the several hundred Australian prisoners lived to see the war's end.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.ww2australia.gov.au/behindwire/story_marches.html |title=The Marches |work=Government of Australia |publisher=Australia's War 1939–1945 |access-date=14 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170315232746/http://www.ww2australia.gov.au/behindwire/story_marches.html |archive-date=15 March 2017 }}</ref> In addition, of the total of 17,488 [[Javanese people|Javanese]] labourers brought in by the Japanese during the occupation, only 1,500 survived mainly due to starvation, harsh working conditions and maltreatment.<ref name="Lim2008"/> In March 1945, Australian forces launched [[Operation Agas]] to gather intelligence in the region and launch guerrilla warfare against the Japanese.<ref name= "AWM">{{cite journal |last1=Gin |first1= Ooi Keat |title=Prelude to Invasion: Covert Operations Before the Re-occupation of Northwest Borneo, 1944–45 |journal=[[Journal of the Australian War Memorial]] |date= October 2002 |issue=37 |url= https://www.awm.gov.au/journal/j37/borneo.asp#84 |access-date=2 November 2014 |issn=1327-0141}}</ref> The [[Second Australian Imperial Force|Australian Imperial Forces]] initiated the [[Battle of North Borneo]] on 10 June 1945.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Prelude to invasion: covert operations before the re-occupation of Northwest Borneo, 1944-45 |url=https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/journal/j37/borneo |access-date=5 August 2024 |website=[[Australian War Memorial]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Lynette Ramsay Silver |title=Blood Brothers: Sabah and Australia, 1942–1945 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k2ajYgEACAAJ |year=2010 |publisher=Opus Publications |isbn=978-983-3987-39-9| via= Google Books}}</ref> Japan's remaining forces surrendered on 2 September 1945, following the [[atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=A Military History of Australia |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-511-48134-5 |edition=3rd |page=191}}</ref>

=== British crown colony ===
{{main|Crown Colony of North Borneo}}
After the Japanese surrender, North Borneo was administered by the [[British Military Administration (Borneo)|British Military Administration]] and on 15 July 1946 became a [[Crown Colony of North Borneo|British Crown colony]].<ref name="sabah edu"/><ref name="cc">{{cite news |url= http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/95540217 |title=British North Borneo Becomes Crown Colony |page=1 |work=[[Kalgoorlie Miner]] |publisher=[[Trove]] |date=18 July 1946 |access-date=17 May 2016}}</ref> The [[Crown Colony of Labuan]] was integrated into this new colony. During the ceremony, both the [[Union Jack]] and [[Flag of the Republic of China]] were raised from the bullet-ridden Jesselton Survey Hall building.<ref name="cc"/> The Chinese were represented by Philip Lee who had been part of the resistance movement against the Japanese and who eventually supported the transfer of power to the Crown colony.<ref name="cc"/> He said: "Let their blood be the pledge of what we wish to be—[[George VI|His Majesty]]'s most devoted subjects."<ref name="cc"/>

Due to massive destruction in Sandakan during the war, Jesselton was chosen to replace the capital while the Crown continued to rule North Borneo until 1963. The Crown colony government established many departments to oversee the welfare of its residents and to revive the economy of North Borneo after the war.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://elibrary.pps-unipasby.ac.id/files/disk1/1/jtppsunipasby--ismailali-4-1-sosiohum-t.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150607141206/http://elibrary.pps-unipasby.ac.id/files/disk1/1/jtppsunipasby--ismailali-4-1-sosiohum-t.pdf |archive-date=7 June 2015 |author=Ismail Ali |title=The Role and Contribution of the British Administration and the Capitalist in the North Borneo Fishing Industry, 1945–63 |publisher=Pascasarjana Unipa Surabaya |access-date=22 April 2015 }}</ref> Upon [[History of the Philippines (1946–65)|Philippine independence in 1946]], seven of the British-controlled [[Turtle Islands, Tawi-Tawi|Turtle Islands]] (including [[Mapun, Tawi-Tawi|Cagayan de Tawi-Tawi]] and [[Mangsee Islands]]) off the north coast of Borneo were ceded to the Philippines as had been negotiated by the American and British colonial governments.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=KhpAAAAAIBAJ&pg=5187%2C4623468 |title=Treaty over Turtle Islands |author=Charles P. Williamson |newspaper=The Telegraph |date=30 July 1929 |access-date=17 May 2016| via= Google News}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Peter C. Richards |url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1301&dat=19471206&id=Sf5UAAAAIBAJ&pg=4610,725646&hl=en |title=New Flag Over Pacific Paradise |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=6 December 1947 |access-date=22 October 2015| via= Google News}}</ref>

=== Malaysia ===
{{main|Malaysia Agreement|20-point agreement|Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation}}
[[File:Sabah during the formation of Malaysia (16 September 1963).jpg|thumb|left|[[Fuad Stephens|Donald Stephens]] (left) declaring the forming of the Federation of Malaysia at [[Merdeka Square, Kota Kinabalu|Merdeka Square]], Jesselton on 16 September 1963. Together with him was the then [[Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia]] [[Abdul Razak Hussein|Tun Abdul Razak]] (right) and [[Mustapha Harun]] (second right).]]
On 31 August 1963, North Borneo [[Sabah Day|attained self-governance]].<ref name="tna1">{{cite web|url=http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C10991834|title=The National Archives DO 187/31 (Declarations of independence by Sarawak, Sabah and Singapore)|publisher=[[The National Archives (United Kingdom)|The National Archives]]|year=1963|access-date=9 February 2025}}</ref><ref name="tna2">{{cite web |url=http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C760803 |title=The National Archives DO 169/254 (Constitutional issues in respect of North Borneo and Sarawak on joining the federation) |publisher=The National Archives |date=1961–1963 |access-date=23 April 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Philip Mathews |title=Chronicle of Malaysia: Fifty Years of Headline News, 1963–2013 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=md9UAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA15 |date=28 February 2014 |publisher=Editions Didier Millet |isbn=978-967-10617-4-9 |page=15}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Frans Welman |title=Borneo Trilogy Volume 1: Sabah |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=glG-WBH8hkQC&pg=PA159 |access-date=28 May 2013 |publisher=Booksmango |isbn=978-616-245-078-5 |page=159|date=9 March 2017 }}</ref> The [[Cobbold Commission]] had been set up in 1962, to determine whether the people of Sabah and Sarawak favoured the proposed union of a new federation called Malaysia, and found that the union was generally favoured by the people.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C12304501 |title=Sarawak: Report of the Commission of Enquiry, North Borneo and Sarawak, 1962 (Cobbold Commission) |publisher=The National Archives |date=1962 |access-date=16 May 2016| via= discovery.national archives.gov.uk}}</ref> Most ethnic community leaders of Sabah, namely, Mustapha Harun representing the native Muslims, [[Fuad Stephens|Donald Stephens]] representing the non-Muslim natives, and Khoo Siak Chew representing the Chinese, would eventually support the union.<ref name="Gin2010"/><ref>{{cite book |author=Edwin Lee |title= The Towkays of Sabah: Chinese Leadership and Indigenous Challenge in the Last Phase of British Rule |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=W4QKAQAAIAAJ |year=1976 |publisher=Singapore University Press| via= Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=P. J. Granville-Edge |title=The Sabahan: the life & death of Tun Fuad Stephens |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NKFuAAAAMAAJ |year=1999 |publisher=Family of the late Tun Fuad Stephens|isbn=978-983-40114-0-6 }}</ref> After a 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 [[Malaysia]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.un.org/Depts/dpi/decolonization/trust2.htm |title=Trust and Non-self governing territories |publisher= United Nations |access-date=2 April 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110503183847/http://www.un.org/Depts/dpi/decolonization/trust2.htm |archive-date=3 May 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.un.org/press/en/2006/org1469.doc.htm |title=United Nations Member States |publisher=United Nations |date=3 July 2006 |access-date=1 April 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160305033119/http://www.un.org/press/en/2006/org1469.doc.htm |archive-date=5 March 2016 }}</ref>

From before the formation of Malaysia until 1966, [[Indonesia]] adopted a hostile policy towards British-backed Malaya, leading to the [[Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation]] after Malaysia was established.<ref>{{cite book |author=Bryan Perrett |title=British Military History For Dummies |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6J6-ZD9l6bIC&pg=PA402 |date= 2007 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-0-470-06191-6 |page=402| via= Google Books}}</ref> The war stemmed from what Indonesian president [[Sukarno]] perceived as an expansion of British influence in the region and his intention to wrest control over all of Borneo under the [[Greater Indonesia]]n concept.<ref>{{cite book |author=Center for Strategic Intelligence Research (U.S.) |title=A Muslim archipelago: Islam and Politics in Southeast Asia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tm8tSwyTa7AC&pg=PA19 |publisher=Government Printing Office |isbn=978-0-16-086920-4 |page= 19|year=2007 }}</ref> Meanwhile, the [[Philippines]], beginning with president [[Diosdado Macapagal]] on 22 June 1962, [[North Borneo dispute|claimed Sabah]] through the heirs of the Sultanate of Sulu.<ref name="PH claim">{{cite web |url=https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1963/01/28/philippine-claim-to-north-borneo-vol-i-i-north-borneo-claim/ |title=I. North Borneo Claim |work=Excerpt from President Diosdado Macapagal's State-of-the-Nation Message to the Congress of the Philippines |publisher=[[Government of the Philippines]] |date=28 January 1963 |access-date=17 May 2016 |archive-date=8 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308124634/https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1963/01/28/philippine-claim-to-north-borneo-vol-i-i-north-borneo-claim/ }}</ref><ref name="PH claim research">{{cite web |url=http://www.dlsu.edu.ph/research/journals/apssr/pdf/200712/4Fernandez.pdf |title=Philippine-Malaysia Dispute over Sabah: A Bibliographic Survey |author=Erwin S. Fernandez |work= Department of Filipino and Philippine Literature, [[University of the Philippines]] |publisher=[[De La Salle University]] |date=December 2007 |access-date=17 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160516174241/http://www.dlsu.edu.ph/research/journals/apssr/pdf/200712/4Fernandez.pdf |archive-date=16 May 2016 }}</ref> Macapagal, considering Sabah to be property of the Sultanate of Sulu, saw the attempt to integrate Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei into the Federation of Malaysia as "trying to impose authority of Malaya into these states".<ref name="PH claim"/>

Following the successful formation of Malaysia, Donald Stephens became the first chief minister of Sabah. The first [[Yang di-Pertua Negara]] (which later changed to [[Yang di-Pertua Negeri]] in 1976) was Mustapha Harun.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Great Britain. Colonial Office |author2= Malaysia |author3=Great Britain. Office of Commonwealth Relations |title=Malaysia: agreement concluded between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Federation of Malaya, North Borneo, Sarawak, and Singapore |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6gs-AQAAIAAJ |year=1963 |publisher=H. M. Stationery Off.}}</ref> The leaders of Sabah demanded that their [[freedom of religion]] be respected, that all lands in the territory be under the power of state government, and that native customs and traditions be respected and upheld by the federal government; declaring that in return Sabahans would pledge their loyalty to the Malaysian federal government. An [[Keningau Oath Stone|oath stone]] was officiated by Donald Stephens on 31 August 1964 in [[Keningau]] as a remembrance to the agreement and promise for reference in the future.<ref name="oath stone story">{{cite web |url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2010/11/30/the-story-behind-keningau%E2%80%99s-oath-stone/ |title=The story behind Keningau's oath stone |work=Bernama |publisher=The Borneo Post |date=30 November 2010 |access-date=26 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160825154255/http://www.theborneopost.com/2010/11/30/the-story-behind-keningau%E2%80%99s-oath-stone/ |archive-date=25 August 2016 }}</ref> Sabah held its first state election in 1967.<ref>{{cite journal |jstor=2642463 |title=Patterns and Peculiarities of Voting in Sabah, 1967 |author1=R. S. Milne |author2=K. J. Ratnam |journal= Asian Survey| date=May 1969 |volume=9 |issue=5 |pages=373–381 |doi= 10.2307/2642463}}</ref> In the same year, the name of the state capital was changed from "Jesselton" to "[[Kota Kinabalu]]".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://corporate.tourism.gov.my/mediacentre.asp?page=feature_malaysia&subpage=archive&news_id=57 |title=Sabah – Lest We Forget |publisher=Tourism Malaysia |access-date=17 June 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130801182717/http://corporate.tourism.gov.my/mediacentre.asp?page=feature_malaysia&pagemode=search&news_id=57&subpage= |archive-date=1 August 2013 }}</ref>

An [[1976 Sabah Air GAF Nomad crash|airplane crash]] on 6 June 1976 killed Stephens along with four other state cabinet ministers.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.therakyatpost.com/news/2015/04/05/past-air-crashes-that-involved-vips/ |title=Past air crashes that involved VIPs |author=Arfa Yunus |newspaper=[[The Rakyat Post]] |date=5 April 2015 |access-date=24 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150724213500/http://www.therakyatpost.com/news/2015/04/05/past-air-crashes-that-involved-vips/ |archive-date=24 July 2015 }}</ref> On 14 June 1976, the state [[government of Sabah]] led by the new chief minister [[Harris Salleh]] 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.<ref name="KincaidShah2007">{{cite book |author1=John Kincaid |author2=Anwar Shah |title=The Practice of Fiscal Federalism: Comparative Perspectives |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-olN8pE4tAMC&pg=PA186 |date= 2007 |publisher=McGill-Queen's Press |isbn=978-0-7735-6044-4 |page=186| via= Google Books}}</ref> The state government of Sabah ceded [[Labuan]] to the Malaysian federal government, and Labuan became a [[Federal Territory (Malaysia)|federal territory]] on 16 April 1984.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.dvs.gov.my/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=01e32808-0a2b-4369-9747-2021f14012c9&groupId=16746 |title= Laws of Malaysia A585 Constitution (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1984 |work= dvs.gov.my | publisher= Department of Veterinary Services, Government of Malaysia |access-date=28 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140429050631/http://www.dvs.gov.my/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=01e32808-0a2b-4369-9747-2021f14012c9&groupId=16746 |archive-date=29 April 2014 }}</ref> In 2000, the state capital Kota Kinabalu was granted [[city status]], making it the [[List of cities in Malaysia|6th city in Malaysia]] and the first city in the state.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=106515 |title= Remembering Jesselton's birth |newspaper= Daily Express |date=31 January 2016 |access-date=14 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160514081304/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=106515 |archive-date=14 May 2016 }}</ref> Prior to a [[Ligitan and Sipadan dispute|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".<ref name="Justice2003">{{cite book |title=Summaries of Judgments, Advisory Opinions and Orders of the International Court of Justice: 1997–2002 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DNoxAAAAIAAJ&q=Summaries%20of%20Judgments,%20Advisory%20Opinions%20and%20Orders%20of%20the%20International%20Court%20of%20Justice:%201997%E2%80%932002. |access-date=26 May 2013 |year=2003 |publisher=United Nations Publications |isbn=978-92-1-133541-5 |page=263 |via=Google Books }}</ref><ref name="court result">{{cite web |url= http://www.icj-cij.org/presscom/index.php?pr=343&pt=1&p1=6&p2=1 |title=The Court finds that sovereignty over the islands of Ligitan and Sipadan belongs to Malaysia |publisher=International Court of Justice |date=17 December 2002 |access-date=7 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140409130015/http://www.icj-cij.org/presscom/index.php?pr=343&pt=1&p1=6&p2=1 |archive-date=9 April 2014 }}</ref>

In February 2013, Sabah's [[Lahad Datu District]] was [[2013 Lahad Datu standoff|penetrated]] by followers of [[Jamalul Kiram III]], the self-proclaimed [[List of sultans of Sulu|Sultan]] of [[Sultanate of Sulu|Sulu]]. In response, Malaysian military forces were deployed to the region, which resulted in 72 deaths (56 Sultanate militants, nine Malaysian security personnel, and six civilians). Following the elimination of insurgents, an [[Eastern Sabah Security Command]] was established.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Najib |first1=Najiah |title=Lahad Datu invasion: A painful memory of 2013 |url=https://www.astroawani.com/berita-malaysia/lahad-datu-invasion-painful-memory-2013-27579 |access-date=20 April 2021 |work=[[Astro Awani]] |date=30 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309203634/https://www.astroawani.com/berita-malaysia/lahad-datu-invasion-painful-memory-2013-27579 |archive-date=9 March 2021|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="LD 2013">{{cite web |last1=Poling |first1=Gregory |last2=DePadua |first2=Phoebe |last3=Frentasia |first3=Jennifer |title=The Royal Army of Sulu Invades Malaysia |url= https://www.csis.org/analysis/royal-army-sulu-invades-malaysia |website= [[Center for Strategic & International Studies]] |access-date=20 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308101424/https://www.csis.org/analysis/royal-army-sulu-invades-malaysia |archive-date=8 March 2021 |date=8 March 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="PLD 2013">{{cite news|url=https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2019/02/25/after-six-years-police-commandos-shed-light-on-lahad-datu-incursion/1726688|title=After six years, police commandos shed light on Lahad Datu incursion|last=Bunyan|first=John|work=Malay Mail|date=25 February 2019|access-date=24 January 2025|quote=The Lahad Datu standoff reportedly saw a total of 68 deaths, including 56 from the Sulu sultanate, nine from the Malaysian authorities and six civilians.}}</ref>

== Politics ==

=== Government ===
{{see also|Government of Sabah|Cabinet of Sabah|Sabah State Legislative Assembly|Politics of Malaysia|Table of precedence of Sabah}}

[[File:KotaKinabalu Sabah Sabah-State-Administrative-Centre-02.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Sabah State Administrative Centre|State Administrative Building]] (right), behind the [[Wisma Innoprise]] (left).]]
Sabah (together with its neighbour Sarawak) has a greater level of autonomy in administration, immigration, and judiciary which differentiates it from the Malaysian Peninsula states. The [[Yang di-Pertua Negeri]] is the [[head of state]] although its functions are largely ceremonial.<ref name="state government structure">{{cite web |url=http://www.sabah.gov.my/main/en-GB/Home/GovernmentStructure |title=State Government Structure |publisher=Sabah State Government |date=14 April 2016 |access-date=18 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160517220358/http://www.sabah.gov.my/main/en-GB/Home/GovernmentStructure |archive-date=17 May 2016 }}</ref> Next in the hierarchy are the [[Dewan Undangan Negeri|state legislative assembly]] and the state cabinet.<ref name="Group"/><ref name="state government structure"/> The [[List of Chief Ministers of Sabah|chief minister]] is the [[head of government]] as well the leader of the state cabinet.<ref name="state government structure"/> 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.<ref name="Group"/><ref>{{cite book |author=Jane Knight |title=International Education Hubs: Student, Talent, Knowledge-Innovation Models |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xbDBAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA101 |date=2013 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=978-94-007-7025-6 |page=101}}</ref> While local authorities being fully appointed by the state government owing to the suspension of local elections by the federal government. Legislation regarding state elections is within the powers of the federal government and not the state.<ref name="Group"/> The assembly meets at the state capital, Kota Kinabalu. Members of the state assembly are elected from 73 constituencies which are delineated by the [[Election Commission of Malaysia]] and do not necessarily have the same voter population sizes.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2016/08/10/sabah-gets-13-new-state-assembly-seats/ |title=Sabah gets 13 new state assembly seats |author=Jenne Lajiun |newspaper=[[The Borneo Post]] |date=10 August 2016 |access-date=11 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160811091833/http://www.theborneopost.com/2016/08/10/sabah-gets-13-new-state-assembly-seats/ |archive-date=11 August 2016 }}</ref> A general election for representatives in the state assembly must be held every five years, when the seats are subject of [[universal suffrage]] for all citizens above 21 years of age. Sabah is also represented in the [[Parliament of Malaysia|federal parliament]] by 25 members elected from the same number of constituencies.

Prior to the formation of Malaysia in 1963, the then [[Crown Colony of North Borneo|North Borneo interim government]] submitted a [[20-point agreement]] to the [[Federation of Malaya|Malayan government]] as conditions before North Borneo would join the federation. Subsequently, North Borneo legislative assembly agreed on the formation of Malaysia on the conditions that North Borneo's rights would be safeguarded. North Borneo then entered Malaysia as an [[Autonomous entity|autonomous]] state with autonomous laws in immigration control and [[Aboriginal title|Native Customary Rights]] (NCR), and the territory name was 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 among Sabahans that both USNO and UMNO have been working together in permitting [[Illegal immigrants in Malaysia|illegal immigrants]] from the southern Philippines and Indonesia to stay in the state and become citizens to vote for Muslim parties.<ref name="Sadiq2008">{{cite book |author=Kamal Sadiq |title=Paper Citizens: How Illegal Immigrants Acquire Citizenship in Developing Countries |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xDa6LrF1yCIC&pg=PA49 |date= 2008 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-970780-5 |pages=49–178}}</ref> This was continued under the [[Sabah People's United Front]] (BERJAYA) administration led by Harris Salleh with a total of 73,000 [[Refugees of the Philippines|Filipino refugees]] from the southern Philippines were registered.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newsabahtimes.com.my/nstweb/print/65247 |title=Berjaya govt let 73,000 refugees into Sabah |author=Paul Mu |publisher=New Sabah Times |date=7 December 2014 |access-date=16 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141216085317/http://www.newsabahtimes.com.my/nstweb/print/65247 |archive-date=16 December 2014 }}</ref> 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 have become grievances often raised by Sabahans, which has resulted in strong anti-federal sentiments and even occasional call for [[secession]] from the federation among the people of Sabah.<ref name="Lim2008"/> Those who spread secession agenda often landed in law enforcement hand due to the controversial ISA act, such as [[1991 Sabah political arrests]].<ref>{{cite journal |jstor=23746929 |title=A 'New Sabah' and the spell of development: resolving federal-state relations in Malaysia |author=Francis Loh Kok-Wah |journal= South East Asia Research|date=March 1996 |pages=63–83 |volume=4 |issue=1|doi=10.1177/0967828X9600400105 }}</ref>

[[File:KotaKinabalu Sabah DewanUndanganNegeriSabah-01.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Sabah State Legislative Assembly Building]] in Kota Kinabalu.]]
Until the [[Malaysian general election, 2008|2008 Malaysian general election]], Sabah along with the states of [[Kelantan]] and [[Terengganu]], were the only three states in Malaysia that had ever been ruled by [[Opposition (Malaysia)|opposition parties]] not part of the ruling BN coalition. Under [[Joseph Pairin Kitingan]], PBS formed the state government after winning the [[Sabah state election, 1985|1985 state election]] and ruled Sabah until 1994. In the [[Sabah state election, 1994|1994 state election]], despite PBS winning the elections, subsequent cross-overs of PBS assembly members to the BN component party resulted in BN having the majority of seats and hence took over the helm of the state government.<ref>{{cite book |author=Boon Kheng Cheah |title=Malaysia: the making of a nation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Owo39zRMQbwC&pg=PA63 |access-date=26 May 2013 |year=2002 |publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies |isbn=978-981-230-175-8 |page=63}}</ref> A unique feature of Sabah politics was a policy initiated by 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 plans.<ref>{{cite book |author=Chin Kin Wah |title=Southeast Asian Affairs 2004 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8mKsed7mQzQC&pg=PA157 |date= 2004 |publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies |isbn=978-981-230-238-0 |page=157}}</ref> This practice was then since stopped.<ref>{{cite book |author=Meredith L. Weiss |title=Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Malaysia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I4XZBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA85 |date= 2014 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-62959-7 |page=85}}</ref> Political intervention by the federal authorities, for example, an introduction and later abolition of the chief minister's post and earlier [[1986 Sabah riots|PBS-BERJAYA conflict in 1985]], along with co-opting rival factions in East Malaysia, are examples of political tactics used by the then UMNO-led federal government to control and manage the autonomous power of the Borneo states.<ref>{{cite book |author=Frederik Holst |title=Ethnicization and Identity Construction in Malaysia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n0oQeVK4YjMC&pg=PP48 |access-date=26 May 2013 |date= 2012 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-1-136-33059-9 |page=48–}}</ref> The federal government however tend to view that these actions are justifiable as the display of [[Parish pump politics|parochialism]] among East Malaysians is not in harmony with nation building. This complicated Federal-State relationship has become a source of major contention in Sabah politics.<ref name="Lim2008"/>

{{multiple image
| align             = right
| direction         =
| width             =
| image1            = Penampang Sabah Musa-Aman-during-Kaamatan-2014-01.jpg
| width1            = 100
| alt1              = Juhar Mahiruddin
| caption1          = [[Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sabah|Yang di-Pertua Negeri]], [[Musa Aman]]
| link1             = Juhar Mahiruddin
| image2            = Hajiji Noor.png
| width2            = 128
| alt2              = Shafie Apdal
| caption2          = [[List of Chief Ministers of Sabah|Chief Minister]], [[Hajiji Noor]]
| link2             = Hajiji Noor
| total_width       =
}}

In the [[Malaysian general election, 2018|2018 general election]], [[Shafie Apdal]]'s [[Sabah Heritage Party]] (WARISAN) secured an electoral pact with the [[Democratic Action Party (Malaysia)|Democratic Action Party]] (DAP) and [[People's Justice Party (Malaysia)|People's Justice Party]] (PKR) of the [[Pakatan Harapan]] (PH) coalition. On 9 May 2018, this coalition and the Barisan Nasional ended in a tie.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018/05/10/hung-assembly-in-sabah-sees-intense-political-horsetrading/|title=Hung assembly in Sabah sees intense political horse-trading|author1=Muguntan Vanar|author2=Fatimah Zainal|work=The Star|date=10 May 2018|access-date=11 May 2018}}</ref> However, as six BN elected representatives crossed over to WARISAN,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018/05/12/pbs-leaves-bn-musa-aman-to-join-pbs/|title=PBS leaves BN, Musa Aman to leave Umno and join PBS|author1=Stephanie Lee|author2=Fatimah Zainal|work=The Star|date=12 May 2018|access-date=12 May 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nst.com.my/news/politics/2018/05/368460/warisan-now-has-35-seats-enough-form-state-government-shafie-nsttv|title=Warisan now has 35 seats, enough to form state government: Shafie [NSTTV]|author1=Avila Geraldine|author2=Norasikin Daineh|newspaper=New Straits Times|date=11 May 2018|access-date=12 May 2018}}</ref> and after a short-lived constitutional crisis,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2018/05/12/sabah-having-two-cms-sparks-constitutional-crisis/|title=Sabah having two CMs sparks constitutional crisis?|newspaper=The Borneo Post|date=12 May 2018|access-date=13 May 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018/05/13/musa-aman-i-am-still-the-chief-minister/|title=Musa Aman: I'm still the Chief Minister|author=Fatimah Zainal|work=The Star|date=13 May 2018|access-date=13 May 2018}}</ref> a coalition of WARISAN, DAP and PKR formed a majority government on 12 May 2018 and became effective since that day.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bharian.com.my/berita/politik/2018/05/425460/istana-serah-surat-kepada-musa|title=Istana serah surat kepada Musa|trans-title=The palace handed Musa a letter|language=ms|newspaper=Berita Harian|date=14 May 2018|access-date=14 May 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.utusan.com.my/berita/politik/tun-juhar-arah-musa-letak-jawatan-1.671428|title=Tun Juhar arah Musa letak jawatan|trans-title=Tun Juhar urges Musa to resign|author=Rodelio Junjun Taucan|language=ms|newspaper=Utusan Malaysia|date=12 May 2018|access-date=13 May 2018|archive-date=12 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180512204839/http://www.utusan.com.my/berita/politik/tun-juhar-arah-musa-letak-jawatan-1.671428}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.astroawani.com/berita-politik/warisan-tidak-akan-sama-dengan-umno-shafie-apdal-175366|title=Warisan tidak akan sama dengan UMNO – Shafie Apdal|trans-title=Warisan will never be the same as UMNO – Shafie Apdal|author=Ruzaini Zulkepli|language=ms|publisher=Astro Awani|date=13 May 2018|access-date=13 May 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://says.com/my/news/breaking-musa-aman-is-no-longer-sabah-cm|title=[BREAKING] Musa Aman Is No Longer Chief Minister Of Sabah|author=Samantha Khor|publisher=Says.com|date=14 May 2018|access-date=14 May 2018}}</ref> In conjunction with the celebration of [[Malaysia Day]] in 2018 under the new government, Prime Minister Mahathir has promised to restore Sabah (together with Sarawak) status as an equal partner to Malaya who together forming the Malaysian federation in accordance to the Malaysia Agreement.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018/09/16/sabah-sarawak-to-be-restored-as-equal-partners-forming-malaysia-not-just-component-states-says-dr-m/|title=Sabah, Sarawak to be restored as equal partners forming Malaysia, says Dr M|author1=Stephanie Lee|author2=Fatimah Zainal|work=The Star|date=16 September 2018|access-date=17 September 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/sabah-sarawak-to-be-restored-as-equal-partners-forming-malaysia-not-just-component|title=Sabah, Sarawak to be restored as equal partners forming Malaysia, not just component states, says PM Mahathir|work=The Star/Asia News Network|publisher=The Straits Times|date=16 September 2018|access-date=17 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180917012801/https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/sabah-sarawak-to-be-restored-as-equal-partners-forming-malaysia-not-just-component|archive-date=17 September 2018}}</ref> However, through the process of the proposed [[Proposed 2019 amendment to the Constitution of Malaysia|amendment to the Constitution of Malaysia]] in 2019, the first bill for the amendment failed to pass following the failure to reach two-thirds majority support (148 votes) in the Parliament with only 138 agreed with the move while 59 abstained from the voting.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/no-twothirds-majority-bill-make-sabah-sarawak-equal-partners|title=No two-thirds majority for Bill to make Sabah, Sarawak equal partners|author=Adam Aziz|publisher=The Edge Markets|date=9 April 2019|access-date=10 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190410021305/https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/no-twothirds-majority-bill-make-sabah-sarawak-equal-partners|archive-date=10 April 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news/133634/status-of-sabah-sarawak-stays/|title=Status of Sabah, Sarawak stays|work=Bernama|publisher=Daily Express|date=10 April 2019|access-date=10 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190410022521/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news/133634/status-of-sabah-sarawak-stays/|archive-date=10 April 2019}}</ref> Subsequently, a [[2021 amendment to the Constitution of Malaysia|second bill]] for the amendment was tabled in 2021 and was passed unanimously by the Malaysian Parliament.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2021/12/754317/dewan-rakyat-approves-constitution-amendments-empower-sabah-sarawak|title=Dewan Rakyat approves constitution amendments to empower Sabah, Sarawak|last=Yunus|first=Arfa|work=New Straits Times|date=14 December 2021|access-date=6 January 2022}}</ref>

