Kuching Division

Last updated

Kuching
Flag of Sarawak.svg
Sarawakkuching.PNG
Division Office locationKuching
Local area government(s) Kuching South City Council (MBKS)
Kuching North City Hall (DBKU)
Padawan Municipal Council (MPP)
Bau District Council (MDB)
Lundu District Council (MDL)
Area
  Total4,559.5 km2 (1,760.4 sq mi)
Population
 (2010)
  Total705,546
  Density150/km2 (400/sq mi)
ResidentNorleha binti Hj. Shariff
License plate prefixQK, QA
Ethnicity Chinese (33.9%), Malay (33.4%), Bidayuh (17.8%), Others (14.9%)

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.

Contents

Kuching Division consists of three administrative districts; Kuching, Bau and Lundu and two subdistricts; Padawan, and Sematan.

Demographics

The population of Kuching Division (year 2010 census) was 705,546. This makes Kuching Division the most populated division in Sarawak. Most of the residents in Kuching Division live in Kuching District.

Ethnics

Kuching Division is a melting pot of Sarawak diverse multi-racial society. However, the ethnic composition of Kuching Division is somewhat different compared to the whole Sarawak. Malay and Chinese form majority groups in Kuching, while in the whole Sarawak, Iban and Chinese. Basically, it is traditionally a home to Chinese, Malay and Bidayuh people. Most Chinese are of Hakka and Hokkien descent while some are Foochow and Teochew. They live mostly at urban and suburban areas. Kuching Division has the highest number of Malay people in Sarawak. Most Sarawakian Malays originated from Kuching Division. They are scattered all throughout Kuching Division, with exception of rural areas of Padawan sub-district. Kuching Division is also a home to the largest Bidayuh community. Like Sarawakian Malays, most Sarawakian Bidayuhs are from Kuching Division. They form a majority group in Bau district of Kuching. Other significant minority in Kuching Division are Iban and Melanau. Most of them originated outside Kuching. However, the earliest Iban settlement in Kuching can be found at Kampung Siol Kandis, Petra Jaya, Kuching. Most Melanau people who reside in Kuching have assimilated into Malay society due to professing Islam. Some of them have no longer speak in Bahasa Melanau due to the assimilation. Kuching people also mainly speak Bahasa Sarawak which is similar to the Malaysia's official language of Bahasa Malaysia.

Kuching Division Ethnic Statistic [1]
Administrative DistrictTotal
Population
MalayIbanBidayuhMelanauOther
Bumiputera
ChineseOther
Non-Bumiputera
Non-Citizen
Kuching617,887
(87.6%)
220,333
(35.7%)
67,367
(10.9%)
76,403
(12.4%)
3,932
(0.6%)
8,473
(1.4%)
225,998
(36.6%)
5,295
(0.8%)
10,050
(1.6%)
Bau54,046
(7.7%)
4,187
(7.6%)
1,402
(2.6%)
37,328
(69.0%)
91
(0.2%)
380
(0.7%)
9,443
(17.4%)
221
(0.4%)
1,194
(2.1%)
Lundu33,413
(4.7%)
11,467
(34.3%)
4,438
(13.3%)
12,034
(36.0%)
81
(0.2%)
228
(0.7%)
3,650
(10.9%)
135
(0.4%)
1,380
(4.1%)
Total Kuching Division705,546
(100.0%)
235,987
(33.4%)
73,207
(10.4%)
125,765
(17.8%)
4,104
(0.6%)
9,081
(1.3%)
239,091
(33.9%)
5,687
(0.8%)
12,624
(1.8%)

Economy

Kuching Division is a home to Sarawak capital city, Kuching. It is a centre of business, commercial, mixed industries, service sectors, education hub and tourism centre for Sarawak. Kuching relies heavily on its productive population to run its economy, rather than exploiting its natural resources.

Government

Administration

Administrative districts of Kuching Division. Kuchingdivisiondistrict en.svg
Administrative districts of Kuching Division.
Administrative Subdivisions of Kuching Division (by area) [2]
Name of Division
Division area
Kuching
4,565.53 km2
Name of District
District area
Kuching
1,868.83 km2
Bau
884.4 km2
Lundu
1,812.3 km2
Name of Subdistrict
Subdistrict area
Kuching Proper
895.09 km2
Siburan [note 1]
447.55 km2
Padawan
526.19 km2
Lundu
1,369.84 km2
Sematan
442.5 km2
Seat of District/Subdistrict administration
Settlement hierarchy
Kuching
City
Siburan
Bazaar
Teng Bukap
Village
Bau
Bazaar
Lundu
Bazaar
Sematan
Bazaar
Local Government
Note: Acronym and part of corporate colours
MBKS DBKU MPP MD Serian MPP MDBMDL
Local Government Name
(Legal term in English)
Title of CEO
Council of the City of
Kuching South

