Crown Colony of Labuan

Crown Colony of Labuan
Pulau Labuan
1848–1946
Badge of Labuan
Badge
Anthem: God Save the Queen (1848–1901)
God Save the King (1901–1946)
Map of Labuan, 1888
Map of Labuan, 1888
StatusBritish colony
CapitalVictoria
Common languagesEnglish, Malay and Chinese etc.
Monarch 
• 1848–1876
Queen Victoria (first)
• 1936–1946
George VI (last)
Governor 
• 1848–1852
James Brooke (first)
• 1945–1946
Shenton Thomas (last)
Historical eraBritish Empire
• Establishment of the crown colony
1848
• Transferred to North Borneo
1890
1904
• Incorporated into Straits Settlements
1 January 1907
3 January 1942
10 June 1945
• Labuan to North Borneo Crown
15 July 1946
Population
• 1864[1]
2,000
• 1890[2]
5,853
• 1911[3]
6,545
• 1941[4]
8,963
CurrencyNorth Borneo dollar (1890–1907)
Straits dollar (1907–1939)
Malayan dollar (1939–1946)
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Bruneian Empire
North Borneo
Straits Settlements
North Borneo
Straits Settlements
Japanese occupation of British Borneo
Crown Colony of North Borneo
Today part ofMalaysia
  Labuan

The Crown Colony of Labuan was a Crown colony off the northwestern shore of the island of Borneo established in 1848 after the acquisition of the island of Labuan from the Sultanate of Brunei in 1846. Apart from the main island, Labuan consists of six smaller islands; Burung, Daat, Kuraman, Papan, Rusukan Kecil, and Rusukan Besar.

Labuan was expected by the British to be a second Singapore, but it did not fulfill its promise especially after the failure of its coal production that did not become fruitful, causing investors to withdraw their money, leaving all machinery equipment and Chinese workers that had entered the colony previously. The Chinese workers then began involving themselves in other businesses with many becoming chief traders of the island's produce of edible bird's nest, pearl, sago and camphor, with the main successful production later being the coconut, rubber and sago.

World War II brought the invasion of Japanese forces which abruptly ended British administration. Subsequently, Labuan became the place where the Japanese commander in Borneo surrendered to the Allied forces, with the territory placed under a military administration before merging into the Crown Colony of North Borneo.


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