Page 41 - The Guide To Sarawak

THE GUIDE TO SARAWAK
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The city of Miri, gateway to northern Sarawak and Brunei, is a major oil producing centre and the administrative centre for Miri Division.
forestry, fisheries and tourism.
LIMBANG DIVISION
(Pop. 90,600, Area 7,788.5 sq km)
This northernmost Division comprising Limbang
and Lawas Districts is administered from the small port and trading centre of Limbang, located on the narrow strip of land that divides Brunei. The other major settlements are Lawas, the road gateway
to Sabah, and the small highland township of Ba’Kelalan, home of the Lun Bawang tribe. The village
of Long Semadoh proudly bears the title of “Malaysia’s Most Beautiful Village”.
Both Limbang and Lawas are accessible by air and by good roads via Brunei. The population is mostly Malay, Kedayan, Iban, Chinese and Orang Ulu. The economy is based on border trade with Brunei, timber, fisheries, aquaculture, agriculture (principally oil palm and rice), market gardening and tourism.
and other hydroelectric plants will provide abundant power for Samalaju Industrial Park, which will host an aluminium smelter, a manganese smelter and a ferrosilicate plant.
MIRI DIVISION
(Pop. 379,500, Area 26,777.1 sq km)
Sarawak’s second largest Division, comprising Miri and Marudi Districts, is centered on the city of Miri (Pop. 318,300), home of Sarawak’s oil industry and an important trading centre. It is a popular weekend destination for visitors from Brunei. Other towns include Niah-Suai, Sibuti, Beluru,, upriver Marudi and Long Lama, and remote Bario, gateway to the Kelabit Highlands. Miri offers world class tourism attractions, including a World Heritage site (Mulu National Park, see page 240), a cradle of civilization (Niah National Park, see page 242), white sand beaches and the Iban
and Orang Ulu cultures
of the Baram, Sarawak’s second longest river. Miri also boasts Sarawak’s highest mountain (Gunung Murud, 2,423 m), largest Natural Lake (Loagan Bunut National Park) and most spectacular waterfall (Julan Falls, Usun Apau). The city is the main administrative and educational centre
for Northern Sarawak and the location of Curtin University’s Malaysian Campus, amongst others. The rural economy is based around agriculture (especially oil palm),
Limbang, at the mouth of the Limbang River which bisects Brunei, is the administrative centre for Limbang Division, the northernmost region of Sarawak.