Labuan
island is located off the northwest coast of Borneo, north of Brunei Bay
and faces the South China Sea. It comprises of the main island of Pulau
Labuan and six smaller islands namely Pulau Kuraman, Pulau Daat, Pulau
Rusukan Besar, Pulau Rusukan Kecil, Pulau Papan and Pulau Burung. It is
located at 05 latitude North and 115 longitude East, and lies approximately
10 km southeast off the coast of the East Malaysian state of Sabah.
Labuan is only 8km or twenty minute boat ride from Menumbok, a small fishing
town in Sabah. High speed air-conditioned ferries ply daily to Labuan
from Sabah, Sarawak and Negara Brunei Darussalam. The trip from Kota Kinabalu,
capital of Sabah takes about 3 hours and about an hour from Negara Brunei
Darussalam. It is roughly equidistant from Bangkok, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur,
Hong Kong, Manila and Singapore. There are direct flights from Kuala Lumpur
as well as from Brunei.
The island is mainly flat and undulating and the highest point is only
85 metres. More than 70 percent of the island is still under vegetation.
Due to the fact that land utility is geared more towards property and
industrial use, there is less agricultural activity in the area. Most
of the island's prime land, waterfront and suburbs are utilised for residential
and tourism development. A sizeable area on the south western side of
the island is utilised by shipbuilding, manufacturing and oil and gas
industries.
Labuan has a tropical climate with two annual monsoon seasons - the South
West monsoon from April to June and the North East monsoon from September
to December. It is free from hurricanes and typhoons and enjoys good climate
all year round. Daily temperatures average between 28 to 32 degrees celsius.
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