This article is missing information about history, demography, and government.(February 2021) |
Kota Samarahan Muara Tuang | |
---|---|
Town and district capital | |
Nickname(s): Kota Ilmu (Town of Knowledge) | |
Motto(s): Kota Ilmu Yang Sejahtera (Prosperous Town of Knowledge) | |
Coordinates: 1°27′34″N110°29′56″E / 1.45944°N 110.49889°E | |
Country | Malaysia |
State | Sarawak |
Division | Samarahan |
District | Samarahan |
Establishment | 1800s (as Muara Tuang) 19 August 1983 (as Kota Samarahan) |
Municipality status | 11 November 2016 |
Government | |
• Type | Municipality |
• Body | Kota Samarahan Municipal Council |
• Chairman | Dato Peter Minos |
Area | |
• Kota Samarahan | 407 km2 (157 sq mi) |
Elevation | 27 m (89 ft) |
Highest elevation | 810.2 m (2,658.1 ft) |
Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
Population (2010) [1] | |
• Kota Samarahan | 12,724 |
• Density | 31/km2 (81/sq mi) |
Sourced from the Population and Housing Census of Malaysia 2010. Census 2020 is currently in progress. | |
Demonym | (none) |
Time zone | UTC+8 (MST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+8 (Not observed) |
Postal code | 94300 |
International dialling code prefix | +6082 (landline only) |
Vehicle registration plate prefix | QC (for all vehicles except taxis) HQ (for taxis only) |
Website | mpks.sarawak.gov.my |
Kota Samarahan, formerly known as Muara Tuang, is a town and the administrative seat of the Samarahan District in Samarahan Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. It is also a satellite town for Kuching due to its proximity to the city part of Greater Kuching area. The Sarawak government position Kota Samarahan as the medical and education hub of the state. [2] Saramahan is the heart of Sarawak Malays which is majority of 56% .
The Kota Samarahan Municipal Council (MPKS) exercises local authority over Samarahan and Asajaya districts, as well as Sadong Jaya subdistrict.
As of 2010, the Kota Samarahan town has a total population of 12,724, and the population of all towns managed by Kota Samarahan Municipal Council is 85,495. [3]
Samarahan District was known as Muara Tuang subdistrict and the town as "Muara Tuang" under the administration of Kuching Division before 1983. On 19 August 1983, Muara Tuang was elevated to a district status together with a name change to "Samarahan District". At the same time, the town in Samarahan District was also renamed to "Kota Samarahan". On 24 July 1986, Samarahan Division was created by combining the Samarahan, Serian, and Simunjan districts together. [4]
Kota Samarahan is known as Kota Ilmu (town of knowledge) after the first public university in Sarawak, the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) established in 1992. [5]
The Samarahan area became part of the Bruneian Empire in 1364 during the reign of the king Awang alak Betatar (who later changed his name to Sultan Muhamad after adopting Islam). [4] In 1853, Samarahan and Sadong areas were ceded to James Brooke by Sultam Omar Ali Saiffudin. In return, James Brooke had to pay 1500 dollars to the Sultanate as cession money. [4] The cession money was increased to 4500 dollars per year after 1861. [4]
Kota Samarahan is a suburb of the greater metropolitan area of Kuching. It is located about 30 km south east of Kuching. [6] The lands in Samarahan District are flat and consists of lowland and peat soil. [6]
Kota Samarahan has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) with heavy to very heavy rainfall year-round.
