Labuan
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| State motto: | |||
| Image:MalaysiaLabuan.png | |||
| Capital | Bandar Labuan | ||
| Governor | Minister of Federal Territories Datuk Zulhasnan Rafique (since 14 February 2006) | ||
| President of Labuan Corporation | Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman (since April 2003) | ||
| Area | 92 km2 | ||
| Population | 78,000 (est. 2000) | ||
| Anthem | Negaraku | ||
Labuan (Malay: Labuan, Jawi: لابوان) or Labuan Island (Malay: Pulau Labuan, Jawi: ڨولو لابوان) is the main island of the Malaysian Federal Territory of Labuan. Labuan is best known as an offshore finacial centre and a tourist destination for nearby Bruneians and scuba divers. The name Labuan derives from the Malay word labuhan meaning anchorage.
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Geography
The Federal Territory comprises of Labuan Island (75 km²) and the six other smaller islands (Pulau Burung, Pulau Daat, Pulau Kuraman, Pulau Papan, Pulau Rusukan Kecil, and Pulau Rusukan Besar) that, together with Labuan, are 92 km². The islands lie 8 km off the coast of Borneo adjacent to the Malaysian state of Sabah and the independent State of Brunei Darussalam and are on the northern edge of Brunei Bay facing the South China Sea. Labuan is mainly flat and undulating and the highest point is only 85 metres. More than 70 percent of the island is still under vegetation. Bandar Labuan, formerly known as Victoria, is the major town and port and faces Brunei Bay.
History
Labuan was a part of the Hindu Majapahit Empire and, in the 14th century, came under the rule of the Brunei Sultanate.
In 1840 the British used the previously-uninhabited island as a base for operations against piracy and later as a station for the submarine cable between Singapore and Hong Kong. The Sultan of Brunei ceded Labuan to Britain in 1846, and the island became a Crown Colony in 1848. It was made a part of North Borneo on 1 January 1890, then on 30 October 1906 joined to the Straits Settlements. The first White Rajah of Sarawak, James Brooke was appointed commander-in-chief and Governor of the new territory.
During World War II, Labuan was occupied by Japan from December 1941 to June 1945 and governed as part of the Northern Borneo military unit by the Japanese 37th Army. Labuan was renamed Maida Island (Pulau Maida, 前田島 [Maeda-shima]) after Marquis Toshinari Maeda, the first commander of Japanese forces in northern Borneo. The island was retaken by Australian forces in the Borneo Campaign of 1945. Labuan assumed its former name and was under British military administration (along with the rest of the Straits Settlements), then joined to British North Borneo, on 15 July 1946, which in turn became a part of Malaysia as the state of Sabah in 1963.
In 1984, Labuan was transferred from Sabah to the central government and made a Federal Territory. In 1990, it was declared an International Offshore Financial Centre and Free Trade Zone.
Economy
The Malaysian government's attempts to turn Labuan into an international banking centre has had only limited success, but the government still offers incentives to try to lure in new investors. With land utilization geared more towards property and industrial use, there is little agricultural activity. Most of the island's prime land, waterfront and suburbs are utilised for residential and tourism development. A sizeable area on the southwestern side of the island is occupied by shipbuilding, manufacturing and oil and gas industries.
Population
The population of 78,000 (est. 2000) is mostly Malay, with minorities of Chinese, Kedayans, Filipinos, Indians, Bugis, Bajau and Expatriates.
Postage stamps and postal history
Image:Stamp Labuan 1885 2c.jpg
A post office was operating in Labuan by 1864, and used a circular date stamp as postmark. The postage stamps of India and Hong Kong were used on some mail, but they were probably carried there by individuals, instead of being on sale in Labuan. Mail was routed through Singapore. From 1867 Labuan officially used the postage stamps of the Straits Settlements, then issued its own beginning in May 1879.
The first stamps of Labuan depict the usual profile of Queen Victoria, but are unusual for being inscribed in Arabic and Chinese scripts in addition to "LABUAN POSTAGE". Perennial shortages necessitated a variety of surcharges in between the several reprints and color changes of the 1880s. The original stamps were engraved, but the last of the design, in April 1894, were done by lithography.
Beginning in May 1894, the designs of North Borneo were printed in different colors, with "LABUAN" either engraved into the vignette or overprinted. On 24 September 1896, the 50th anniversary of the cession was marked by overprinting "1846 / JUBILEE / 1896" on the overprinted North Borneo designs. Additional overprints appeared through the 1890s. In 1899 many types were surcharged with a value of 4 cents.
A last Labuan-only design came out in 1902, depicting a crown and inscribed "LABUAN COLONY". After the incorporation into the Straits Settlements in 1906, Labuan ceased issuing its own stamps, although they remained valid for some time. Many of the remainders were cancelled to order for sale to collectors, and are now worth only pennies; genuine postal uses are worth much more.
| States and Federal Territories of Malaysia | Image:Flag of Malaysia.svg | ||||
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