=== Administrative division ===
{{main|Divisions of Malaysia|Districts of Malaysia|List of local governments in Malaysia|Local government in Sabah}}
Sabah consists of five administrative divisions, which are in turn divided into 27 districts. For each district, the state government appoints a village headman (known as ''ketua kampung'') for each village. The administrative divisions were inherited from the provinces of the British administration.<ref>{{cite book|author=Great Britain. Foreign Office|title=British and Foreign State Papers|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_9kMAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA237|year=1888|publisher=H.M. Stationery Office|page=237}}</ref> During the British rule, a [[Resident (title)|Resident]] was appointed to govern each division and provided with a palace (''Istana'').<ref>{{cite book |author=K. G. Tregonning |title=A History of Modern Sabah (North Borneo, 1881–1963) |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofmoderns0000treg |url-access=registration |year=1965 |publisher=University of Singapore}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Group"/> 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/UNTS/Volume%20552/volume-552-I-8058-English.pdf |title=United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Malaysia – Agreement concerning certain overseas officers serving in Sabah and Sarawak. Signed at Kuala Lumpur on 7 May 1965 |publisher=United Nations |date=28 January 1966 |access-date=19 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160519032013/https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/UNTS/Volume%20552/volume-552-I-8058-English.pdf |archive-date=19 May 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/UNTS/Volume%20886/volume-886-I-12699-English.pdf |title=United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Malaysia – Exchange of notes constituting an agreement relating to pensions and compensation for officers designated by the Government of the United Kingdom in the service of the State Government of Sabah and Sarawak. |location=Kuala Lumpur |publisher=United Nations |date=14 December 1972 |access-date=19 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160519032522/https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/UNTS/Volume%20886/volume-886-I-12699-English.pdf |archive-date=19 May 2016 }}</ref>

{{Sabah Labelled Map}}

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: left; width: 650px;"
|- style="background:#efefef;"
!  !! [[Divisions of Malaysia|Division]] || style="text-align:center;"| [[Districts of Malaysia|Districts]]
!Subdistricts!! Area (km<sup>2</sup>) !! Population (2010)<ref name="total population">{{cite web|url=http://www.statistics.gov.my/portal/download_Population/files/population/05Jadual_Mukim_negeri/Mukim_Sabah.pdf|title=Total population by ethnic group, administrative district and state, Malaysia|publisher=Department of Statistics, Malaysia|year=2010|access-date=25 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120227090345/http://www.statistics.gov.my/portal/download_Population/files/population/05Jadual_Mukim_negeri/Mukim_Sabah.pdf |archive-date=27 February 2012 }}</ref>
|-
! rowspan="8" | 1
| rowspan="8" style="text-align:center;" | [[West Coast Division]] || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | [[Kota Kinabalu District|Kota Kinabalu]]|| rowspan="8" style="text-align:right;" | 7,588 || rowspan="8" style="text-align:right;" | 1,067,589
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |[[Penampang District|Penampang]]
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |[[Putatan District|Putatan]]
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |[[Papar District|Papar]]
|-
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |[[Tuaran District|Tuaran]]
| style="text-align:center;"| Tamparuli
|-
|style="text-align:center;"| Kiulu
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |[[Kota Belud District|Kota Belud]]
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |[[Ranau District|Ranau]]
|-
! rowspan="8" | 2
| rowspan="8" style="text-align:center;" | [[Interior Division]] || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | [[Beaufort District|Beaufort]]|| rowspan="8" style="text-align:right;" | 18,298 || rowspan="8" style="text-align:right;" | 424,534
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |[[Kuala Penyu District|Kuala Penyu]]
| style="text-align:center;"| Menumbok
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |[[Sipitang District|Sipitang]]
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Long Pasia]]
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |[[Tambunan District|Tambunan]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |[[Keningau District|Keningau]]
| style="text-align:center;"| Sook
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |[[Tenom District|Tenom]]
| style="text-align:center;"| Kemabong
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |[[Nabawan District|Nabawan]]
| style="text-align:center;"| Pagalungan
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|[[Membakut District|Membakut]]
|-
! rowspan="4" | 3
| rowspan="4" style="text-align:center;" | [[Kudat Division]] || rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | [[Kudat District|Kudat]]
| style="text-align:center;"| Banggi|| rowspan="4" style="text-align:right;" | 4,623 || rowspan="4" style="text-align:right;" | 192,457
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| Matunggong
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |[[Pitas District|Pitas]]
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |[[Kota Marudu District|Kota Marudu]]
|-
! rowspan="5" | 4
| rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | [[Sandakan Division]] || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | [[Sandakan District|Sandakan]] || rowspan="5" style="text-align:right;" |  28,205 || rowspan="5" style="text-align:right;" | 702,207
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |[[Beluran District|Beluran]]
| style="text-align:center;"| Paitan
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |[[Telupid District|Telupid]]
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |[[Tongod District, Malaysia|Tongod]]
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |[[Kinabatangan District|Kinabatangan]]
|-
! rowspan="5" | 5
| rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | [[Tawau Division]] || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | [[Tawau District|Tawau]] || rowspan="5" style="text-align:right;" | 14,905 || rowspan="5" style="text-align:right;" | 819,955
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |[[Kalabakan District|Kalabakan]]
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |[[Semporna District|Semporna]]
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |[[Kunak District|Kunak]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |[[Lahad Datu District|Lahad Datu]]
| style="text-align:center;"| Tungku
|}

== Security ==
{{main|Cross border attacks in Sabah|Eastern Sabah Security Command|Eastern Sabah Security Zone}}
[[File:Semporna Sabah ESSCOM-soldiers-04 (extracted).jpg|thumb|upright|A [[Malaysian Army]] soldier armed with [[M4 carbine|Colt M4]] standing guard in Sabah east coast as part of the [[Eastern Sabah Security Command]] (ESSCOM).]]
The Ninth Schedule of the Constitution of Malaysia states that the [[Government of Malaysia|Malaysian federal government]] is solely responsible for foreign policy and military forces in the country.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.commonlii.org/my/legis/const/1957/24.html |title=Ninth schedule – Legislative lists |publisher=Commonwealth Legal Information Institute |access-date=22 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140915024439/http://www.commonlii.org/my/legis/const/1957/24.html |archive-date=15 September 2014 }}</ref> Before the formation of Malaysia, North Borneo security was the responsibility of Great Britain, Australia and [[New Zealand]].<ref>{{cite book |author1=John Grenville |author2=Bernard Wasserstein |title=The Major International Treaties of the Twentieth Century: A History and Guide with Texts |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FFdKAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA608 |date= 2013 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-135-19255-6 |page=608}}</ref> In the wake of threats of "annexation" from the Philippines after President [[Ferdinand Marcos]] signed a bill by including Sabah as part the Republic of the Philippines on its maritime baselines in the [[Congress of the Philippines|Act of Congress]] on 18 September 1968,<ref name="Wah1974">{{cite book |author=Chin Kin Wah |title=The Five Power Defence Arrangements and AMDA |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0b9FBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA5 |date= 1974 |publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies |isbn=978-981-4380-08-9 |page=5}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Chin1983">{{cite book |author=Chin Kin Wah |title=The Defence of Malaysia and Singapore: The Transformation of a Security System 1957–1971 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ci7jyMVwP7gC&pg=PA157 |year=1983 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-24325-4 |page=157}}</ref> [[British Army]] senior officer [[Michael Carver, Baron Carver|Michael Carver]] then reminded the Philippines that Britain would honour its obligations under the [[Anglo-Malayan Defence Agreement]] (AMDA) if fighting broke out.<ref name="Chin1983"/> 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.<ref name="Chin1983"/> 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.<ref name="Wah1974"/><ref name="fpda">{{cite news |url=http://www.economist.com/node/21536609 |title=Echoes of dreamland |newspaper=The Economist |date=5 November 2011 |access-date=19 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160519151329/http://www.economist.com/node/21536609 |archive-date=19 May 2016 }}</ref> Citing in 1971 when British Prime Minister [[Edward Heath]] been asked in [[Palace of Westminster|Parliament of London]] on what threats the British intended to counter under the FPDA, the Prime Minister replied: to "forces outside [Malaysia] in southern [[Thailand]] and north of the Malaysian border".{{#tag:ref|Heath presumably means the [[Communist insurgency in Malaysia (1968–89)|communist insurgency]] along the border of Malaysia–Thailand, further Indonesia infiltration and the Philippines who had not dropped their claim to Sabah until this day. As well with the [[Vietnam War]] that was raging at the time, raising fears of [[Domino theory|South-East Asian dominoes]] toppling to [[Soviet Union|Soviet]]-aligned [[communism]].<ref name="fpda"/>|group="note"}}

The area in eastern Sabah facing the southern Philippines and northern Indonesia have since been put under the [[Eastern Sabah Security Command]] (ESSCOM) and [[Eastern Sabah Security Zone]] (ESSZONE) following the infiltration of militants, [[illegal immigrants]] and [[smuggling]] of goods and subsidies items into and from the southern Philippines and Indonesia.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newsabahtimes.com.my/nstweb/fullstory/72588 |title=ESSCOM will continue to hold programmes on security within ESSZONE |publisher=New Sabah Times |date=22 October 2013 |access-date=14 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140629152805/http://www.newsabahtimes.com.my/nstweb/fullstory/72588 |archive-date=29 June 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/macc-esscom-to-launch-operation-to-combat-integrity-breaches-among-sabah-ci |title=MACC, Esscom to launch operation to combat integrity breaches among Sabah civil servants |work=Bernama |publisher=The Malay Mail |date=30 June 2015 |access-date=14 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160714114240/http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/macc-esscom-to-launch-operation-to-combat-integrity-breaches-among-sabah-ci |archive-date=14 July 2016 }}</ref>

=== Territorial disputes ===
{{main|Ligitan and Sipadan dispute|Spratly Islands dispute|North Borneo dispute|Malaysia Sulu case}}
[[File:Map of British North Borneo, yellow area covered by the Philippine claim.PNG|thumb|left|Map of the British North Borneo with the yellow area covered the Philippine claim to eastern Sabah, presented by the Philippine Government to ICJ on 25 June 2001.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.idfr.gov.my/images/stories/publication/2009/inside_pbp.pdf|title=Malaysia's territorial disputes – two cases at the ICJ: Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks and South Ledge (Malaysia/Singapore), Ligitan and Sipadan [and the Sabah claim] (Malaysia/Indonesia/Philippines)|author=Kadir Mohamad|website=Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations |location=Malaysia |year=2009|access-date=16 May 2014|page=46|quote=Map of British North Borneo, highlighting in yellow colour the area covered by the Philippine claim, presented to the Court by the Philippines during the Oral Hearings at the ICJ on 25 June 2001.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160516042053/http://www.idfr.gov.my/images/stories/publication/2009/inside_pbp.pdf|archive-date=16 May 2016}}</ref>]]
Sabah has had several territorial disputes with neighbouring 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.<ref name="Justice2003"/><ref name="court result"/> There are also several other disputes yet to be settled with Indonesia over the overlapping claims on the [[Ambalat]] continental shelf in the Celebes Sea and land border dispute between Sabah and [[North Kalimantan]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=103802 |title=Border disputes differ for Indonesia, M'sia |newspaper=Daily Express |date=16 October 2015 |access-date=9 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216030658/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=103802 |archive-date=16 February 2016 }}</ref> Malaysia's claim over a portion of the [[Spratly Islands]] is also based on sharing a continental shelf with Sabah.<ref>{{cite book |author=Chandran Jeshurun |title=China, India, Japan, and the Security of Southeast Asia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o5e1xpmGbT0C&pg=PA196 |year=1993 |publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies |isbn=978-981-3016-61-3 |page=196}}</ref>

The Philippines claims much of eastern Sabah.<ref name="Chinese records"/><ref name="myph"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://web.stanford.edu/group/tomzgroup/pmwiki/uploads/1072-1968-12-xx-ks-a-ajg.pdf |title=The Sabah Dispute |publisher=Keesing's Record of World Events |date=December 1968 |access-date=9 June 2017 |volume=14 }}</ref> 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.<ref name="PH claim research"/> 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.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=104611 |title='Sabah claim' handicap |newspaper=Daily Express |date=20 November 2015 |access-date=17 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160516182010/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=104611 |archive-date=16 May 2016 }}</ref> A group of 200 armed Filipinos identifying themselves as the Royal Security Forces of the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo landed in the district of [[Lahad Datu District|Lahad Datu]] and took control of the Tanduo village in 2013, with the objective of reinforcing the Philippine claim over the eastern region of Sabah. This Lahad Datu incident resulted in the deaths of 56 members of the Sulu group, nine Malaysian security force members including six civilians.<ref name="LD 2013"/><ref name="PLD 2013"/>

Before this incident, Malaysia continued to pay an annual cession payment amounting to roughly $1,000 to the indirect heirs of the Sultan honouring an 1878 agreement, where [[North Borneo]] – today's Sabah – was conceded by the Sultan of Sulu to a British company.<ref name="sultanate forum shopping">{{cite news|url=https://thediplomat.com/2022/11/sovereignty-forum-shopping-and-the-case-of-the-sulu-sultanates-heirs/|title=Sovereignty, Forum Shopping, and the Case of the Sulu Sultanate's Heirs|last1=Abd Rahman|first1=Karisma Putera|last2=A. Rahman|first2=Fikry|work=The Diplomat|date=30 November 2022|access-date=9 February 2024}}</ref> However, the Malaysian government halted the payments after this incident. As a result, the self-proclaimed Sulu heirs pursued this case for legal arbitration vis-a-vis the original commercial deal. Since then, the Sulu claimants have been accused of "[[forum shopping]]".<ref name="sultanate forum shopping"/> In 2017, the heirs showed their intention to start arbitration in Spain and asked for $32.2 billion in compensation. In 2019, Malaysia responded for the first time. The attorney general at the time offered to start making yearly payments again and to pay 48,000 Malaysian ringgit (about $10,400) for past dues and interest, but only if the heirs gave up their claim.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/Sulu-claim-shows-Southeast-Asia-cannot-yet-escape-colonial-legacy|title=Sulu claim shows Southeast Asia cannot yet escape colonial legacy|last=Chin|first=James|work=Nikkei Asia|date=22 July 2022|access-date=9 February 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/6/7/malaysia-wins-decisive-victory-in-row-with-sulu-sultans-heirs|title=Malaysia hails 'victory' in row with Sulu sultan's Filipino heirs|work=Al Jazeera|date=7 June 2023|access-date=9 February 2024}}</ref> The heirs did not accept this offer and the case, led by Spanish arbiter [[Gonzalo Stampa]], continued without Malaysia being involved. In February 2022, Gonzalo Stampa awarded US$14.9 billion to the Sultan of Sulu's heirs, who then attempted to enforce the award against Malaysian state-owned assets around the world.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3247720/spanish-court-convicts-arbitrator-who-awarded-us15-billion-sultan-sulus-heirs-malaysia-land-feud|title=Spain convicts mediator who awarded sultan's heirs billions in Malaysia land feud|agency=Reuters|via=South China Morning Post|date=9 January 2024|access-date=9 February 2024}}</ref> It is noteworthy that on 27 June 2023, the Hague Court of Appeal dismissed the Sulus' bid and ruled in favour of the Malaysian government, which hailed the decision as a "landmark victory".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-06-24/sultan-of-jolo-case-someone-has-to-pay-for-all-this-we-will-claim-for-damages.html|title=Sultan of Jolo case: 'Someone has to pay for all this – we will claim for damages'|last=Miguel|first=Rafa de|work=El País|date=24 June 2023|access-date=9 February 2024}}</ref> In 2024 Stampa was convicted of contempt of court for "knowingly disobeying rulings and orders from the Madrid High Court of Justice", and sentenced to six months in prison.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bloomberglaw.com/business-and-practice/arbitrators-guilty-verdict-puts-uk-funders-investment-at-risk|title=Arbitrator's Guilty Verdict Puts UK Funder's Investment at Risk|last=R. Siegel|first=Emily|work=Bloomberg Law|date=9 January 2024|access-date=9 February 2024}}</ref> On 3 October 2024, Malaysia's Federal Court upheld the death sentences of seven Filipino men involved in the 2013 Lahad Datu invasion, which had resulted in the deaths of nine Malaysian security personnel.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2024/10/02/final-verdict-federal-court-upholds-death-sentences-for-seven-filipinos-in-lahad-datu-incursion-case/152330|title=Final verdict: Federal Court upholds death sentences for seven Filipinos in Lahad Datu incursion case|work=Malay Mail|date=2 October 2024|access-date=5 October 2024}}</ref> The ruling was seen as a step toward ensuring justice and strengthening national security in Malaysia.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2024/10/03/azalina-justifies-death-sentence-for-seven-sulu-terrorists-says-penalty-for-local-lahad-datu-traitors-to-be-known-after-french-court-ruling-in-nov/152411|title=Azalina justifies death sentence for seven Sulu 'terrorists'; says penalty for local Lahad Datu 'traitors' to be known after French court ruling in Nov|agency=Bernama|via=Malay Mail|date=3 October 2024|access-date=5 October 2024}}</ref>

On 7 November 2024, the French Court of Cassation—the highest court in the French judicial system—annulled a $15 billion arbitration ruling against Malaysia.<ref name="trib">{{cite web|url=https://www.latribune.fr/supplement/la-tribune-now/un-jugement-historique-inaugure-une-nouvelle-ere-de-progres-pour-les-tribunaux-europeens-1011299.html|title=Un Jugement historique inaugure une nouvelle ère de progrès pour les tribunaux européens|trans-title=Landmark judgment ushers in new era of progress for European courts|language=fr|work=La Tribune|date=13 November 2024|access-date=19 December 2024}}</ref> This decision marked a significant legal victory for Malaysia and reinforced its sovereignty in a dispute with the self-proclaimed Sulu heirs.<ref name="trib"/> The ruling highlighted irregularities in the arbitration process led by [[Gonzalo Stampa]] and raised concerns about practices such as forum shopping and unregulated litigation funding in European courts.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://natlawreview.com/article/french-supreme-court-track-annul-us15-billion-award-against-malaysia|title=French Supreme Court on Track to Annul a US$15 Billion Award against Malaysia|last=Trouyet|first=Ilona|work=The National Law Reviews|date=9 December 2024|access-date=19 December 2024}}</ref><ref name="$15B arbitration case">{{cite web|url=https://www.law360.com/articles/2257972/malaysia-wins-15b-arbitration-case-against-sulu-heirs|title=Malaysia Wins $15B Arbitration Case Against Sulu Heirs|last=Crowley|first=Lucia Osborne|work=Law360®|date=7 November 2024|access-date=19 December 2024}}</ref> The French court's decision was deemed a significant "win" for Malaysia that effectively marked the end of the Sulu case by several publications, including Law.com and [[Law360]].<ref name="$15B arbitration case"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.law.com/international-edition/2024/11/11/french-high-court-rejects-sultanate-heirs-15-billion-claim-against-malaysia/?slreturn=20241219121833|title=French High Court Rejects Sultanate 'Heirs' $15 Billion Claim Against Malaysia|last=Mitchell|first=Rick|website=Law.com International|date=11 November 2024|access-date=19 December 2024}}</ref> [[Keith Ellison]], former vice-chairman of the Democratic National Committee and [[Attorney General of Minnesota|Minnesota attorney general]], pointed out that the case highlighted the enormous scope for "corruption", irresponsible profiteering, and foreign influence operations to subvert arbitration proceedings".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://42mag.fr/2024/10/limpasse-politique-de-la-france-sera-le-plus-grand-cadeau-pour-poutine-a-ce-jour/|title=L'impasse politique de la France sera le plus grand cadeau pour Poutine à ce jour|trans-title=France's political impasse will be Putin's biggest gift yet|last=Bensoussan|first=David|language=fr|work=42mag.fr|date=1 October 2024|access-date=19 December 2024}}</ref>

Following Malaysia's legal victory in the French Court, [[Paul Cohen (lawyer)|Paul Cohen]] argued that the ruling allows the Sulu heirs to lease Sabah to other nations, such as China and the Philippines. Cohen also suggested that accepting the French court's decision implies recognition of the Sulu Sultanate descendants' sovereignty over Sabah, which Malaysia disputes.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2024/11/1133203/heirs-now-free-lease-sabah-china-philippines-says-lawyer|title='Heirs' now free to lease Sabah to China, Philippines, says lawyer|last=Andres|first=Leslie|work=New Straits Times|date=12 November 2024|access-date=19 December 2024}}</ref> In response, Malaysia's [[Minister in the Prime Minister's Department|Minister of Law and Institutional Reform]] in the Prime Minister Department, [[Azalina Othman Said|Azalina Othman]] dismissed Cohen's statements as baseless and reaffirmed Sabah's status as part of Malaysia, citing historical and legal foundations such as the Cobbold Commission and the 1963 referendum.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2024/11/1133821/azalina-sulu-heirs-go-ahead-and-try-leasing-sabah-other-countries-watch|title=Azalina to Sulu 'heirs': Go ahead and try 'leasing' Sabah to other countries [WATCH]|last1=Hakim|first1=Luqman|last2=Syahira|first2=Amisha|work=New Straits Times|date=13 November 2024|access-date=19 December 2024}}</ref> 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 [[Jamal ul-Azam]] with Overbeck in 1878.<ref name="myph" /><ref name="SullivanLeong1981">{{cite book |author1=Anwar Sullivan |author2=Cecilia Leong |title=Commemorative History of Sabah, 1881–1981 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RNgLAAAAIAAJ |year=1981 |publisher=Sabah State Government, Centenary Publications Committee}}</ref>

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.<ref name="Chin1983"/><ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2479&dat=20000402&id=P1M1AAAAIBAJ&pg=2032,892348&hl=en |title=Marcos order: Destabilize, take Sabah |newspaper=[[Philippine Daily Inquirer]] |date=2 April 2000 |access-date=19 June 2015}}</ref> As a consequence, this led the Malaysian government to once supporting the [[Moro conflict in the Philippines|insurgency in southern Philippines]].<ref name="hts">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-21545162 |title=How do you solve a problem like Sabah? |author=Kate McGeown |work=[[BBC News]] |date=24 February 2013 |access-date=13 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160713020401/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-21545162 |archive-date=13 July 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/1673857.stm |title=Philippines rebel leader arrested |work=BBC News |date=25 November 2001 |access-date=26 September 2015 |quote=Malaysia's Inspector-General of Police Norian Mai said Mr Misuari and six of his followers were arrested at 3.30&nbsp;am on Saturday (1930 GMT Friday) on Jampiras island off Sabah state. Manila had ordered his arrest on charges of instigating a rebellion after the government suspended his governorship of an autonomous Muslim region in Mindanao, the ARMM. Although the Philippines has no extradition treaty with Malaysia, the authorities have already made clear that they intend to hand Mr Misuari over to the authorities in Manila as soon as possible. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad had said before the arrest that, although his country had provided support to the rebel group in the past in its bid for autonomy, Mr Misuari had not used his powers correctly. "Therefore, we no longer feel responsible to provide him with any assistance," he said. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926005935/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/1673857.stm |archive-date=26 September 2015 }}</ref> Although the Philippine claim to Sabah has not been actively pursued for some years, some Filipino politicians have promised to bring it up again,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/02/27/1557213/binay-pursue-territorial-claim-sabah-if-elected |title=Binay to pursue territorial claim to Sabah if elected |author1=Helen Flores |author2=Alexis Romero |newspaper=[[The Philippine Star]] |date=27 February 2016 |access-date=25 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325101019/http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/02/27/1557213/binay-pursue-territorial-claim-sabah-if-elected |archive-date=25 March 2016 }}<br />{{*}} {{cite news |url=http://www.mb.com.ph/ph-to-assert-claims-over-spratlys-sabah-duterte/ |title=PH to assert claims over Spratlys, Sabah – Duterte |author=Ricky Nazareno |newspaper=[[Manila Bulletin]] |date=27 May 2016 |access-date=27 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160527043655/http://www.mb.com.ph/ph-to-assert-claims-over-spratlys-sabah-duterte/ |archive-date=27 May 2016 }}<br />{{*}} {{cite news |url=http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/citing-militant-threats-on-sabah-bn-mp-tells-putrajaya-to-cut-diplomatic-ti |title=Citing militant threats on Sabah, BN MP tells Putrajaya to cut diplomatic ties to Manila |author=Yiswaree Palansamy |newspaper=[[The Malay Mail]] |date=15 March 2016 |access-date=25 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325100426/http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/citing-militant-threats-on-sabah-bn-mp-tells-putrajaya-to-cut-diplomatic-ti |archive-date=25 March 2016 }}</ref> while the Malaysian government have asked the Philippines not to [[Malaysia–Philippines relations|threaten ties]] over such issue.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/malaysia-asks-philippines/2565596.html |title=Malaysia asks Philippines not to threaten ties over Sabah claim |author=Sumisha Naidu |publisher=[[Channel NewsAsia]] |date=2 March 2016 |access-date=25 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325095839/http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/malaysia-asks-philippines/2565596.html |archive-date=25 March 2016 }}</ref> To further discourage pursuit of the claim the Malaysian government passed a [[barter]] trade ban, at the behest of the [[Royal Malaysia Police]] and the [[Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia|Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister]], between Malaysia and the Philippines as it was seen to only benefit one side while threatening the security of the state.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lpps.sabah.gov.my/?q=content/police-propose-banning-barter-trade-sabah |title=Police to propose banning barter trade in Sabah |work=Bernama |publisher=Sabah Ports Authority |access-date=16 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160516051623/http://lpps.sabah.gov.my/?q=content%2Fpolice-propose-banning-barter-trade-sabah |archive-date=16 May 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thesundaily.my/node/358704 |title=Review barter system between Sabah and southern Philippines: Ahmad Zahid |work=Bernama |publisher=The Sun |date=3 April 2016 |access-date=16 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160516052232/http://www.thesundaily.my/node/358704 |archive-date=16 May 2016 }}</ref> The ban was positively received by many Sabahans, although there was opposition from [[Opposition (Malaysia)|other political parties]] as well as from the residents of neighbouring Philippine islands due to a sharp rise in living costs after the ban took effect.<ref>{{*}} {{cite web |url=https://dfa.gov.ph/index.php/newsroom/phl-embassies-and-consulates-news/6333-basilan-officials-urge-closer-mindanao-sabah-relations-expresses-concern-on-proposed-barter-trade-ban |title=Basilan officials urge closer Mindanao-Sabah relations, expresses concern on proposed barter trade ban |publisher=Department of Foreign Affairs, Philippines |date=1 June 2015 |access-date=16 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160516043847/https://dfa.gov.ph/index.php/newsroom/phl-embassies-and-consulates-news/6333-basilan-officials-urge-closer-mindanao-sabah-relations-expresses-concern-on-proposed-barter-trade-ban |archive-date=16 May 2016 }}<br />{{*}} {{cite news |url=http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/sabah-closes-eastern-borders-to-stop-kidnapping-menace |title=Sabah closes eastern borders to stop kidnapping menace |newspaper=[[The Straits Times]] |date=7 April 2016 |access-date=16 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160516044223/http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/sabah-closes-eastern-borders-to-stop-kidnapping-menace |archive-date=16 May 2016 }}<br />{{*}} {{cite web |url=http://borneobulletin.com.bn/tawau-residents-support-directive-to-stop-barter-trade-in-sabah/ |title=Tawau residents support directive to stop barter trade in Sabah |work=Bernama |publisher=[[Borneo Bulletin]] |date=13 April 2016 |access-date=19 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160519053824/http://borneobulletin.com.bn/tawau-residents-support-directive-to-stop-barter-trade-in-sabah/ |archive-date=19 May 2016 }}<br />{{*}} {{cite news |url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2016/04/20/barter-trade-ban-hotly-debated/ |title=Barter trade ban hotly debated |author1=Nancy Lai |author2=Murib Morpi |author3=Jenne Lajiun |newspaper=The Borneo Post |date=20 April 2016 |access-date=16 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160516044011/http://www.theborneopost.com/2016/04/20/barter-trade-ban-hotly-debated/ |archive-date=16 May 2016 }}</ref> Barter trade activity was resumed on 1 February 2017 upon the agreement by both Malaysian and the Philippine authorities to fortify their respective borders with increased surveillance and security enforcement.<ref name="economy resumed">{{cite web |url=http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/01/17/sabah-barter-agreement/ |title=Sabah to lift barter trade ban in east coast from Feb 1 |author=Ruben Sario |work=The Star |date=17 January 2017 |access-date=1 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2017/01/cross-border-trade-between-malaysia-and-armms-island-provinces-to-reopen-on-feb-1/ |title=Cross border trade between Malaysia and ARMM's island provinces to reopen on Feb. 1 |author=Antonio L. Colina IV |publisher=Minda News |date=25 January 2017 |access-date=1 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201050252/http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2017/01/cross-border-trade-between-malaysia-and-armms-island-provinces-to-reopen-on-feb-1/ |archive-date=1 February 2017 }}</ref> Despite the return of barter trade activity, the state of Sabah maintained that they will remain vigilant in trading with the Philippines.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://m.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/sabah-trades-cautiously-with-the-philippines-due-to-security-situation |title=Sabah trades cautiously with the Philippines due to security situation |work=Bernama |publisher=The Malay Mail |date=4 June 2017 |access-date=6 June 2017 |archive-date=20 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170920000425/http://m.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/sabah-trades-cautiously-with-the-philippines-due-to-security-situation }}</ref> In 2016, Philippine President [[Rodrigo Duterte]] and Malaysian Prime Minister [[Najib Razak]] have agreed to set aside the two countries' dispute over Sabah for the meantime.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/10/16/ph-malaysia-put-sabah-dispute-on-back-burner |title=PH, Malaysia put Sabah dispute on 'back burner' |author=Doris Bigornia |publisher=ABS-CBN News |date=10 November 2016 |access-date=9 June 2017}}</ref>

== Geography ==
[[File:Haiyan 2013-11-07 1345Z (alternate, borderless).png|thumb|Sabah is located south of the [[typhoon]] belt, making it insusceptible to the devastating effects of the typhoons which frequently batter the neighbouring [[Philippines]],<ref name="land below the wind">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/4204225/Settled-by-the-sea-in-the-Land-Below-the-Wind.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/4204225/Settled-by-the-sea-in-the-Land-Below-the-Wind.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Settled by the sea in the Land Below the Wind |author=Jonny Beardsall |newspaper=The Telegraph |date=15 May 2007 |access-date=1 June 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> such as the [[Typhoon Haiyan]] in 2013.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2013/11/10/sabah-fishermen-spared-super-typhoon-haiyans-wrath/ |title=Sabah fishermen spared Super Typhoon Haiyan's wrath |work=The Star |date=10 November 2013 |access-date=1 June 2017}}</ref>]]

