North Borneo

North Borneo

Map of North Borneo Flag of North Borneo

In 1878 Alfred Dent formed a British syndicate, and he persuaded the Sultan of Sulu to cede those parts of North Borneo which his ancestors had held for generations. Later a company was formed which took over the concession granted to the syndicate, and as the British North Borneo Company applied for and received a charter from Queen Victoria in 1881. The conditions laid down were that the company must remain British and that the religion and customs of the native inhabitants must be respected. Later on more concessions were added, granted by the Sultan of Brunei.

Because of possible complications with foreign powers, a British Protectorate was declared over the northern part of Borneo in 1888, which included Sarawak, Brunei and the state of North Borneo. The Crown took over external affairs, while the Chartered Company remained in control of internal administration of their territory, except that the Governor chosen by the directors of the company sitting in London to represent them in Borneo was to have the approval of the Colonial Secretary.

The British North Borneo Company continued its operations until the Japanese invasion in 1942. On 15 July 1946 the company's rights passed to the Crown. It then became the Colony of North Borneo and included the island of Labuan.

British North Borneo was granted self-government on 31 August 1963. A little over two weeks later, on 16 September 1963, the state united with Malaya, Sarawak and Singapore, forming the Federation of Malaysia.

Capital: Jesselton

Government: British crown colony

Area: 76.115 km²

Population: 285.000 (1936)

Currency: British North Borneo Dollar (100 cents)

Links

North Borneo in Wikipedia.

Flag of North Borneo in Flags of the World.

Stamp catalogue

UPU 75th anniversary

date: 10 October 1949

designer: -