Climate data for Kota Samarahan | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Average high °C (°F) | 29.7 (85.5) | 29.9 (85.8) | 31.0 (87.8) | 32.0 (89.6) | 32.4 (90.3) | 32.2 (90.0) | 32.1 (89.8) | 32.1 (89.8) | 31.7 (89.1) | 31.6 (88.9) | 31.3 (88.3) | 30.6 (87.1) | 31.4 (88.5) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 26.1 (79.0) | 26.2 (79.2) | 26.9 (80.4) | 27.5 (81.5) | 27.8 (82.0) | 27.6 (81.7) | 27.3 (81.1) | 27.4 (81.3) | 27.1 (80.8) | 27.1 (80.8) | 26.9 (80.4) | 26.6 (79.9) | 27.0 (80.7) |
Average low °C (°F) | 22.6 (72.7) | 22.6 (72.7) | 22.8 (73.0) | 23.0 (73.4) | 23.3 (73.9) | 23.0 (73.4) | 22.6 (72.7) | 22.7 (72.9) | 22.6 (72.7) | 22.7 (72.9) | 22.6 (72.7) | 22.6 (72.7) | 22.8 (73.0) |
Average rainfall mm (inches) | 578 (22.8) | 447 (17.6) | 314 (12.4) | 280 (11.0) | 248 (9.8) | 198 (7.8) | 189 (7.4) | 235 (9.3) | 269 (10.6) | 319 (12.6) | 349 (13.7) | 474 (18.7) | 3,900 (153.7) |
Source: Climate-Data.org [7] |
According to 2007
Malays are 79 900 Ibans are 30 500 Bidayuhs are 4 500 Melanaus are 1 000 Others Bumiputeras are 400 Chinese are 14 000 Others (non Bumiputeras) 300 Non Citizens are 500
Kota Samarahan Municipal Council was set up in 2016 to administer Kota Samarahan including its surrounding areas such as Asajaya and Sadong Jaya districts. [6] Samarahan Divisional Resident Office was built after the Samarahan district was declared a division in 1986. [8]
Due to the vast availability of lowlands in the district, Malaysian federal government started Integrated Agricultural Development Area (IADA) in Samarahan since 1986. [6] [9] Amongst the crops planted are sweet lime, coconut, oil palm, and pineapple. Amongst the cash crops that are planted are: paddy rice, watermelon, sweet corn, and vegetables. [6] This programme helps in poverty reduction from 77% in 1986 to 19.5% in 2005 by using poverty line income (PLI) of RM 765 (US$ 201.3) per month based on Ninth Malaysia Plan in 2006. As of 2006, 40% of the average household income in this area was RM 1440. Assuming a yearly income growth rate of 3%, all the farmers in the IADA area would come above the PLI by 2022. [9]
There is a mini industrial estate near Tanjung Bundong village. [6] [10]
Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (SALCRA) set up its headquarters in Kota Samarahan. [11]
Route No. | Operating Route | Operator |
---|---|---|
3AB | Kuching-Serian | BusAsia |
K10 | Kuching-Kota Samarahan | CPL |
10A | Kuching-Kota Samarahan | BusAsia |
10AC | Kuching-Kota Samarahan | BusAsia |
K12 | Kuching-Kota Samarahan-Asajaya-Sadong Jaya | CPL |
Prior to 1990, the shortest means of access into Samarahan from Kuching was via a ferry at Sungai Kuap other than direct road access from Jalan Datuk Muhamad Musa which takes longer. The construction of a bridge has further shortened the road distance from between Kuching-Kota Samarahan to 11 kilometers. This new road, officially known as Kuching-Kota Samarahan Expressway, links Kota Samarahan with the major industrial areas of Pending, Demak Laut and Sama Jaya. This new road is currently undergoing some expansion in anticipation of increased traffic between Kuching-Samarahan due to the increasing population in Samarahan.
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak was established in December 1992 with two faculties namely the Faculty of Social Science and the Faculty of Resource Science and Technology. In 1994, more faculties were added, including the Faculty of Cognitive Sciences and Human Development, the Faculty of Applied and Creative Arts, and the Faculty of Engineering. In 1995, the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences was set up, followed by the Faculty of Economics and Business in 1996. [12]
Universiti Teknologi MARA Kota Samarahan branch was given 883 acres of land to develop its campus. As of 2013, Campus 2 was built next to its old Campus 1. [13] [14]
Teachers' training institute Tun Abdul Razak campus was built in November 1999. [15]
INTAN Sarawak campus moved from Kuching to Kota Samarahan in August 2011. It serves as a training centre for government servants in customer service and administration. [16]
Kota Samarahan Industrial Training Institute (ILPKS) was established in 1999, by Department of Manpower under the Ministry of Human Resources. It provides vocational training for manufacturing sector. [17]
Sarawak General Hospital Heart Centre was set up in 2011 in Kota Samarahan, incorporating the department of cardiology from Sarawak General Hospital due to space constraints. In 2015, the centre is known as "Sarawak Heart Centre" after it was given administrative autonomy by the government of Malaysia. [18]
Kota Samarahan public health clinic is located 15 km away from Sarawak Heart Centre. [19]
Building upon the entries of tertiary educational institutions, Sarawak Heart Centre, and large businesses in Kota Samarahan, the first shopping mall named the "Summer Mall" was opened in 2013. [20] This was followed by Aiman Mall in 2017, being the first suburban mall in Samarahan with retail space of over 140,000 square feet. [21] La Promenade Mall was opened in 2021, as part of the Hock Seng Lee (a construction company based in Sarawak) office tower located along the Kuching-Samarahan expressway. [22] The mall mainly caters to the La Promenade's luxury gated residential community developed by Hock Seng Lee. [22] Supermarkets in Kota Samarahan are: Farley, BB, Everwin, and EMART. [23]
Sarawak is a state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Malaya, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the Malaysian state of Sabah to the northeast, Kalimantan to the south, and Brunei in the north. The capital city, 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.
