Victoria () ( ms, Bandar Victoria), sometimes known as ''Bandar Labuan'', is the capital of the Federal Territory of

Labuan Labuan (), officially the Federal Territory of Labuan ( ms, Wilayah Persekutuan Labuan), is a Federal Territory of Malaysia. Its territory includes and six smaller islands, off the coast of the state of Sabah in East Malaysia. Labuan's capita ...

in Malaysia, an island group off the north coast of

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and ea ...

. It is in the southeast corner of Labuan and its Malay name, ''Bandar Victoria'', is commonly used to honour the reign of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

. The town is an urban district within the wider city limits of Victoria which includes Labuan Port, a sheltered deep-water harbour which is an important trans-shipment point for

Brunei Darussalam Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely surrounded by the ...

, northern

Sarawak Sarawak (; ) is a state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the Malaysian state of Sabah to the northeast, ...

and western

Sabah Sabah () is a state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indonesia to the south. The Federal Territory o ...

History

Since the 15th century, the town area including other parts of Labuan were under the

Bruneian Empire Bruneian may refer to: * Something of, or related to Brunei * A person from Brunei, or of Bruneian descent. For information about the Bruneian people, see Demographics of Brunei and Culture of Brunei. For specific Bruneians, see List of Bruneians. ...

. Its history dates back to the time when the island was ceded by Sultan

Omar Ali Saifuddin II Omar Ali Saifuddin II (; ; 3 February 1799 – 20 November 1852) was the 23rd Sultan of Brunei, then known as the Bruneian Empire. During his reign, Western powers such as Great Britain and the United States visited the country. His reign saw t ...

to the British.

Rodney Mundy Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy), Admiral of the Fleet Sir (George) Rodney Mundy, (19 April 1805 – 23 December 1884) was a Royal Navy officer. As a commander, he persuaded the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, Dutch to surrender Antwerp durin ...

, a British naval officer, later visited the island in the name of

. The island was then occupied by Japan from 3 January 1942 until June 1945 and governed as part of the Northern Borneo military unit by the Japanese 37th Army. During the

Battle of Labuan The Battle of Labuan was an engagement fought between Allied and Imperial Japanese forces on the island of Labuan off Borneo during June 1945. It formed part of the Australian invasion of North Borneo, and was initiated by the Allied forces a ...

it was liberated by the 9th Division of Australian Imperial Force on 10 June 1945 and placed under a British Military Administration until 15 July 1946, when it was incorporated into the North Borneo Crown Colony. During this time, the Crown Colony government re-established much of the infrastructure that had been destroyed during the war. The island later became part of the state of

and Malaysia in 1963 before the state

government of Sabah The Sabah State Government is an authority governing Sabah, one of Borneo states of Malaysia, based in Kota Kinabalu, the state capital. The state government adheres to and is created by both the Federal Constitution of Malaysia, the supreme law ...

ceded the island to the federal government in 1984. It was declared an international

offshore financial centre An offshore financial centre (OFC) is defined as a "country or jurisdiction that provides financial services to nonresidents on a scale that is incommensurate with the size and the financing of its domestic economy." "Offshore" does not refer ...

and

free trade zone A free-trade zone (FTZ) is a class of special economic zone. It is a geographic area where goods may be imported, stored, handled, manufactured, or reconfigured and re-exported under specific customs regulation and generally not subject to cu ...

in 1990 to assist the development of Victoria.

Economy

The major products produced on Labuan and exported through Labuan Port include

copra Copra (from ) is the dried, white flesh of the coconut from which coconut oil is extracted. Traditionally, the coconuts are sun-dried, especially for export, before the oil, also known as copra oil, is pressed out. The oil extracted from co ...

, rubber and

sago Sago () is a starch extracted from the pith, or spongy core tissue, of various tropical palm stems, especially those of ''Metroxylon sagu''. It is a major staple food for the lowland peoples of New Guinea and the Maluku Islands, where it is c ...

.WPS – Labuan Port
Retrieved 26 January 2014. The port is on a natural deep-water bay where large vessels can anchor as it is sheltered from typhoons. Vessels received include containers, bulk, and general cargoes. The main jetty is 244 metres long with an alongside depth of 8.5 metres and it can accommodate vessels to 16,000 DWT. The wharf has four berths. There are about 15,600 m² available in open storage, two warehouses and a container yard. A 10,000 m² yard and warehouses are available outside the port. Its capacity is 100,000 TEUs of containerised cargo per annum. Five private jetties are installed: the Shell Jetty that specialises in petroleum; the Iron Ore Jetty; the Methanol Jetty; and two offshore wheat and maize jetties called the Asian Supply Base Jetty and the Sabah Flour Mill Jetty. Victoria's Financial Park along Jalan Merdeka houses offshore teams of international banks, insurance and trust companies. Victoria is an offshore support hub for deepwater oil and gas activities in the region. In 2012, Victoria had a population of over 85,000 with nearly half of those coming from elsewhere in Malaysia and from Brunei Darussalam. It has a 1,500-seat

convention hall Convention Hall was a convention center in Kansas City, Missouri that hosted the 1900 Democratic National Convention and 1928 Republican National Convention. It was designed by Frederick E. Hill and built at the corner of 13th and Central and cos ...

adjoining a large shopping mall; these form a modern complex which enhances Victoria's status among International Offshore Financial Centres.

Climate

Victoria, Labuan features a

tropical rainforest climate A tropical rainforest climate, humid tropical climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southea ...

(Af), which is true for virtually all of Malaysia due to its close proximity to the equator, with constantly high temperatures and abundant rainfall over the course of the year. Like all cities and town with this climate, there is no dry season and the temperature in the city averages , while the average annual rainfall is .

International relations

Sister city

Victoria currently has one

sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...

References

{{Labuan Labuan