Kuching
City and state capital in Sarawak, Malaysia / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Kuching (/ˈkuːtʃɪŋ/), officially the City of Kuching,[6] is the capital and the most populous city in the state of Sarawak in Malaysia.[7] 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[8][9][10]—a total of 325,132 people.[8]
Kuching | |
|---|---|
| City of Kuching Bandar Raya Kuching | |
| Other transcription(s) | |
| • Jawi | کوچيڠ |
| • Chinese | 吉晋 (Simplified) 古晉 (Traditional) Gǔ jìn (Hanyu Pinyin) |
| • Tamil | கூச்சிங் Kūcciṅ (Transliteration) |
From top, left to right: Kuching skyline from Sarawak River, the Sarawak State Museum, Fort Margherita, The Astana, the Darul Hana bridge near State Assembly building, Chinatown, and iconic cat statues. | |
 Commission of the City of Kuching North  Council of the City of Kuching South | |
| Nickname(s): "Cat City", Bandaraya Perpaduan (City of Unity) | |
 Location of Kuching in Sarawak | |
  Kuching  Kuching  Kuching  Kuching | |
| Coordinates: 01°33′27″N 110°20′38″E | |
| Country |  Malaysia |
| State |  Sarawak |
| Division | Kuching |
| District | Kuching |
| Founded by the Sultanate of Brunei | 1827 |
| Settled by James Brooke | 18 August 1842 |
| Municipality status | 1 January 1953 |
| City status | 1 August 1988 |
| Government | |
| • Type | City council |
| • Body | Commission of Kuching North City Hall Council of the City of Kuching South |
| • Mayor of Kuching North | Junaidi Reduan |
| • Mayor of Kuching South | Wee Hong Seng |
| Area | |
| • City of Kuching | 450.02 km2 (173.75 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 2,770.90 km2 (1,069.85 sq mi) |
| • Kuching North | 378.20 km2 (146.02 sq mi) |
| • Kuching South | 71.82 km2 (27.73 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 8 m (26 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 810.2 m (2,658.1 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population (2021)[5] | |
| • City of Kuching | 402,738 |
| • Density | 754.33/km2 (1,953.7/sq mi) |
| • Metro | 723,854 |
| • Metro density | 336.8/km2 (872/sq mi) |
| • Demonym | Kuchingite / Orang Kuching |
| (Sourced from Department of Statistics Malaysia (DoSM), 2022) | |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+8 (Not observed) |
| Postal code | 93xxx |
| Area code(s) | 082 (landline only) |
| Vehicle registration | QA and QK (for all vehicles except taxis) HQ (for taxis only) |
| Website | Kuching North: dbku Kuching South: mbks |
Kuching was the third capital of Sarawak in 1827 during the administration of the Bruneian Empire. In 1841, Kuching became the capital of the Kingdom of Sarawak after the territory in the area was ceded to James Brooke for helping the Bruneian empire in crushing a rebellion particularly by the interior Borneo dwelling Land Dayak people who later became his loyal followers after most of them were pardoned by him and joined his side. The town continued to receive attention and development during the rule of Charles Brooke such as the construction of a sanitation system, hospital, prison, fort, and a bazaar. In 1941, the Brooke administration had a Centenary Celebration in Kuching. During World War II, Kuching was occupied by Japanese forces from 1942 to 1945. The Japanese government set up a Batu Lintang camp near Kuching to hold prisoners of war and civilian internees. After the war, the town survived intact. However, the last Rajah of Sarawak, Sir Charles Vyner Brooke decided to cede Sarawak as part of British Crown Colony in 1946. Kuching remained as capital during the Crown Colony period. After the formation of Malaysia in 1963, Kuching retained its status as state capital and was granted city status in 1988. Since then, the Kuching city is divided into two administrative regions managed by two separate local authorities. The administrative centre of Sarawak state government is located at Wisma Bapa Malaysia, Kuching.
Kuching is a major food destination and is a member of UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network under the field of gastronomy.[11] Kuching is also the main gateway for travellers visiting Sarawak and Borneo.[12] Kuching Wetlands National Park is located about 30 km (19 mi) from the city and there are many other tourist attractions in and around Kuching such as Bako National Park, Semenggoh Wildlife Centre, Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF), state assembly building, The Astana, Fort Margherita, Kuching Cat Museum, and Sarawak State Museum. The city has become one of the major industrial and commercial centres in East Malaysia.[13][14]