Bruneitourism.com - About Sabah

Location

Sabah is a Malaysian state located on the northern

portion of the island of Borneo. It is the second largest state in Malaysia after the state of Sarawak which it borders with on its south-west. It also borders with the province of East Kalimantan of Indonesia in the south. Sabah used to be a British crown colony known as North Borneo prior to partnership with Federation of Malaya, Sarawak & Singapore to form the Federation of Malaysia in 1963.

Physical Features

The western part of Sabah is generally mountainous, containing the

three highest mountains in Malaysia. The most prominent range is the

Crocker Range which houses several mountains of varying height from about 1,000 metres to 4,000 metres. At the height of 4,095 metres, Mount Kinabalu is the highest

mountain in Malaysia and the second highest in Southeast Asia after Puncak Jaya in Indonesia

While the government of Malaysia officially considers it the highest mountain in Southeast Asia,

there are counterclaims that Puncak Jaya, the highest mountain in Western New Guinea of Indonesia is
the tallest one instead. So far there is no precise consensus on this, and the view that Mount Kinabalu is indeed the tallest mountain in Southeast Asia is more prevalent. The jungles of Sabah are classified as rainforests and this forest climate provides a vast array of animal and plant species thriving in the jungles of Sabah. Kinabalu National Park was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2000 because of its richness in plant diversity combined with its unique geological, topographical, and climatic conditions.

Climate

Sabah has an equatorial climate. Temperatures rarely rise above 32°C (90°F) except on exceptionally hot days, and along the coastal areas rarely drop below 20°C (68°F) at night. Although in the interior and at higher altitudes it can get quite cold at night. Relative humidity is usually 85-95 per cent.

Capital and Towns

Currently, its state capital is Kota Kinabalu, formerly known as Jesselton. Sabah is sometimes known as Sabah, negeri di bawah bayu, which means 'Sabah, land below the wind', because of its location being just south of the typhoon prone region around Philippines. Major towns and cities are:

Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, Tawau, Lahad Datu, Keningau, Semporna and Kudat