East Malaysia, or the Borneo States, also known as Malaysian Borneo, is the part of Malaysia on and near the island of Borneo, the world's third-largest island. East Malaysia comprises the states of Sabah, Sarawak, and the Federal Territory of Labuan. The small independent nation of Brunei lies sandwiched between Sabah and Sarawak. To the south and southeast is the Indonesian portion of Borneo, Kalimantan. East Malaysia lies to the east of Peninsular Malaysia, the part of the country on the Malay Peninsula. The two are separated by the South China Sea.
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 the state 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.
Samarahan Division is one of the twelve administrative divisions in Sarawak, Malaysia. Formerly part of the First Division, which included Kuching, it became a separate Division on 24 July 1986, with a total area of 4,967.4 square kilometres.
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.
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.
Bintulu is a coastal town on the island of Borneo in the central region of Sarawak, Malaysia. Bintulu is located 610 kilometres northeast of Kuching, 216 kilometres northeast of Sibu, and 200 kilometres southwest of Miri. With a population of 114,058 as of 2010, Bintulu is the capital of the Bintulu District of the Bintulu Division of Sarawak, Malaysia.
Asajaya is a small town located in Samarahan Division, Sarawak, Malaysia.
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS); English: University of Malaysia Sarawak) is a Malaysian public university, located in Kota Samarahan, Sarawak. UNIMAS was officially incorporated on 24 December 1992. Recently, UNIMAS has been ranked among top 200th in Asian University Rankings 2017 by QS World University Rankings.
Borneo Company Limited, formed in 1856, was one of the oldest companies based in East Malaysia.
Servay Hypermarket (S) Sdn. Bhd. is a hypermarket and retailer chain in Malaysia. It is one of the main existing retailer in East Malaysia, having over 30 branches spread throughout Sabah and Sarawak. It was founded by Dato Sri Lai Kock Poh in 1990.
Rubiah binti Wang is a Malaysian politician who has served as the Deputy Minister of Rural and Regional Development in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi since December 2022 and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Kota Samarahan since May 2013. She is a member of the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), a component party of the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GRS) and formerly Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.
Pehin Sri Tan Sri Haji Adenan bin Haji Satem, popularly known as Tok Nan, was a Malaysian politician who served as the fifth chief minister of Sarawak from March 2014 to his death in January 2017. During his tenure, Adenan held the position as the President of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), which is part of the Barisan Nasional coalition. He was of Malay descent.
Mukah (muːkəh), historically known as Muka is a coastal town which serves as the capital and the administrative center of the Mukah Division since 1 March 2002.
Muara Tuang is a state constituency in Sarawak, Malaysia, that has been represented in the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly since 1969.
Kota Samarahan is a federal constituency in Samarahan Division, Serian Division and Kuching Division, Sarawak, Malaysia, that has been represented in the Dewan Rakyat since 1990.
The Kuching Urban Transportation System (KUTS) was a proposed light rapid transit (LRT) system network in Kuching, Malaysia as one of the methods to ease traffic congestion in the city. It was to be constructed using state funds. The proposed LRT lines will connect Kuching to Samarahan and Serian. Chief Minister Abang Abdul Rahman Johari Abang Openg promised to build the first Sarawak LRT soon to avoid rising costs, with Chinese companies offering their expertise to collaborate in the construction. The project is funded by the Development Bank of Sarawak (DBOS).
Greater Kuching refers to the urbanised areas surrounding the metropolitan city of Kuching in Malaysia. Kuching is the capital of the state of Sarawak and is the largest city in the state. The area comprising a total area of 2030.94 square kilometres.