evidence: Sabah is the easternmost state of Malaysia. It is at the northern tip of Borneo Island and one of the two Malaysian states on the island. The other state and the largest in the country is Sarawak, which is on the southwest of Sabah. To the south, it shares border with Indonesia. [...] Since Sabah is part of the Borneo Island, its history is entwined with that of Malaysia and Brunei. However, the earliest record of organised civilisation in Sabah is that from the Sultanate of Brunei and dates back to the 15th century. Prior to the establishment of the sultanate, tribal societies existed. Though they reduced in numbers and size, they thrived even in early 20th century. Sultan of Brunei granted eastern part of the state to Sultan of Sulu, who had allied with him against certain enemies of Brunei. However, there are studies that claim that no part of the state was given up by Sultan of Brunei. British infiltration in the region started in late 19th century, when both Sultans granted their territories to the foreign syndicate. It did not take long for Sabah to become a brown colony from being protectorate of the UK in 1888. Sabah was called as North Borneo until then. It merged with Singapore, Sarawak and Malaya to form Federation of Malaysia.