Sarawak is a state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in the region of East Malaysia in northwest Borneo, and is bordered by the Malaysian state of Sabah to the northeast, Kalimantan to the south, and Brunei in the north. The state capital, Kuching, is the largest city in Sarawak, the economic centre of the state, and the seat of the Sarawak state government. Other cities and towns in Sarawak include Miri, Sibu, and Bintulu. As of the 2020 Malaysia census, the population of Sarawak was 2.453 million. Sarawak has an equatorial climate with tropical rainforests and abundant animal and plant species. It has several prominent cave systems at Gunung Mulu National Park. Rajang River is the longest river in Malaysia; Bakun Dam, one of the largest dams in Southeast Asia, is located on one of its tributaries, the Balui River. Mount Murud is the highest point in the state. Sarawak is the only state of Malaysia with a Christian majority.
Kuching, officially the City of Kuching, is the capital and the most populous city in the state of Sarawak in Malaysia. It is also the capital of Kuching Division. The city is on the Sarawak River at the southwest tip of Sarawak on the island of Borneo and covers an area of 431 km2 (166 sq mi) with a population about 165,642 in the Kuching North administrative region and 159,490 in the Kuching South administrative region—a total of 325,132 people.
Sibu is a landlocked city located in the central region of Sarawak, Malaysia. It serves as the capital of Sibu District within Sibu Division and is situated on the island of Borneo. Covering an area of 129.5 square kilometres (50.0 sq mi), the city is positioned at the confluence of the Rajang and Igan Rivers, approximately 60 kilometres from the South China Sea and 191.5 kilometres (119 mi) north-east of the state capital, Kuching.
Kuching Division is one of the twelve administrative divisions in Sarawak, Malaysia. Formerly part of what was called the "First Division", it is the center and the starting point of modern Sarawak. Kuching Division has a total area of 4,559.5 square kilometres.
The Borneo Post, established in 1978, is the largest and widely circulated English-language daily newspaper in East Malaysia and also the alternately circulated newspaper in Brunei. The newspaper is the first English newspaper in East Malaysia to use photo-composition for type-setting and printing was done in offset as against the old-fashioned letterpress.
Lundu is a town and the capital of Lundu District located in the northwest of Kuching Division of Sarawak, Malaysia, and borders the Indonesian Province of West Kalimantan.
WO1 Temenggong Datuk Kanang anak Langkau, SP, PGB, PGBK, PBS (Rt) was a Malaysian hero and soldier from the Iban Dayak community in Sarawak. He was in the Royal Ranger Regiment and Regimental Sergeant Major of 8 Renjer of the Malaysian Army with his tag number 901378. He was awarded the Panglima Gagah Berani and Seri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa medals from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Ahmad Shah on 3 June 1981. He is the sole recipient of both the Seri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa and Pingat Gagah Berani, and was the last living recipient of the Seri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa.
The History of Sarawak can be traced as far as 40,000 years ago to the paleolithic period where the earliest evidence of human settlement is found in the Niah caves. A series of Chinese ceramics dated from the 8th to 13th century AD was uncovered at the archeological site of Santubong. The coastal regions of Sarawak came under the influence of the Bruneian Empire in the 16th century. In 1839, James Brooke, a British explorer, first arrived in Sarawak. Sarawak was later governed by the Brooke family between 1841 and 1946. During World War II, it was occupied by the Japanese for three years. After the war, the last White Rajah, Charles Vyner Brooke, ceded Sarawak to Britain, and in 1946 it became a British Crown Colony. On 22 July 1963, Sarawak was granted self-government by the British. Following this, it became one of the founding members of the Federation of Malaysia, established on 16 September 1963. However, the federation was opposed by Indonesia, and this led to the three-year Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation. From 1960 to 1990, Sarawak experienced a communist insurgency.
The Darjah Utama Yang Amat Mulia Bintang Sarawak is the highest state order in the state of Sarawak. It is conferred to those who rendered excellent service towards the development of the state of Sarawak and Malaysia. The Order was established in 1964, a year after Sarawak's independence with the formation of Malaysia. The history of the order can be traced back to 1928, where a similar order named Order of the Star of Sarawak was established by the White Rajahs. However, the revived order has no connection with the previous order, except for the similarity of the name of the order. The motto of the Order is based on the state motto and the current one was adopted in 1988. The design of the order ribbon was changed twice, first in 1973 and again in 1988. The design follows the colors of the Sarawakian flag: blue, red and white, and yellow, black and red. Both the Officer of the Star of Sarawak (JBS) and Officer of the Star of Hornbill Sarawak (JBS) share the same necklace design.
Sarawak's population is very diverse, comprising many races and ethnic groups. Sarawak has more than 40 sub-ethnic groups, each with its own distinct language, culture and lifestyle. This makes Sarawak demography very distinct and unique compared to its Peninsular counterpart. However, it largely mirrors to other territories in Borneo – Sabah, Brunei and Kalimantan.
Kuching Heroes' Cemetery is a mausoleum located in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. This cemetery is located at Jalan Taman Budaya.
Depha Masterpiece is a Malaysian rock musician, songwriter, arranger, and producer from Sarawak. He is best known as the lead vocalist and primary songwriter of the Bornean hard rock band, Masterpiece.
Masterpiece is an Iban rock band, which formed in 2003 as Masterjam in Sibu, Sarawak best known for its hit singles, "Sinu", "Kumang Seari" & "Ngarap Ka Nuan Nikal Pulai". The band comprises vocalist Depha Masterpiece, lead guitarist Willy Edwin, bassist Watt Marcus, drummer Harold Vincent, keyboardist Valentine Jimmy and Roslee Qadir. The group was renamed Masterpiece in 2005 after Depha was hired as the band's new vocalist. Drummer Roni,guitarist Kennedy Edwin ,keyboardist Dellender Wilson and Timothy are former members of the band.
Sarawak Music Awards is a music award held in the Malaysian state of Sarawak. It is divided into three major events that are given the most attention by the fans, media, and record companies in Sarawak. Shortlisted as the Anugerah Musik Dayak (AMD) awards, Anugerah Juara Rentak Ruai (AJARR) awards and the Anugerah Carta Sapa Juara (ACSJ) awards. Presented by different organization dedicated to promoting the diversity of music in Sarawak and to acknowledging the talents and contributions of the local entertainer.
The Kuching Old Courthouse is a historical courthouse in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia.
Sarawak exhibits notable diversity in ethnicity, culture, and language. The Sarawakian culture has been influenced by Bruneian Malays of the coastal areas. Substantial cultural influences also came from the Chinese and British cultures.
The Parti Bumi Kenyalang is a Sarawakian centre-right political party and officially registered in 2013 and have its headquarters in Bintulu and also in Kuching.
Larissa Ping Liew is a Malaysian model, fashion blogger and beauty pageant titleholder, who was crowned Miss World Malaysia 2018. She represented Malaysia at Miss World 2018 pageant, where she placed in the Top 30.
Datuk Larry Sng Wei Shien, is a Taiwanese-born Malaysian politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Julau since May 2018. He served as Member of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Pelagus from September 2001 to April 2011. He was previously the State Chairman of the People's Justice Party (PKR) of Sarawak, a component party of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition. On 28 February 2021, he left PKR to become an independent again and declared support for the ruling Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition. He is currently the President of Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) and has served in this role since January 2022. Following the 2022 general election, he is presently the sole PBM MP and his party is aligned to the Unity Government.
