The origin of the name Sabah, Malaysia (the land under the wind)

There are two ways to say that Sabah is called the "Land under the Wind":

One way of saying it is: It is said that the residents on the west coast of Sabah like to plant a kind of fish called "Pisang Saba". " bananas, so people called this place "Sabah".

Another theory is that because Sabah is located south of the typhoon zone in the northern hemisphere and is not disturbed by typhoons, it is called the "Land under the Wind", attracting Muslim businessmen who come to the Sulu Islands to do business. It is stationed to avoid typhoons; in Arabic, the "land under the wind" is called Zir-e Bad, which is pronounced close to "Sabah".

Extended information

Sabah, referred to as Sabah, formerly known as North Borneo, is one of the thirteen states in Malaysia, with its capital Kota Kinabalu (formerly known as Kota Kinabalu). Located in the northeastern part of Kalimantan Island, it has a tropical rainforest climate. Sabah consists of 5 provinces, namely West Coast Province, Interior Province, Kudat Province, Sandakan Province and Tawau Province.

Sabah was ruled by the British from 1881 to 1963, and became autonomous on August 31, 1963 (defense, foreign affairs, finance, internal affairs and other affairs were still under the control of the British colonial government). On September 16, 1963, Sabah joined Malaysia. In 1984, the Sabah state government separated Labuan and established it as a federal territory. It is the only offshore financial center in Malaysia.

There are 32 officially recognized ethnic groups*** in Sabah. The largest indigenous group is the Kadazan-Dusun ethnic group, followed by the Bajau and Murut people. Other minority ethnic groups include: Cocos people in Tawau province.

The largest non-indigenous ethnic group is the Chinese. The Chinese mainly immigrated to Sabah in large numbers in the 19th century, mainly Hakkas, Cantonese, Teochews, Hokkiens, Hainanese and some in the 20th century. People from Tianjin and Hebei came here. Most Chinese in Sabah are concentrated in big cities and towns, namely Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan and Tawau. Compared to other states in Malaysia, the Indian and other South Asian groups in Sabah are very small.

Cultural customs

(1) Cultural taboos

The locals regard the left hand as indecent. Remember to use only your right hand when shaking hands or passing items; Malays think Pointing at someone with your index finger is an insult, so remember not to point at someone with your index finger; wait for the lady to shake hands first, and don't ask for a handshake; the head is considered a very sacred part, so remember not to touch the heads of local children casually ; When dining with Muslims, avoid eating pork; do not ask Malay people about their age; even if you are curious about the Malay marriage system, you should not talk about other people's housework.

(2) Festival celebrations

The Harvest Festival is a festival for local indigenous people to celebrate the harvest and thank the gods. The celebration lasts for one month in May every year, and is also called "May". Festival". The celebrations culminate on May 30-31, which is also a public holiday in the state and the Federal Territory of Labuan.

(3) Language

In Sabah, Malay and English are the common languages. In addition, the local Chinese use Chinese or Chinese dialects such as Hakka, Cantonese, and Hokkien.

Baidu Encyclopedia--Sabah