| Kota Samarahan | |
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| — Town — | |
| Nickname(s): "Town of Knowledge" | |
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Kota Samarahan
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Kota Samarahan
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Malaysia |
| State | Sarawak |
| Division | Samarahan Division |
| District | Samarahan District |
| First settled | Circa AD 600s (7th century)[1] |
| Incorporation (Municipality) | 24 July 1986[2] |
| Government | |
| • Type | District Council |
| • Chairman | Frederick Bayoi Maggie |
| Area | |
| • Kota Samarahan | 431.01 km2 (166.4 sq mi) |
| • Kuching North | 369.48 km2 (142.7 sq mi) |
| • Kuching South | 61.53 km2 (23.8 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 27 m (89 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 810.2 m (2,658 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population [3] | |
| • Kota Samarahan | 423,763 |
| • Estimate (2010) | 658,549 |
| • Density | 983.2/km2 (2,546.5/sq mi) |
| Sourced from the Population and Housing Census of Malaysia 2000. Census 2010 is currently in progress. | |
| Demonym | (none) |
| Time zone | MST (UTC+8) |
| • Summer (DST) | Not observed (UTC+8) |
| 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 | samarahandc.sarawak.gov.my |
Kota Samarahan is the administrative seat of the Samarahan District (407.1 square kilometres) in Samarahan Division, Sarawak, east Malaysia. It is located about 30 kilometers from Kuching. The district population (year 2000 census) was 50,600.
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Kota Samarahan was once known as Muara Tuang which was at that time a small trading village in the area. The village was linked to Kuching via a road only in the early 1970s. Before that, the only means of transport to the village was via the river. Development in the small village accelerated with the construction of a 25-kilometre road linking Kota Samarahan to Kuching.[4]
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 cocout, oil palm and pineappes plantation. Most of the development in the Samarahan Division is concentrated in Kota Samarahan.
Agriculture is still the main economic activity in Kota Samarahan but light industries are slowly moving in. The service sector, especially the in education related-sector, is increasingly becoming significant in Samarahan. Commercial centres are slowly mushrooming to cater for the increasing population.[4]
Kota Samarahan has a concentration of universities and educational facilities and thus forms the educational hub for Sarawak. Institutions of higher learning in the area include Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Universiti Teknologi MARA (Sarawak), the Institute of Teacher Education (ITE) Tun Abdul Razak Campus and the Kota Samarahan Industrial Training Institute (ILPKS),
Prior to the 1990s, the shortest means of access into Samarahan from Kuching was via the ferry at Sungai Kuap other than direct road access via Jalan Datuk Muhamad Musa which takes more distance to travel through. The construction of a bridge has further shortened the road distance from between Kuching-Kota Samarahan to 11 kilometers. This new road, Kuching-Kota Samarahan Expressway, links Kota Samarahan with the major industrial areas of Pending, Demak Laut and Sama Jaya. This new road currently undergoing expansion in anticipation of increased traffic between Kuching-Samarahan due to the increasing population in Samarahan.[4].
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