The total land area of Sabah is nearly {{convert|73904|km2|sqmi}}<ref name="statistics">{{cite web|url=https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/index.php?r=column/cone&menu_id=dTZ0K2o4YXgrSDRtaEJyVmZ1R2h5dz09|title=Sabah @ a Glance|publisher=Department of Statistics, Malaysia|access-date=29 December 2017}}</ref> surrounded by the South China Sea in the west, Sulu Sea in the northeast and Celebes Sea in the southeast.<ref name="sbh"/> Sabah has a total of {{convert|1743|km|mi}} coastline, of which {{convert|295.5|km|mi}} have been [[Coastal erosion|eroding]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.did.sabah.gov.my/mobile/index.php?id=khyzaa7o&bhs=English |title=Coastal Engineering |publisher=Department of Irrigation and Drainage, Sabah |access-date=22 May 2016}}</ref> Because of Sabah coastline facing three seas, the state receive an extensive marine resources.<ref name="fishdept">{{cite web |url=http://www.fishdept.sabah.gov.my/?q=en/content/fisheries-profile |title=The Fisheries Industry in Sabah – A Short Profile |publisher=Department of Fisheries, Sabah |date=25 April 2016 |access-date=23 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160523111958/http://www.fishdept.sabah.gov.my/?q=en%2Fcontent%2Ffisheries-profile |archive-date=23 May 2016 }}</ref> In 1961, Sabah including neighbouring [[Sarawak]], which had been included in the [[International Maritime Organization]] (IMO) through the participation of the United Kingdom, became joint associate members of the IMO.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/CN/1961/CN.144.1961-Eng.pdf|title=Convention on the Inter-governmental Maritime Consultative Organization Done at Geneva on 6 March 1948 [Communication From the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland]|publisher=United Nations|date=13 November 1961|access-date=15 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191215055512/https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/CN/1961/CN.144.1961-Eng.pdf|archive-date=15 December 2019}}</ref> Its [[exclusive economic zone]] (EEZ) is much larger towards the South China Sea and Celebes Sea than to the Sulu Sea.<ref name="geo">{{cite web |url=http://foreversabah.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Environmental-Law-and-Policy-in-Sabah-Vol.-4-Coasts-Islands-and-Seas.pdf |title=Environmental Law and Policy in Sabah: From Ridge to Reef – Volume 4: Coasts, Islands and Seas |publisher=Forever Sabah |year=2015 |access-date=23 May 2016 |page=27/113 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160523113239/http://foreversabah.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Environmental-Law-and-Policy-in-Sabah-Vol.-4-Coasts-Islands-and-Seas.pdf |archive-date=23 May 2016 }}</ref> The state coastline is covered with [[mangrove]] and [[Nypa fruticans|nipah]] forests. The mangroves cover about 331,325 hectares of the state land and constitute 57% of the total mangroves in the country.<ref name="geo"/> 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.<ref>{{cite book |author=Nobuo Mimura |title=Asia-Pacific Coasts and Their Management: States of Environment |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dgXnSZ300NAC&pg=PA224 |date= 2008 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=978-1-4020-3625-5 |page=224}}</ref> The northern area of [[Tanjung Simpang Mengayau]] has a type of [[pocket beach]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gsm.org.my/products/702001-100338-PDF.pdf |title=The geological heritage values and potential geotourism development of the beaches in Northern Sabah, Malaysia |author=Joanese Muda |work=Department of Minerals and Geosciences, Sarawak |publisher=Bulletin of the Geological Society of Malaysia |date=November 2013 |access-date=22 May 2016 |page=1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160522095649/http://www.gsm.org.my/products/702001-100338-PDF.pdf |archive-date=22 May 2016 }}</ref> The areas in the west coast has a large freshwater [[wetland]]s, with the Klias Peninsula hosts a large area of tidal wetlands<ref name="Mojiol2006">{{cite book |author=Andy Russel Immit Mojiol |title=Ecological Landuse Planning and Sustainable Management of Urban and Sub-urban Green Areas in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PVi6okfiv_EC&pg=PA13 |year=2006 |publisher=Cuvillier Verlag |isbn=978-3-86727-081-6 |page=13}}</ref> and a wetland centre known as the [[Kota Kinabalu Wetland Centre]] was designated as a [[Ramsar site]] in 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/2290|title=Kota Kinabalu Wetland|publisher=[[Ramsar Convention]]|access-date=1 August 2018}}</ref> The western part of Sabah is generally mountainous, containing three highest peak. The main [[mountain range]]s 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.<ref>{{cite book |author1=George Argent |author2=Anthony Lamb |author3=Anthea Phillipps |title=The Rhododendrons of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5DklAQAAMAAJ |year=2007 |publisher=Natural History Publications (Borneo) |isbn=978-983-812-111-8}}</ref> The highest peak is the [[Mount Kinabalu]], with a height around 4,095 metres.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Kyoji Sassa |author2=Paolo Canuti |author3=Yueping Yin |title=Landslide Science for a Safer Geoenvironment: Vol.1: The International Programme on Landslides (IPL) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WKUpBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA149 |date=2014 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-3-319-04999-1 |page=149}}</ref> It is [[List of Southeast Asian mountains|one of the highest peak]] between the [[Himalayas]] and [[New Guinea]].<ref>{{cite book |author1=K. M. Wong |author2=Chew Lun Chan |title=Mount Kinabalu: Borneo's Magic Mountain: An Introduction to the Natural History of One of the World's Great Natural Monuments |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=igfbAAAAMAAJ |year=1997 |publisher=Natural History Publications |isbn=978-983-812-014-2}}</ref> While located not far from Mount Kinabalu is [[Mount Tambuyukon]], with a height of 2,579 metres.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Lawrence S. Hamilton |author2=James O. Juvik |author3=F.N. Scatena |title=Tropical Montane Cloud Forests |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pO_SBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA194 |date= 2012 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=978-1-4612-2500-3 |page=194}}</ref>

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 portions 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.<ref>{{cite book |author=George Thomas Kurian |title=The Encyclopedia of the Third World: Guinea-Bissau to Peru |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=deayAAAAIAAJ |year=1987 |publisher=Facts on File |isbn=978-0-8160-1120-9}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Tietze2007">{{cite book |author=Uwe Tietze |title=Credit and Microfinance Needs in Inland Capture Fisheries Development and Conservation in Asia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ihTrWUKDvLUC&pg=PA130 |year=2007 |publisher=Food & Agriculture Org. |isbn=978-92-5-105756-8 |pages=130–131}}</ref>

The land of Sabah is located in a [[tropical geography]] with [[tropical rainforest climate|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.<ref name="Tietze2007"/> It also received two inter-monsoon season from April to May and September to October. The average daily temperature varies from {{convert|27|C|F}} to {{convert|34|C|F}}, with a considerable amount of rain from 1,800 millimetres to 4,000 millimetres.<ref name="Tietze2007"/> The coastal areas occasionally experience severe storms as the state is situated south of the [[typhoon]] belt.<ref name="Tietze2007"/> Due to its location is very close to the typhoon belt, Sabah experience the worst [[1996 Pacific typhoon season|Tropical Storm Greg]] on 25 December 1996.<ref>{{cite journal |title=The Interannual Variability of Tropical Cyclone Activity in the Southern South China Sea |volume=113 |issue=D6 |pages=D06106 |author1=Zabani Md. Zuki |author2=Anthony R. Lupo |journal= Journal of Geophysical Research|year=2007 |bibcode=2008JGRD..113.6106Z |doi=10.1029/2007JD009218 |hdl=10355/2440 |doi-access=free |hdl-access=free }}</ref> The storm left more than 100 people dead, with another 200–300 missing, 3,000–4,000 people left homeless.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.irishtimes.com/news/106-die-in-storm-and-3-000-are-left-homeless-1.119125 |title=106 die in storm and 3,000 are left homeless |newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] |date=27 December 1996 |access-date=22 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160522042431/http://www.irishtimes.com/news/106-die-in-storm-and-3-000-are-left-homeless-1.119125 |archive-date=22 May 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://weather.ou.edu/~spark/AMON/v1_n1/GREG.html |title=The Christmas Day Storm – Typhoon GREG |work=CNN and The Star |publisher=[[University of Oklahoma College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences|School of Meteorology, University of Oklahoma]] |access-date=22 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050824120524/http://weather.ou.edu/~spark/AMON/v1_n1/GREG.html |archive-date=24 August 2005 }}</ref> As Sabah also lies within the [[Sunda Plate]] with a compression from the [[Australian Plate|Australian]] and [[Philippine Plate]], it is prone to earthquake with the state itself have experienced three major earthquakes since 1923, with the [[2015 Sabah earthquake|2015 earthquake]] being the latest major earthquake.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://enewsletter.ntu.edu.sg/(X(1)S(i2pwxfhr1zwo3in5gfntvwxv))/classact/Jun15/Pages/cn10.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1 |title=Shedding new light on recent Sabah earthquake |publisher=[[Nanyang Technological University]] |date=June 2015 |access-date=6 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160521133305/http://enewsletter.ntu.edu.sg/(X(1)S(i2pwxfhr1zwo3in5gfntvwxv))/classact/Jun15/Pages/cn10.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1 |archive-date=21 May 2016 }}</ref> The Crocker Ranges together with Mount Kinabalu was formed since during the middle [[Miocene]] period after being uplifted by the Sabah [[Orogeny]] through compression.<ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.univpgri-palembang.ac.id/perpus-fkip/Perpustakaan/Geography/Geografi%20Fisik/Geografi%20Fisik%20Asia%20Tenggara.pdf |title=The Physical Geography of Southeast Asia |editor=Avijit Gupta |publisher=Oxford University Press |via=Universitas PGRI, Palembang |year=2005 |access-date=23 May 2016 |page=15, 17 |isbn=978-0-19-924802-5 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160523121826/http://www.univpgri-palembang.ac.id/perpus-fkip/Perpustakaan/Geography/Geografi%20Fisik/Geografi%20Fisik%20Asia%20Tenggara.pdf |archive-date=23 May 2016 }}</ref> There was some snow here in 1975 and 1993.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://doesitsnowin.com/malaysia/ |title=Does It Snow In Malaysia? – Everything You Need To Know |publisher=Doesitsnowin.com |date= 31 May 2021|access-date=21 February 2022}}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" caption="Landscapes of Sabah">
File:Subsidiary peak, Mount Kinabalu.jpg|Subsidiary peak of [[Mount Kinabalu]]
File:Manukan, Mamutik & Sulug - Happy Islands retouched.jpg|Smile Islands of [[Manukan Island|Manukan]], Mamutik and [[Sulug Island|Sulug]]
File:Lahad-Datu Sabah Panoramic-view-from-Tower-of-Heaven-02.jpg|[[Lahad Datu District]] sea panoramic view
File:Sungai-Padas View-In-Padas-Valley.jpg|Padas River Valley
File:Kudat Sabah Tanjung Simpang Mengayau-12.jpg|The northern tip of Borneo at [[Tanjung Simpang Mengayau]] facing both the [[South China Sea]] and [[Sulu Sea]].
File:Sabah CrockerMountainRange-04.jpg|[[Crocker Range]], the main [[List of mountain ranges|mountain ranges]] in Sabah, part of the [[Crocker Range National Park]].
</gallery>

=== Biodiversity ===
{{see also|Fauna of Borneo|Deforestation in Borneo|List of nematodes in Sabah}}
[[File:Blue-eared Kingfisher (Alcedo meninting).jpg|thumb|right|''[[Blue-eared kingfisher]]'' in the lower Kinabatangan River area, which is endemic to the island of Borneo. Kingfisher is also once a state bird of Sabah and featured in [[Coat of arms of Sabah|one of its coat of arms]].]]
The [[Semporna Peninsula]] on the north-eastern coast of Sabah is identified as a hotspot of high marine biodiversity importance in the [[Coral Triangle]].<ref name="Asaad18">{{cite journal |last1= Asaad |first1= Irawan |last2= Lundquist |first2= Carolyn J. |last3= Erdmann |first3= Mark V. |last4= Costello |first4= Mark J. |title= Delineating priority areas for marine biodiversity conservation in the Coral Triangle  |journal= Biological Conservation |date= June 2018|volume=222 |issue=2 |pages=198–211|doi= 10.1016/j.biocon.2018.03.037|bibcode= 2018BCons.222..198A |url= https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006320717310200 }}</ref>

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&nbsp;million hectares.<ref name="biodiversity">{{cite web |url=http://www.my.undp.org/content/malaysia/en/home/operations/projects/environment_and_energy/80468_forestlandscapes.html |title=Biodiversity conservation in multiple-use forest landscapes in Sabah, Malaysia |publisher=[[Malaysia and the United Nations]] |access-date=24 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160524043441/http://www.my.undp.org/content/malaysia/en/home/operations/projects/environment_and_energy/80468_forestlandscapes.html |archive-date=24 May 2016 }}</ref> Its forest reserve are part of the 20 million hectares equatorial rainforests demarcated under the "[[Heart of Borneo]]" initiative.<ref name="biodiversity"/> The forests surrounding the river valley of Kinabatangan River is the largest forest-covered floodplain in Malaysia.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/about_freshwater/rivers/irbm/cases/kinabatangan_river_case_study/ |title=Case study on river management: Kinabatangan |publisher=[[World Wide Fund for Nature]] |access-date=20 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160520142254/http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/about_freshwater/rivers/irbm/cases/kinabatangan_river_case_study/ |archive-date=20 May 2016 }}</ref> 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 [[river source|headwater]] connecting to five major rivers in the west coast area.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sabahparks.org.my/the-parks/crocker-range-park |title=Introduction to Crocker Range Park |publisher=[[Sabah Parks]] |access-date=24 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160524034536/http://www.sabahparks.org.my/the-parks/crocker-range-park |archive-date=24 May 2016 }}</ref> [[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.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1012 |title=Kinabalu Park |publisher=[[UNESCO]] |year=2000 |access-date=24 June 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160520123303/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1012 |archive-date=20 May 2016 }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/06/12/chilling-out-a-tropical-destination.html |title=Chilling out in a tropical destination |author=Tan Hee Hui |newspaper=[[The Jakarta Post]] |date=12 June 2011 |access-date=23 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160523124237/http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/06/12/chilling-out-a-tropical-destination.html |archive-date=23 May 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=The determinants of land snail diversity along a tropical elevational gradient: insularity, geometry and niches |author1=Thor-Seng Liew |author2=Menno Schilthuizen |author3=Maklarin Lakim |journal=Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah |date=3 December 2009 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2699.2009.02243.x |volume=37 |issue = 6|pages=1071–1078|s2cid=83558264 }}</ref>

[[File:Sandakan Sabah Sepilok-Orangutan-Rehabilitation-Centre-19.jpg|thumb|left|A walkout through the [[Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre]].]]
[[Tiga Island, Malaysia|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 Island|Kalampunian Besar]] and [[Kalampunian Damit Island|Kalampunian Damit]] islands as a tourist attractions,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ww2.sabah.gov.my/jpas/news/SITE/SITEppr16.pdf |title=Marine Park Management: Issues and Challenges |author=Maipol Spait |work=Sabah Parks |publisher=Sabah State Government |year=2001 |access-date=24 May 2016 |page=2/11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160524041711/http://ww2.sabah.gov.my/jpas/news/SITE/SITEppr16.pdf |archive-date=24 May 2016 }}</ref> with a [[mud bath]] tourism.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sabahparks.org.my/index.php/the-parks/tunku-abdul-rahman-park/30-sabah-parks/pulau-tiga-park |title=Introduction to Pulau Tiga Park |publisher=Sabah Parks |access-date=24 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160524042200/http://www.sabahparks.org.my/index.php/the-parks/tunku-abdul-rahman-park/30-sabah-parks/pulau-tiga-park |archive-date=24 May 2016 }}</ref> The [[Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park]] is a group of five islands of [[Gaya Island|Gaya]], [[Manukan Island|Manukan]], Mamutik, Sapi and [[Sulug Island|Sulug]]. These islands are believed to once connected to the Crocker Range but separated when sea levels rose since the last [[ice age]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sabahparks.org.my/the-parks/tunku-abdul-rahman-park |title=Introduction to Tunku Abdul Rahman Park |publisher=Sabah Parks |access-date=24 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160524045814/http://www.sabahparks.org.my/the-parks/tunku-abdul-rahman-park |archive-date=24 May 2016 }}</ref> The [[Tun Mustapha Marine Park]] is the largest [[marine park]] located in the north of Sabah. It covers the three major islands of [[Banggi Island|Banggi]], [[Balambangan Island|Balambangan]] and [[Malawali Island|Malawali]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=110149 |title=Nation's biggest marine park |newspaper=Daily Express |date=27 May 2016 |access-date=27 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160527094135/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=110149 |archive-date=27 May 2016 }}</ref> Another marine park is the [[Tun Sakaran Marine Park]] located in the south-east of Sabah. The park comprising the islands of [[Bodgaya Island|Bodgaya]], [[Boheydulang Island|Boheydulang]], Sabangkat and Salakan along with sand [[cay]]s of Maiga, Mantabuan and Sibuan. Bodgaya is gazetted as a forest reserve, while Boheydulang as a [[bird sanctuary]].<ref>{{cite journal |title=Status of Coral Reef Communities on Two Carbonate Platforms (Tun Sakaran Marine Park, East Sabah, Malaysia) |author1=A. Montagne |author2=O. Naim |author3=C. Tourrand |author4=B. Pierson |author5=D. Menier |journal=Journal of Ecosystems |volume=2013 |pages=1–15 |date=2013 |doi=10.1155/2013/358183|url=https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00879576/file/358183.pdf |doi-access=free }}</ref> These islands are formed by Quaternary pyroclastic material that was ejected during explosive volcanic activities.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sabahparks.org.my/the-parks/tun-sakaran-marine-park |title=Introduction to Tun Sakaran Marine Park |publisher=Sabah Parks |access-date=24 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160524052739/http://www.sabahparks.org.my/the-parks/tun-sakaran-marine-park |archive-date=24 May 2016 }}</ref>

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 (Malaysia)|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]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dmpm.nre.gov.my/why-we-should-protect-turtle.html?&lang=en |title=(Educational) Why We Should Protect Turtle |publisher=Department of Marine Park, Malaysia |date=26 June 2012 |access-date=23 May 2016 |archive-date=19 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170919234725/http://www.dmpm.nre.gov.my/why-we-should-protect-turtle.html?&lang=en }}</ref> 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 Island|Layang-Layang]] (Swallow Reef). Other main islands including the [[Jambongan Island|Jambongan]], [[Timbun Mata Island|Timbun Mata]], Bum Bum and the divided [[Sebatik Island|Sebatik]]. The Sabah state government has enacted several laws to protect its forests and endangered wildlife species under the Animals Ordinance 1962,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mvc.gov.my/doc_downloads/Sabah__AnimalsOrdinance1962.pdf |title=Animals Ordinance |publisher=Malaysian Veterinary Council |year=1962 |access-date=24 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160317094502/http://mvc.gov.my/doc_downloads/Sabah__AnimalsOrdinance1962.pdf |archive-date=17 March 2016 }}</ref> Forest Enactment 1968<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lawnet.sabah.gov.my/lawnet/sabahlaws/StateLaws/ForestEnactment1968.pdf |title=Forest Enactment |publisher=Sabah State Government (State Attorney-General's Chambers) |year=1968 |access-date=24 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160524135049/http://www.lawnet.sabah.gov.my/lawnet/sabahlaws/StateLaws/ForestEnactment1968.pdf |archive-date=24 May 2016 }}</ref> and the [[Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997]]<ref name="wildlife enactment">{{cite web |url=http://www.unodc.org/res/cld/document/wildlife-conservation-enactment-1997_html/Wildlife_Conservation_Enactment.pdf |title=Wildlife Conservation Enactment |publisher=United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime |year=1997 |access-date=24 May 2016 |page=19/89 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160524140328/http://www.unodc.org/res/cld/document/wildlife-conservation-enactment-1997_html/Wildlife_Conservation_Enactment.pdf |archive-date=24 May 2016 }}</ref> among others.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://foreversabah.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Environmental-Law-and-Policy-in-Sabah-Vol.-3-Forests-Mangroves-and-Wildlife-Reserves.pdf |title=Environmental Law and Policy in Sabah: From Ridge to Reef – Volume 3: Forests, Mangroves and Wildlife Reserves |publisher=Sabah Forever |year=2015 |access-date=24 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160524141037/http://foreversabah.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Environmental-Law-and-Policy-in-Sabah-Vol.-3-Forests-Mangroves-and-Wildlife-Reserves.pdf |archive-date=24 May 2016 }}</ref><ref name="forestry laws">{{cite web |url=http://www.fao.org/forestry/10515-0462aee542d13dc983cd2bb1d09c073fa.pdf |title=Case study: Sabah forest ownership |author1=Su Mei Toh |author2=Kevin T. Grace |work=Global Forestry Services Inc. |publisher=FTP |page=2/27 (254) and 26/27 (278) |access-date=24 May 2018 |archive-date=28 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221028061610/https://www.fao.org/forestry/10515-0462aee542d13dc983cd2bb1d09c073fa.pdf }}</ref> Under the Wildlife Conservation Enactment, any persons hunting inside conservation lands are liable for imprisonment for five years and fined with [[Malaysian ringgit|RM]]50,000.<ref name="wildlife enactment"/> 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 maintaining the state indigenous hunting traditions.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2016/05/21/sabah-moves-to-protect-wildlife-state-may-implement-seasonal-hunting-as-part-of-its-conservation-eff/ |title=State may implement seasonal hunting as part of its conservation effort |author=Stephanie Lee |work=The Star |date=21 May 2016 |access-date=24 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160524150853/http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2016/05/21/sabah-moves-to-protect-wildlife-state-may-implement-seasonal-hunting-as-part-of-its-conservation-eff/ |archive-date=24 May 2016 }}</ref>

==== Conservation issues ====
[[File:District-Tawau Sabah Logging-Trucks-01.jpg|thumb|right|A lorry carrying timber in Tawau. Logging has contributed over 50% of the state revenue.<ref name="logging">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1309&dat=20000701&id=cRwrAAAAIBAJ&pg=4032,4382687&hl=en |title=Official: Forests in Sabah depleting fast due to logging |newspaper=New Straits Times |date=1 July 2000 |access-date=25 May 2016}}</ref>]]
Since the post-World War II timber boom driven by the need of raw materials from [[Developed country|industrial countries]], Sabah forests have been gradually eroded by uncontrolled timber exploitation and the conversion of Sabah forest lands into [[palm oil]] plantations.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ww2.sabah.gov.my/jpas/issues/Environmental_Issues.pdf |title=Environmental Issues in Sabah |publisher=Sabah State Government |access-date=25 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160525054412/http://ww2.sabah.gov.my/jpas/issues/Environmental_Issues.pdf |archive-date=25 May 2016 }}</ref> 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 [[Old-growth forest|virgin forests]] outside the conservation areas.<ref name="logging"/> The state government were determined to maintain the state biodiversity while to make sure the state economy continue to alive.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=104524 |title=Respect Sabah's forestry rights, Department tells Minister |newspaper=Daily Express |date=17 November 2015 |access-date=25 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160525045642/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=104524 |archive-date=25 May 2016 }}</ref> While in the same time facing hard task to control such activities although there is laws to prevent it.<ref name="forestry laws"/> The need for development and basic necessities also became an issue while to preserving the nature.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/borneo_forests/borneo_deforestation/ |title=Threats to Borneo forests |publisher=World Wide Fund for Nature |access-date=25 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160525051215/http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/borneo_forests/borneo_deforestation/ |archive-date=25 May 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=107421 |title=Protest over NGOs' meddling |newspaper=Daily Express |date=8 March 2016 |access-date=25 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160525051709/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=107421 |archive-date=25 May 2016 }}</ref> Mining activities had directly released [[Toxic heavy metal|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 Mine]].<ref name="env">{{cite web |url=http://ww2.sabah.gov.my/jpas/programs/ecd-cab/background/SoE2306.pdf |title=A report on the State of the Environment in Sabah |author1=Eric Juin |author2=Yabi Yangkat |author3=Carsten Hollaender Laugesen |publisher=Sabah State Government |year=2000 |access-date=28 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160528151202/http://ww2.sabah.gov.my/jpas/programs/ecd-cab/background/SoE2306.pdf |archive-date=28 May 2016 }}</ref> [[Wildfire|Forest fire]] also have become the latest concern due to drought and fires set by irresponsible farmers or individuals such as what happened in the [[2016 Malaysian haze|2016 forest fires]], where thousands of hectares of forest reserves in [[Binsuluk Forest Reserve|Binsuluk]] on the west coast of Sabah were lost.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.forest.sabah.gov.my/discover/conservation/forest-fire-management |title=Forest Fire Management |publisher=Sabah Forestry Department |access-date=17 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160717101149/http://www.forest.sabah.gov.my/discover/conservation/forest-fire-management |archive-date=17 July 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/04/137239/small-fires-farmers-causing-sabahs-choking-haze |title=Small fires by farmers causing Sabah's choking haze |author=Olivia Miwil |newspaper=New Straits Times |date=4 April 2016 |access-date=17 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160717101752/http://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/04/137239/small-fires-farmers-causing-sabahs-choking-haze |archive-date=17 July 2016 }}</ref>

[[File:Ranau-Sabah-MamutCopperMine-03.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of [[Mamut Mine]] with water that has filled the mine. Its water is reported to be dangerous for consumption due to the high presence of [[Toxic heavy metal|heavy metals]].]]
Rampant [[blast fishing|fish bombing]] has destroyed many coral reefs and affecting fisheries production in the state.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2014/04/13/cutting-the-fuse-of-fish-bombing/ |title=Cutting the fuse of fish bombing |newspaper=The Borneo Post |date=13 April 2014 |access-date=31 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160531083916/http://www.theborneopost.com/2014/04/13/cutting-the-fuse-of-fish-bombing/ |archive-date=31 May 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2014/jul/01/blast-fishing-borneo-bombs-coral-reefs |title=Blast fishing in Borneo: 'bombs are quick, but they kill the coral reefs' |author=Johnny Langenheim |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=1 July 2014 |access-date=31 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160531094840/http://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2014/jul/01/blast-fishing-borneo-bombs-coral-reefs |archive-date=31 May 2016 }}</ref> 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]].<ref name="env"/> Due to severe deforestation along with massive wildlife and marine poaching, the [[Sumatran rhinoceros|Sumatran rhino]] have been declared as extinct in early 2015.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.mongabay.com/2015/04/officials-sumatran-rhino-is-extinct-in-the-wild-in-sabah/ |title=Officials: Sumatran rhino is extinct in the wild in Sabah |author=Jeremy Hance |publisher=Mongabay |date=23 April 2015 |access-date=25 May 2016 |page=7 (9/34) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160525060836/https://news.mongabay.com/2015/04/officials-sumatran-rhino-is-extinct-in-the-wild-in-sabah/ |archive-date=25 May 2016 }}</ref> Some other species that was threatened with extinction is [[banteng]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2015/02/11/banteng-next-on-extinction-list-after-rhino-in-sabah/ |title=Banteng next on extinction list after rhino in Sabah? |work=Bernama |publisher=The Borneo Post |date=11 February 2015 |access-date=25 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160525064938/http://www.theborneopost.com/2015/02/11/banteng-next-on-extinction-list-after-rhino-in-sabah/ |archive-date=25 May 2016 }}</ref> [[Bornean bearded pig|bearded pig]],<ref name="wpd">{{cite web |url=http://www.ums.edu.my/ibtpv2/images/publication/JTBC/JTBC-VOL-9/anna%20wong%20et%20al.pdf |title=A study on hunting activity of Sambar deer and Bearded pig in Paitan Forest Reserve, Pitas, Sabah, Malaysia |author1=Anna Wong |author2=Yong Huaimei |author3=Christopher Wong |author4=Jumrafiah Abd Shukor |work=Journal of Tropical Biology and Conservation, Sabah Wildlife Department |publisher=Universiti Malaysia Sabah |year=2012 |access-date=25 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160525092328/http://www.ums.edu.my/ibtpv2/images/publication/JTBC/JTBC-VOL-9/anna%20wong%20et%20al.pdf |archive-date=25 May 2016 }}</ref> [[clouded leopard]], [[dugong]],<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://eprints.ums.edu.my/1122/ |title=Indigenous use and trade of Dugong (Dugong dugon) in Sabah, Malaysia |journal=Ambio |volume=35 |issue=5 |pages=266–268 |author1=Leela Rajamani |author2=S. Annabel Cahanban |author3=Ridzwan Abdul Rahman |year=2006 |access-date=25 May 2016 |doi=10.1579/05-S-093.1|pmid=16989512 |bibcode=2006Ambio..35..266R |s2cid=3168817 }}</ref> [[Borneo elephant|elephant]], [[false gharial]], green turtle, hawksbill sea turtle, [[Bornean orangutan|orangutan]], [[sunda pangolin|pangolin]],<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.therakyatpost.com/news/2014/08/20/pangolins-face-bleak-future-going-extinct-sabah/ |title=Pangolins face bleak future, going extinct in Sabah |author=Sandra Sokial |newspaper=The Rakyat Post |date=20 August 2014 |access-date=25 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160525070550/http://www.therakyatpost.com/news/2014/08/20/pangolins-face-bleak-future-going-extinct-sabah/ |archive-date=25 May 2016 }}</ref> [[proboscis monkey]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pin.primate.wisc.edu/factsheets/entry/proboscis_monkey/cons |title=Proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus) |publisher=National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin |access-date=25 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160525093546/http://pin.primate.wisc.edu/factsheets/entry/proboscis_monkey/cons |archive-date=25 May 2016 }}</ref> [[Borneo river shark|river shark]],<ref name="sharks and stingray">{{cite web |url=http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2015/04/27/sharks-on-the-edge-of-extinction-ssa-to-focus-on-borneo-river-species-and-roughnose-stingray-populat/ |title=Sharks on the edge of extinction |work=The Star |date=27 April 2015 |access-date=25 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160525074849/http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2015/04/27/sharks-on-the-edge-of-extinction-ssa-to-focus-on-borneo-river-species-and-roughnose-stingray-populat/ |archive-date=25 May 2016 }}</ref> [[roughnose stingray]],<ref name="sharks and stingray"/> [[sambar deer]], [[Borneo shark|shark]] and [[sun bear]].<ref name="wpd"/><ref>{{*}} {{cite web |url=http://www.bsbcc.org.my/bear-talk-blog/saving-borneos-sun-bears |title=Saving Borneo's sun bears |work=New Sabah Times |publisher=[[Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre]] |date=18 October 2008 |access-date=25 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160525071809/http://www.bsbcc.org.my/bear-talk-blog/saving-borneos-sun-bears |archive-date=25 May 2016 }}<br />{{*}} {{cite web |url=http://www.wildlife.sabah.gov.my/?q=en/content/protected-species |title=Protected Species |publisher=Sabah Wildlife Department |access-date=25 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160525100939/http://www.wildlife.sabah.gov.my/?q=en%2Fcontent%2Fprotected-species |archive-date=25 May 2016 }}<br />{{*}} {{cite web |url=http://ww2.sabah.gov.my/sabc/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=52&Itemid=66 |title=Endangered and Protected Species |publisher=Sabah Biodiversity Centre |access-date=25 May 2016 }}</ref> Although the indigenous community are also involved in hunting, they hunt based on their [[Spiritualism (beliefs)|spiritual believes]] and practice, and on a small scale, which differentiates them from poachers.<ref name="indigenous knowledge">{{cite web |url=http://www.ijssh.org/papers/88-CH016.pdf |title=Indigenous Knowledge and Biodiversity Conservation in Sabah, Malaysia |author1=A. Ab. Halim |author2=N. Othman |author3=S. R. Ismail |author4=J. A. Jawan |author5=N. N. Ibrahim |publisher=International Journal of Social Science and Humanity |year=2012 |access-date=25 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160525103446/http://www.ijssh.org/papers/88-CH016.pdf |archive-date=25 May 2016 }}</ref> Well-known indigenous practices, such as "''maganu totuo''" or "''montok kosukopan''", "''tuwa di powigian''", "''managal''" or "''tagal''" and "''meminting''", have helped to maintain resources and prevent their depletion.<ref name="indigenous knowledge"/>