Mayor
Commission of the City of
Kuching North

Commissioner
Padawan
Municipal Council

Chairman
Bau
District Council

Chairman
Lundu
District Council

Chairman
Local Government area61.53 km2369.48 km21,431.82 km2
Note: This area is known collectively
as the Padawan municipality
884.4 km21,812.3 km2
Seat of Local Government
Settlement hierarchy
Kuching
City
Kota Padawan
Bazaar
Bau
Bazaar
Lundu
Bazaar

Members of Parliament

ParliamentMember of ParliamentParty
P192 Mas Gading YB Tuan Mordi Bimol PH (DAP)
P193 Santubong YB Dato’ Sri Nancy Shukri GPS (PBB)
P194 Petra Jaya YAB Dato' Sri Fadillah Yusof GPS (PBB)
P195 Bandar Kuching YB Tuan Kelvin Yii Lee Wuen PH (DAP)
P196 Stampin YB Tuan Chong Chieng Jen PH (DAP)
P198 Puncak Borneo YB Datuk Willie Mongin GPS (PBB)

Transportation

Kuching Division is a centre of transportation sectors in Sarawak, with exception of river transportation. It has wide range of transportation services such as by air (via Kuching International Airport), land (via its vast road networks) and river.

More article at Kuching Transportation.

Infrastructure

Kuching Division has the widest and most extensive road networks in Sarawak. Pan-Borneo Highway is a trunk road linking Kuching to the rest of divisions in Sarawak. Kuching Division is also a home to world-class convention centre, named Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK).

Sports and games

Kuching Division is home to the oldest golf course in Sarawak, which is Sarawak Golf Club. There are also various other golf clubs throughout Kuching Division. Sports amenities can be found at many parts in Kuching with Stadium Sarawak being the largest stadium in Sarawak while Stadium Perpaduan being the largest indoor stadium in Sarawak. Variety of sports and games can be observed being played in Sarawak. Most of them are state-level games and competitions.

Education

Kuching Division offers wide variety of education regardless of level of education. There are countless public schools, including privileged school such as Sekolah Menengah Teknik (two of them), Sekolah Menengah Agama (three of them), Sekolah Menengah Sains and Maktab Rendah Sains MARA. Kuching Division also has two private international schools, namely Lodge School and Tunku Putra International School.

Kuching Division is also a higher education heaven. It has a lot of training institutions from medical schools, teacher training colleges, custom academy and the upcoming immigration academy. There are few private higher institution such as Swinburne University, Sunway College, SEGi College Sarawak, Masterskill College and ICATS . It is also within a reach to Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) and Universiti Teknologi MARA, both in Samarahan.

Healthcare

Kuching Division is also a popular destination for seeking better healthcare. People around Sarawak normally seek better medical treatment in Kuching Division due to its extensive medical facilities. It houses the biggest public hospital in East Malaysia, named Sarawak General Hospital and also one of only two heart surgery institution in Malaysia named Pusat Jantung HUS.

Private hospital does also make presence in Kuching such as Normah Hospital, located at Petra Jaya, Kuching, Timberland Medical Centre (situated in 3rd Mile area, Kuching), Kuching Specialist Centre (at Tabuan Laru, Kuching) and Borneo Medical Center (at Jalan Simpang Tiga, Kuching). Many private clinics open their business in Kuching making Kuching a perfect medical tourism hub.

Public healthcare clinics and policlinic does also exist in Kuching Division. Most healthcare clinics are located at Kuching city outskirts and rural communal areas.

Security

Kuching Division is a state headquarters for police and army in Sarawak. Various police stations and police beats can be found all over Kuching District. Military base of Penrissen houses the largest military base in Sarawak.

Government services

Kuching Division is the headquarters for many government agencies. For federal government agencies headquarters, most of them are located at Simpang Tiga (Bangunan Sultan Iskandar), Kuching while state government agencies headquarters are mostly scattered at various buildings in Petra Jaya, Kuching (Wisma Bapa Malaysia).

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarawak</span> A state of Malaysia

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 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kuching</span> City and state capital in Sarawak, Malaysia

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sibu</span> Town in Sarawak, Malaysia

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bidayuh</span> Ethnic group from Borneo

Bidayuh is the collective name for several indigenous groups found in southern Sarawak, Malaysia and northern West Kalimantan, Indonesia, on the island of Borneo, which are broadly similar in language and culture. The name Bidayuh means 'inhabitants of land'. Originally from the western part of Borneo, the collective name Land Dayak was first used during the period of Rajah James Brooke, the White Rajah of Sarawak. At times, they were also lesser referred to as Klemantan people. They constitute one of the main indigenous groups in Sarawak and West Kalimantan and live in towns and villages around Kuching and Serian in the Malaysian state of Sarawak, while in the Indonesian province of West Kalimantan they are mainly concentrated in the northern Sanggau Regency. In Sarawak, most of Bidayuh population can be found within 40 km of the geographical area known as Greater Kuching, within the Kuching and Serian Division. They are the second-largest Dayak ethnic group in Sarawak after the Iban and one of the major Dayak tribes in West Kalimantan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Song, Malaysia</span> Town and district capital in Sarawak, Malaysia

