The British also encouraged the migration of the Chinese from British Hong Kong to develop the economy of Sandakan. Sandakan began to prosper when the British North Borneo Company (BNBC) started to build a new settlement in 1879, developing it into an active commercial and trading centre as well as making it the main administrative centre for North Borneo. As a result, a protocol was signed between the British, German and the Spanish to recognise Spanish sovereignty over the Sulu Archipelago, in return for the Spanish not intervening in British affairs in northern Borneo. The German presence over the area raised concern among the British. In 1878, the Sultanate sold north-eastern Borneo to an Austro-Hungarian consul who later left the territory to a British colonial merchant. The Sultanate of Sulu awarded a German consular service ex-member a piece of land in the Sandakan Bay to seek protection from Germany. By 1864, Spain had blockaded the Sultanate possessions in the Sulu Archipelago. īefore the founding of Sandakan, Sulu Archipelago was the source of dispute between Spain and the Sultanate of Sulu for economic dominance in the region. The population of the municipal area had increased to 510,600 by 2020. In 2010, the city had an estimated population of 157,330 while the surrounding municipal area had a total population of 396,290. It is located on the Sandakan Peninsula and east coast of the state in the administrative centre of Sandakan Division and was the former capital of British North Borneo. It is the second largest city in Sabah after Kota Kinabalu. Sandakan ( Malaysian pronunciation:, Jawi: سنداکن‎, Chinese: 山打根 pinyin: Shāndǎgēn Jyutping: saan1 daa2 gan1) formerly known at various times as Elopura, is the capital of the Sandakan District in Sabah, Malaysia.

Sandokan wikipedia