== Economy ==
[[File:Desa Dairy Farm-.png|thumb|left|Sabah's [[Desa Cattle Dairy Farm]], dubbed as the little [[New Zealand]] due to the similar scenery view with the latter country.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/read.cfm?NewsID=2004|title=Sabah's own little New Zealand|last=Chin|first=Mary|work=Daily Express|date=23 April 2016|access-date=30 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170502163144/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/read.cfm?NewsID=2004|archive-date=2 May 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2020/12/652427/little-new-zealand-hit|title='Little New Zealand' a hit|last=Miwil|first=Olivia|work=New Straits Times|date=27 December 2020|access-date=30 January 2025}}</ref>]]
{{Pie chart
| caption=Sabah GDP Share by Sector (2016)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/index.php?r=column/cthemeByCat&cat=102&bul_id=VS9Gkp1UUpKQUFWS1JHUnJZS2xzdz09&menu_id=TE5CRUZCblh4ZTZMODZIbmk2aWRRQT09|title=GDP By State (2010–2016)|publisher=Department of Statistics, Malaysia|date=6 September 2017|access-date=19 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180804081413/https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/index.php?r=column%2FcthemeByCat&cat=102&bul_id=VS9Gckp1UUpKQUFWS1JHUnJZS2xzdz09&menu_id=TE5CRUZCblh4ZTZMODZIbmk2aWRRQT09|archive-date=4 August 2018}}</ref>
| label1 = Services
| value1 = 40.8
| color1 = #000080
| label2 = Mining & Quarrying
| value2 = 29.6
| color2 = #008080
| label3 = Agriculture
| value3 = 19.1
| color3 = #008000
| label4 = Manufacturing
| value4 = 7.5
| color4 = #800080
| label5 = Construction
| value5 = 2.6
| color5 = #808000
}}

Sabah's economy is mainly based on [[Primary sector of the economy|primary sector]] such as agriculture, forestry and [[Petroleum industry|petroleum]].<ref name="sbh"/><ref name="eco">{{cite web |url=http://www.sedia.com.my/SDC_Blueprint/Blueprint_Eng/4.IncreaseValueCaptureofSabah'sResourcesinDownstreamManufacturingActivities.pdf |title=(Chapter 4) Increase Value Capture of Sabah's Resources in Downstream Manufacturing Activities |publisher=[[Sabah Development Corridor]] |access-date=29 May 2016 |page=92 (52/4) and 100 (13/24) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160529041303/http://www.sedia.com.my/SDC_Blueprint/Blueprint_Eng/4.IncreaseValueCaptureofSabah%27sResourcesinDownstreamManufacturingActivities.pdf |archive-date=29 May 2016 }}</ref> Currently, the [[Tertiary sector of the economy|tertiary sector]] plays an important part to the state economy, especially in tourism and services. With its richness in biodiversity, the state is offering [[ecotourism]]. Although in recent years the tourism industry has been affected by [[Cross border attacks in Sabah|attacks and kidnapping of tourists]] by militant groups based in the southern Philippines, it remained stable with the increase of security in eastern Sabah and the Sulu Sea.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.businesscircle.com.my/the-resurgence-of-sabahs-tourism-industry/ |title=The resurgence of Sabah's tourism industry |author=Carolyn Hong |publisher=Business Circle |date=27 August 2013 |access-date=29 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160529145805/http://www.businesscircle.com.my/the-resurgence-of-sabahs-tourism-industry/ |archive-date=29 May 2016 }}</ref> The tourism sector contribute 10% share of the state [[Gross domestic product]] (GDP) and was predicted to increase more.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2011/06/18/tourism-to-surpass-current-share-of-sabahs-gdp/ |title=Tourism to surpass current share of Sabah's GDP |author1=Ripin |author2=Raymond |newspaper=The Borneo Post |date=18 June 2011 |access-date=29 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160529151423/http://www.theborneopost.com/2011/06/18/tourism-to-surpass-current-share-of-sabahs-gdp/ |archive-date=29 May 2016 }}</ref> Majority of the tourists come from China (60.3%), followed by [[South Korea]] (33.9%), Australia (16.3%) and [[Taiwan]] (8.3%).<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=110020 |title=Impressive rise in tourists to Sabah: Matta |newspaper=Daily Express |date=22 May 2016 |access-date=29 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160529183907/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=110020 |archive-date=29 May 2016 }}</ref> Tourism plays a crucial role in the state's economy as the third largest income generating sectors with the state itself recorded a total of 3,879,413 tourist arrivals in 2018, a growth of 5.3% compared to 3,684,734 in 2017.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2019/02/19/sabah-hits-record-breaking-tourism-numbers/1724459|title=Sabah hits record-breaking tourism numbers|author=Julia Chan|newspaper=The Malay Mail|date=19 February 2019|access-date=26 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190326040643/https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2019/02/19/sabah-hits-record-breaking-tourism-numbers/1724459|archive-date=26 March 2019}}</ref> Since the 1950s, [[Natural rubber|rubber]] and [[copra]] are the main source of agricultural economy of North Borneo.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.e-borneo.com/infoborneo/sab-eco.shtml |title=Sabah's Economy in Brief |publisher=e-borneo |access-date=29 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160529051720/http://www.e-borneo.com/infoborneo/sab-eco.shtml |archive-date=29 May 2016 }}</ref> The timber industry started to emerged in the 1960s due to high demand of raw materials from industrial countries. This was however replaced by petroleum in the 1970s after the discovery of oil in the area of west coast Sabah.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Jeffrey R. Professor Vincent |author2=Rozali Professor Mohamed Ali |title=Managing Natural Wealth: Environment and Development in Malaysia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vEOqb5za-ykC&pg=PT56 |date= 2010 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-52248-2 |page=56}}</ref> In the same year, [[cocoa bean|cocoa]] and [[palm oil]] was added to the list.<ref name="eco"/><ref>{{cite book |author=François Ruf |title=Cocoa Cycles: The Economics of Cocoa Supply |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GUPk9DcmOQwC&pg=PA268 |year=1995 |publisher=Woodhead Publishing |isbn=978-1-85573-215-5 |page=268}}</ref> The Sabah state government managed to increase the state fund from RM6&nbsp;million to RM12&nbsp;billion and poverty was down by almost half to 33.1% in 1980.<ref name="Lim2008"/> The state rapid development on primary sector has attracted those [[Job hunting|job seekers]] in neighbouring Indonesia and the Philippines as the state labour force itself are not sufficient.<ref>{{cite book |url=http://planipolis.iiep.unesco.org/upload/Malaysia/Malaysia_MDG_2005.pdf |title=Malaysia – Achieving the Millennium Development Goals (Successes and Challenges) |publisher=United Nations Development Programme |year=2005 |access-date=29 May 2016 |page=11 |isbn=978-983-3055-03-6 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160529020354/http://planipolis.iiep.unesco.org/upload/Malaysia/Malaysia_MDG_2005.pdf |archive-date=29 May 2016 }}</ref> The state GDP at the time ranked behind [[Selangor]] and [[Kuala Lumpur]], being the third richest although the manufacturing sector remained small.<ref name="env"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbec.sabah.gov.my/Background/BgSocioEco.htm |title=Socio-Economic Context |work=Bornean Biodiversity and Ecosystem Conservation |publisher=Sabah State Government |access-date=29 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160529021407/http://www.bbec.sabah.gov.my/Background/BgSocioEco.htm |archive-date=29 May 2016 }}</ref> However, by 2000, the state started to become the poorest as it still dependent on natural resources as its primary sources of income comparing to those [[Secondary sector of the economy|secondary sector]] producer states.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.irbrp.com/static/documents/January/2009/27.Hasnah%20ali.pdf |title=Why Poor Regions Remain Poor? Evidence from Malaysia |author1=Hasnah Ali |author2=Sanep Ahmad |publisher=International Review of Business Research Papers |date=1 January 2009 |access-date=29 May 2016 |page=5/12 (344) |volume=5 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160514075310/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=93465 |archive-date=14 May 2016 }}</ref> Thus the [[Sabah Development Corridor]] (SDC) was established in 2008 by Prime Minister [[Abdullah Ahmad Badawi]] with a total investment of RM105&nbsp;billion for 18 years to increase the state GDP to RM63.2&nbsp;billion by 2025.<ref name="sdc">{{cite web |url=http://www.ukm.my/fep/perkem/pdf/perkem2015/PERKEM_2015_4B1.pdf |title=The Sabah Development Corridor (SDC) |author1=Dullah Mulok |author2=Kasim Mansur |author3=Mori Kogid |work=Faculty of Business, Economics and Accountancy, Universiti Malaysia Sabah |publisher=[[Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia]] |year=2015 |access-date=29 May 2016 |issn=2231-962X |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160529053525/http://www.ukm.my/fep/perkem/pdf/perkem2015/PERKEM_2015_4B1.pdf |archive-date=29 May 2016 }}</ref> Around RM5.83&nbsp;billion were allocated each year for infrastructures development along with the creation of 900,000 jobs.<ref name="sdc"/> The federal government targeted to eradicate hardcore poverty by the end [[Ninth Malaysia Plan]] (9MP) with overall poverty halved from 23% in 2004 to 12% in 2010 and 8.1% in 2012.<ref name="sdc"/> Since its establishment in 2008, the state GDP increase to 10.7% which was higher than the national economic growth of 4.8% and the world economic growth of 2.7%. Following the [[Global financial crisis in 2009|world financial crisis in 2009]], Sabah GDP recorded 4.8% growth compared to −1.5% for national level and −0.4% for world level.<ref name="sdc"/>

[[File:Tambunan Sabah Battlefield-Battle-of-Tambunan-02.jpg|thumb|right|[[Paddy field]] in [[Tambunan District]].]]
From 2010 to 2011, the state experienced a slower growth due to weaker performance on the oil and gas sector. Based on 2014 survey, Sabah GDP recorded a 5.0% growth and remained as the largest contributor in agriculture sector with 18.1%, followed by [[Sarawak]], Johor, [[Pahang]] and [[Perak]]. Its [[Income per capita|GDP per capita]] however are still lowest with RM19,672, the third lowest after [[Kelantan]] (RM11,815) and [[Kedah]] (RM17,321) from all 13 states.<ref name="GDP">{{cite web|url=https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/index.php?r=column/pdfPrev&id=OFN3NkVtT0xGWU1wQ1Y1YnRPNXRUQT09|title=GDP By State (2010–2014)|publisher=Department of Statistics, Malaysia|access-date=30 May 2016|page=2 and 5|format=PDF|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180804072828/https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/index.php?r=column%2FpdfPrev&id=OFN3NkVtT0xGWU1wQ1Y1YnRPNXRUQT09|archive-date=4 August 2018}}</ref> In the same year, the state export value stood at RM45.3&nbsp;billion with an import value of RM36.5&nbsp;billion. Machinery and transportation equipment accounted for most of the imported products followed by fuel, mineral lubricants and others. While Sabah mostly exports raw petroleum and palm oil.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=101309 |title=RM45bil Sabah exports since 2009 |newspaper=Daily Express |date=8 July 2015 |access-date=29 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160529185535/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=101309 |archive-date=29 May 2016 }}</ref> The state currently has a total of eight ports with two in [[Sepanggar]] while each one in Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, Tawau, Kudat, [[Kunak]] and Lahad Datu that was operated and maintained by the Sabah Ports Authority owned by Suria Group.<ref name="sabah ports">{{cite web |url=http://www.suriagroup.com.my/spsb/ports/ |title=Ports |publisher=Suria Group |access-date=18 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160718111340/http://www.suriagroup.com.my/spsb/ports/ |archive-date=18 July 2016 }}</ref> As part of the [[Eleventh Malaysia Plan]] (11MP), the federal government has approved an allocation of RM800&nbsp;million to expand the cargo handling of Sapangar Bay Container Port from 500,000 to 1.25&nbsp;million [[twenty-foot equivalent unit|TEUs]] per annum as well to accommodate larger ship like [[Panamax]]-size vessels.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oxfordbusinessgroup.com/news/sabah-looks-logistics-growth |title=Sabah looks to logistics for growth |publisher=Oxford Business Group |date=25 March 2016 |access-date=4 July 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2016/04/03/sabah-looks-to-logistics-for-growth/ |title=Sabah looks to logistics for growth |author=Paulius Kuncinas |newspaper=The Borneo Post |date=3 April 2016 |access-date=30 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160530030603/http://www.theborneopost.com/2016/04/03/sabah-looks-to-logistics-for-growth/ |archive-date=30 May 2016 }}</ref> An additional allocation of RM333.51&nbsp;million was given in the same year, making it a total of RM1.13&nbsp;billion with the project will start in 2017.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=106857 |title=Sepanggar Port expansion work to start next year |newspaper=Daily Express |date=17 February 2016 |access-date=4 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160704050523/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=106857 |archive-date=4 July 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v8/bm/bu/newsbusiness.php?id=1259314 |title=Kerajaan Tingkatkan Pembiayaan Bagi Pembesaran Pelabuhan Kontena Teluk Sepanggar |trans-title=Government Raises Financing For Sepanggar Coast Container Port Expansion |language=ms |publisher=Bernama |date=28 June 2016 |access-date=4 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160704045647/http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v8/bm/bu/newsbusiness.php?id=1259314 |archive-date=4 July 2016 }}</ref> The fisheries industries remain the important part of Sabah primary sector economy with a contribution for about 200,000 metric tonnes of fish worth RM700 annually as well contributing 2.8% to the state annual GDP.<ref name="fishdept"/> While the [[aquaculture]] and marine fish cage sector have produce 35,000 metric tons of [[brackish water|brackish]] and [[fresh water]]s aquaculture and 360 metric ton of [[grouper]]s, [[wrasse]]s, snappers and [[lobster]]s worth around RM60&nbsp;million and RM13&nbsp;million respectively. Sabah is also one of the producer of [[seaweed]], with most of the farms are located in the seas around [[Semporna]].<ref name="fishdept"/> Although recently the seaweed industry was heavily affected by spate of kidnappings perpetrated by the southern-Philippine-based [[Abu Sayyaf]] militant group.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=111349 |title=Seaweed industry dying due to kidnappings |newspaper=Daily Express |date=16 July 2016 |access-date=16 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160716110118/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=111349 |archive-date=16 July 2016 }}</ref>

[[File:Sandakan Sabah Fishmarket-in-Sandakan-Harbour-04.jpg|thumb|left|Fishery activities in the harbour of [[Sandakan]].]]
As of 2015, Sabah was producing 180,000 [[barrel of oil equivalent]] per day<ref>{{cite news |title=Exciting year for oil & gas industry |url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=95890 |access-date=1 September 2019 |newspaper=Daily Express |date=5 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170506085958/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=95890 |archive-date=6 May 2017}}</ref> and currently receives 5% oil royalty (percentage of oil production paid by the mining company to the lease owner) from Petronas over oil explorations in Sabah territorial waters based on the 1974 Petroleum Development Act.<ref name="Lim2008"/><ref name="oxford review">{{cite web |url=http://www.oxfordbusinessgroup.com/economic_updates/sabah-year-review-2011 |title=Sabah: Year in Review |publisher=Oxford Business Group |year=2011 |access-date=14 November 2012 |archive-date=23 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140523230335/http://www.oxfordbusinessgroup.com/economic_updates/sabah-year-review-2011 }}</ref> Majority of the oil and gas deposits are located on Sabah Trough basin in the west coast side.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.geoexpro.com/articles/2012/12/borneo-s-petroleum-plays |title=Borneo's Petroleum Plays |author=Sorkhabi Rasoul |magazine=GEO ExPro |year=2012 |access-date=20 November 2015 |volume=9 |issue=4 |quote=A simplified map showing the distribution of major sedimentary basins onshore and offshore Borneo. |archive-date=21 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151121030834/http://www.geoexpro.com/articles/2012/12/borneo-s-petroleum-plays }}</ref> Sabah was also given a 10% stake in Petronas [[liquefied natural gas]] (LNG) in [[Bintulu]], Sarawak.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=93465 |title=More oil, gas revenue for Sabah |newspaper=Daily Express |date=16 November 2014 |access-date=14 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160514075310/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=93465 |archive-date=14 May 2016 }}</ref> Income inequality and the high cost living remain the major economic issues in Sabah.<ref>{{cite book |author=Shireen Mardziah Hashim |title=Income Inequality and Poverty in Malaysia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lpf1_k8wELYC&pg=PA131 |year=1998 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-0-8476-8858-6 |page=131}}</ref> The high cost living has been blamed on the Cabotage Policy, although the cause was due to the smaller trade volumes, cost of transport and efficiency of port to handle trade.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lpps.sabah.gov.my/?q=content/cabotage-policy-cannot-be-repealed-29-september-2015 |title=Cabotage Policy Cannot Be Repealed |work=The Borneo Post |publisher=Sabah Ports Authority |date=29 September 2015 |access-date=30 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160530032631/http://www.lpps.sabah.gov.my/?q=content%2Fcabotage-policy-cannot-be-repealed-29-september-2015 |archive-date=30 May 2016 }}</ref> The government has set to review the Cabotage Policy even thought the cause was due to other reasons with the World Bank has stated that the result was due to weak distribution channels, high handling charges and inefficient inland transportation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/02/16/cabotage-policy-to-be-reviewed-to-bring-down-goods-costs-in-sabah-and-sarawak/ |title=Liow: Cabotage policy to be reviewed to bring down cost of goods in east Malaysia |author1=Muguntan Vanar |author2=Stephanie Lee |work=The Star |date=16 February 2017 |access-date=17 February 2017}}</ref> It was finally agreed to exempt the policy from 1 June 2017; with foreign ships will go directly to ports in the East without need to go to West Malaysia although Cabotage Policy on transshipment of goods within Sabah and Sarawak and the federal territory of Labuan remain.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://m.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/pm-no-more-cabotage-for-sabah-sarawak-and-labuan-from-june |title=PM: No more cabotage for Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan from June |newspaper=The Malay Mail |date=7 May 2017 |access-date=8 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170508045249/http://m.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/pm-no-more-cabotage-for-sabah-sarawak-and-labuan-from-june |archive-date=8 May 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.seatrade-maritime.com/news/asia/cabotage-law-between-east-and-west-malaysia-to-be-scrapped.html |title=Cabotage law between east and west Malaysia to be scrapped |author=Marcus Hand |publisher=Seatrade Maritime News |date=10 May 2017 |access-date=10 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510155211/http://www.seatrade-maritime.com/news/asia/cabotage-law-between-east-and-west-malaysia-to-be-scrapped.html |archive-date=10 May 2017 }}</ref> Prime Minister Najib also promised to narrow development gap between Sabah and the [[Peninsular Malaysia|Peninsular]] by improving and built more infrastructures in the state,<ref name="promised">{{cite web |url=http://www.malaysiandigest.com/frontpage/282-main-tile/613575-my-vision-is-to-narrow-development-gap-between-sabah-and-pensinsula-najib.html |title=My Vision Is To Narrow Development Gap Between Sabah And Peninsula: Najib |work=Bernama |publisher=Malaysian Digest |date=28 May 2016 |access-date=30 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160530034255/http://www.malaysiandigest.com/frontpage/282-main-tile/613575-my-vision-is-to-narrow-development-gap-between-sabah-and-pensinsula-najib.html |archive-date=30 May 2016 |url-status=usurped}}</ref> in which it was continued under the [[Pakatan Harapan]] (PH) administration where the new federal government also said the state should develop in par with Peninsular with the federal government will be consistent in commitment to helping develop the state as stated by Deputy Prime Minister [[Wan Azizah Wan Ismail]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://malaysiandigest.com/news/745228-sabah-must-develop-together-with-the-peninsula-wan-azizah.html|title=Sabah Must Develop Together With The Peninsula – Wan Azizah|work=Bernama|publisher=Malaysian Digest|date=1 July 2018|access-date=10 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180709180713/http://malaysiandigest.com/news/745228-sabah-must-develop-together-with-the-peninsula-wan-azizah.html|archive-date=9 July 2018|url-status=usurped}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2018/07/386224/federal-government-continue-developing-sabah|title=Federal Government to continue developing Sabah|author1=Mohd Izham Unnip Abdullah|author2=Abdul Rahemang Taiming|newspaper=New Straits Times|date=1 July 2018|access-date=10 July 2018}}</ref> Based on a latest record, the total unemployment in the state have been reduced from 5.1% (2014) to 4.7% (2015), although the number of unemployment was still high.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2015/05/12/sabah-unemployment-rate-down-director/ |title=Sabah unemployment rate down – Director |newspaper=The Borneo Post |date=12 May 2016 |access-date=30 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160530043453/http://www.theborneopost.com/2015/05/12/sabah-unemployment-rate-down-director/ |archive-date=30 May 2016 }}</ref> [[Slum]] is almost non-existent in Malaysia but due to the [[Refugees of the Philippines|high number of refugees]] arriving from the [[Moro conflict in the Philippines|troubling southern Philippines]], Sabah has since seen a significant rise on its numbers. To eliminate [[water pollution]] and improve a better [[hygiene]], the Sabah state government are working to relocate them into a better housing settlement.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2016/02/16/sabah-aims-to-end-squatter-problem-state-govt-outlines-strategies-to-relocate-them/ |title=Sabah aims to end squatter problem |author=Muguntan Vanar |work=The Star |date=16 February 2016 |access-date=30 May 2016}}</ref> As part of the [[BIMP-EAGA]], Sabah also continued to position itself as a main gateway for regional investments. Foreign investment are mainly concentrated in the Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park (KKIP) areas.<ref name="oxford review"/> Although country such as Japan have mainly focusing their various development and investment projects in the interior and islands since after the end of Second World War.<ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.grin.com/en/e-book/298463/japanese-economic-interests-in-sabah-after-the-second-world-war |title=Japanese Economic Interests in Sabah after the Second World War |author=Uqbah Iqbal |publisher=Grin |year=2015 |access-date=29 May 2016 |isbn=978-3-656-96933-4}}</ref> Following America's abandonment in the [[Trans-Pacific Partnership]] (TPPA) economic agreements in early 2017, Sabah began to turns its trade to China and [[India]] markets.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2017/02/03/sabah-turns-to-china-india/ |title=Sabah turns to China, India |author=Shalina R. |newspaper=The Borneo Post |date=3 February 2017 |access-date=4 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170204055004/http://www.theborneopost.com/2017/02/03/sabah-turns-to-china-india/ |archive-date=4 February 2017 }}</ref> To further accelerate its economic growth, Sabah also targets several more countries as its main trade partners including [[Germany]], South Korea, Thailand and the [[United Arab Emirates]] as the destinations of exports for [[food]]-based products, Brunei, Indonesia, Taiwan, the United States and New Zealand as the destinations for palm oil and [[logistics]] sector, [[Russia]] as the destination for the oil and gas industry and Japan and Vietnam as the destinations for the [[wood industry|wood-based furniture industry]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theborneopost.com/2019/08/07/sabah-targets-several-countries-to-be-trade-partners/ |title=Sabah targets several countries to be trade partners |newspaper=The Borneo Post |date=7 August 2019 |access-date=8 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808001236/https://www.theborneopost.com/2019/08/07/sabah-targets-several-countries-to-be-trade-partners/ |archive-date=8 August 2019 }}</ref>

== Infrastructure ==
Sabah's public infrastructure are still lagged behind mostly due to its geographical challenges as the second largest state in Malaysia.<ref name="Group"/><ref name="infrastructure">{{cite web |url=http://www.sedia.com.my/SDC_Blueprint/Blueprint_Eng/5.DevelopInfrastructureandPeopleasKeyEnablersforSabah'sGrowth.pdf |title=(Chapter 5) Progressive Growth is Within Reach – Develop Infrastructure and People as Key Enablers for Sabah's Growth |publisher=Sabah Development Corridor |access-date=27 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160627132056/http://www.sedia.com.my/SDC_Blueprint/Blueprint_Eng/5.DevelopInfrastructureandPeopleasKeyEnablersforSabah%27sGrowth.pdf |archive-date=27 June 2016 }}</ref> The Sabah Ministry of Infrastructure Development (formerly known as Ministry of Communication and Works) is responsible for all public infrastructure planning and development in the state.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kpi.sabah.gov.my/Sejarah/SejarahPembangunan/tabid/81/Default.aspx |title=Sejarah Kementerian Pembangunan Infrastruktur Sabah |trans-title=History of the Ministry of Infrastructure Development Sabah |language=ms |publisher=Sabah Ministry of Infrastructure Development |access-date=29 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160629034424/http://www.kpi.sabah.gov.my/Sejarah/SejarahPembangunan/tabid/81/Default.aspx |archive-date=29 June 2016 }}</ref> To narrow the development gap, the federal government are working to build more infrastructures and improve the already available one.<ref name="promised"/> In 2013, Sabah state government allocates RM1.583&nbsp;billion for infrastructure and public facilities development,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/sabah-allocates-rm1.583b-to-develop-infrastructure-public-facilities-next-y |title=Sabah allocates RM1.583b to develop infrastructure, public facilities next year |work=Bernama |publisher=The Malay Mail |date=15 November 2013 |access-date=4 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160704144700/http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/sabah-allocates-rm1.583b-to-develop-infrastructure-public-facilities-next-y |archive-date=4 July 2016 }}</ref> of which the state were allocated another RM4.07&nbsp;billion by the federal government in 2015 Malaysian Budget.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.therakyatpost.com/news/2014/11/10/sabah-allocated-rm4-07-billion-2015-budget/ |title=Sabah allocated RM4.07&nbsp;billion in 2015 Budget |work=Bernama |publisher=The Rakyat Post |date=10 November 2014 |access-date=4 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160704150349/http://www.therakyatpost.com/news/2014/11/10/sabah-allocated-rm4-07-billion-2015-budget/ |archive-date=4 July 2016 }}</ref> Since the Eight Malaysia Plan (8MP) until 2014, a total of RM11.115&nbsp;billion has been allocated for various infrastructure projects in the state.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/ministry-rm11b-for-infrastructure-projects-in-sabah-since-8mp |title=Ministry: RM11b for infrastructure projects in Sabah since 8MP |work=Bernama |publisher=The Malay Mail |date=28 October 2014 |access-date=4 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160704152857/http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/ministry-rm11b-for-infrastructure-projects-in-sabah-since-8mp |archive-date=4 July 2016 }}</ref> Under the [[Tenth Malaysia Plan]] (10MP), infrastructure in the rural areas was given attention with the increase of rural water, electricity supply and road coverage.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://rmk11.epu.gov.my/pdf/strategy-paper/Strategy%20Paper%2004.pdf |title=Transforming Rural Areas to Uplift Wellbeing of Rural Communities (Strategy Paper 4) |publisher=11th Malaysia Plan, Economic Planning Unit, Prime Minister's Department |access-date=16 July 2016 |page=3/15 (4–1) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160715172201/http://rmk11.epu.gov.my/pdf/strategy-paper/Strategy%20Paper%2004.pdf |archive-date=15 July 2016 }}</ref> Further large infrastructure allocation were delivered to both Sabah and Sarawak under the 2020 Malaysian Budget which include budget on improving connectivity and developing digital infrastructures for high speed internet in the rural areas.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://themalaysianreserve.com/2019/10/11/basketful-of-goodies-for-sabah-and-sarawak-in-budget-2020/|title=Basketful of 'goodies' for Sabah and Sarawak in Budget 2020|work=Bernama|publisher=The Malaysian Reserve|date=11 October 2019|access-date=30 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030051916/https://themalaysianreserve.com/2019/10/11/basketful-of-goodies-for-sabah-and-sarawak-in-budget-2020/|archive-date=30 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://sea.mashable.com/tech/6777/malaysia-is-investing-heavily-into-its-tech-landscape|title=Malaysia is investing heavily into its tech landscape|author=Tarvin Gill|publisher=Mashable Southeast Asia|date=11 October 2019|access-date=30 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030052207/https://sea.mashable.com/tech/6777/malaysia-is-investing-heavily-into-its-tech-landscape|archive-date=30 October 2019}}</ref>

=== Energy and water resources ===
[[File:Kimanis Sabah Kimanis-Power-Plant-03.jpg|thumb|upright|High voltage [[transmission tower|electricity pylon]] located near the Kimanis Power Plant.]]
Electricity distribution in the state as well in the [[Federal Territory (Malaysia)|Federal Territory]] of [[Labuan]] are operated and managed by the [[Sabah Electricity]] [[Private company limited by shares|Sdn. Bhd.]] (SESB). Sabah electrics are mostly generated from [[Diesel generator|diesel power plant]], [[hydropower]] and [[combined cycle]] power plants. The only main [[hydroelectric plant]] is the [[Tenom Pangi Dam]].<ref name="infrastructure"/> The combined cycle power plant called Kimanis Power Plant was completed in 2014, supplying 300 [[Megawatt|MW]], with 285 MW nominal capacity.<ref name="kpp">{{cite web |url=http://etp.pemandu.gov.my/16_November_2012-@-Kimanis_Power_Plant.aspx |title=Kimanis Power Plant |publisher=Economic Transformation Programme |date=16 November 2012 |access-date=19 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160719044106/http://etp.pemandu.gov.my/16_November_2012-@-Kimanis_Power_Plant.aspx |archive-date=19 July 2016 }}</ref> The plant is a joint venture between Petronas and NRG Consortium that also includes facilities such as [[pipeline transport|gas pipeline]] of [[Sabah–Sarawak Gas Pipeline]] and a terminal of [[Sabah Oil and Gas Terminal]].<ref name="kpp"/> There is another two combined cycle power plants with a capacity of 380 MW operated by [[Ranhill Holdings Berhad]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2016/09/05/ranhill-tipped-for-another-ipp/ |title=Ranhill tipped for another IPP, a 300 MW power plant in Sabah |author=M. Shanmugam |work=The Star |date=5 September 2016 |access-date=5 September 2016}}</ref> In 2009, the electricity coverage covers 67% of the state population and by 2011 increase to 80%.<ref name="infrastructure"/> The coverage reach 100% in 2012 after an allocation of RM962.5&nbsp;million from the federal government were given to expand the coverage under the 2012 [[Malaysian federal budget|National Budget]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2011/10/14/100-power-supply-coverage-in-sabah-by-2012-%E2%80%93-sesb-latest/ |title=100% power supply coverage in Sabah by 2012 – SESB |author=Nancy Lai |newspaper=The Borneo Post |date=14 October 2011 |access-date=29 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160629054729/http://www.theborneopost.com/2011/10/14/100-power-supply-coverage-in-sabah-by-2012-%E2%80%93-sesb-latest/ |archive-date=29 June 2016 }}</ref> The [[electrical grid]] is divided into two of West Coast and East Coast which has been integrated since 2007.<ref name="infrastructure"/> The West Coast Grid supplies electricity to Kota Kinabalu, Papar, Beaufort, Keningau, Kota Belud, Kota Marudu, Kudat and Labuan with a capacity of 488.4 MW and maximum demand of 396.5 MW.<ref name="infrastructure"/> While the East Coast Grid supplies electricity to the major towns of Sandakan, Kinabatangan, Lahad Datu, Kunak, Semporna and Tawau with a capacity of 333.02 MW and maximum demand of 203.3 MW.<ref name="infrastructure"/>

