Originally named North Borneo, Sabah was initially discovered by Potuguese explorer Magellan in the mid 16th century, and at the end of the 19th century was handed over to the British East India Company, with Sandakan becoming the first capital of British North Borneo.

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With construction of the Trans-Borneo railroad, the town of Jesselton (now Kota Kinabalu) was founded and became the new capital after World War II, due to Sandakan being wiped out.

Sabah officially became a British "Crown Colony" but then in 1963, North Borneo became independant and reverted to its pre-colonial name of Sabah four years later when joining the Federation of Malaysia. Sabah's economy is mainly dependent on the timber industry.

Sabah is a mountainous region with ranges from 3,000ft up to 9,000ft, mostly covered with dense forest. The State Capital, Kota Kinabalu was named after Mount Kinabalu, the highest peak in Borneo at over 4,000m.