An Introduction to Sarawak

Sarawak

Sarawak is a land of mystery and relics but this remains part of its charm. One can easily lose oneself in its beauty and splendor. Its remarkable forests, ethereal caves, languid lakes and rich heritage all make it a place worth visiting, exploring and experiencing. It is located in the east coast of Malaysia bordering Sabah in the northeast, Indonesia in the south and the South China Sea on the north and northwest. It is the largest state in Malaysia with a population of about 1.8 million.

There are altogether 28 ethnic groups in Sarawak, the Ibans being the majority making up 30.1% of the total population followed by the Chinese consisting 26.7 % , the Malays 23% and then the Bidayuh, Melanau and other tribes of Sarawak. It occupies an area of 124,449.51 km² and its land is divided into 3 regions namely the alluvial coastal plain, the mountainous interior and the central undulating belt. Its Gunung Murut with a height of 2434 metres and the Batang Rajang the longest river in Malaysia are the prides of Sarawak.

Transportation and Accessibility

Kuching International Airport is the most popular location for air travel with local and international flights by Malaysian Airlines, Air Asia and SilkAir. Other than that there are also airports in Sibu with its flights to other locations in East Malaysia, Miri with flights from KL, Johor Bahru and Kota Kinabalu and Bintulu with regular flights from KL. Taxi and rental cars are also available for travel within the city. Buses run between major coastal settlements but there is no bus terminal, it all depends on where you want to go and which bus company is used. Additionally, there are boat services from Sibu and Sarikei to Kuching. You may also choose to take the express boats, the sampans or a river cruise if you want a change.

Facilities and Amenities

Sarawak has many attractions in each of its major towns. In its capital, Kuching, there is the Sarawak museum, the Chinese History Museum, the Cat Museum, the Sarawak Cultural Village, the Main Bazaar, the Santubong Fishing Village, the Satok Market, the Kuching Water Front, the Fort Margherita and the Tua Pek Tong temple. Then, in Sibu, the popular places are the Rajang Esplanade, the seven-storey pagoda, the Bukit Aup Jubilee Park, the Forestry Recreation Park and the Iban longhouses. In Bintulu, there is the Bintulu Mosque, the Sarawak Agricultural Park, Taman Tumbina, Temasya Beach and the Batang Kemena Safari. Finally, in Miri, some interesting spots to visit are the Crocodile Farm, the Taman Bunga, the Petroleum Museum, the Luak Bay Esplanade, the Beraya Beach, the Miri Heritage Centre and the Bukit Peninjau Mud Pool.

On another note there are facilities that mix both business with pleasure in Sarawak with its Hilton Batang Ai Longhouse Resort and the Royal Mulu Resort. Borneo Heights is perfect for golfing. Sarawak’s popular beach resorts are the Damai Beach and Damai Puri Resort and Spa. Other than that there is the Sarawak Tourism Centre and the Garden City of Sarawak. The other five start hotels in Sarawak are the Miri Mariott Resort and Spa, Hilton Kuching, Merdeka Palace Hotels and Suites and the Riverside Majestic Hotel Kuching. The Sarawak State Library is also one of the facilities in the area. Schools in the area are Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) and Universiti Teknologi MARA, Sarawak.

Economy

What mostly fuels Sarawak’s economy is mining, agriculture and forestry. However, manufacturing, wholesale, retail trading and construction play a part in the state’s economy. To break it down, mining, agriculture, and forestry make up around 40 per cent of Sarawak’s total GDP. This is followed by manufacturing and construction with slightly more than 30 per cent of its GDP. In the agriculture sector, the main crops are oil palm, sago and pepper. One of the other natural resources available in Sarawak is petroleum and it is one of the world’s largest exporter of timber.

Development

Sarawak is a shopping haven with its numerous shopping centres located in Kuching, Sibu and Miri. They are, namely, the Bintang Plaza, The Boulevard, Crown Square, Crystal Shopping Complex, the Kuching Plaza, Medan mall, the River Side Shopping Complex, The Spring, Wisma Saberkas, Wisma Satok and Wisma Wan. Other new developments are the ICON Mall project currently on hold, which is said to be one of the biggest shopping complex, hotel and apartment projects in Kuching, covering an area of 1,200,000 square feet, the Kuching Tower, a 315 room 5 star hotel/office complex with 39 storeys and the new Mudajaya township covering 265 acres of land comprising apartments, condominiums, shopping complexes, a private hospital, a college, a bus terminal, police station, and entertainment centres. The other project is the Imperial Hotel Apartments linked to the Boulevard Shopping Complex consisting of 700 rooms. Also another project here is the Isthmus Hypermall which will have a hypermarket & retail shop lots all within its premises.

Property Developers

Some of the property developers are Tedfar Development Sdn Bhd, Advance Synergy Realty, CMS Property Development Sdn Bhd, Holto Development Sdn Bhd, Limbang Housing Development Co., Da Sing Development Sdn Bhd, Syarikat Omar Developer, Wong & Hii Development Sdn Bhd, Promin Enterprise Sdn Bhd and Regal Avenue Sdn Bhd. Some of the other residential and commercial developments are by Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation in the Tanjung Manis township where it has built 300 units of houses and a commercial centre consisting of financial institutions, business offices, department stores, shops, hotels, entertainment and recreation facilities. A future development is the RM1.5 billion township in Samalaju which is supposed to cater for the working force in that area. It will comprise of schools, clinics, commercial centres and recreational facilities and will be a joint venture between Naim Holdings Berhad, Cahaya Mata Sarawak Bhd and Bintulu Development Authority.

Industrial Properties

Sarawak is home to many industrial estates such as Kuching’s Pending Industrial Estate, Demak Laut Industrial Park and Sama Jaya Free Industrial Zone which deals with hi-tech and electronics. In Kota Samarahan there is the Kota Samarahan Industrial Estate dealing with mixed light industries and in Sarikei there is the Sarikei Light Industrial Estates and the Tanjung Manis Timber Processing Zone. The other industrial areas are the Mukah Light Industrial Estates, the Upper Lanang Industrial Estate, the Tanjung Kidurong Industrial Area dealing with petrochemicals, the Kemena Industrial Estate and the Kuala Baram Industrial Estate. View more

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