In 2018, the federal government has announced that Sabah electrical grid will be upgraded to reduce power interruption.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.malaysiandigest.com/news/749045-gov-t-to-upgrade-electricity-grid-in-sabah.html|title=Gov't To Upgrade Electricity Grid In Sabah|work=Bernama|publisher=Malaysian Digest|date=23 July 2018|access-date=25 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180724163505/http://www.malaysiandigest.com/news/749045-gov-t-to-upgrade-electricity-grid-in-sabah.html|archive-date=24 July 2018|url-status=usurped}}</ref> Neighbouring Sarawak has also previously announced intention to provide additional electricity power to Sabah with full export will be finalised in 2021.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2016/06/21/sarawak-on-course-to-supply-power-to-sabah-and-brunei/|title=Sarawak on course to supply power to Sabah and Brunei|newspaper=The Borneo Post|date=21 June 2016|access-date=18 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180718105210/http://www.theborneopost.com/2016/06/21/sarawak-on-course-to-supply-power-to-sabah-and-brunei/|archive-date=18 July 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.malaymail.com/s/1516349/sarawak-power-firm-set-to-start-feeding-sabah-from-2021|title=Sarawak power firm set to start feeding Sabah from 2021|author=Sulok Tawie|newspaper=The Malay Mail|date=22 November 2017|access-date=18 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180718105655/https://www.malaymail.com/s/1516349/sarawak-power-firm-set-to-start-feeding-sabah-from-2021|archive-date=18 July 2018}}</ref> [[Electricity interconnection]] between Sabah, the Indonesian province of [[North Kalimantan]] and the Philippine province of [[Palawan]] as well for the whole [[Mindanao]] islands are also in the process as part of the [[BIMP-EAGA]] and Borneo-Mindanao power interconnection under the [[Association of Southeast Asian Nations]] (ASEAN) Power Grid;<ref>{{cite web |url=https://m.detik.com/finance/energi/2308195/pln-akan-ekspor-listrik-dari-kalimantan-utara-ke-sabah-malaysia |title=PLN Akan Ekspor Listrik dari Kalimantan Utara Ke Sabah Malaysia |trans-title=PLN Will Export Electricity from North Kalimantan to Sabah Malaysia |language=id |publisher=[[DetikCom|Detik Finance]] |date=19 July 2013 |access-date=28 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227201124/https://m.detik.com/finance/energi/2308195/pln-akan-ekspor-listrik-dari-kalimantan-utara-ke-sabah-malaysia |archive-date=27 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.esdm.go.id/index.php/post/view/pln-jalin-kerjasama-kelistrikan-dengan-sabah-electricity-sdn-bhd |title=PLN Jalin Kerjasama Kelistrikan dengan Sabah Electricity, Sdn. Bhd. |trans-title=PLN Develops Electricity Cooperation with Sabah Electricity, Sdn. Bhd. |language=id |publisher=Kementerian ESDM |date=13 January 2014 |access-date=28 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227201021/http://www.esdm.go.id/index.php/post/view/pln-jalin-kerjasama-kelistrikan-dengan-sabah-electricity-sdn-bhd |archive-date=27 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/07/12/borneo-mindanao-power-interconnection-pushed/|title=Borneo-Mindanao power interconnection pushed|author=Antonio Colina IV|newspaper=Manila Bulletin|date=12 July 2018|access-date=18 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180718110607/https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/07/12/borneo-mindanao-power-interconnection-pushed/|archive-date=18 July 2018}}</ref> with the interconnection with Palawan is expected to be commenced in the nearest future.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2016/11/05/palawan-moving-closer-to-getting-power-from-sabah/ |title=Palawan moving closer to getting power from Sabah |newspaper=The Borneo Post |date=5 November 2016 |access-date=28 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227195034/http://www.theborneopost.com/2016/11/05/palawan-moving-closer-to-getting-power-from-sabah/ |archive-date=27 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.sunstar.com.ph/manila/local-news/2017/02/26/power-link-between-palawan-sabah-eyed-527966 |title=Power link between Palawan, Sabah eyed |work=Sunstar |publisher=[[Sun.Star Manila]] |date=26 February 2017 |access-date=28 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227195308/http://www.sunstar.com.ph/manila/local-news/2017/02/26/power-link-between-palawan-sabah-eyed-527966 |archive-date=27 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://palawan-news.com/power-linkage-pushed-between-palawan-sabah/ |title=Power linkage pushed between Palawan, Sabah |publisher=Rachel Ganancial  |date=19 August 2019 |access-date=21 October 2019}}</ref> Since 2007, there is an attempt to establish a [[Fossil-fuel power station|coal power plant]] in Lahad Datu which receiving opposition from local residents and non-governmental organisations for the pollution that would be caused by the plant.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/malaysia-power-sabah-idUSL3E7DH01Y20110217 |title=Malaysia scraps Sabah coal power plant project |author=Julie Goh |newspaper=[[Reuters]] |date=16 February 2011 |access-date=29 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160629072457/https://www.reuters.com/article/malaysia-power-sabah-idUSL3E7DH01Y20110217 |archive-date=29 June 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2013/10/17/sabah-coal-project/ |title=NGOs alarmed over reviving Sabah coal power plant |author=Ruben Sario |work=The Star |date=17 October 2013 |access-date=29 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160629070454/http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2013/10/17/sabah-coal-project/ |archive-date=29 June 2016 }}</ref> Thus Sabah has start to exploring alternative ways to generate electricity with the usage of [[renewable energy]] such as [[solar energy|solar]], [[small hydro|mini hydro]], [[biomass]], [[geothermal energy|geothermal]] and micro-algae and [[tidal power|tidal]] technologies.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.therakyatpost.com/news/2014/09/21/renewable-energy-powerful-coal-fired-power-plant/ |title=Renewable energy more powerful than a coal-fired power plant |author=Sandra Sokial |newspaper=The Rakyat Post |date=21 September 2014 |access-date=29 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160629065342/http://www.therakyatpost.com/news/2014/09/21/renewable-energy-powerful-coal-fired-power-plant/ |archive-date=29 June 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newsabahtimes.com.my/nstweb/fullstory/430 |title=Radin: Govt supports renewable energy in Sabah |author=Mohd Izham B. Hashim |publisher=New Sabah Times |date=28 October 2015 |access-date=29 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160629073515/http://www.newsabahtimes.com.my/nstweb/fullstory/430 |archive-date=29 June 2016 }}</ref> The [[Government of Japan|Japanese government]] has extended aid totalling RM172,190.93 for the solar electrification project in the island of [[Larapan Island|Larapan]] in Sabah's east coast in 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kotakinabalu.my.emb-japan.go.jp/en/100310.html |title=Grassroots Grant Assistance Project for Electrification of Community Centre by Solar Energy in Pulau Larapan, Sabah |publisher=Consular Office of Japan in Kota Kinabalu |date=10 March 2010 |access-date=11 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160811101231/http://www.kotakinabalu.my.emb-japan.go.jp/en/100310.html |archive-date=11 August 2016 }}</ref> In 2016, a research by United States GeothermEx Inc. and Jacobs New Zealand indicated the existence of an active geothermal system centred around the flanks of Mount Maria on Apas Kiri where it is suitable for Malaysia's first geothermal plant.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thestar.com.my/metro/community/2016/08/08/steaming-up-some-extra-energy-malaysias-first-geothermal-power-plant-to-open-in-tawau/ |title=Malaysia's first geothermal power plant to open in Tawau |work=The Star |date=8 August 2016 |access-date=11 August 2016}}</ref> The construction for the first geothermal plant that expected to be completed in 2017 however was abandoned by the previous government in the mid-2016 with no sign of further progress.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2018/12/06/sabah-geothermal-power-plant-project-found-abandoned-dewan-rakyat-told/1700621 |title=Sabah geothermal power plant project found abandoned, Dewan Rakyat told |work=Bernama |publisher=The Malay Mail |date=6 December 2018 |access-date=21 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191021071110/https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2018/12/06/sabah-geothermal-power-plant-project-found-abandoned-dewan-rakyat-told/1700621 |archive-date=21 October 2019 }}</ref> A South Korean company [[GS Caltex]] also sets to build Malaysia's first [[bio-butanol]] plant in the state.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=113261 |title=Koreans eye Sabah to site world's first bio-butanol plant |newspaper=Daily Express |date=7 October 2016 |access-date=14 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161014054503/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=113261 |archive-date=14 October 2016 }}</ref>

[[File:Babagon Sabah Babagon-Dam-02.jpg|thumb|left|Babagon Dam, the biggest water catchment in the state.]]
Piped [[water supply]] in the state is managed by the Sabah State Water Department, an agency under the control of Sabah Ministry of Infrastructure Development. Operating with 73 water treatments plants, an average of 1.19&nbsp;billion litres of water are distributed daily to meet Sabahan residents demands.<ref name="water supply">{{cite web |url=http://www.sabah.gov.my/air/?q=content/background-history |title=Background / History |publisher=Sabah State Water Department |access-date=1 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160701083423/http://www.sabah.gov.my/air/?q=content%2Fbackground-history |archive-date=1 July 2016 }}</ref> The coverage of water supply in major towns has reach 100% while in rural areas, the coverage still around 75% with total public pipes length up to 15,031 kilometres.<ref name="water supply"/> Some communities use [[gravity water system]]s.<ref>{{cite web|date=17 August 2019|title=Kota Belud village gets new gravity water system {{!}} Daily Express Online – Sabah's Leading News Portal|url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news/139492/kota-belud-village-gets-new-gravity-water-system-/|access-date=6 January 2022|website=www.dailyexpress.com.my}}</ref> The only water supply dam in the state is the Babagon Dam which holds 21,000 million litres of water.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thestar.com.my/metro/community/2015/03/27/second-dam-needed-for-sabah/ |title=Second dam needed for Sabah |work=The Star |date=27 March 2015 |access-date=19 July 2016}}</ref> To meet the increase demands, another dam named as Kaiduan Dam was being proposed to be built although being met with protest from local villagers who living on the proposed site.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=104692 |title=Kaiduan Dam project on: Pairin |newspaper=Daily Express |date=24 November 2015 |access-date=19 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160719073146/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=104692 |archive-date=19 July 2016 }}</ref> Sabah has a natural gas demand of {{convert|350|e6ft3|e6m3|abbr=off|lk=on|order=flip}} per day at [[Standard temperature and pressure|standard conditions]] in 2013, which increase to {{convert|523|e6ft3|e6m3|abbr=unit|order=flip}} per day in 2015.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://rmk11.epu.gov.my/pdf/strategy-paper/Strategy%20Paper%2017.pdf |title=Sustainable Usage of Energy to Support Growth (Strategy Paper 17) |publisher=11th Malaysia Plan, Economic Planning Unit, Prime Minister's Department |access-date=29 June 2016 |page=8/30 (17–6) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160629080617/http://rmk11.epu.gov.my/pdf/strategy-paper/Strategy%20Paper%2017.pdf |archive-date=29 June 2016 }}</ref> As Malaysia's [[liquefied petroleum gas]] (LPG) are much cheaper through the [[subsidy]] that was given by the federal government, it was found out in 2015 that around 20,000 LPG cylinders in Sabah east coast were [[smuggling|smuggled]] by immigrants from neighbouring Indonesia and the southern Philippines in a monthly basis to their countries that leading to many Sabahans hard to retrieve enough supplies of LPG.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=104944 |title=Losing 20,000 LPG cylinders to Sebatik |newspaper=Daily Express |date=2 December 2015 |access-date=30 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160630062451/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=104944 |archive-date=30 June 2016 }}</ref> As a counter-measure, the [[Ministry of Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism (Malaysia)|Malaysian Ministry of Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism]] (MDTCAC) has temporarily cancelled all permits to sell gas cylinders into neighbouring countries with a new policy will be implemented to control such illegal activities.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newsabahtimes.com.my/nstweb/print/1663 |title=All permits for LPG sale in Sebatik cancelled |author=Michael Teh |publisher=New Sabah Times |access-date=30 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160630064321/http://www.newsabahtimes.com.my/nstweb/print/1663 |archive-date=30 June 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=109815 |title=New policy soon on LPG cylinders |newspaper=Daily Express |date=17 May 2016 |access-date=30 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160630063955/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=109815 |archive-date=30 June 2016 }}</ref>

=== Telecommunication and broadcasting ===
[[File:Lahad-Datu Sabah Panoramic-view-from-Tower-of-Heaven-01a.jpg|thumb|upright|Telecommunication towers atop Mount Silam facing [[Darvel Bay]] of Lahad Datu.]]
Telecommunication in Sabah and Sarawak were originally administered by Posts and Telecommunication Department until 1967,<ref name="telecom">{{cite web |url=http://studentsrepo.um.edu.my/983/3/CHAPT2.pdf |title=Chapter 2: An Overview of the Telecommunications Industry in Malaysia |publisher=University of Malaya |access-date=2 July 2016 |page=2/21 (7) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160702120800/http://studentsrepo.um.edu.my/983/3/CHAPT2.pdf |archive-date=2 July 2016 }}</ref> and maintained by the British [[Cable & Wireless Communications]] before all telecommunications management in the state been takeover by Peninsular-based company.<ref name="changing role">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1309&dat=19970517&id=6PxOAAAAIBAJ&pg=5076,2413004 |title=Changing role of the Telecoms Department |newspaper=New Straits Times |date=17 May 1997 |access-date=2 September 2016}}</ref> The British telecommunication company have establish a [[submarine communications cable|submarine cable]] that linking Kota Kinabalu with Singapore and [[British Hong Kong|Hong Kong]].<ref name="changing role"/> Following the expansion of the Peninsular-based company on 1 January 1968, Sabah Posts and Telecommunication Department was merged with the Peninsular telecommunication department to form Telecommunications Department Malaysia. All operations under Telecommunications Department Malaysia was then transferred to Syarikat [[Telekom Malaysia]] Berhad (STM) which become a public listed company in 1991 with the federal government retained a majority shareholding.<ref name="telecom"/> There are also other telecommunication companies operating in the state although only providing cellular phone facilities. In 2006, the state has the lowest Direct Exchange Line (DEL) penetration rate, with cellular and internet dial-up penetrations rate only 6.5 per 100 inhabitants.<ref name="infrastructure"/> Most residents from the low income groups would rather use mobile phones internet or use internet at their offices instead of setting up internet access at home due to the expensive cost and slow services.<ref name="infrastructure"/> Until the end of 2014, there were only 934 telecommunication hotspots in Sabah.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2015/07/31/salleh-has-work-cut-out-for-him/ |title=Sabah and Sarawak likely to get more for telecommunications and broadcasting |author=B.K. Sidhu |work=The Star |date=31 July 2015 |access-date=3 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160702210709/http://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2015/07/31/salleh-has-work-cut-out-for-him/ |archive-date=2 July 2016 }}</ref> Due to this, the government are working to increase the penetration and capability of internet connection as well to bridge the gap between Sabah and the Peninsular.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=93807 |title=Positive steps to increase Internet penetration: Pang |newspaper=Daily Express |date=22 November 2014 |access-date=3 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160702205823/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=93807 |archive-date=2 July 2016 }}</ref> From 2016, [[Unifi (internet service provider)|Unifi]] [[optical fibre|fibre optic]] coverage began to expand to other towns aside from the main city and major towns,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pressreader.com/malaysia/the-borneo-post-sabah/20160329/282565902274773|title=TM to expand UniFi coverage in Sabah|author=Chok Sim Yee|work=The Borneo Post|via=[[PressReader]]|date=29 March 2016|access-date=20 February 2018}}</ref> alongside [[Celcom]] and [[Maxis Communications|Maxis]] by the following year with a speed up to 100&nbsp;[[Mbit/s]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/metro-news/2017/09/09/fast-and-stable-internet-connection-maxis-unveils-fibre-coverage-with-unlimited-data-and-calls-for-s/|title=Fast and stable Internet connection|author=Stephanie Lee|work=The Star|date=9 September 2017|access-date=20 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180220113911/https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/metro-news/2017/09/09/fast-and-stable-internet-connection-maxis-unveils-fibre-coverage-with-unlimited-data-and-calls-for-s/|archive-date=20 February 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.malaysianwireless.com/2017/09/celcom-fibre-sabah/|title=Celcom Fibre service now available in Sabah, up to 100Mbps|publisher=Malaysian Wireless|date=22 September 2017|access-date=20 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180220113213/https://www.malaysianwireless.com/2017/09/celcom-fibre-sabah/|archive-date=20 February 2018}}</ref> In 2019, [[Digi Telecommunications|Digi]] launches its home fibre broadband in Sabah with speed up to 1&nbsp;[[Gbit/s]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.soyacincau.com/2019/09/06/digi-home-fibre-broadband-sabah-launch/|title=Digi launches Home Fibre Broadband in Sabah, up to 1Gbps|author=Alexander Wong|publisher=SoyaCincau|date=6 September 2019|access-date=30 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030054744/https://www.soyacincau.com/2019/09/06/digi-home-fibre-broadband-sabah-launch/|archive-date=30 October 2019}}</ref> The mobile telecommunications in Sabah are mostly use [[4G]] and [[3G]] and there is also a free rural [[Wi-Fi]] services provided by the federal government known as the ''Kampung Tanpa Wayar [[1Malaysia]]'' (KTW) although Malaysia's government-provided public internet speeds are among the slower than many other countries.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.skmm.gov.my/media/press-clippings/coverage-not-reason-for-sabah%E2%80%99s-low-broadband-pene |title=Coverage not reason for Sabah's low broadband penetration |work=The Borneo Post |publisher=[[Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission]] |date=14 September 2012 |access-date=3 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180912034227/https://www.skmm.gov.my/media/press-clippings/coverage-not-reason-for-sabah%E2%80%99s-low-broadband-pene |archive-date=12 September 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://etp.pemandu.gov.my/annualreport2013/upload/ENG/11_NKEA09_ENG_CCI.pdf |title=Communications Content & Infrastructure |publisher=Economic Transformation Programme |year=2013 |access-date=3 July 2016 |page=194 (15/20) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160702213103/http://etp.pemandu.gov.my/annualreport2013/upload/ENG/11_NKEA09_ENG_CCI.pdf |archive-date=2 July 2016 }}</ref>

[[File:Radio stations advertisement in KK, Sabah.jpg|thumb|left|The advertisement of Peninsular-based radio stations: [[Era FM]], [[My FM]] and [[Hitz FM (Malaysia)|Hitz FM]] in a building, showing the radios had set up their offices in the capital city of Sabah.]]
The previous state internet traffic are routed through a hub in Malaysia's capital of Kuala Lumpur, passing through a submarine cable connecting the Peninsular with Kota Kinabalu. The systems are considered as costly and inefficient especially due to the price of leasing [[bandwidth (computing)|bandwidth]] with the large distance.<ref name="Group"/> In 2000, there is a plan to establish Sabah own internet hub but the plan was unreachable due to the high cost and low usage rates in the state. Other alternative plan including using the Brunei internet [[gateway (telecommunications)|gateway]] in a short term before establishing Sabah own gateway.<ref name="Group"/> By 2016, the federal government has start to establish the first internet gateway for East Malaysia with the laying of 60 [[terabyte]] submarine cable which are developed by a private company named Xiddig Cellular Communications Sdn. Bhd. at a cost of about RM850 million through the [[Private finance initiative|Private Funding Initiative]] (PFI).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/dpm-launches-east-malaysia-international-internet-gateway-project |title=DPM launches East Malaysia International Internet Gateway project |work=Bernama |publisher=The Malay Mail |date=23 July 2016 |access-date=17 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816193841/http://m.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/dpm-launches-east-malaysia-international-internet-gateway-project |archive-date=16 August 2016 }}</ref> Under the 2015 Malaysian Budget project of 1Malaysia Cable System Project (SKR1M), a new submarine cable for high speed internet has been built from Kota Kinabalu to [[Pahang]] in the Peninsular which completed in 2017.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=104819 |title=Undersea stations to turn Sabah into telecom hub |newspaper=Daily Express |date=27 November 2015 |access-date=9 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160709041323/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=104819 |archive-date=9 July 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2017/06/23/tm-sabah-to-install-additional-30000-home-passes-for-unifi-service-2/|title=TM Sabah to install additional 30,000 'home passes' for Unifi service|work=Bernama|publisher=The Borneo Post|date=23 June 2017|access-date=22 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171022162504/http://www.theborneopost.com/2017/06/23/tm-sabah-to-install-additional-30000-home-passes-for-unifi-service-2/|archive-date=22 October 2017}}</ref> The 1Malaysia submarine cable system linking the state capital with [[Miri, Malaysia|Miri]], [[Bintulu]] and [[Kuching]] in Sarawak together with [[Mersing]] in Johor with an increase of bandwidth capacity up to 12 [[terabyte per second]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2016/08/15/faster-cheaper-internet-access-soon/ |title=Faster, cheaper Internet access in the pipeline |author=Ruben Sario |work=The Star |date=15 August 2016 |access-date=17 August 2016}}</ref> Another submarine cable, the BIMP-EAGA Submarine and Terrestrial (BEST) Cable Project is currently being built from Kota Kinabalu to Tawau to connecting Sabah with Brunei, Kalimantan and Mindanao which will be completed in 2018.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Economy&title=bimp-eaga-cable-project-to-improve-internet-in-armm&id=113280 |title=BIMP-EAGA cable project to improve Internet in ARMM |author=Carmencita A. Carillo |newspaper=[[BusinessWorld]] |date=12 August 2015 |access-date=9 July 2016 |archive-date=20 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170920043923/http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Economy&title=bimp-eaga-cable-project-to-improve-internet-in-armm&id=113280 }}</ref> In early 2016, a [[Memorandum of Understanding]] (MoU) was signed between the state government and China's largest networking company, [[Huawei]] to set Sabah to become [[information and communications technology]] (ICT) hub by leveraging on Huawei's ICT expertise.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thestar.com.my/metro/community/2016/03/07/sabah-set-to-be-regional-ict-hub-with-telco-deal/ |title=Sabah set to be regional ICT hub with telco deal |work=The Star |date=7 March 2016 |access-date=3 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160702222153/http://www.thestar.com.my/metro/community/2016/03/07/sabah-set-to-be-regional-ict-hub-with-telco-deal/ |archive-date=2 July 2016 }}</ref> More free high speed Wi-Fi hotspots are being planned in Sabah, especially to the state capital.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/05/145630/mcmc-proposes-free-wifi-kota-kinabalu |title=MCMC proposes free WiFi for Kota Kinabalu |work=Bernama |publisher=New Straits Times |date=14 May 2016 |access-date=3 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160702224440/http://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/05/145630/mcmc-proposes-free-wifi-kota-kinabalu |archive-date=2 July 2016 }}</ref>

[[File:KotaKinabalu Sabah Broadcasting-Complex-02.jpg|thumb|right|The building of Ministry of Communications and Multimedia Integrated Complex in [[Donggongon]] - the main office of Sabah RTM.]]

Sabah launched its radio service on 9 November 1955, which became a part of Radio Malaysia when it joined Malaysia in 1963 and later part of the bigger [[Radio Televisyen Malaysia]] (RTM) in 1969, when the nation's radio and television operations merged.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rtmsabah.gov.my/sejarah.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090119072720/http://rtmsabah.gov.my/sejarah.htm|title=rtmkk|website=rtmsabah.gov.my|archive-date=19 January 2009}}</ref> On 28 December 1971, RTM launched a third TV station solely for Sabah. But following the construction of earth satellite station near [[Kuantan]], [[Pahang]] and [[Kinarut]] for communications and television broadcast via the [[Intelsat|Indian Ocean Intelsat III satellite]] and the introduction of TV1 on 30 August 1975 and TV2 on 31 August 1983 in the state, it ceased to air by mid-1985. RTM has four branches in the state - a main office in capital city Kota Kinabalu and three other offices in Keningau, Sandakan and Tawau. The main office produces news and shows for RTM's television channels and operates two state radio channels, namely Sabah FM and Sabah V FM, whereas three other offices operate district radio channels such as Keningau FM, Sandakan FM and Tawau FM.

Other radio channels in the state include KK FM which is operated by [[Universiti Malaysia Sabah]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ums.edu.my/kkfm/index.php/pengenalan |title=KKFM 91.1&nbsp;MHz (Pengenalan) |trans-title=KKFM 91.1&nbsp;MHz (Introduction) |language=ms |publisher=Universiti Malaysia Sabah |access-date=3 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160702231050/http://www.ums.edu.my/kkfm/index.php/pengenalan |archive-date=2 July 2016 }}</ref> and Bayu FM which is only available through [[Astro (Malaysian satellite television)|Astro]], the Malaysian main satellite television.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.astro.com.my/whats-on/channel/bayu-fm/32 |title=Bayu FM |publisher=Astro |access-date=3 July 2016 |archive-date=11 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160711175023/http://www.astro.com.my/whats-on/channel/bayu-fm/32 }}</ref> Several newly independent radio station have recently been launched in the state, namely [[Kupi-Kupi FM]] in 2016,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kupikupifm.my/official-launch-of-kupikupi-fm-96-3/|title=Official Launch of Kupikupi FM 96.3|publisher=[[Kupi-Kupi FM]]|access-date=3 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160702232604/http://kupikupifm.my/official-launch-of-kupikupi-fm-96-3/|archive-date=2 July 2016|date=28 January 2016}}</ref> [[KK12FM]] and [[VOKFM]] in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://kk12fm.com/|title=KK12FM|publisher=[[KK12FM]]|access-date=22 October 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vokfmsabah.com/|title=VOKFM|publisher=[[VOKFM]]|access-date=22 October 2017|archive-date=19 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019111611/http://www.vokfmsabah.com/}}</ref> Other Peninsular-based radio stations also had set up their offices in the state to tap the emerging market. Sabahan DJs are mostly hired and local state songs will be played to meet Sabahan listeners taste and slang. Television broadcasting in the state is divided into [[terrestrial television|terrestrial]] and satellite television. As Malaysia aims for [[digital television transition]], all [[analog television|analogue signal]] will be shut down soon.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2016/01/08/digital-television-broadcasting-now-a-trend-necessity-expert/ |title=Digital television broadcasting now a trend, necessity – Expert |work=Bernama |publisher=The Borneo Post |date=8 January 2016 |access-date=5 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160704160201/http://www.theborneopost.com/2016/01/08/digital-television-broadcasting-now-a-trend-necessity-expert/ |archive-date=4 July 2016 }}</ref> There are two types of [[free-to-air]] television provider such as [[MYTV Broadcasting]] (digital terrestrial) and [[Astro NJOI]] (satellite). On the other hand, [[IPTV]] is available via the [[Unifi TV]] through Unifi fibre optic internet subscription.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2017/06/22/tm-sabah-to-install-additional-30000-home-passes-for-unifi-service/ |title=TM Sabah to install additional 30,000 'home passes' for UniFi service |work=Bernama |publisher=The Borneo Post |date=22 June 2017 |access-date=12 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180912033902/http://www.theborneopost.com/2017/06/22/tm-sabah-to-install-additional-30000-home-passes-for-unifi-service/ |archive-date=12 September 2018 }}</ref> The state first established newspaper is the Sabah Times (rebranded as the [[New Sabah Times]]), founded by Fuad Stephens, who became the first Chief Minister of Sabah.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newsabahtimes.com.my/nstweb/profile |title=History of "Sabah Times" |publisher=New Sabah Times |access-date=3 July 2016 |archive-date=29 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160529064451/http://www.newsabahtimes.com.my/nstweb/profile }}</ref> Other main newspapers include the independent [[Daily Express (Malaysia)|Daily Express]],<ref>{{cite news |url=http://dailyexpress.com.my/about.cfm |title=About Us |newspaper=Daily Express |access-date=3 July 2016}}</ref> [[Overseas Chinese Daily News]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ocdn.com.my/ |script-title=zh:「华侨日报」 | language = zh-hans |publisher=Overseas Chinese Daily News |access-date=3 July 2016}}</ref> the Sarawak-based [[The Borneo Post]],<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theborneopost.com/news/sabah/ |title=Sabah News Section |newspaper=The Borneo Post |access-date=3 July 2016}}</ref> the Peninsular-based [[Sin Chew Daily]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sinchew.com.my/ |title=Home |language=zh |publisher=Sin Chew Daily |access-date=3 July 2016}}</ref> and the Brunei-based [[Borneo Bulletin]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://borneobulletin.com.bn/ |title=The Independent Newspaper in Brunei Darussalam, Sabah and Sarawak |publisher=Borneo Bulletin |access-date=3 July 2016}}</ref>