Song is a town, and the capital of the Song District in Kapit Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. The district population was 20,046 according to the 2010 census. Song is situated by the banks of the Katibas River, a tributary of the Rajang River. It is an important stopover for river traffic going up the Rajang River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kanowit</span> Town and district capital in Sarawak, Malaysia

Kanowit is a town and the capital of Kanowit District, Sibu Division, Sarawak, Malaysia, comprising 2,253.5 square kilometres. As of 2010, Kanowit's population is 28,985. It is built on the mouth of Kanowit River at the bank of Rajang River, approximately 174 kilometers from the coast of South China Sea. It takes 45 minutes to reach the town by land transport and an hour by boat from Sibu. The main ethnic groups are Iban, Chinese, Malay, and Melanau.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samarahan Division</span> Place

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kota Samarahan</span> Town and district capital in Sarawak, Malaysia

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. Saramahan is the heart of Sarawak Malays which is majority of 56%.

Melanau or A-Likou is an ethnic group indigenous to Sarawak, Malaysia. They are among the earliest settlers of Sarawak. They speak in the Melanau language, which is a part of the North Bornean branch of Malayo-Polynesian languages.

Sarawak Malay is a Malayic language native to the State of Sarawak. It is a common language used by natives of Sarawak and also as the important mother tongue for the Sarawakian Malay people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Padawan, Sarawak</span>

Padawan is a sub-district of Kuching District, Sarawak, Malaysia. The name is also used to refer to the local government in Sarawak, the Padawan Municipal Council, and to Bidayuh Village, which is also known as Kampung Padawan. The Jalan Padawan is the name of a road near mile 23 of Kuching-Serian Highway.

Petra Jaya National Secondary School is a public secondary school in Kuching, the capital of the East Malaysian state of Sarawak. As of 2015, the school has approximately 106 academic staffs and approximately 18 non-academic staffs. This school holds students from Peralihan to Form 6.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Padawan Municipal Council</span> Local authority which administers Padawan municipality of the Kuching District, Sarawak, Malaysia

Padawan Municipal Council is a local authority which administers Padawan municipality of the Kuching District, Sarawak, Malaysia. The agency is under the purview of Sarawak Ministry of Local Government and Community Development. MPP headquarters is located at Kota Padawan, at 10th mile away from Kuching city centre. The council aimed to improve infrastructure development and provide quality services to its residents besides preserving the environment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mukah</span> Town and district capital in Sarawak, Malaysia

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.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarawakian cuisine</span> Regional cuisine of Malaysia

Sarawakian cuisine is a regional cuisine of Malaysia. Like the rest of Malaysian cuisine, Sarawak food is based on staples such as rice. There is also a great variety of other ingredients and food preparations due to the influence of the state's varied geography and indigenous cultures quite distinct from the regional cuisines of the Peninsular Malaysia. Sarawak is famous for its multi-ethnic population. As the homeland of many unique communities, Sarawak has a variety of cuisines rarely found elsewhere in Malaysia. The uniqueness of Sarawak well depends on its ethnic groups. Every native group in Sarawak has their own lifestyle, traditions, cultures and also foods. Sarawak cuisine is less spicy and has a subtle in taste. It uses fresh seafood and natural herbs like turmeric, lemongrass, ginger, lime and tapioca leaves. These ingredients are not only easily available, but also add a hint of aroma, texture and freshness to the delicacies. Food is one of the most cultural identities for native groups in Sarawak with each ethnic group having their own delicacies. Among the Iban, popular foods include tubu (stems), tuak and pansuh. The Malay have bubur pedas (porridge) and kek lapis Sarawak ; the Bidayuh have asam siok and sup ponas Bidayuh. The Melanau make tebaloi, sagu and umai and the Orang Ulu are known for garam barrio, kikid (broth), tengayen, and urum giruq (pudding).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tebedu District</span> District in Sarawak, Malaysia

Tebedu District is a district in the state of Sarawak, Malaysia. It is a part of Serian Division that consists of Serian, Siburan, and Tebedu districts. Before this, Tebedu District was a sub-district under Serian District which was then fully upgraded to a district in its own right. The majority of the population of this district is from the Bidayuh ethnic group.

References

  1. Population And Housing Census Malaysia 2010 from Taburan Penduduk dan Ciri-ciri Asas Demografi.
  2. "Kuching Resident Office: Kuching Profile". Archived from the original on 21 January 2010. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
  1. Siburan is no longer a part of Kuching Division following the establishment of Serian Division