River, road and rail: transport and economic development in Sabah, 1880-1980

Abstract

The physical geography and natural resources of Sabah have played an important role in the patterns of development in the state. Sabah's topography comprises principally mountain ranges, rising somewhat sharply from ranges of low hills (Map 1). There is a backbone range (the Crocker Range), commencing at the south end of Marudu Bay and following the west coast at a distance of some 30 km which reaches 1,219 to 1,829 metres in height and sends short spurs to the west coast. The physiography of the state is therefore one of narrow coastal plains, often covered with mangrove forest, backed by hilly and forested country. These mountains of the interior have prevented inland penetration and hindered east-west communication. Thus settlement and economic development has been mainly confined to the alluvial flats of the coastal areas.