Smaller towns include Semporna, Kudat and Lahad Datu. The population of Sabah is multi-racial and totals about 2.3m, of which 400,000 live in the capital city of Kota Kinabalu. Like Peninsula Malaysia, Bahasa Malaysia is the official language but English and Chinese are widely spoken. Islam is the official religion but freedom of worship is guaranteed in the Constitution. Sabah has a tropical climate.
Rainfall varies with monsoon changes.
The north-east Monsoon usually occurs between November and February and normally brings the heaviest rainfall. The South West Monsoon is usually less wet. State Government Sabah is one of the 14 States in the Federation of Malaysia. The State is governed from Kota Kinabalu and like other States it has a unicameral legislature, elections to which are held every five years. The State Government is divided into three branches, Legislative, Judiciary and Executive.