Kota Samarahan
 | This article is missing information about history, demography, and government. (February 2021) |
Kota Samarahan
Muara Tuang | |
|---|---|
Town and district capital | |
 Unimas administrative building and Unimas square. | |
 Seal | |
| Nickname(s): Kota Ilmu (Town of Knowledge) | |
| Motto(s): Kota Ilmu Yang Sejahtera (Prosperous Town of Knowledge) | |
 Location of Kota Samarahan in Sarawak | |
  Kota Samarahan  Kota Samarahan Kota Samarahan (Malaysia)  Kota Samarahan Kota Samarahan (Asia) .svg) Kota Samarahan Kota Samarahan (Earth) | |
| Coordinates: 1°27′34″N 110°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 | 27 December 1984 |
| 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. Kota Samarahan is gearing towards being the medical and education hub for the State of Sarawak, and is colloquially known as the "Town of Knowledge".
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.[2]
Etymology
Old name "Muara Tuang"
Muara Tuang means "Tuang estuary" in Malay,[3] named as the early settlement was situated at the mouth of Sungai Tuang (Tuang River) leading into Batang Samarahan (Samarahan River; batang is a term referring to the primary downstream or mainstem).
New name "Kota Samarahan"
On 19 August 1983, the Muara Tuang subdistrict was elevated to a full district status, and renamed as Samarahan District. In line with the status elevation, the Muara Tuang bazaar was elevated to a township, and renamed to Kota Samarahan.
Kota Samarahan means "Samarahan city/town" in Malay,[4] named after the district and division, which in turn is named after Batang Samarahan, the main river which is the focal point of the settlement.
History
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).[5]
Geography
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]
Climate
Kota Samarahan has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) with heavy to very heavy rainfall year-round.
| Climate data for Kota Samarahan | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °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) |
| Mean daily minimum °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] | |||||||||||||
Demography
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Local government
Kota Samarahan Municipal Council was set up in 1984 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 on 24 July 1986.[8]
Economy
Due to the vast availability of lowlands in the district, Malaysian federal government started Integrated Agricultural Development Area (IADA) in Samarahan.[6] 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]
There is a mini industrial estate near Tanjung Bundong village.[6][9]
Transportation
Local Bus
| 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.
Other utilities
Education
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.[10]
Other universities include: Universiti Teknologi MARA Kota Samarahan Campus (2 campuses), Institute of Teacher Education (Tun Abdul Razak Campus, Kota Samarahan Industrial Training Institute (ILPKS) and AAA Zenith Services (English language service provider).
Medical Facilities
The Sarawak Heart Centre is located in Kota Samarahan. The RM400 million centre, formerly known as Sarawak International Medical Centre (SIMC), was assigned professional cardiac specialists, along with the latest modern technology. In addition, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) has proposed to build a training hospital for its Medicine and Health Sciences Faculty under the 10th Malaysia Plan.
Leisure and conservation areas
Retail
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.[11] This was followed by Aiman Mall in 2017, being the first suburban mall in Samarahan with retail space of over 140,000 square feet.[12] 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.[13] The mall mainly caters to the La Promenade's luxury gated residential community developed by Hock Seng Lee.[13] Supermarkets in Kota Samarahan are: Farley, BB, Everwin, and EMART.[14]
External links
References
- ^ "Sarawak Statistics Yearbook 2019". Buku Tahunan Perangkaan Sarawak / Yearbook of Statistics Sarawak. Department of Statistics, Malaysia: 17. December 2020. ISSN 0128-7613. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
- ^ "Sarawak Statistics Yearbook 2019". Buku Tahunan Perangkaan Sarawak / Yearbook of Statistics Sarawak. Department of Statistics, Malaysia: 17. December 2020. ISSN 0128-7613. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
- ^ "muara in English". Glosbe.
- ^ "kota in English". Glosbe.
- ^ "Sejarah Bahagian Samarahan". Samarahan Divisional Office. Archived from the original on 25 March 2023. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f "Pengenalan (Introduction)". Kota Samarahan Municipal Council. Archived from the original on 24 January 2023. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
{{cite web}}:|archive-date=/|archive-url=timestamp mismatch; 19 January 2022 suggested (help) - ^ "Climate: Kota Samarahan". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
- ^ "Pentadbiran Bahagian Samarahan (Samarahan Divisional Administration)". Samarahan Divisional Office. Archived from the original on 25 March 2023. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
- ^ "Ayam Champion Food Sdn Bhd". Malaysian Halal Portal. Archived from the original on 23 March 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
- ^ "Our Story". Univerisiti Malaysia Sarawak. Archived from the original on 25 March 2023. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
- ^ Wong, Jonathan (25 September 2013). "Summer Mall to ride on Kota Samarahan's increasing presence". The Borneo Post. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
{{cite news}}:|archive-date=/|archive-url=timestamp mismatch; 6 February 2018 suggested (help) - ^ Pilo, Wilfred (14 April 2017). "Official opening of Aiman Mall on April 22". The Borneo Post. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
- ^ a b C, Irene (25 January 2021). "HSL's La Promenade Mall officially opens". The Borneo Post. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
- ^ "More supermarkets, hotels flock to Kota Samarahan as division poised to enjoy rapid growth". Dayak Daily. 17 July 2021. Archived from the original on 26 July 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
Capital: Kuching | |
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