Labuan is basically a group of islands that consist of one large one as well as six smaller islands. The islands are locater in East Malaysia that lies off the coast of Borneo. The other six islands of Labuan include Pulau Burung, Pulau Papan, Pulau Rusukan Kecil, Pulau Daat, Pulau Kuraman and Pulau Rusukan Besar.
The island has an estimated population of 80,000 people and with such a small community the people there knows one another. On 16th of April 1984, Labuan was proclaimed as a Federal Territory and on 1st of October 1990 was declared as an International Offshore Financial Centre. There are a few major businesses that operated on the island such as steel mills, floor tiles production, International Offshore Banking Centre, methanol plant, flour mill as well as other offshore supplies. Due to these major businesses that have set up operation on the island you will also be able to find a lot of non-Labuan people working there.
The island of Labuan is situated off the northwest coast of Borneo and north of the Brunei Bay which also faces the South China Sea. As mentioned besides the main island of Labuan there are also six smaller islands which includes Pulau Burung, Pulau Papan, Pulau Rusukan Kecil, Pulau Daat, Pulau Kuraman and Pulau Rusukan Besar. The cluster of islands is located at 05 latitude North and 115 longitude East and about 10km southeast off the coast of the East Malaysian state of Sabah.
You can reach Labuan from Menumbok which is a small fishing town in Sabah that is only 8km or a twenty minute boat ride. There are also high speed air-conditioned ferries that operate the routes to Labuan from various departure points that include the state of Sarawak, Sabah and the neighboring country of Brunei. The journey from the capital of Sabah, Kota Kinabalu will take at least 3 hours while traveling from Brunei will last about an hour. The journey is roughly equidistant of traveling to Jakarta, Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong and Manila. If you plan to fly to Labuan there are direct flights from Kuala Lumpur and also from Brunei.
The island itself is mainly flat and undulating while the highest point on the island is measured at only 85 meters. While more than 70 percent of the island is still underdeveloped and consists mostly of vegetation, the area that is utilized are geared more towards property and industrial use as such there is less agricultural activity in the area. The island’s prime land, waterfront and suburbs are then used for development in terms of tourism and residential use. The shipbuilding, manufacturing and oil and gas industries are located on a sizeable area on the south western side of the island.
Like the other areas in East Malaysia, Labuan also has a tropical climate with two annual monsoon seasons. One is the South West monsoon that occurs from the month of April to June while the other one is the North East monsoon that happens from the month of September to December. Apart from that Labuan is also free from natural disasters such as typhoons and hurricanes while enjoying good climate all year round. With its tropical climate you can expect the temperature of Labuan to average between 28 to 32 degrees Celsius.
While the island is considered to be duty free, the things that are sold on the island is not entirely cheap. However, the following list is some of the items that are cheaper on the island as opposed to other places and they include; Certain
As an island, you can expect to find that most of the activities that are found here are water related, so if you are the type of people that fall into this particular category then Pulau Labuan is definitely the place for you. International Offshore
Besides being an international hub of the region, Labuan is a great place to visit with its own set of attractions and other interesting sites. Labuan Marine Park Situated about 2km off the southern region of the main Labuan island, the Labuan Marine Park is
Getting to the Federal Territory of Labuan is very easy as it has its own international airport and port. Flights and boats to Labuan By plane – There are daily flights from Kuala Lumpur that is operated by Malaysian Airlines as well the low cost
Eating at Pulau Labuan can be an expensive experience especially if you desire fresh seafood. Seafood does not have to cost you an arm and a leg and the best way to do so is ask the locals as they may suggest cheaper alternatives to
Malaysia has 3 Federal Territories which are independent districts not governed by any state but comes directly under the management of the federal government. Labuan is one of these three where it is a regional financial hub located in East Malaysia. Facts about Labuan Currency: