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Labuan (), officially the Federal Territory of Labuan (), is an island federal territory of Malaysia. It includes and six smaller islands off the coast of the state of Sabah in East Malaysia. Labuan's capital is Victoria, which is best known as an offshore financial centre offering international financial and business services via Labuan IBFC since 1990, as well as being an offshore support hub for deepwater oil and gas activities in the region. It is also a tourist destination for people travelling through Sabah, nearby , and Scuba diving. The name Labuan derives from the Malay language labuhan, which means "harbour".
British policy changed in the 19th century, when Labuan started to attract British interest again. Rodney Mundy acquired the island for Britain through the Treaty of Labuan with the Sultan of Brunei, Omar Ali Saifuddin II on 18 December 1846. Mundy took Abdul Momin to witness the island's accession to the The Crown on 24 December 1846. Some sources state that during the signing of the treaty, the Sultan had been threatened by a Royal Navy warship ready to fire on the Sultan's palace if he refused to sign the treaty while another source says the island was ceded to Britain as a reward for assistance in combating pirates.B.A. Hussainmiya (2025). 9789991732152, Universiti Brunei Darussalam; Brunei Press Sdn Bhd. . ISBN 9789991732152
The main reason why the United Kingdom acquired the island was to establish a naval station to protect their commercial interest in the region and to suppress piracy in the South China Sea. The British also believed the island could be the next Singapore. Following the Anglo-Brunei Treaty of Friendship in 1847, which distilled the aforementioned events into a single document - Labuan was ceded to the British in perpetuity. The island became a Crown Colony in 1848 with James Brooke appointed as the first governor and commander-in-chief, with William Napier as his lieutenant-governor. In 1849, the Eastern Archipelago Company became the first of several British companies to try to exploit Labuan coal deposits. The company was formed to exploit coal deposits on the island and adjacent coast of Borneo but soon became involved in a dispute with James Brooke. Not proving itself a great commercial or strategic asset, administration of Labuan was handed to the British North Borneo Company in 1890. The North Borneo Company did not prove that effective a manager either, and in 1904 Malcolm Stewart Hannibal McArthur even proposed handing the island back to Brunei. In 1894, a submarine communications cable was built by the British to link the island's communications with North Borneo, Singapore and Hong Kong for the first time. By 30 October 1906, the British Government proposed to extend the boundaries of the Straits Settlements to include Labuan. The proposal took effect from 1 January 1907.
Treaty_of_Labuan1846_dec18_outside.jpg|Marines stationed outside the Sultan's palace during the signing of the 1846 Treaty of Labuan
Treaty_of_Labuan1846.jpg|Signing of the Treaty of Labuan 18 Dec 1846
Flag raising Labuan 24Dec1846 Mundy.jpg|Flag raising Labuan 24 Dec 1846
Map of Labuan (1888).jpg|An 1888 British Map of Labuan
In World War II, Labuan was occupied by Japan from 3 January 1942 until June 1945 and garrisoned by units of the Japanese 37th Army, which controlled Northern Borneo. The island served as the administrative centre for the Japanese forces. During the occupation, the Japanese Government changed the island name to Maida Island (前田島 Maeda-shima) on 9 December 1942 after Marquess Toshinari Maeda, as a remembrance to the first Japanese commander in northern Borneo. Maeda was killed in an air crash at Bintulu, Sarawak when en route to the island to open the airfield there. As the Allied counter-attack came closer, the Japanese also developed Labuan and Brunei Bay as a naval base.
The liberation of Borneo by the Allied forces began on 10 June 1945 when the Australian Army under the command of Australian Major General George Wootten launched an attack under the codename of Operation Oboe Six. Labuan became the main objective for the Allied forces to repossess. Soon, the 9th Division of the Australian Army launched the attack with support from airstrikes and sea bombardments until the capture of the Labuan airstrip. Most of the Labuan island area including the main town of Victoria was under the control of Allied forces within four days of the landing on 10 June. On 9 September 1945, the Japanese Lieutenant General Masao Baba officially surrendered at a place now known as Surrender Point near the Layang-layang beach which he had been brought to the 9th Division headquarters on the island to sign the surrender document in front of the Australian 9th Division Army Commander George Wootten.
The name of Labuan was later restored by the British and the island was administered under the British Military Administration together with the rest of the Straits Settlements. Labuan then on 15 July 1946 joined the North Borneo Crown Colony, which in turn became the state of Sabah and Malaysia in 1963. In 1984, the Government of Sabah ceded Labuan to the federal government and later was admitted as a federal territory. This was done so that it could become an offshore financial centre. It was declared an international offshore financial centre and free trade zone in 1990.
Thunderstorms are the most severe precipitation observed in Labuan during 60% of those days with precipitation. They are most likely around October, when they occur very frequently. Meanwhile, the relative humidity for Labuan typically ranges from 63% (mildly humid) to 96% (very humid) over the course of the year, rarely dropping below 53% and reaching as high as 100% (extremely humid).