=== Transportation ===
[[File:Kota Kinabalu Highway, Sabah.jpg|thumb|left|[[Controlled-access highway|Eight-lane highway]] in the capital city of Kota Kinabalu, part of the [[Pan-Borneo Highway]].]]
Sabah has a total of {{convert|21934|km}} road network in 2016, of which {{convert|11355|km}} are [[sealed road]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2016/04/06/11355km-of-21934km-sabah-roads-sealed/ |title=11,355km of 21,934km Sabah roads sealed |author=Nancy Lai |newspaper=The Borneo Post |date=6 April 2016 |access-date=10 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160710052653/http://www.theborneopost.com/2016/04/06/11355km-of-21934km-sabah-roads-sealed/ |archive-date=10 July 2016 }}</ref> Before the formation of Malaysia, the state together with Sarawak only has rudimentary road systems.<ref>{{cite book |author=Ashoka Mody |title=Infrastructure Strategies in East Asia: The Untold Story |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jSVNQi3UZKgC&pg=PA35 |year=1997 |publisher=World Bank Publications |isbn=978-0-8213-4027-1 |page=35}}</ref> Most [[trunk road]]s was then constructed from the 1970s until the 1980s under the [[World Bank]] loans. In 2005, 61% of road coverage in the state were still [[gravel road|gravel]] and unpaved, comprising {{convert|1428|km}} [[Malaysian Federal Roads system|federal roads]] and {{convert|14249|km}} [[Malaysian State Roads system|state roads]], of which {{convert|6094|km}} are sealed while the remaining {{convert|9583|km}} were gravel and unpaved roads.<ref name="infrastructure"/> This led to great disparity between roads in the state with those in the Peninsular, with only 38.9% are sealed while 89.4% have been sealed in the Peninsular. Due to this, SDC was implemented to expand the road coverage in Sabah along with the construction of [[Pan-Borneo Highway]]. Since the 9MP, various road projects has been undertaken under the SDC and around RM50 million has been spent to repairs Sabah main roads since the 8MP.<ref name="infrastructure"/> The high cost to repair roads frequently has led the Sabah state government to find other alternative ways to connecting every major districts by tunnelling roads through highlands which will also saving time and fuel as the distance being shortened as well to bypass landslides.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=89684 |title=Road tunnel construction plan |newspaper=Daily Express |date=21 May 2014 |access-date=16 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160715170304/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=89684 |archive-date=15 July 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tunnelsonline.info/news/sabah-considers-tunnels-to-bypass-landslides-220514-4275012 |title=Sabah considers tunnels to bypass landslides |publisher=Tunnels Online |date=22 May 2014 |access-date=16 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160715170943/http://www.tunnelsonline.info/news/sabah-considers-tunnels-to-bypass-landslides-220514-4275012 |archive-date=15 July 2016 }}</ref> In early 2016, the expansion project of Pan-Borneo Highway has been launched to expand the road size from [[single carriageway]] to four-lane road, while city highway been expand from four-lane to eight-lane as well with the construction of new routes which will connect the state with Sarawak, Brunei and the [[Trans Kalimantan Highway]] in Indonesia.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/read.cfm?NewsID=412 |title=Highway completion to make Borneo a huge mart |newspaper=Daily Express |date=5 September 2010 |access-date=16 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160716054100/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/read.cfm?NewsID=412 |archive-date=16 July 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/04/141808/pan-borneo-highway-link-thousand-opportunities |title=Pan Borneo Highway – link of a thousand opportunities |work=Bernama |publisher=New Straits Times |date=27 April 2016 |access-date=16 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160716052630/http://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/04/141808/pan-borneo-highway-link-thousand-opportunities |archive-date=16 July 2016 }}</ref> The project is divided into two packages: the first package covering the West Coast area will complete in 2021, while the second covering the East Coast area will finish in 2022.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/04/141161/najib-arrives-sabah-launch-sabah-pan-borneo-highway-project |title=Najib arrives in Sabah to launch Sabah Pan-Borneo Highway project |author=Kristy Inus |newspaper=New Straits Times |date=24 April 2016 |access-date=16 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160716054353/http://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/04/141161/najib-arrives-sabah-launch-sabah-pan-borneo-highway-project |archive-date=16 July 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2016/05/29/pan-borneo-sabah-highway-by-2022/ |title=Pan Borneo Sabah Highway by 2022 |newspaper=The Borneo Post |date=29 May 2016 |access-date=16 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160716054847/http://www.theborneopost.com/2016/05/29/pan-borneo-sabah-highway-by-2022/ |archive-date=16 July 2016 }}</ref><ref name="pan borneo">{{cite web |url=http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2016/04/12/first-step-to-big-change-construction-of-sabahs-side-of-rm29bil-highway-project-to-roll-out/ |title=First step to big change |author=Mazwan Nik Anis |work=The Star |date=12 April 2016 |access-date=17 July 2016}}</ref> All state roads are maintained under the state's Public Works Department,<ref>{{cite journal |title=Main Page |journal=Scholarpedia |volume=1 |issue=2 |page=1 |publisher=Sabah Public Works Department |bibcode=2006SchpJ...1....1I |last1=Izhikevich |first1=Eugene |year=2006 |doi=10.4249/scholarpedia.1 |doi-access=free }}</ref> while federal roads maintained by the national [[Malaysian Public Works Department|Public Works Department]].<ref>{{cite journal |title=Main Page |journal=Scholarpedia |volume=1 |issue=2 |page=1 |publisher=Public Works Department |bibcode=2006SchpJ...1....1I |last1=Izhikevich |first1=Eugene |year=2006 |doi=10.4249/scholarpedia.1 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

[[File:Pengalat-Besar Sabah Pengalat-Railway-Tunnel-05.jpg|thumb|right|[[Sabah State Railway]] train passing through a tunnel of the [[Western Sabah Railway Line|Western Line]] in Pengalat Besar, [[Papar District]].]]
[[File:Boats and ferries in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.jpg|thumb|right|Boats and ferries at the Kota Kinabalu marina.]]
Sabah uses a [[dual carriageway]] with the [[left- and right-hand traffic|left-hand traffic rule]].<ref name="pan borneo"/><ref name="Thiessen2012">{{cite book |author=Tamara Thiessen |title=Borneo: Sabah, Brunei, Sarawak |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DCDkRTYwN5AC&pg=PA18 |year=2012 |publisher=Bradt Travel Guides |isbn=978-1-84162-390-0 |pages=18–219}}</ref> All major towns in Sabah provide public transportation services such as buses, taxis and vans along with [[Grab (company)|Grab]] services. The [[KK Sentral]] operating express [[bus]] services from the city to [[Beaufort, Malaysia|Beaufort]], [[Sipitang]], [[Menumbok]], [[Lawas]] and [[Brunei]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theborneopost.com/2019/07/28/launch-of-a-new-landmark-for-kota-kinabalu/|title=Launch of a new landmark for Kota Kinabalu|work=Bernama|publisher=The Borneo Post|date=28 July 2019|access-date=29 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190729084727/https://www.theborneopost.com/2019/07/28/launch-of-a-new-landmark-for-kota-kinabalu/|archive-date=29 July 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sabahnewstoday.com/kk-sentral-kini-mula-beroperasi/|title=KK Sentral kini mula beroperasi|trans-title=KK Sentral is now operational|author=Mohd Adam Arinin|language=ms|publisher=Sabah News Today|date=22 July 2019|access-date=29 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190729082701/https://www.sabahnewstoday.com/kk-sentral-kini-mula-beroperasi/|archive-date=29 July 2019}}</ref> The [[BRT Kota Kinabalu]] is currently under construction to provide [[bus rapid transit]] (BRT) system in Sabah's capital.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=104693 |title=RM1b Bus Rapid Transport system ready 2020: CM |newspaper=Daily Express |date=24 November 2015 |access-date=28 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160728051626/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=104693 |archive-date=28 July 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=109053 |title=BRT KK to have 25km of dedicated bus lanes |newspaper=Daily Express |date=23 April 2016 |access-date=28 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160728051935/http://dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=109053 |archive-date=28 July 2016 }}</ref> A rail transport through the [[Western Sabah Railway Line|Western Line]] operated by the [[Sabah State Railway]] provides daily services for commuters, travellers, as well as for cargo transportation. A separate company owned by Sutera Harbour known as the North Borneo Railway operates leisure tour for tourists.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.suteraharbour.com/north-borneo-railway |title=North Borneo Railway |publisher=Sutera Harbour |access-date=18 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160718104110/http://www.suteraharbour.com/north-borneo-railway |archive-date=18 July 2016 }}</ref> The train station and terminal is located in [[Tanjung Aru railway station|Tanjung Aru]], not far from the city airport.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.internationalsteam.co.uk/trains/borneo.htm |title=The North Borneo Railway Project |author=Rob Dickinson |publisher=The International Steam Pages |access-date=17 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130328052920/http://www.internationalsteam.co.uk/trains/borneo.htm |archive-date=28 March 2013 }}</ref> Other main stations including in [[Papar railway station (Malaysia)|Papar]], [[Beaufort railway station, Sabah|Beaufort]] and [[Tenom railway station|Tenom]]. The current [[Aeropod]] projects on the main station in Tanjung Aru will modernise the station and provide a provision for future [[light rail|light rail transit]] (LRT).<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=102904 |title=Provision for LRT in Aeropod project |newspaper=Daily Express |date=4 September 2015 |access-date=18 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160718101620/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=102904 |archive-date=18 July 2016 }}</ref> In early 2016, the state government has purchased a new [[diesel multiple unit]] (DMU) for about RM8 million to replace the old train used between Beaufort and Tenom while the rail line from Halogilat and Tenom will be upgrading by the federal government at the cost of RM99.5 million along with the arrival of another three DMUs that will be received in early 2018.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=111226 |title=New DMU train by January |newspaper=Daily Express |date=10 July 2016 |access-date=18 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160718105210/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=111226 |archive-date=18 July 2016 }}</ref> [[Kota Kinabalu International Airport]] is the main gateway to Sabah.<ref name="KKIA">{{cite web|url=http://www.mot.gov.my/en/aviation/airports/list-of-airports/KKIA|title=Kota Kinabalu International Airport|publisher=[[Ministry of Transport (Malaysia)|Ministry of Transport, Malaysia]]|access-date=22 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190522063304/http://www.mot.gov.my/en/aviation/airports/list-of-airports/KKIA|archive-date=22 May 2019}}</ref> In 2005, the Malaysian federal government approved major renovation and refurbishment works to the main terminal (Terminal 1) as well as a runway expansion with construction began in 2006.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/read.cfm?NewsID=1039|title=KKIA the perfect gateway to M'sia from east|author1=James Sarda|author2=Maria Chin|newspaper=Daily Express|date=10 November 2012|access-date=22 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190522064031/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/read.cfm?NewsID=1039|archive-date=22 May 2019}}</ref> As a result of the expansion, the airport is able to accommodate large passenger aircraft such as the [[Boeing 747]].<ref name="KKIA"/> It has also become the second busiest airport in [[Malaysia]], after [[Kuala Lumpur International Airport]] (KLIA) in West Malaysia.<ref name="KKIA"/> In 2018, the [[Malaysia Airlines]] conducts test flight for its new long-range capability passenger aircraft of [[Airbus A350]] to the airport from Kuala Lumpur as a replacement to the largest aircraft of [[Airbus A380]] since it is too large for Malaysian aviation markets.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theborneopost.com/2018/01/10/mas-airbus-a350-conducts-test-flight-to-kkia/|title= MAS Airbus A350 conducts test flight to KKIA|newspaper=The Borneo Post|date=10 January 2018|access-date=22 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190522065231/https://www.theborneopost.com/2018/01/10/mas-airbus-a350-conducts-test-flight-to-kkia/|archive-date=22 May 2019}}</ref> Other smaller airports in Sabah including [[Kudat Airport]], [[Lahad Datu Airport]], [[Sandakan Airport]] and [[Tawau Airport]]. [[Layang-Layang Airport]] in [[Swallow Reef]] served as a military and civilian airport.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mot.gov.my/en/aviation/airports/list-of-airports|title=Location of airports in Malaysia [Sabah]|publisher=Ministry of Transport, Malaysia|access-date=22 May 2019|archive-date=5 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190605135252/http://www.mot.gov.my/en/aviation/airports/list-of-airports}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://amti.csis.org/chinas-airfield-construction-at-fiery-cross-reef-in-context-catch-up-or-coercion/|title=China's Airfield Construction at Fiery Coast Reef in Context: Catch-up or Coercion?|author1=Michael S. Chase|author2=Ben Purser|publisher=Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative|date=29 July 2015|access-date=22 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190522050323/https://amti.csis.org/chinas-airfield-construction-at-fiery-cross-reef-in-context-catch-up-or-coercion/|archive-date=22 May 2019}}</ref> Three airlines fly from Peninsular Malaysia to Sabah: Malaysia Airlines, [[AirAsia]], and [[Malindo Air]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.skyscanner.com.my/flights-to/bki/airlines-that-fly-to-kota-kinabalu-airport.html |title=Airlines flying from Malaysia to Kota Kinabalu |publisher=Sky Scanner |access-date=10 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160717024507/https://www.skyscanner.com.my/flights-to/bki/airlines-that-fly-to-kota-kinabalu-airport.html |archive-date=17 July 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Sabah Air]] is a helicopter [[air charter|chartered flight]] company owned by the Sabah state government, serving flights for aerial sightseeing to interested customers as well for the transportation of state government servants.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sabahair.com.my/about.html |title=About Us |publisher=Sabah Air |access-date=17 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160717030547/http://www.sabahair.com.my/about.html |archive-date=17 July 2016 }}</ref>

[[File:KotaKinabalu Sabah KKIA-01.jpg|thumb|left|[[Kota Kinabalu International Airport]] (Terminal 1).]]
Sabah has a total of eight ports operating in Sepanggar, Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, Tawau, Kudat, Kunak and Lahad Datu.<ref name="sabah ports"/> The Sapangar Bay Container Port is the main [[transshipment]] hub for the BIMP-EAGA region. Another port, the Sapangar Bay Oil Terminal is the main terminal for refined petroleum products and liquid chemical in the West Coast. Kota Kinabalu Port remain as a general cargo port. While all ports in the northern and eastern Sabah served to handle palm oil related products such as fertiliser, [[palm kernel]] as well for general cargo.<ref name="sabah ports"/> Ferry service in the West Coast side provide trips to Labuan from the Jesselton Point Waterfront and [[Menumbok]] Ferry Terminal in [[Kuala Penyu]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://jesseltonpoint.com.my/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4&Itemid=4#labuan |title=Ferry Service to Labuan |publisher=Jesselton Point |access-date=18 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304123401/http://jesseltonpoint.com.my/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4&Itemid=4#labuan |archive-date=4 March 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/08/19/new-labuan-menumbok-ferry-operates-three-round-trips-daily/ |title=New Labuan-Menumbok ferry operates three round trips daily |newspaper=The Borneo Post |date=19 August 2012 |access-date=18 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160718115403/http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/08/19/new-labuan-menumbok-ferry-operates-three-round-trips-daily/ |archive-date=18 July 2016 }}</ref> In the East Coast, the service are provided from the Tawau Ferry Terminal to Nunukan and [[Tarakan, North Kalimantan|Tarakan]] in Kalimantan, Indonesia.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.etawau.com/HTML/Travel/Ferry_Terminal.htm |title=Tawau Ferry Terminal |publisher=e-tawau |date=18 May 2016 |access-date=18 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160718132557/http://www.etawau.com/HTML/Travel/Ferry_Terminal.htm |archive-date=18 July 2016 }}</ref> There is also ferry services from Sandakan to [[Zamboanga City]] and a new one that was planned from Kudat to Buliluyan, [[Bataraza]] of [[Palawan]] in the Philippines, but both services were terminated at the moment due to lack of security enforcement from the Philippine side prior to the persistent attack by pirates and kidnapping by militant groups based in the Sulu Archipelago of the southern Philippines.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=110304 |title=No hurry on Kudat- Palawan ferry service |newspaper=Daily Express |date=2 June 2016 |access-date=18 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160718140146/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=110304 |archive-date=18 July 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=110950 |title=Sabah's action justified: Teo |newspaper=Daily Express |date=28 June 2016 |access-date=18 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160718141337/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=110950 |archive-date=18 July 2016 }}</ref> The planned ferry service from Kudat to Palawan was restored on 1 February 2017 after the increasing of security enforcement from the Philippines side,<ref name="economy resumed"/> but were postponed again until present mainly due to both ferry operators from Malaysia and the Philippines facing difficulties in complying with the necessary requirements and permits imposed by both national and state authorities.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=123435 |title=Kudat-Palawan ferry unlikely to start soon |author=Nikko Fabian |newspaper=Daily Express |date=14 March 2018 |access-date=14 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180314150037/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=123435 |archive-date=14 March 2018 }}</ref>

=== Healthcare ===
{{see also|List of hospitals in Malaysia}}
[[File:KotaKinabalu Sabah Gleneagles-Hospital-01.jpg|thumb|left|Gleneagles Kota Kinabalu, one of the main [[private hospital]]s in Sabah.]]
Sabah has four major government hospitals: [[Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kota Kinabalu|Queen Elizabeth Hospital]], [[Queen Elizabeth Hospital II]], [[Duchess of Kent Hospital]] and Tawau Hospital followed by 13 other government districts hospitals,<ref group="note">See [[List of hospitals in Malaysia]].</ref> women and children hospital, mental hospital, public health clinics, [[1Malaysia#1Malaysia clinics|1Malaysia clinics]] and rural clinics. Besides government-owned hospitals and clinics, there are also a number of private hospitals such as: Gleneagles Kota Kinabalu, [[KPJ Sabah Specialist Hospital|KPJ Specialist Hospital]], Damai Specialist Centre (DSC), Rafflesia Specialist Centre (RSC) and Jesselton Medical Centre (JMC).<ref name="docs exodus">{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=99109 |title=Exodus of govt docs |newspaper=Daily Express |date=21 April 2015 |access-date=22 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822055910/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=99109 |archive-date=22 August 2016 }}</ref> There is also an addiction treatment facility known as [[Solace Sabah]] in the state capital to treat problems related to alcoholism and [[addiction|drug addiction]].

In 2011, the state's doctor-patient ratio was 1:2,480 – lower than the [[World Health Organization]] (WHO) recommendation of 1 doctor to 600 patients.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2011/07/23/data-on-shortage-of-doctors-a-wake-up-call-mp/ |title=Data on shortage of doctors a wake-up call – MP |newspaper=The Borneo Post |date=23 July 2011 |access-date=22 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822123933/http://www.theborneopost.com/2011/07/23/data-on-shortage-of-doctors-a-wake-up-call-mp/ |archive-date=22 August 2016 }}</ref> Because of the heavy workload and lack of interest from younger graduates, Sabah is facing the shortage of doctors.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bt.com.bn/news-asia/2010/07/08/sabah-sarawak-facing-doctor-shortage |title=Sabah, Sarawak facing doctor shortage |work=Bernama |publisher=The Brunei Times |date=8 July 2010 |access-date=22 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822141901/http://www.bt.com.bn/news-asia/2010/07/08/sabah-sarawak-facing-doctor-shortage |archive-date=22 August 2016 }}</ref> Many doctors who once served under the government hospitals have decided to move to private hospitals instead because of the heavy workload with low salaries in government hospitals although private hospitals won't easily recruiting them with some applications have been turned down.<ref name="docs exodus"/> Thus to prevent the continuous shortage of doctors, the federal government has initiated various measure to produce more physicians with massive funds has been allocated to healthcare sector in every year country budget.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newsarawaktribune.com/news/4175/Government-provides-more-physicians-for-better-healthcare-of-Malaysians/ |title=Government provides more physicians for better healthcare of Malaysians |work=Bernama |publisher=[[New Sarawak Tribune]] |date=30 April 2013 |access-date=22 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822144054/http://www.newsarawaktribune.com/news/4175/Government-provides-more-physicians-for-better-healthcare-of-Malaysians/ |archive-date=22 August 2016 }}</ref>

=== Education ===
{{main|List of schools in Sabah|List of universities in Malaysia}}
[[File:KotaKinabalu-Universiti-Malaysia-Sabah-LamanCanselori-1.jpg|thumb|right|[[Universiti Malaysia Sabah]] (UMS) chancellory building.]]
All primary and secondary schools are under the jurisdiction and observation of the Sabah State Education Department, under the guidance of the national [[Ministry of Education (Malaysia)|Ministry of Education]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://jpnsabah.moe.gov.my/ |title=Jabatan Pendidikan Negeri Sabah (Sabah State Education Department) |publisher=Sabah State Education Department |access-date=16 August 2016 |archive-date=3 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200203172942/http://jpnsabah.moe.gov.my/ }}</ref> The oldest schools in Sabah are: [[St. Michael's Secondary School|St. Michael's School Sandakan]] (1886), [[SM St. Michael, Penampang|St. Michael's School Penampang]] (1888), All Saints' School, Likas (1903) and St. Patrick's School Tawau (1917).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theantdaily.com/Main/Can-you-blame-Sarawak-and-Sabah-for-feeling-left-out |title=Can you blame Sarawak and Sabah for feeling left out? |author=Edgar Ong |publisher=The Ant Daily |date=10 April 2015 |access-date=13 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150615085243/http://www.theantdaily.com/Main/Can-you-blame-Sarawak-and-Sabah-for-feeling-left-out |archive-date=15 June 2015 }}</ref> Based on 2013 statistics, Sabah has a total of 207 government secondary schools,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://emisportal.moe.gov.my/emis/emis2/emisportal2/doc/fckeditor/File/senarai_sek_09/menengah/SabahM.pdf |title=Senarai Sekolah Menengah di Negeri Sabah (List of Secondary Schools in Sabah) |publisher=Educational Management Information System |access-date=16 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150110144612/http://emisportal.moe.gov.my/emis/emis2/emisportal2/doc/fckeditor/File/senarai_sek_09/menengah/SabahM.pdf |archive-date=10 January 2015 }}</ref> five [[international school]]s (comprising Charis International School,<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.charis.edu.my/ |title=Main Page |journal=Scholarpedia |volume=1 |issue=2 |page=1 |publisher=Charis International School Borneo Tawau |access-date=17 August 2016|bibcode=2006SchpJ...1....1I |last1=Izhikevich |first1=Eugene |year=2006 |doi=10.4249/scholarpedia.1 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Kinabalu International School,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kis.edu.my/ |title=Welcome to KIS |publisher=Kinabalu International School |access-date=17 August 2016}}</ref> Sayfol International School,<ref>{{cite journal |title=Main Page |journal=Scholarpedia |volume=1 |issue=2 |page=1 |publisher=Sayfol International School Sabah |bibcode=2006SchpJ...1....1I |last1=Izhikevich |first1=Eugene |year=2006 |doi=10.4249/scholarpedia.1 |doi-access=free }}</ref> as well the Indonesian School of Kota Kinabalu<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sabah.edu.my/kjs/index.html |title=Kota Kinabalu Indonesian School |access-date=17 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150823043829/http://www.sikk.edu.my/ |archive-date=23 August 2015 }}</ref> and Japanese School of Kota Kinabalu).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sabah.edu.my/kjs/index.html |title=Kinabalu Japanese School |access-date=17 August 2016}}</ref> and nine [[Chinese independent high school|Chinese independent schools]]. Sabah has a considerable number of indigenous students enrolled in Chinese schools.<ref name="bcs">{{cite web |url=http://www.thesundaily.my/node/135077 |title=55,975 bumiputera pupils in Chinese schools |work=Bernama |publisher=The Sun |date=17 December 2010 |access-date=17 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160626080230/http://www.thesundaily.my/node/135077 |archive-date=26 June 2016 }}</ref>

Sabah state government also emphasises pre-school education in the state. This was followed with the aid from [[Sabah Foundation]] (Yayasan Sabah) and [[Nestlé]] who helped to establish pre-schools in the state.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.yayasansabahgroup.org.my/education.cfm |title=Education |publisher=[[Sabah Foundation|Yayasan Sabah]] |access-date=17 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817102842/http://www.yayasansabahgroup.org.my/education.cfm |archive-date=17 August 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nestle.com.my/csv/CreatingSharedValueCaseStudies/AllCaseStudies/sabah_education |title=Nestlé Community Kindergarten (Malaysia) |publisher=[[Nestlé]] |date=17 August 2016 |access-date=17 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817103244/http://www.nestle.com.my/csv/CreatingSharedValueCaseStudies/AllCaseStudies/sabah_education |archive-date=17 August 2016 }}</ref> Sabah has two public universities: [[Universiti Malaysia Sabah]] (UMS) and [[Universiti Teknologi MARA]] (UiTM). [[Universiti Tun Abdul Razak]] (UNIRAZAK) has set up their regional centre in Kota Kinabalu.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.etawau.com/edu/UniversitiesPrivate/UNIRAZAK.htm |title=Universiti Tun Abdul Razak (UNIRAZAK) Sabah Regional Centre |publisher=e-tawau |date=10 March 2016 |access-date=17 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817105902/http://www.etawau.com/edu/UniversitiesPrivate/UNIRAZAK.htm |archive-date=17 August 2016 }}</ref> As of 2016, there is around 15 private colleges, two private university colleges together with other newly established colleges.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.etawau.com/edu/IndexCollegeSabah.htm |title=Colleges and Universities in Sabah |publisher=e-tawau |date=20 June 2016 |access-date=17 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817111131/http://www.etawau.com/edu/IndexCollegeSabah.htm |archive-date=17 August 2016 }}</ref> In 1960, the overall literacy rate in North Borneo was only 24%.<ref>{{cite book |author=Thomas Henry Silcock |title=The Political Economy of Independent Malaya: A Case-study in Development |url=https://archive.org/details/politicaleconomy0000silc |url-access=registration |year=1963 |publisher=University of California Press |page=[https://archive.org/details/politicaleconomy0000silc/page/46 46] |id=GGKEY:LTF1ABP2J6P}}</ref> The recent findings in 2011 found the literacy rate have increase to 79%.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://asiafoundation.org/2012/09/05/in-remote-sabah-books-can-help-reduce-isolation/ |title=In Remote Sabah, Books Can Help Reduce Isolation |author1=Amir Shariff |author2=Wendy Rockett |publisher=[[The Asia Foundation]] |date=5 September 2012 |access-date=13 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160813082522/http://asiafoundation.org/2012/09/05/in-remote-sabah-books-can-help-reduce-isolation/ |archive-date=13 August 2016 }}</ref> Most of secondary schools leavers also did not continue their studies after completing their [[Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia]] (SPM) mainly due to financial burden as well because of the lack of interest and confidence to continue their studies in local higher learning institutes, with a survey in 2015 saw only 16,000 out of more than 20,000 secondary schools leavers continuing their studies.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2015/08/28/most-sabah-spm-leavers-not-continuing-studies/ |title=Most Sabah SPM leavers not continuing studies |newspaper=The Borneo Post |date=28 August 2015 |access-date=16 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816084140/http://www.theborneopost.com/2015/08/28/most-sabah-spm-leavers-not-continuing-studies/ |archive-date=16 August 2016 }}</ref>

[[File:Sandakan Sabah School-boys-in-their-school-uniform-01.jpg|thumb|left|Sabahan secondary school students in their [[School uniforms by country#Malaysia|uniform]].]]
In early 2016, Sabah had a total number of 42,047 teachers teaching in various pre-schools, primary and secondary schools.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=112062 |title=Teachers warned on verbal abuse |newspaper=Daily Express |date=16 August 2016 |access-date=22 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822051255/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=112062 |archive-date=22 August 2016 }}</ref> Following the decentralisation of power from the federal government to state government as well to improve the education in the state, there has been a target to reach 90% of teachers from Sabahans itself.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2015/09/17/sabah-sarawak-granted-more-autonomy-in-administration/ |title=Sabah, Sarawak granted more autonomy in administration |author=Nancy Lai |newspaper=The Borneo Post |date=17 September 2015 |access-date=22 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822052610/http://www.theborneopost.com/2015/09/17/sabah-sarawak-granted-more-autonomy-in-administration/ |archive-date=22 August 2016 }}</ref> [[Sabah State Library]] are the main public library in the state.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ssl.sabah.gov.my/ |title=Home Page |publisher=Sabah State Library |access-date=22 August 2016 |archive-date=9 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161209124353/http://ssl.sabah.gov.my/ }}</ref> There is another 11 Indonesian schools (beside the main Indonesian school in the state capital) spreading across Sabah mainly for Indonesian migrants children residing in the state.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kemlu.go.id/kotakinabalu/id/arsip/lembar-informasi/Pages/DAFTAR-SEKOLAH-INDONESIA-DI-SABAH.aspx |title=Daftar Sekolah Indonesia di Sabah |trans-title=List of Indonesian Schools in Sabah |language=id |publisher=Konsulat Jenderal Republik Indonesia di Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia |date=27 April 2010 |access-date=17 August 2016 |archive-date=23 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171023063604/https://www.kemlu.go.id/kotakinabalu/id/arsip/lembar-informasi/Pages/DAFTAR-SEKOLAH-INDONESIA-DI-SABAH.aspx }}</ref> Since 2014, Filipino migrants children also have been enrolled to recently established Alternative Learning Centre (ALC) that was set-up by [[Filipinos in Malaysia|Filipino volunteers in Sabah]] with a collaboration with various local non-governmental organisations (NGO).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.deped.gov.ph/press-releases/deped-expands-educ-access-filipino-children-sabah |title=DepEd expands educ access for Filipino children in Sabah |publisher=[[Department of Education (Philippines)|Department of Education, Philippines]] |date=10 September 2014 |access-date=17 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817090540/http://www.deped.gov.ph/press-releases/deped-expands-educ-access-filipino-children-sabah |archive-date=17 August 2016 }}</ref>

== Demography ==
{{main|Demographics of Sabah}}

=== Ethnicity and immigration ===
{{bar box
|width=250px
|barwidth=100px
|title=Ethnic groups in Sabah (2020)<ref name="OwnCloud::DOSM">{{cite web | url=https://cloud.stats.gov.my/index.php/s/BG11nZfaBh09RaX#pdfviewer | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220418044258/https://cloud.stats.gov.my/index.php/s/BG11nZfaBh09RaX#pdfviewer | archive-date=18 April 2022 | title=OwnCloud::DOSM }}</ref>
|titlebar=#ddd
|left1=Ethnic
|right1=Percent
|float=right
|bars=
{{bar percent|Other [[Bumiputera (Malaysia)|Bumiputera]]|#CCCCFF|19.69}}
{{bar percent|[[Kadazan-Dusun]]|#AAF0D1|19.33}}
{{bar percent|[[Bajau people|Bajau]]|#89CFF0|16.54}}
{{bar percent|[[Malaysian Chinese|Chinese]]|#FEC499|7.28}}
{{bar percent|[[Malays (ethnic group)|Malay]]|#DD818A|8.99}}
{{bar percent|[[Murut people|Murut]]|#FF9A71|3.11}}
{{bar percent|Other local non-native|#969696|1.34}}
{{bar percent|Non-Malaysian citizen|#FFB7C5|23.71}}
}}

According to the 2020 Malaysian census, the population of Sabah stands at 3,418,785, making Sabah the third most populous state in Malaysia with the highest non-citizen population at 810,443.<ref name="OwnCloud::DOSM"/> However, as Malaysia is one of the [[population density|least densely populated countries]] in Asia, Sabah is particularly sparsely populated with most of the population concentrated in the coastal areas since towns and urban centres have massively expanded. People from Sabah are generally called Sabahans and identify themselves as such.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2015/05/10/sabahan-first-then-a-malaysian-you-can-take-me-out-of-sabah-but-you-cant-take-sabah-out-of-me/ |title=Sabahan first, then a Malaysian |author=Philip Golingai |work=The Star |date=10 May 2015 |access-date=2 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160602052406/http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2015/05/10/sabahan-first-then-a-malaysian-you-can-take-me-out-of-sabah-but-you-cant-take-sabah-out-of-me/ |archive-date=2 June 2016 }}</ref> There are an estimated 42 ethnic groups with over 200 [[sub-ethnic groups]] with separate own languages, cultures and belief systems.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/sabah-lists-42-ethnic-groups-to-replace-lain-lain-race-column |title=Sabah lists 42 ethnic groups to replace 'lain-lain' race column |author=Julia Chan |newspaper=The Malay Mail |date=13 February 2015 |access-date=1 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601095050/http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/sabah-lists-42-ethnic-groups-to-replace-lain-lain-race-column |archive-date=1 June 2016 }}</ref> The three largest indigenous groups in Sabah are the [[Kadazan-Dusun]], [[Bajau people|Bajau]] and the [[Murut people|Murut]]. There are large [[Rungus|Rungus People]], [[Orang Sungai]], [[Bruneian Malays]], [[Lun Bawang|Lundayeh]], [[Suluk people|Suluk]] and other [[Bumiputera (Malaysia)|Bumiputera]] ethnic minorities,<ref name="indigenous culture">{{cite web |url=http://www.accu.or.jp/litdbase/pub/dlperson/97rw/97RW_04.pdf |title=Introduction to Integration of Indigenous Culture into Non-Formal Education Programmes in Sabah |author1=Patricia Regis |author2=Anne Lasimbang |author3=Rita Lasimbang |author4=J. W. King |work=Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Development, Partners of Community Organisations (PACOS), Kadazandusun Language Foundation and Summer Institute of Linguistics, Malaysia Branch, Sabah |publisher=Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (Japan) |access-date=28 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160828100840/http://www.accu.or.jp/litdbase/pub/dlperson/97rw/97RW_04.pdf |archive-date=28 August 2016 }}</ref> while the [[Malaysian Chinese|Chinese]] makes up the main non-indigenous population.<ref name="sbh"/> High migration to the state was noticeable in the 1970s, when hundreds of thousands of [[Refugees of the Philippines|Filipino refugees]], mostly the [[Moro people|Moros]], began arriving due to the [[Moro conflict in the Philippines|Moro conflict in the county]]. There are also [[Indonesians in Malaysia|Indonesian]] labourers from Kalimantan, [[Sulawesi]] and [[Lesser Sunda Islands]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.giga-hamburg.de/sites/default/files/openaccess/suedostasienaktuell/2006_5/giga_soa_2006_5_frank.pdf|title=Project Mahathir: 'Extraordinary' Population Growth in Sabah (The History of Illegal Immigration to Sabah)|author=Sina Frank|work=Im Fokus|publisher=[[German Institute of Global and Area Studies]]|date=May 2006|access-date=6 November 2014|pages=72 and 73/2 and 3|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141106073701/http://www.giga-hamburg.de/sites/default/files/openaccess/suedostasienaktuell/2006_5/giga_soa_2006_5_frank.pdf |archive-date=6 November 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author1=Alexander Horstmann|author2=Reed L. Wadley†|title=Centering the Margin: Agency and Narrative in Southeast Asian Borderlands|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ny_9nvERZtUC&pg=PA149|year=2006|publisher=Berghahn Books|isbn=978-0-85745-439-3|page=149}}</ref> The arrival of uncontrollable illegal immigration have cause major impact on political, economic and socio-cultural problem particularly on local indigenous peoples. The arrival of these illegal immigrants and the slow economic growth have forced Sabahans to immigrate to Peninsular Malaysia or overseas to find better paying jobs and income opportunities.<ref name = "GDP"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rsis.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/WP334.pdf |title=Sabah's Unrelenting Exclusionary and Inclusionary Politics  |publisher=S. Rajaratham School of International Studies Singapore |access-date=6 November 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news/137636/sabah-s-brain-drain-serious-/|title=Sabah's brain drain 'serious' &#124; Daily Express Online – Sabah's Leading News Portal|website=Dailyexpress.com.my|date=11 July 2019 }}</ref>

