Kota Samarahan
Kota Samarahan
Muara Tuang | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 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 |
| First settled | Circa AD 600s (7th century)[1] |
| 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 (Walikota) | 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)[2] | |
| • 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. 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 [3].
Etymology
Old name "Muara Tuang"
Muara Tuang means "Tuang estuary" in Malay [4], 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 [5], 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
Geography
Kota Samarahan is almost a suburb of the greater metropolitan area of Kuching, in the Kuching Division. It is located about 30 km south east of Kuching. The lands in Samarahan are mostly non-hilly, flat and low-lying. Most of the soils are peat soils which are ideal for coconut, oil palm and pineapples plantation. Most of the development in the Samarahan Division is concentrated in Kota Samarahan.
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[6] | |||||||||||||
Demography
Economy
Agriculture
Agriculture is still the main economic activity in Kota Samarahan but light industries were slowly moving in. The service sector, especially in education related-sector, is becoming increasingly significant in Samarahan. Commercial centres were blooming to cater for the increasing population.
Retail
As numerous housing and commercial areas are being developed since Kota Samarahan became a township in 1986, Kota Samarahan never really had a shopping mall until 2013. Food, clothing, household and lifestyle needs were served by eateries, markets and retailers located in commercial shoplots near housing developments.
On 29 June 2013, The Summer Shopping Mall opened its doors to the public [7]. Covering 900,000 square feet of commercial area consisting of approximately 200 retail stores, 1500 parking spaces, and a multiplex, it became the first shopping mall and latest landmark of Kota Samarahan. The Summer integrated resort masterplan included a hotel and a water theme park built adjacent to the mall [8]. As of date, the Summer Serviced Suites has yet to be operational, and the construction of Summer Lagoon Water Theme Park is incomplete and abandoned.
Aiman Mall was officially opened on 22 April 2017, being the first Halal mall and the first suburban mall in terms of retail space (over 140,000 square feet) [9]. Boasting a 100 percent tenancy on grand opening day, this suburban mall is mainly targeted for the low income group.
The latest addition to the Kota Samarahan retail arena is the La Promenade Mall, a four-storey commercial development, which is also part of the 10-storey HSL Tower Complex [10]. Officially opened on 25 January 2021, both the 10-storey office block and four-storey mall are built to the latest Green Building Index standards and are 25% more energy efficient. Mainly catering to the La Promenade's luxury gated community, the mall exercises a 'support local' tenancy policy, and also has dedicated a portion of retail area on Level 4 to charity.
Education
Kota Samarahan has a concentration of universities and educational facilities, thus forming it into a main educational hub in Sarawak. Institutions of higher learning in the area includes Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 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 Heart Centre, Sarawak General Hospital (SGH 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.
Government and Politics
Transportation
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.
External links
References
- ^ "Sejarah Bahagian Samarahan". Retrieved 19 February 2021.
- ^ Sarawak Statistics Yearbook 2019. Department of Statistics, Malaysia. December 2020. p. 17. ISSN 0128-7613. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
- ^ Sarawak Statistics Yearbook 2019. Department of Statistics, Malaysia. December 2020. p. 17. ISSN 0128-7613. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
- ^ "muara in English". Glosbe.
- ^ "kota in English". Glosbe.
- ^ "Climate: Kota Samarahan". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
- ^ Wong, Jonathan (25 September 2013). "Summer Mall to ride on Kota Samarahan's increasing presence". The Borneo Post. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
- ^ Yu Ji (30 July 2013). "Splashing fun and frolic in Samarahan". The Star. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
- ^ Pilo, Wilfred (14 April 2017). "Official opening of Aiman Mall on April 22". The Borneo Post. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
- ^ C, Irene (25 January 2021). "HSL's La Promenade Mall officially opens". The Borneo Post. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
Capital: Kuching | |
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