Labuan (Malaysia)

Wilayah Persekutuan Labuan, Federal Territory of Labuan

Last modified: 2006-09-23 by ian macdonald
Keywords: malaysia | labuan | federal territory of labuan | wilayah persekutuan labuan | victoria | port victoria | borneo | crescent: points to fly (yellow) | star: 14 points (yellow) | ship: sailing | sun: rising | sea |
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image by Clay Moss, 14 September 2005

• Description of the flag
• Construction details
• Presentation
• British Colony of Labuan 1912-1946
• Labuan and Sabah

See also:

• Federal Territories
• British Straits Settlements
• Subnational Flags (Malaysia)
• Malaysia

Description of the flag

Red-white-blue horizontal tricolor with crescent and sun in center. I have used RGB 255-204-0 in portraying the sun on Labuan's flag and will do so for all Malay state flags in this project that contain the color "gold" or golden yellow. I actually stand on solid ground in doing this, as it's apparent that Malay flag manufacturers are beginning to see the wisdom in printing with the darker shade of golden yellow. The latest versions of Perlis, Penang, Perek, Sarawak, and Selangor in particular are being made up with golden yellow whether they're sewn or printed. Until recently, the colors of yellow would vary greatly with a sort of light lemon yellow being prominent along with 255-204- 0. In some cases, it was almost impossible to see the yellow on the flags of Labuan, Penang and Perek because the white in each of those flags completely absorbed the yellow.
Clay Moss, 14 September 2005

Construction details

image by Clay Moss, 14 September 2005

On a flag of 88-88-88 x 528 units, the emblem is centred and contained within an imaginary rectangle of 140 x 192 units.
Christopher Southworth, 14 September 2005

Labuan is the second federal territory of Malaysia, an island off the coast of Sabah and formerly one of the Straits Settlements. (Source: "Flagmaster" no.082, 1996).
Mark Sensen, 27 July 1996

The Danish Encyclopaedia has a number of things about Labuan:

1. The main town on the island, which is also named Labuan, used to be named Victoria.
2. Labuan was made a federal territory in 1984 (FOTW says 1982).
3. Labuan is an important town for Philippine smugglers.

I think it's still called Victoria, in the way that George Town, Penang, is still officially George Town, but normally just called Penang.
Andrew Yong, 13 November 1999

image by Mario Fabretto

It is sometimes asked why Labuan is associated with Sabah. It seems logical to me, bearing in mind that Sabah was generally known as North Borneo until 1963, and Labuan was part of North Borneo between 1890 and 1906, and again since 1946. As far as I can make out the sequence was:

• 1846: Labuan acquired by Britain as a base between Singapore and Hong Kong. It had previously been part of Brunei.
• 1848: Made a Crown Colony.
• 1890: Incorporated into territory of the British North Borneo Company which in 1881 had taken over land previously part of Brunei.
• 1906: Territory of North Borneo Company became a Crown Colony but Labuan was transferred to the control of the Governor of the Straits Settlements.
• 1907: Labuan annexed to Straits Settlements as part of Singapore.
• 1912: Labuan became a separate Crown Colony.
• 1946: Labuan returned to British North Borneo.
• 1963: British North Borneo renamed Sabah and joined with Malaya, Singapore and Sarawak to become Malaysia. Labuan is made a district in Sabah.
• 1982: District of Labuan is ceded to the Federal Government and made a Federal Territory.

David Prothero, 16 March 1998 and
Robert Kee, 15 August 1999