The island is represented in the lower house of parliament by MP Suhaili Abdul Rahman of PN and in the upper house by Senator Anifah Aman of Parti Cinta Sabah, making him the first non-Labuan resident senator. Below is the list of administrators of Labuan Corporation from 2001 to the current date:
| Othman Mohd Rijal | 2001 | 2003 |
| Suhaili Abdul Rahman | 2003 | 2008 |
| Ahmad Phesal Talib | 2008 | 2011 |
| Yussof Mahal | 2011 | 2013 |
| Rozman Isli | 2013 | 2018 |
| Amir Hussein | 2019 | 2021 |
| Bashir Alias | 2021 | 2023 |
| Anifah Aman | 2023 | Incumbent |
Census the population of Labuan is 76.0% [[Muslim]], 12.4% Christian, 9.0% [[Buddhist|Buddhism]], 0.4% [[Hindu]], 2.1% follower of other religions, and 0.1% non-religious.
The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Labuan is estimated at MYR3.63 billion in 2012 with a growth rate of 5.8 per cent. Labuan GDP per capita in 2012 is MYR39,682. The total employment for Labuan is around 39,800 in 2012. The main economic sectors in Labuan is service and manufacturing which contributed 94.6 per cent to the island GDP. The service sector consisted mainly of Finance and Insurance and Real Estate and Business Services. Meanwhile, the manufacturing sector consists mainly of oil and gas industry and support.
The Labuan International Business and Financial Centre Labuan IBFC was created as Malaysia's only offshore financial hub in October 1990 and was operating under the name of Labuan International Offshore Financial Centre (IOFC). At the time it was established to strengthen the contribution of financial services to the Gross National Product (GNP) of Malaysia as well as to develop the island and its surrounding vicinity. The jurisdiction, supervised by the Labuan Offshore Financial Services Authority or LOFSA, offers benefits such as 3% tax on net audited results or a flat rate of Malaysian Ringgit (MYR) 20,000 to trading companies; low operational costs; liberal exchange controls; and a host of other advantages including readily available, experienced and professional service providers. In 2010 the notion "offshore" was excluded from all the statutes of Labuan due to world pressure on the tax havens and offshores.
Since its inception, the jurisdiction has expanded to become a base for more than 4,800 offshore company and 68 licensed banks. The IBFC also has over 370 registered foundations, 100 partnerships, and over 63 licensed trusts. Labuan IBFC is embarking on an aggressive growth strategy to become the premier international business and financial centre in the Asia Pacific region.
Labuan's business focus is on five core areas: offshore holding companies, captive insurance, Shariah-compliant Islamic Finance structures, public and private funds, and wealth management. Labuan IBFC's position is further enhanced by the launch of the Malaysian International Islamic Finance Centre initiative in August 2006.
The proposal was first introduced in the 1990s. However, it has faced numerous delays due to fact that the feasibility studies for the project were outdated and needed to be updated for the project to proceed smoothly.
In May 2024, Anwar Ibrahim emphasised the need to update existing technical studies to reflect the current situation, such as upgrading works at the terminal, which costed RM22 Million. The funding is intended to enhance the facilities, infrastructure, jetty, and ferry ramp at the terminal. The Prime Minister said the estimated one-hour embarkation time could be reduced by addressing delays caused by immigration checks. He emphasised that efficient services from local enforcement agencies were crucial in resolving congestion issues at the terminal, rather than relying solely on new infrastructure.
These transportation options ensure that W.P. Labuan remains accessible and well-connected, supporting both the local population and visitors to the island.
Labuan is also the base for diving on four popular wreck dives: the Cement wreck, the American wreck (the first USS Salute), the Australian wreck and the Blue Water wreck. Panagadivers.com
Labuan has many schools. However, it has only one international school, Labuan International School. Other places of interest include the Labuan International Sea Sport Complex. Newly proposed is the Marina Centre and Labuan Square project which were completed in 2010.
Labuan's own institution of higher education is Universiti Malaysia Sabah Labuan International Campus, a branch of Universiti Malaysia Sabah in Sepanggar Bay, Kota Kinabalu. Labuan also has Kolej Matrikulasi Labuan, the only matriculation college in East Malaysia. All pre-university students from Sabah, Sarawak, and Labuan take their courses at this institution.
Although initially the design for the first stamp issue was proposed to be depicting a clump of , for economic reasons, the queen heads design was finally adopted, having been used initially for postage stamps of Grenada. The first stamps of Labuan therefore depict the usual profile of Queen Victoria but are unusual for being inscribed in Malay-Arabic (Jawi script) and Chinese scripts in addition to "LABUAN POSTAGE". Perennial shortages necessitated a variety of fee in between the several reprints and colour 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 stamps of North Borneo were overprinted "LABUAN". On 24 September 1896, the 50th anniversary of the cession was marked by overprinting "1846 / JUBILEE / 1896" on North Borneo stamps. Additional overprints appeared through the 1890s. In 1899 many types were surcharged with a value of 4 cents.
The last Labuan-only design came out in 1902, depicting a crown and inscribed "LABUAN COLONY". After incorporation into the Straits Settlements in 1906, Labuan ceased issuing its own stamps, although they remained valid for some time. Many of the remainder were cancelled-to-order for sale to collectors and are now worth only pennies; genuine franked/post used stamps are worth much more.
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