=== Religion ===
{{bar box
|width=250px
|barwidth=100px
|title=Religion in Sabah (2020)<ref name="Census 2020">{{cite web |url=https://tableau.dosm.gov.my/t/mbls/views/1202/Negeri6?%3Adisplay_count=n&%3Aembed=y&%3AisGuestRedirectFromVizportal=y&%3Aorigin=viz_share_link&%3AshowAppBanner=false&%3AshowVizHome=n |title=Taburan Penduduk dan Ciri-ciri Asas Demografi |publisher=Jabatan Perangkaan Malaysia |access-date=25 April 2020  }}</ref>
|titlebar=#ddd
|left1=Religion
|right1=Percent
|float=right
|bars=
{{bar percent|[[Islam]]|Green|69.6}}
{{bar percent|[[Christianity]]|Blue|24.7}}
{{bar percent|[[Buddhism]]|Yellow|5.1}}
{{bar percent|[[Irreligion|No religion]]|Black|0.4}}
{{bar percent|Others|Gray|0.1}}
{{bar percent|[[Hinduism]]|Orange|0.1}}
}}

[[Islam]] is the predominant religion in Sabah, although its society remained [[secularism|secular]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Yew-Foong Hui|title=Encountering Islam: The Politics of Religious Identities in Southeast Asia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3PDwQB4tBG8C&pg=PA158|year=2013|publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies|isbn=978-981-4379-92-2|page=158}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/sabah-sarawak-leaders-urge-malaysians-to-reject-pass-syariah-law-bill|title=Sabah, Sarawak leaders urge Malaysians to reject PAS's Syariah law Bill|newspaper=The Straits Times|date=7 May 2017|access-date=19 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180219063542/http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/sabah-sarawak-leaders-urge-malaysians-to-reject-pass-syariah-law-bill|archive-date=19 February 2018}}</ref> In the 2020 census, the percentage of Muslims was around 69.6%, while that of [[Christianity|Christians]] was 24.7% and that of [[Buddhism]] 5.1%.<ref name="Census 2020"/> In 1960, the population percentage of Muslims was only 37.9%, while the percentage of Christians was 16.6% and almost half of the population professed other religions, that is at 45.5%.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MuEgAQAAMAAJ&q=Report+on+the+Census+of+Population+Taken+on+10th+August,+1960+%221960+Christian%22 | title=Report on the Census of Population Taken on 10th August, 1960 | date=1962 | publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MuEgAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Number+Percentage+of+Total+Population+Religion+1921+*+1931+*+1951+1960+1921+*+1931+*+1951+1960+Christian+Muslim+Other+Religion+6,980+10,454+29,092+75,247+81,886+86,713+115,126+172,324+168,938+173,056+189,923+206,850+2.7+3.9+8.7+16.6%22 | title=Report on the Census of Population Taken on 10th August, 1960 | date=1962 | publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Carlo Caldarola|title=Religion and Societies: Asia and the Middle East|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dnPu49bHNUkC|date=1982|publisher=Walter de Gruyter|isbn=978-3-11-082353-0}}</ref> The increase was mainly contributed through the uncontrolled high immigration rate and controversial mass conversions in recent decades.<ref name="controversial">{{cite web|url=http://web.usm.my/km/33(2)2015/km33022015_01.pdf|title=Patronage, Power and Prowess: Barisan Nasional's Equilibrium Dominance in East Malaysia|author=Faisal H. Hazis|work=Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia|publisher=Universiti Sains Malaysia|year=2015|access-date=19 June 2016|pages=15/24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160619080534/http://web.usm.my/km/33(2)2015/km33022015_01.pdf |archive-date=19 June 2016}}</ref><ref name="Hui2013">{{cite book|author=Yew-Foong Hui|title=Encountering Islam: The Politics of Religious Identities in Southeast Asia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3PDwQB4tBG8C&pg=PA170|year=2013|publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies|isbn=978-981-4379-92-2|pages=169–170}}</ref>

The ''Colony of North Borneo Annual Report, 1960'', notes that major indigenous groups maintained pagan beliefs, while coastal areas were majority Muslim. Other religions mentioned were traditional Chinese beliefs and various Christian denominations.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://seadelt.net/Asset/Source/Document_ID-417_No-01.pdf|title=Colony of North Borneo, Annual Report 1960|website=Seadelt.net|access-date=8 January 2022}}</ref> Many indigenous groups saw conversions to Christianity,<ref>{{cite journal | author=Suraya Sintang| pages=59, 65 |url=https://ejournal.um.edu.my/index.php/JUD/article/view/4088/1956|title =PENGANUTAN AGAMA ISLAM DAN KRISTIAN DI KALANGAN MASYARAKAT KADAZANDUSUN DI SABAH|publisher=Academy of Islamic Studies, University of Malaya| year=2003|volume=18|issn=1394-3723|journal=Journal of Usuluddin}}</ref> in part due to cultural compatibility such as having no ban on pork.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/10/05/world/kota-kinabalu-journal-moslem-cause-celebre-a-good-christian-burial.html|title=Kota Kinabalu Journal; Moslem Cause Celebre: A Good Christian Burial|first=Barbara|last=Crossette|date=5 October 1987|website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>

Several other religions, such as [[Chinese folk religion]] as well as the Indian religions of [[Hinduism]] and [[Sikhism]], are also practised in the state.<ref>{{cite book|author=Yong Leng Lee|title=North Borneo (Sabah): A Study in Settlement Geography|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fJceAAAAMAAJ|year=1965|publisher=Eastern Universities Press}}</ref>

=== Languages ===
[[Malay language|Malay]] is the main language spoken in the state, although with a different [[Sabah Malay|creole]] from [[Sarawak Malay]] and Peninsular Malay.<ref>{{cite book|author=Asmah Haji Omar|title=Languages in the Malaysian Education System: Monolingual Strands in Multilingual Settings|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iaQ0CwAAQBAJ&pg=PT53|year=2015|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-36421-4|page=53}}</ref> The state has its own slang for Malay which originated either from indigenous words, [[Brunei Malay]], [[Sama–Bajaw languages|Bajau]], [[Suluk language|Suluk]] and [[Dusun language|Dusun]] languages.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://studentsrepo.um.edu.my/5575/2/2.Chapter_1.pdf|title=The Sabah Malay Dialect: A Phonological Study of The Urban Dialect of Kota Kinabalu City|author=JKL Wong|publisher=University of Malaya|year=2012|access-date=25 June 2016|page=7/11}}</ref> The indigenous languages of Sabah can be divided into four language families of [[Dusunic languages|Dusunic]], [[Murutic languages|Murutic]], [[Paitanic languages|Paitanic]] and [[Sama–Bajaw languages|Sama–Bajau]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flyingdusun.com/004_Features/018_Languages.htm|title=Languages of Sabah|author=Herman Scholz|publisher=Flying Dusun|year=2003|access-date=25 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160625045918/http://www.flyingdusun.com/004_Features/018_Languages.htm |archive-date=25 June 2016}}</ref> The indigenous languages however facing extinction due to widespread use of Malay language particularly in home as parents often see the indigenous language as inconvenient especially in job related. However, as awareness for the indigenous language becoming more obvious, more modern parents insist on passing down their mother tongue language.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://dailyexpress.com.my/read.cfm?NewsID=2671|title=The KadazanDusun language dilemma|newspaper=Daily Express|date=1 October 2017|access-date=14 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220314070418/http://dailyexpress.com.my/read.cfm?NewsID=2671|archive-date=14 March 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.borneotoday.net/native-tongues-in-decline-but-all-is-not-lost/|title=Native Tongues in Decline But All is Not Lost|newspaper=Borneo Today|date=20 June 2020|access-date=14 March 2022|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220314070737/https://www.borneotoday.net/native-tongues-in-decline-but-all-is-not-lost/|archive-date=14 March 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thesundaily.my/local/danger-of-minority-languages-going-extinct-EN8935710|title=Danger of minority languages going extinct|last=Supramani|first=Shivani|newspaper=The Sun (Malaysia)|date=20 June 2020|access-date=14 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220314071259/https://www.thesundaily.my/local/danger-of-minority-languages-going-extinct-EN8935710|archive-date=14 March 2022}}</ref> As the [[Hakka]] forms the majority of Chinese in Sabah, the [[Hakka dialect]] is the most commonly spoken [[Chinese dialect]] in the state apart from [[Cantonese]] and [[Hokkien]] dialects.<ref>{{cite book|author=Delai Zhang|title=The Hakkas of Sabah: A Survey of Their Impact on the Modernization of the Bornean Malaysian State|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W3JwAAAAMAAJ|year=2002|publisher=Sabah Theological Seminary|isbn=978-983-40840-0-4}}</ref>

Following the change of the government after the 2018 general election, the new Sabah government has stated that there is no restriction on the usage of [[English language|English]] in the state, adding that even if the Education Ministry stated that it is unlawful for English be used in Sabah, the restrictions will not be allowed to be imposed in the state, and that the state government will undo the previous improper law since the restrictions will only cause more damage to their younger generations especially when they need to work in private firms or organisations that require English proficiency. The new state government also stated that they will look into the matters if there is a need for a change in the state law.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=127026|title=Cannot stop Sabah using English: CM|newspaper=Daily Express|date=11 September 2018|access-date=21 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180921023831/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=127026|archive-date=21 September 2018}}</ref>

== Culture ==
{{see also|Culture of Malaysia}}
[[File:Kota Kinabalu Sabah NationalDepartmentOfCultureAndArts-SabahBranch-01.jpg|thumb|right|The branch building of [[National Department for Culture and Arts]] in Kota Kinabalu.]]
Sabah culture is diverse due to a wide range of different ethnicity.<ref name="indigenous culture"/> In the coastal areas, Sabahan culture has been influenced by the Bruneian Malays and West Coast Bajaus on the west coast side while in the east coast it is influenced by either East Coast Bajau, Bugis, and Suluk cultures with Islam being the important part of their lives.<ref name="culture relationship">{{cite journal |title=The relationship between culture and leadership style preference among Malay-Brunei, Bajau and Kadazan-Dusun community in Sabah, Malaysia |author1=Dg Kamisah Ag Budin |author2=Syed Azizi Wafa |journal=Universiti Teknologi MARA, Universiti Malaysia Sabah |volume=34 |issue = 10|pages=1202–1210 |year=2015 |doi=10.1108/JMD-02-2015-0019 |issn=0262-1711}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Stephen Chia |title=Wood Coffin Burial of Kinabatangan, Sabah (Penerbit USM) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=URsIBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA93 |date= 2014 |publisher=Penerbit USM |isbn=978-983-861-726-0 |page=93}}</ref> Christianity plays an important part to the indigenous cultures in the interior side in the daily lives of the Kadazan-Dusun, Lundayeh, Murut and Rungus beside their old practice of the traditional Animism and Paganism.<ref name="culture relationship"/> The indigenous culture however are in danger and facing extinction due to widespread cultural assimilation from Peninsular to the state. Controversial [[Malayisation]] take place in the state since Malaya-based political parties took over the Sabah Government.<ref>{{cite journal |title="Are They Making Fun of Us?" The Politics of Development in Sabah, Malaysia |author=Amity A. Doolittle |journal= Social Science Research on Southeast Asia|date=2001 |pages=75–95 |volume=4 |issue=4 |doi=10.4000/moussons.3454|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.rsis.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/WP334.pdf |title=Sabah's Unrelenting Exclusionary And Inclusionary Politics |author1=Vilashini Somiah |author2=Jose Ricardo Sto. Domingo |journal= S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Singapore |date=5 May 2021 |page=16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220314072759/https://www.rsis.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/WP334.pdf |archive-date=14 March 2022 }}</ref>

There is a number of cultural villages exhibiting Sabah indigenous cultures such as the Borneo Cultural Village,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.borneolegend.com/Borneo%20Cultural%20Village.cfm |title=Home Page (Borneo Cultural Village) |publisher=Borneo Legend |access-date=28 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160828093809/http://www.borneolegend.com/Borneo%20Cultural%20Village.cfm |archive-date=28 August 2016 }}</ref> Mari Mari Cultural Village<ref>{{cite web |url=http://marimariculturalvillage.com/ |title=Home Page |publisher=Mari Mari Cultural Village |access-date=28 August 2016}}</ref> and [[Monsopiad]] Cultural Village,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sabahtourism.com/destination/monsopiad-heritage-village |title=Monsopiad Heritage Village |publisher=Sabah Tourism |access-date=28 August 2016 }}</ref> where cultural performances are also performed. [[Sabah Museum]] houses a number of collection of various [[artifact (archaeology)|artefacts]], [[brass]]ware and [[ceramics]] covering the diverse culture of Sabah, [[natural history]], [[Timeline of international trade|trade history]] and [[Muslim world|Islamic civilisation]] together with an ethnobotanical garden and science and technology centre.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.museum.sabah.gov.my/?q=content/sabah-museum-kota-kinabalu |title=Sabah Museum Kota Kinabalu |publisher=[[Sabah Museum]] |access-date=28 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160828131352/http://www.museum.sabah.gov.my/?q=content%2Fsabah-museum-kota-kinabalu |archive-date=28 August 2016 }}</ref> Other museums include the [[Agop Batu Tulug Caves|Agop Batu Tulug Museum]], [[Agnes Newton Keith|Agnes Keith]] House (''[[Agnes Keith House|Newlands]]''), [[Pogunon Community Museum]], [[Sandakan Heritage Museum]], Teck Guan Cocoa Museum and 3D Wonders Museum.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thesundaily.my/news/1579852 |title=Sandakan and Kinabatangan museums highlight east Sabah heritage |work=Bernama |publisher=The Sun |date=13 October 2015 |access-date=28 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160828140307/http://www.thesundaily.my/news/1579852 |archive-date=28 August 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.etawau.com/PlacesInterest/CocoaMuseum.htm |title=Teck Guan Cocoa Museum |publisher=e-tawau |date=13 July 2016 |access-date=28 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160828142950/http://www.etawau.com/PlacesInterest/CocoaMuseum.htm |archive-date=28 August 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.upsidedownhouse.com.my/3d-wonders-museum/ |title=3D Wonders Museum |publisher=Upside Down House |access-date=28 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160828140907/http://www.upsidedownhouse.com.my/3d-wonders-museum/ |archive-date=28 August 2016 }}</ref> There is also a number of preserved British, German and Japanese [[colonial architecture]] such as the [[Atkinson Clock Tower]], [[Batu Tinagat Lighthouse]], [[Jesselton Hotel]], ruins of [[Kinarut Mansion]], the [[Sabah Tourism Board]] building, [[Tawau Bell Tower]] together with a number of memorials and monuments. Other unique tourist attractions include the ''Rumah Terbalik'' (Upside Down House) and Borneo Ant House.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.upsidedownhouse.com.my/ |title=The Upside-down House |publisher=Upside Down House |access-date=10 July 2017 |archive-date=3 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210503050259/https://upsidedownhouse.com.my/ }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://borneobulletin.com.bn/borneo-ant-house-new-tourist-attraction-sabah/ |title=Borneo Ant House, new tourist attraction in Sabah |publisher=Borneo Bulletin |date=30 June 2017 |access-date=10 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170710133038/http://borneobulletin.com.bn/borneo-ant-house-new-tourist-attraction-sabah/ |archive-date=10 July 2017 }}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" caption="Traditional houses in Sabah">
File:Salarom Sabah Frame-of-a-new-house-01.jpg|alt=The wooden frame of a house under construction, with the floor raised off the ground|A traditional house under construction
File:Tambulian KotaBelud Sabah Traditional-houses-02.jpg|[[Bajau people|Bajau]] house
File:Bisaya House.JPG|[[Bisaya (Borneo)|Bisaya]] house
File:KotaKinabalu Sabah Rumah-Brunei-01.jpg|[[Bruneian Malay people|Brunei Malay]] house
File:Kanibongan Sabah Longhouse-01.jpg|[[Dusun people|Dusun]] longhouse
File:Iranun House.JPG|[[Illanun people|Illanun]] house
File:Lotud House.JPG|[[Lotud]] house
</gallery>

=== Fine arts and crafts ===
[[File:KgKuaiKandazon Sabah Monsopiad-Cultural-Village-DansePerformance-10.jpg|thumb|left|upright|The ''[[Sumazau]]'' dance performance of Papar Kadazan at the [[Monsopiad]] Cultural Village.]]
[[Handicraft]] and [[souvenir]] productions are part of the tourism products in Sabah. In addition, the Sabah Crafts Exotica programme has been held annually since 2011 in different small local museums.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2011/04/05/museum-should-be-aggressive-in-attracting-visitors/ |title=Museum should be aggressive in attracting visitors |newspaper=The Borneo Post |date=5 April 2011 |access-date=10 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160910042339/http://www.theborneopost.com/2011/04/05/museum-should-be-aggressive-in-attracting-visitors/ |archive-date=10 September 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=111151 |title=Crafts Exotica woos culture lovers |newspaper=Daily Express |date=5 July 2016 |access-date=10 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160910042653/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=111151 |archive-date=10 September 2016 }}</ref> Following the various initiatives by state government to encourage local entrepreneurs for state handicrafts, there were a total of 526 entrepreneurs in 2012 which increased to 1,483 in 2013 and 1,702 in 2014 with total sales value up from RM31 million to RM56 million.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=92709 |title=Overseas promotion next year for local handicraft |newspaper=Daily Express |date=29 October 2014 |access-date=10 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160910045808/http://dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=92709 |archive-date=10 September 2016 }}</ref>

[[File:Tambunan Sabah Roundabout-with Sompoton.jpg|thumb|right|The [[roundabout]] in Tambunan with the sculpture of [[Sompoton]], the main musical instrument of Sabah.]]
Every ethnic groups in Sabah are known for their traditional music instruments,<ref>{{cite journal |jstor=851525 |title=The Musical Instruments of Sabah, Malaysia |author=Edward M. Frame |journal= Ethnomusicology|date=May 1982 |pages=247–274 |volume=26 |issue=2 |doi=10.2307/851525}}</ref> the coastal people of Bajau, Brunei Malays, Bugis, Illanun, Kedayan and Suluks known for their [[gendang]], [[rebana|kompang]] and [[kulintangan]];<ref>{{cite book |author=Elaine Lee |title=Ethnic musical instruments of Malaysia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aqWfAAAAMAAJ |year=2006 |publisher=Win Publication|isbn=978-983-2312-17-8 }}</ref> while the interior people such as the Dusun known with their [[bungkau]], [[sompoton]] and turali, the Lun Bawang/Lun Dayeh with their bass, the Kadazan with their tongkungon, the Murut with their tagunggak, the Rungus with their sundatang, tontog and turuding;<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2016/07/13/beauty-to-promote-rungus-culture/ |title=Beauty to promote Rungus culture |author=Jenne Lajiun |newspaper=The Borneo Post |date=5 April 2011 |access-date=10 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160714075738/http://www.theborneopost.com/2016/07/13/beauty-to-promote-rungus-culture/ |archive-date=14 July 2016 }}</ref><ref name="rungus culture">{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=111275 |title=Promoting Rungus attire and musical instruments |newspaper=Daily Express |date=13 July 2016 |access-date=10 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160910044722/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=111275 |archive-date=10 September 2016 }}</ref> [[suling]] is mostly played by all the interior ethnic groups of Kadazan-Dusun, Murut, Rungus and Lun Bawang/Lun Dayeh in the state.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.flyingdusun.com/004_Features/043_instruments.htm |title=Music Instruments in Sabah |author=Herman Scholz |publisher=Flying Dusun |access-date=10 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160910063525/http://www.flyingdusun.com/004_Features/043_instruments.htm |archive-date=10 September 2016 }}</ref> Every ethnic groups also known for their traditional dances; both Kadazan-Dusun were known for their ''[[Sumazau]]'' dance, the Murut with their ''Magunatip'',<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/read.cfm?NewsID=1791 |title=Magunatip influenced by P'pines' Tinikling? |newspaper=Daily Express |date=23 November 2015 |access-date=10 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160910101324/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/read.cfm?NewsID=1791 |archive-date=10 September 2016 }}</ref> the Rungus with their ''Mongigol Sumundai'',<ref name="rungus culture"/> The Lun Bawang/Lun Dayeh with their ''Alai Busak Baku'', the Brunei Malays with their ''Adai-Adai'',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sabah.gov.my/pd.ppr/kebudayaan.htm |title=Kebudaan Papar (Brunei) |trans-title=Papar Culture (Brunei) |publisher=Papar District Office |access-date=10 September 2016 |language=ms |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141029011852/http://www.sabah.gov.my/pd.ppr/kebudayaan.htm |archive-date=29 October 2014 }}</ref> the West Coast Bajau with their ''Limbai'' and ''Kuda Pasu'', the East Coast Bajau and Suluk with their ''[[Pangalay]]'' (also known as ''Daling-Daling'' or ''Mengalai''), Bisaya with their ''Liliput'' and the Cocos Malays with their ''Dansa'' and ''Nona Mansaya'' along with many other dances from other sub-ethnic groups.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sabah.edu.my/itma018/Culture/Dances.htm |title=Dances of Sabah |publisher=Sabah Education Department |access-date=10 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160910100718/http://www.sabah.edu.my/itma018/Culture/Dances.htm |archive-date=10 September 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Sabah Tourism Promotion Corporation |title=Cultures, customs, and traditions of Sabah, Malaysia: an introduction |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M5xuAAAAMAAJ |date= 1993 |publisher=Sabah Tourism Promotion Corp.|isbn=978-983-020-000-2 }}</ref> Beside that, the state of Sabah is also known for [[Malaysian batik|batik]] production though the industry are still small than the major batik producer states in the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://ww1.utusan.com.my/utusan/Keluarga/20140302/ke_02/Nilai-tinggi-batik-Sabah |title=Nilai tinggi batik Sabah |trans-title=High value Sabah batik |author=Hisyamuddin Ayub |language=ms |newspaper=Utusan Malaysia |date=2 March 2014 |access-date=10 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160910080217/http://ww1.utusan.com.my/utusan/Keluarga/20140302/ke_02/Nilai-tinggi-batik-Sabah |archive-date=10 September 2016 }}</ref> The state batik has since been commercialised to enter the international market.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/11/14/sabah-batik-penetrates-international-market/ |title=Sabah batik penetrates international market |newspaper=The Borneo Post |date=14 November 2012 |access-date=10 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160910080704/http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/11/14/sabah-batik-penetrates-international-market/ |archive-date=10 September 2016 }}</ref>

=== Cuisine ===
{{main|Sabahan cuisine}}
[[File:Swordfish hinava.jpg|thumb|left|A swordfish [[hinava]] served with [[Pullman loaf|sandwich bread]]]]
Notable dishes in Sabah include the Beaufort mee,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://traveltips.usatoday.com/places-visit-beaufort-sabah-malaysia-54995.html |title=Places to Visit in Beaufort (Sabah), Malaysia |author=Joanne Robitaille |newspaper=[[USA Today]] |access-date=5 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160905052200/http://traveltips.usatoday.com/places-visit-beaufort-sabah-malaysia-54995.html |archive-date=5 September 2016 }}</ref><ref name="noodles">{{cite web |url=http://www.u-tour.jp/wp/useful/machikado/foods/|script-title=ja:「オススメ ミー(麺)料理」 |language=ja |publisher=u-tour (Japan) |access-date=5 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160905051507/http://www.u-tour.jp/wp/useful/machikado/foods/ |archive-date=5 September 2016 }}</ref> bosou,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://eprints.ums.edu.my/13234/ |title=Bosou – makanan tradisi masyarakat Dusun Sabah |trans-title=Bosou – the traditional food of the Sabah Dusun community |language=ms |publisher=Universiti Malaysia Sabah Repository |year=2014 |access-date=5 September 2016}}</ref> [[hinava]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://travel.asiaone.com/travel/inspirations/cuisines-malaysia |title=Cuisines in Malaysia |work=Tourism Malaysia |publisher=AsiaOne |date=28 January 2016 |access-date=5 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160905043020/http://travel.asiaone.com/travel/inspirations/cuisines-malaysia |archive-date=5 September 2016 }}</ref> ngiu chap, pinasakan,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2016/09/16/sabah-pinasakan/ |title=Sabah: Pinasakan |author=Sharmila Nair |work=The Star |date=16 September 2016 |access-date=17 September 2016}}</ref> Sipitang [[satay]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thestar.com.my/metro/focus/2016/05/23/sipitangs-road-to-industrial-success-border-town-known-for-good-satay-soon-to-be-countrys-largest-ur/ |title=Sipitang's road to industrial success |author=Ruben Sario |work=The Star |date=23 May 2016 |access-date=5 September 2016 |quote=Sipitang is also widely known as having among the best satay in the state and many drive to the town just to taste the speciality.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2016/07/01/school-allocations-to-be-trimmed-by-20-pct/ |title=School allocations to be trimmed by 20 pct |newspaper=The Borneo Post |date=1 July 2016 |access-date=5 September 2016 |quote=We were also told that Sipitang is also widely known as having the best satay in Sabah and many come to the town to taste the specialty. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160905050301/http://www.theborneopost.com/2016/07/01/school-allocations-to-be-trimmed-by-20-pct/ |archive-date=5 September 2016 }}</ref> Tuaran mee,<ref name="noodles"/><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/jan/06/real-street-food-tuaran-mee-noodles |title=Real street food: Tuaran mee noodles |author=Jackie Miao |newspaper=The Guardian |date=6 January 2015 |access-date=5 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160905043513/https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/jan/06/real-street-food-tuaran-mee-noodles |archive-date=5 September 2016 }}</ref> tuhau,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sinarharian.com.my/mobile/bisnes/tumbuhan-liar-berbau-hasilkan-makanan-komersil-1.360242 |title=Tumbuhan liar berbau hasilkan makanan komersil |trans-title=Wild smelly plants produces commercial food |author=Connie S Monical |language=ms |publisher=[[Sinar Harian]] |date=14 February 2015 |access-date=5 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160914093812/http://www.sinarharian.com.my/mobile/bisnes/tumbuhan-liar-berbau-hasilkan-makanan-komersil-1.360242 |archive-date=14 September 2016 }}</ref> the bambangan fruit (''[[mangifera pajang]]'') along with many others.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://says.com/my/lifestyle/sabahan-dishes-you-need-to-try-before-you-die |title=15 Sabahan Dishes You Need To Try Before You Die |author=Samantha Khor |publisher=Says.com |date=14 April 2017 |access-date=17 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170517025754/http://says.com/my/lifestyle/sabahan-dishes-you-need-to-try-before-you-die |archive-date=17 May 2017 }}</ref> Apart from these, Sabah also features a number of snacks like [[amplang]], [[cincin]], [[lidah]], roti kahwin, [[Unidentified flying object|UFOs]] [[pinjaram]] and Sandakan [[tart]]<ref>Picture of [https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7564/15982013542_6323ea4d64_c.jpg Sandakan UFO tart].</ref> and dessert like [[lamban]], nuba tingaa, [[punjung]], sinamu and Tuaran coconut pudding.<ref>{{cite book |author=Tamara Thiessen |title=Borneo |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tfATCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA191 |date= 2016 |publisher=Bradt Travel Guides |isbn=978-1-84162-915-5 |page=191}}</ref> Every ethnic group has its own cuisine with different styles of preparing, cooking, serving and eating the food. Examples of Sabah-based companies promoting [[dairy product]] and state drinks are like the [[Desa Cattle]], [[Tenom coffee]] and [[Sabah Tea]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thestar.com.my/metro/community/2016/09/02/tea-attraction-at-crocker-range-sabah-tea-resort-to-offer-factory-tour-as-well-as-access-to-other-po/ |title=Tea attraction at Crocker |work=The Star |date=2 September 2016 |access-date=5 September 2016}}</ref> The indigenous people features a number of [[alcoholic drink]]s such as bahar, kinomol, [[lihing]], montoku, sagantang, sikat and tuak;<ref>{{cite book |author1=Zawawi Ibrahim |author2=Universiti Malaysia Sarawak. Institute of East Asian Studies |title=Voices of the Crocker Range indigenous communities Sabah: social narratives of transition in Tambunan and its neighbours: a monograph based on the UNIMAS led International Crocker Range Expedition 2000 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1JtuAAAAMAAJ |date= 2001 |publisher=The Institute of East Asian Studies, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak |isbn=978-983-2369-01-1}}</ref> with the state itself becoming the third-highest in alcohol consumption in the country after Kuala Lumpur and Sarawak.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2013/05/11/sabah-is-3rd-highest-in-alcohol-consumption/ |title=Sabah is 3rd highest in alcohol consumption |work=Bernama |publisher=The Star |date=11 May 2013 |access-date=5 September 2016}}</ref> The [[English Tea House and Restaurant]] in Sandakan is another attraction promoting the [[Tea in the United Kingdom|British tea culture]]. Other international shops and restaurants such as for Western food, Middle Eastern food, Bruneian food, Indonesian food, Filipino food, Japanese food, Korean food, Russian food, Taiwanese food, Thai food and Vietnamese food have their presence there. The increasing number of tourists on the purpose of [[culinary tourism]] has since raised the local awareness on the importance of local food to state tourism.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Salleh Mohd Radzi |author2=Mohd Faeez Saiful Bakhtiar |author3=Zurinawati Mohi |author4=Mohd Salehuddin Mohd Zahari |author5=Norzuwana Sumarjan |author6=C.T. Chik |author7=Faiz Izwan Anuar |title=Theory and Practice in Hospitality and Tourism Research |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=61fLBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA485 |date= 2014 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-1-315-73735-5 |page=485}}</ref>

