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. |
