Info for British North Borneo

British North Borneo, a former British protectorate and crown colony, occupies the northern tip of the island of Borneo. The island of Labuan, which lies 6 miles off the north-west coast of the island of Borneo, was incorporated with British North Borneo in 1946. The Portuguese and Spanish established trading relations with Borneo early in the 16th century. Their monopoly was broken by the Dutch and British at the beginning of the 17th century. British North Borneo was administered by the North Borneo Company from 1877 to 1942, and later came under British military control, finally to become a British protectorate. Japan quickly eliminated the British and Dutch forces on Borneo and occupied the entire island during World War II. The island was retaken in 1945, and in 1946, British North Borneo was made a crown colony. Britain relinquished its sovereignty over the colony in 1963. At that time, it joined the Malaysian federation under the name of Sabah.