=== Portrayal in media ===
[[File:BNB-OfficialGazette-1892-04-16.jpg|thumb|right|Extract from the title page of the British North Borneo Official Gazette (the [[British North Borneo Herald]]) of 16 April 1902.]]
Much of the information of the territory was kept in the records of [[Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society]] (since 1820) and [[British North Borneo Herald]] (since 1883). [[Joseph Hatton]] published one of the earliest book titled "North Borneo – Explorations and Adventures in the Equator" (1886) based on the exploration notes leave by his son Frank Hatton who served under the [[North Borneo Chartered Company]], his son was accidentally killed during his journey in Segama River on North Borneo.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/stream/northborneoexpl01hattgoog#page/n10/mode/2up |title=North Borneo – Explorations and Adventures in the Equator |author1=Frank Hatton |author2=Joseph Hatton |location=New York |publisher=Scribner and Welford |year=1886 |access-date=4 October 2016}}</ref> Ada Pryer wrote a book about her life in North Borneo titled "A Decade in Borneo" (1894, re-issued 2001) as her husband, [[William Burgess Pryer|William Pryer]] also served for the North Borneo Chartered Company.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/decadeinborneo00prye |title=A Decade in Borneo |author=Ada Pryer |location=London |publisher=Hutchinson |year=1894 |access-date=18 September 2016}}</ref> The earliest known footage of North Borneo is from three American movies by [[Martin and Osa Johnson]] titled "Jungle Adventures" (1921), "Jungle Depths of Borneo" (1937) and "Borneo" (1937).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://safarimuseum.com/wab_borneo2004.htm |title=Johnson Family Reunion |publisher=The Martin and Osa Johnson Safari Museum |date=September 2004 |access-date=30 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051218143248/http://safarimuseum.com/wab_borneo2004.htm |archive-date=18 December 2005 }}</ref> Australian author [[Wendy Law Suart]] lived in North Borneo capital between 1949 and 1953 and wrote a book titled "The Lingering Eye – Recollections of North Borneo" based on her experiences there.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dingomedia.co.uk/html/the_lingering_eye.html |title="THE LINGERING EYE" – Recollections of North Borneo |publisher=Dingo Media (United Kingdom) |access-date=1 September 2016}}</ref>

[[File:3CameHomePoster.jpg|thumb|upright|left|[[Three Came Home]], a 1950 Hollywood film based on the memoir of [[Agnes Newton Keith]] life in Sandakan, North Borneo (present-day Sabah) during World War II.<ref name="Three Came Home"/>]]
An English author K.G. Tregonning wrote a book about his travel to Jesselton from Singapore in a book titled "North Borneo" (1960).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.questia.com/library/7397052/north-borneo |title=North Borneo |publisher= |archive-date=3 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161003062051/https://www.questia.com/library/7397052/north-borneo }}</ref> Various other American films have been taken in the state, such as the "[[Three Came Home]]" (1950), a [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]] film based on the memoir of [[Agnes Newton Keith]] in her book depicting the situation of World War II in Sandakan.<ref name="Three Came Home"/> Keith also wrote three other books about the state, such as "Land Below the Wind", "White Man Returns" and "Beloved Exiles". A Japanese film called "[[Sandakan No. 8]]" (1974) directed by [[Kei Kumai]] tells the story of prostitution by ''[[Karayuki-san]]'' in Sandakan Japanese brothel based on the 1972 book ''Sandakan Brothel No. 8: An Episode in the History of Lower-Class'' by Yamazaki Tomoko.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Tomoko Yamazaki|author2=Karen F. Colligan-Taylor|title=Sandakan Brothel No.8: Journey into the History of Lower-class Japanese Women: Journey into the History of Lower-class Japanese Women|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vlXrBgAAQBAJ&pg=PR42|date=2015|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-46025-1|page=42}}</ref> In the [[Earl Mac Rauch]] novelisation of the American "[[The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension|Buckaroo Banzai]]" novel (Pocket Books, 1984; repr. 2001), as well in the DVD film, [[Buckaroo Banzai (character)|Buckaroo]]'s archenemy Hanoi Xan is said to have his secret base in Sabah, in a "relic city of caves".<ref>{{cite book |author=Earl Mac Rauch |title=The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kddIYWJRpQcC&pg=PA22 |date= 2001 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-0-7434-4248-0 |page=22}}</ref> "[[Bat*21]]" (1988), another American film depicting the [[Vietnam War]] was shot at various locations in the suburbs north of Kota Kinabalu, including [[Menggatal]], [[Telipok]], Kayu Madang and Lapasan.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1988/10/28/danny-glover-flies-new-course-in-bat-21/ |title=Danny Glover Flies New Course In 'Bat 21' |author=Jim Emerson |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=28 October 1988 |access-date=30 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160830101655/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1988-10-28/entertainment/8802110222_1_bat-viet-cong-danny-glover |archive-date=30 August 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> Another English author [[Redmond O'Hanlon]] also wrote a book titled "Into the Heart of Borneo" (1984) about Borneo island.<ref>{{cite book |author=Redmond O'Hanlon |title=Into the Heart of Borneo |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pjj0LUQ6Ln4C |year= 2005 |publisher=Penguin Books Limited |isbn=978-0-14-193590-4}}</ref> While Sydney-based Australian author Lynette Ramsay Silver wrote two books about the history of Sabah such as "Sandakan – A Conspiracy of Silence" (1998) and "Blood Brothers – Sabah and Australia 1942–1945" (2010). In early 2016, a "Roll of Honour" immortalising 2,479 British and Australian soldiers who died in Sabah during the World War II has been presented by a British [[Royal Artillery]] veteran to Sabah State Tourism, Culture and Environment Department, the roll lists a record of the identity of every [[prisoner of war]] (POW) during the [[Sandakan Death March]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2016/03/10/british-veteran-presents-roll-of-honour-to-sabah/ |title=British veteran presents Roll of Honour to Sabah |author=Murib Morpi |newspaper=The Borneo Post |date=10 March 2016 |access-date=4 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161004053814/http://www.theborneopost.com/2016/03/10/british-veteran-presents-roll-of-honour-to-sabah/ |archive-date=4 October 2016 }}</ref> In 2017, an English woman named Mary Christina Lewin (Tina Rimmer) who had lived in North Borneo since 1949,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2011/03/16/love-for-sabah-stops-british-woman-from-going-home/ |title=Love for Sabah stops British woman from going home |work=Bernama |publisher=The Borneo Post |date=16 March 2011 |access-date=11 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170611131827/http://www.theborneopost.com/2011/03/16/love-for-sabah-stops-british-woman-from-going-home/ |archive-date=11 June 2017 }}</ref> was given the 'Sabah Cultural Icon' as the first person to receive the award for her lifelong contribution to the people in the territory and her biggest role as educationist and artist who portrayed the life scene of North Borneo through her artworks.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2017/06/11/rimmer-first-sabah-cultural-icon/ |title=Rimmer first Sabah Cultural Icon |newspaper=The Borneo Post |date=11 June 2017 |access-date=11 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170611130904/http://www.theborneopost.com/2017/06/11/rimmer-first-sabah-cultural-icon/ |archive-date=11 June 2017 }}</ref>

Following the beginning of Malaysian films in 1970s along with the foundation of Sabah Film Production, several local films have been produced and filmed in the state by the state production, among those are "Keluarga Si Comat" (1975) and "Hapuslah Air Matamu" (1976) (produced with a collaboration with Indonesian Film Production).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/beritaharian19741222.2.30.3.aspx |title='Keluarga Si Comat' dalam warna-warni mula difilem |trans-title=The 'Comat family' in various colours began to be filmed |author=Aduka |language=ms |work=[[Berita Harian (Singapore)|Berita Harian]] |publisher=[[National Library Board]], Singapore |date=22 December 1974 |access-date=30 August 2016 |page=18}}<br />{{*}} {{cite web |url=http://www.antarasulteng.com/berita/927/film-gerimis-mengundang-pererat-hubungan-ri-malaysia |title=Film "Gerimis Mengundang" Pererat Hubungan RI-Malaysia |trans-title=The "Gerimis Mengundang" Film Strengthens RI-Malaysia Relations |author=Rolex Malaha |language=id |publisher=[[Antara (news agency)|Antara]] |date=1 June 2012 |access-date=30 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160830104652/http://www.antarasulteng.com/berita/927/film-gerimis-mengundang-pererat-hubungan-ri-malaysia |archive-date=30 August 2016 }}<br />{{*}} {{cite news |url=http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/08/11/sumbangan-sabah-filem-dalam-industri-filem-di-malaysia/ |title=Sumbangan Sabah Filem dalam industri filem di Malaysia |trans-title=Contributions of Sabah Film in the Malaysian film industry |author=Melati Pusaka |language=ms |work=Free Malaysia Today |date=11 August 2013 |access-date=30 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160830110411/http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/08/11/sumbangan-sabah-filem-dalam-industri-filem-di-malaysia/ |archive-date=30 August 2016 }}</ref> Abu Bakar Ellah (popularly known as Ampal) then became the leading artist of Sabah comedy film with his film titled "Orang Kita".<ref>{{cite book |author1=David C. L. Lim |author2=Hiroyuki Yamamoto |title=Film in Contemporary Southeast Asia: Cultural Interpretation and Social Intervention |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8-vGBQAAQBAJ&pg=PT156 |date= 2012 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-59246-1 |page=156}}</ref> In the present day, state-produced dramas and documentaries are usually aired either on [[TVi (Malaysia)|TVi]], [[TV1 (Malaysia)|TV1]] or [[TV2 (Malaysia)|TV2]] while state musics aired on radios through Bayu FM, [[Kupi-Kupi FM]], Sabah FM and Sabah vFM. Sabah was featured in the British popular reality show of "[[Survivor: Borneo]]" and the American show of "[[Eco-Challenge]] Borneo" in 2000.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/heat-leeches-and-team-spirit/article1042052/ |title=Heat, leeches and team spirit |author=Patricia Young |newspaper=[[The Globe and Mail]] |date=30 August 2000 |access-date=30 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160830113900/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/heat-leeches-and-team-spirit/article1042052/ |archive-date=30 August 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tv.com/shows/eco-challenge/ |title=Eco-Challenge |publisher=[[TV.com]] |access-date=30 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160830115955/http://www.tv.com/shows/eco-challenge/ |archive-date=30 August 2016 }}</ref> In 2001, the state was featured in a 2001 Filipino documentary titled "Sabah: Ang Bagong Amerika?" by [[Vicky Morales]] on the story of Filipino immigrants from the Sulu Archipelago escaping [[Poverty in the Philippines|poverty and starvation in the Philippines]] by entering Sabah illegally to earn livehood but facing risk being caught, tortured and deported as Malaysian laws are getting strict on illegal migration.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/127676/publicaffairs/sine-totoo-presents-vicky-morales-sabah-ang-bagong-amerika |title=Sine Totoo presents Vicky Morales' "Sabah: Ang Bagong Amerika?" |publisher=[[GMA News]] |date=17 October 2008 |access-date=30 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160830130902/http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/127676/publicaffairs/sine-totoo-presents-vicky-morales-sabah-ang-bagong-amerika |archive-date=30 August 2016 }}</ref> In 2003, the state was featured on "[[The Amazing Race 4|The Amazing Race]]" for the first time as well on a 2009 Hong Kong drama of "[[Born Rich (TV series)|Born Rich]]".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Showbiz/Story/A1Story20090327-131438.html |title=HK stars in Sabah for shoot |work=New Straits Times |publisher=[[AsiaOne]] |date=27 March 2009 |access-date=23 July 2020}}</ref> The state was also featured in a 2014 American documentary of "[[Sacred Planet]]" and featured again in a new edition of "[[The Amazing Race 24|The Amazing Race]]" as well on a Korean reality show programme titled the "[[Law of the Jungle (TV program)|Law of the Jungle]]", both in 2014.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.malaysiandigest.com/hiburan/485470-onew-shinee-dongjun-ze-a-kini-di-sabah-jalani-penggambaran.html |title=ONEW (Shinee) & Dongjun (ZE:A) Kini di Sabah, Jalani Penggambaran |trans-title=ONEW (Shinee) & Dongjun (ZE: A) Now in Sabah, Do Some Shooting |language=ms |publisher=Malaysian Digest |date=28 January 2014 |access-date=30 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160830122716/http://www.malaysiandigest.com/hiburan/485470-onew-shinee-dongjun-ze-a-kini-di-sabah-jalani-penggambaran.html |archive-date=30 August 2016 |url-status=usurped}}</ref> In early 2017, [[Cinema of Hong Kong|Hong Kong film industry]] once again choose Sabah as one of the location for a new romance film titled "She Will Be Loved".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newsabahtimes.com.my/nstweb/fullstory/13732 |title=Hong Kong movie production chooses Sabah as filming location |author=Paul Mu |publisher=New Sabah Times |date=24 February 2017 |access-date=30 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170330135314/http://www.newsabahtimes.com.my/nstweb/fullstory/13732 |archive-date=30 March 2017 }}</ref>

=== Holidays and festivals ===
{{main|Public holidays in Sabah|Public holidays in Malaysia}}
[[File:State Unduk Ngadau Kaamatan crowning.jpg|thumb|right|During the harvest festival of ''[[Kaamatan]]'', there is heritage beauty pageant of ''[[Unduk Ngadau]]'' being held annually in Sabah to honour of the legendary ''[[Huminodun]]'', a maiden who sacrificed herself to save her people.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://international.astroawani.com/malaysia-news/unduk-ngadau-more-just-beauty-pageant-363224|title=Unduk Ngadau more than just a beauty pageant|agency=Bernama|via=Astro Awani|date=26 May 2022|access-date=1 February 2025}}</ref>]]
[[File:KotaKinabalu Sabah Borneo-Bug-Fest-2016-01.jpg|thumb|right|The Borneo Bug Fest in 2016, featuring [[Volkswagen Beetle]].]]
Sabahans observe a number of holidays and festivals throughout the year.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sabah.gov.my/main/en-GB/Home/EventHoliday |title=List Of Public Holiday (Updated Regularly Every Year) |publisher=Sabah State Government |access-date=3 September 2016 |archive-date=11 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160911121308/https://www.sabah.gov.my/main/en-GB/Home/EventHoliday }}</ref> Apart from the national [[Independence Day (Malaysia)|Independence Day]], [[Malaysia Day]] celebrations and the State Governor's birthday, Sabah celebrates [[Sabah Day]] annually on 31 August.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=112493 |title=Sabah Day should be remembered |newspaper=Daily Express |date=1 September 2016 |access-date=1 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160903110928/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=112493 |archive-date=3 September 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/columnists/one-mans-meat/2016/09/03/the-other-sabah-celebration-an-alternative-commemoration-on-aug-31-could-be-the-sign-of-a-future-shi/ |title=The 'other' Sabah celebration |work=The Star |date=3 September 2016 |access-date=3 September 2016}}</ref> Every ethnic groups celebrate their own festivals and the culture of open house (''rumah terbuka'') with the visits of families and friends from other races and religion are a norm especially with the interracial marriage between different ethnic groups of different background.<ref name="Ipgrave2008">{{cite book |author=Michael Ipgrave |title=Building a Better Bridge: Muslims, Christians, and the Common Good: a Record of the Fourth Building Bridges Seminar Held in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, May 15–18, 2005 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O109P8UHP2wC&pg=PA109 |year=2008 |publisher=Georgetown University Press |isbn=978-1-58901-731-3 |page=109}}</ref> Sabah are the only state in Malaysia to declare the [[Kaamatan]] celebration a public holiday.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Erich Kolig |author2=Vivienne S. M. Angeles |author3=Sam Wong |title=Identity in Crossroad Civilisations: Ethnicity, Nationalism and Globalism in Asia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N_Jkjk2Tec4C&pg=PA48 |year=2009 |publisher=Amsterdam University Press |isbn=978-90-8964-127-4 |page=48}}</ref> Both Sabah and Sarawak are also the only two states in Malaysia that declare [[Good Friday]] a public holiday.<ref name="Ipgrave2008"/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2013/03/21/declare-good-friday-a-public-holiday/ |title=Declare Good Friday a public holiday |author=V Thomas |work=Free Malaysia Today |date=21 March 2013 |access-date=8 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130323195416/http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2013/03/21/declare-good-friday-a-public-holiday/ |archive-date=23 March 2013 }}</ref> Many festivals are being held annually in Sabah such as the [[Bon festival#Bon Odori|Bon Odori]] Festival,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsabahtimes.com.my/nstweb/fullstory/20438|title=Bon Odori 2017 celebrates Malaysia-Japan continuous relations|author=Dk Ryni Qareena|publisher=New Sabah Times|date=11 December 2017|access-date=19 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180919043503/http://www.newsabahtimes.com.my/nstweb/fullstory/20438|archive-date=19 September 2018}}</ref> Sabah Jazz,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=134578|title=Music lovers throng inaugural Sabah Jazz|author=Ricardo Unto|newspaper=Daily Express|date=29 April 2019|access-date=2 May 2019}}</ref> Borneo Bird Festival,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.borneobirdfestival.com/ |title=Home |publisher=Borneo Bird Festival |access-date=5 September 2016}}</ref> Borneo Bug Fest, Borneo Eco Film Festival,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.beff.org.my/ |title=Home |publisher=Borneo Eco Film Festival |access-date=5 September 2016}}</ref> Kota Kinabalu Food Fest,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kkfoodfest.com/ |title=Home |publisher=Kota Kinabalu Food Fest |access-date=5 September 2016 |archive-date=8 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508125315/http://kkfoodfest.com/ }}</ref> Kota Kinabalu Jazz Festival,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kkjazzfest.com/ |title=Home |publisher=Kota Kinabalu Jazz Festival |access-date=5 September 2016}}</ref> Sabah Dragon Boat Festival, Sabah Fest,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sabahfest.com/ |title=Home |publisher=Sabah Fest |access-date=5 September 2016}}</ref> Sabah International Folklore Festival and Sabah Sunset Music Festival.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sunsetmusicfest.my/ |title=Home |publisher=Sunset Music Festival |access-date=5 September 2016 |archive-date=28 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228053711/http://www.sunsetmusicfest.my/ }}</ref>

=== Sports ===
[[File:Kota-Kinabalu Sabah Borneo-International-Marathon-2015-03.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Borneo International Marathon]] in 2015.]]
North Borneo sent its own teams to participate in the [[North Borneo at the 1956 Summer Olympics|1956]] [[Summer Olympic Games]],<ref>{{cite book |author1=Carole Fink |author2=Frank Hadler |author3=Tomasz Schramm |title=1956: European and Global Perspectives |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k7Fll8r04qMC&pg=PA283 |year=2006 |publisher=Leipziger Universitätsverlag |isbn=978-3-937209-56-2 |page=283}}</ref> [[1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games|1958]] and [[1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thecgf.net/countries/intro.asp?loc=SBH |title=Commonwealth Games Federation – Countries – North Borneo |publisher=Commonwealth Games Federation |access-date=1 September 2016 |archive-date=28 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160828204005/http://thecgf.net/countries/intro.asp?loc=SBH }}</ref> as well on the [[1962 Asian Games]] before its athletes started representing Malaysia after 1963.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19620905-1.2.129.4.aspx |title=Japan top the list with 73 'golds' |work=The Straits Times |publisher=National Library Board |date=5 September 1962 |access-date=11 January 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ocasia.org/Game/GameParticular.aspx?SYCXGjC0df+J2ChZBk5tvA== |title=Jakarta 1962 |publisher=[[Olympic Council of Asia]] |access-date=11 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101050016/http://www.ocasia.org/Game/GameParticular.aspx?SYCXGjC0df+J2ChZBk5tvA== |archive-date=1 January 2016 }}</ref> To produce more athletes and to improve and raise the standard of sports in the state after Sabah became part of Malaysia, the Sabah State Sports Council was established in 1972.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.msn.sabah.gov.my/sejarah |title=Sejarah |trans-title=History |language=ms |publisher=Sabah State Sports Council |access-date=1 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160901084659/http://www.msn.sabah.gov.my/sejarah |archive-date=1 September 2016 }}</ref> In addition, the Sabah Sports and Cultural Board Sports was created on 1 September 1976 before being frozen in December 1978 for more than two years until 1 January 1981 due to specific reasons.<ref name="sabah sports board">{{cite web |url=http://ww2.sabah.gov.my/ls/en/background-features.php |title=Background |publisher=Sabah Sports Board |access-date=1 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160901111236/http://ww2.sabah.gov.my/ls/en/background-features.php |archive-date=1 September 2016 }}</ref> On 31 December 1996, the board been split into Sport Authority of Sabah and Sabah Cultural Board with a new board been established as the Sabah Sports Board that was maintained until present.<ref name="sabah sports board"/> Sabah became the host of [[SUKMA Games]] in [[2002 Sukma Games|2002]] and was crowned overall champions of the 2022 Para SUKMA Games.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Tieng Hii|first1=Ting|title=Sarawak's reign as Para Sukma overall champions ends|url=https://www.theborneopost.com/2022/11/06/sarawaks-reign-as-para-sukma-overall-champions-ends/|access-date=13 November 2022|newspaper=The Borneo Post|date=6 November 2022}}</ref> The state also sending its teams to represent Malaysia at the [[Southeast Asian Games]]. Beside focusing to main sports, Sabah also features 11 traditional sports.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ww2.sabah.gov.my/ls/sukan-tradisi-sabah.php |title=Sukan Tradisional Sabah |trans-title=Sabah Traditional Sports |language=ms |publisher=Sabah Sports Board |access-date=2 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160902032300/http://ww2.sabah.gov.my/ls/sukan-tradisi-sabah.php |archive-date=2 September 2016 }}</ref>

[[File:KotaKinabalu Sabah LikasStadium-07.jpg|thumb|right|[[Likas Stadium]] which is the home stadium for [[Sabah F.C. (Malaysia)|Sabah F.C.]].]]
There are 12 sports complex within the state together with three main stadiums.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ww2.sabah.gov.my/ls/ |title=See → Kompleks Sukan |access-date=2 September 2016 |archive-date=23 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171023010817/http://ww2.sabah.gov.my/ls/ }}</ref> [[Likas Stadium]] is the main stadium for the state football association of [[Sabah F.C. (Malaysia)|Sabah F.C.]], followed by Penampang Stadium and Tawau Stadium. Sabah F.C. (formerly Sabah FA) was founded in 1963 with the association have won one title each on the [[Malaysia FA Cup]] in 1995, [[Malaysia Premier League]] in [[Liga Perdana (1994–97)|1996]] and [[2019 Malaysia Premier League|2019]], [[President Cup Malaysia]] in 1999, 13 titles in the past [[Borneo Cup]] and 11 titles in the women's football [[Tun Sharifah Rodziah Cup]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1309&dat=19991202&id=Z_1OAAAAIBAJ&pg=4891,1623581 |title=Sarawak and Brunei throw in carrot |author=Vijesh Rai |newspaper=New Straits Times |date=2 December 1999 |access-date=2 September 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesb/borneocup.html |title=Borneo Cup |author1=Frank Rankmore |author2=Neil Morrison |work=The Straits Times, New Straits Times and Borneo Bulletin |publisher=RSSSF |date=31 March 2011 |access-date=2 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160902055913/http://www.rsssf.com/tablesb/borneocup.html |archive-date=2 September 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> The association was returned to private sector in early 1996, which had long under the purview of the state government.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1309&dat=19960305&id=9P1OAAAAIBAJ&pg=2332,2133551 |title=Sabah FA turn to private sector |author=Joniston Bangkuai |newspaper=New Straits Times |date=5 March 1996 |access-date=2 September 2016}}</ref> But following the argument between the association and Sabah Sports Board, Sabah FA was suspended by the state sports council on 15 January 1998 and the management was put under the [[Ministry of Youth and Sports (Malaysia)|national sport ministry]].<ref name="suspension">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1309&dat=19980115&id=TfxOAAAAIBAJ&pg=3193,5419141 |title=State sports council suspends Sabah FA |author=Joniston Bangkuai |newspaper=New Straits Times |date=15 January 1998 |access-date=2 September 2016}}</ref> The move was seen as breaching [[FIFA]] rules that stated there should be no government interference on football organisations.<ref name="suspension"/> The persistent problems plaguing the Sabah FA since 1980s have significantly deteriorating the team performances and demoralising players in addition to the scandals that have embroiling the Malaysian football in 1994.<ref>{{*}} {{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1309&dat=19840817&id=6ckpAAAAIBAJ&pg=6303,3990875 |title=Sabah FA sack their secretary |author=Colin Forsythe |newspaper=New Straits Times |date=17 August 1984 |access-date=2 September 2016}}<br />{{*}} {{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1309&dat=19910404&id=EMFUAAAAIBAJ&pg=6503,1395017 |title=No end to Sabah FA's woes |author=Joniston Bangkuai |newspaper=New Straits Times |date=4 April 1991 |access-date=2 September 2016}}<br />{{*}} {{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1309&dat=19950719&id=5npaAAAAIBAJ&pg=6670,4562616 |title=Sabah CM: Settle it out of court |author=James Ritchie |newspaper=New Straits Times |date=19 July 1995 |access-date=2 September 2016}}<br />{{*}} {{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1309&dat=19950902&id=nnpaAAAAIBAJ&pg=6511,567604 |title=Bookies resurface in Sabah |author=Joniston Bangkuai |newspaper=New Straits Times |date=2 September 1995 |access-date=2 September 2016}}<br />{{*}} {{cite web |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2518&dat=20080428&id=ok1aAAAAIBAJ&pg=3014,15429820 |title=Legalize football betting in Malaysia, says top coach |work=Agence-France Presse |publisher=[[The Manila Times]] |date=28 April 2008 |access-date=2 September 2016}}</ref> In 2019, both Sabah and Sarawak Sports Ministries work together to establish the East Malaysia Sports Commission to facilitate the organisation of more sports programmes in the two territories including other places in the Borneo islands.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theborneopost.com/2019/09/05/sabah-swak-sports-ministries-to-work-together-to-create-east-malaysia-sports-commission/|title=Sabah, S'wak Sports Ministries to work together to create East Malaysia Sports Commission|author=Matthew Umpang|newspaper=The Borneo Post|date=5 September 2019|access-date=8 October 2019}}</ref> With the increase of youth interests on [[e-sports]], Sabah government also targeting to develop the sports as part of the tourism development in the state.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news/132850/esports-will-be-next-big-thing-in-tourism-liew/|title=Esports will be next big thing in tourism: Liew|author=Leonard Alaza|newspaper=Daily Express|date=24 March 2019|access-date=30 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030060348/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news/132850/esports-will-be-next-big-thing-in-tourism-liew/|archive-date=30 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.pressreader.com/malaysia/the-borneo-post-sabah/20190923/281659666759265|title=E-Sport debuts in Sabah|newspaper=The Borneo Post|via=PressReader|date=23 September 2019|access-date=30 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.bhplus.com.my/berita/wilayah/2019/10/617208/peruntukan-bantu-tingkatkan-pembangunan-sukan-di-sabah|title=Peruntukan bantu tingkatkan pembangunan sukan di Sabah|trans-title=Allocation to help improve sports development in Sabah|author=Rafiqah Dahali|language=ms|newspaper=Berita Harian|date=13 October 2019|access-date=30 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030060348/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news/132850/esports-will-be-next-big-thing-in-tourism-liew/|archive-date=30 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news/141952/convert-them-to-e-sports-centres-call/|title='Convert them to e-sports centres' call|author=David Thien|newspaper=Daily Express|date=21 October 2019|access-date=30 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030060657/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news/141952/convert-them-to-e-sports-centres-call/|archive-date=30 October 2019}}</ref>

== International relations ==
Sabah is a sister state/province to [[Jiangxi|Jiangxi Province]] in China,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.borneotoday.net/shafie-meterai-mou-wujud-wilayah-kembar-dengan-jiangxi-china/|title=Shafie Meterai Mou Wujud Wilayah Kembar Dengan Jiangxi, China|trans-title=Shafie Seals MoU Forming Sister Territory With Jiangxi, China|author=Rodelio Junjun Taucan|language=ms|publisher=Borneo Today|date=21 April 2019|access-date=27 September 2019|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190927040844/https://www.borneotoday.net/shafie-meterai-mou-wujud-wilayah-kembar-dengan-jiangxi-china/|archive-date=27 September 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theborneopost.com/2019/04/22/sabah-jiangxi-sign-friendship-pact/|title=Sabah, Jiangxi sign friendship pact|newspaper=The Borneo Post|date=22 April 2019|access-date=27 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190927041240/https://www.theborneopost.com/2019/04/22/sabah-jiangxi-sign-friendship-pact/|archive-date=27 September 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news/134242/looking-to-jiangxi-for-industrial-boost/|title=Looking to Jiangxi for industrial boost|work=Bernama|publisher=Daily Express|date=22 April 2019|access-date=27 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190927041508/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news/134242/looking-to-jiangxi-for-industrial-boost/|archive-date=27 September 2019}}</ref> [[Ratchaburi Province]] in Thailand<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fad.moi.go.th/images/Knowlagde/list_รวม.pdf |title=คู่ความสัมพันธ์เมืองพี่เมืองน้องระหว่างไทยกับต่างประเทศ (ณ วันที่31พฤษภาคม 2561) |trans-title=Sister relations between Thailand and foreign countries (As of 31 May 2018) |language=th |publisher=Foreign Affairs Division Office of the Permanent Secretary [[Ministry of Interior (Thailand)|Ministry of Interior]], Thailand |access-date=17 December 2019 |page=3 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190927034825/http://www.fad.moi.go.th/images/Knowlagde/list_%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%A1.pdf |archive-date=27 September 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[East Kalimantan]] in Indonesia.

== See also ==
* [[List of people from Sabah]]
* [[North Borneo dispute]]

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|30em|group=note}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
{{sister project links|collapsible=true|wikt=no|q=no|n=no|v=no|voy=Sabah}}
* {{official website}}
* [http://www.sabahtourism.com Sabah] at Sabah Tourism Board
* [http://www.lawnet.sabah.gov.my/Lawnet/SabahLaws/StateLaws.aspx Laws of Sabah] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140530024434/http://www.lawnet.sabah.gov.my/lawnet/SabahLaws/StateLaws.aspx |date=30 May 2014 }}
* [http://www.lonelyplanet.com/malaysia/malaysian-borneo-sabah Sabah] at [[Lonely Planet]]
{{Clear}}

{{Sabah}}
{{States and Federal Territories of Malaysia}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Articles related to Sabah
|list =
{{Borneo}}
{{Philippine territorial disputes}}
}}
{{Portal bar|Asia|Geography|Malaysia}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Sabah| ]]
[[Category:Borneo]]
[[Category:States of Malaysia]]
[[Category:Former British colonies and protectorates in Asia]]
[[Category:North Borneo]]
[[Category:Malaysia–Philippines relations]]
[[Category:Maritime Southeast Asia]]