Kota Samarahan is the administrative seat of the Samarahan District in Samarahan Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. It is located about 30 kilometers from Kuching. The district population was 157,792. Kota Samarahan is the main education hub for Sarawak State and officially known as "Town of Knowledge". The District Officer of this city is Datuk Patinggi Puan Hajah Affidatul. On January 11, 2017, Chief Minister Adenan Satem died in Sarawak Heart Hospital in this city.
History
Kota Samarahan was once known as Muara Tuang which was at that time a small village in the area. The village was linked to Kuching by a road only in early 1970s. Before that, the only means of transport to the village was via the nearby river. Development in the small village accelerated with the construction of a 25-kilometre road linking Kota Samarahan to Kuching.
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.
Economy
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.
The Heart Centre, Sarawak General Hospital is located in Kota Samarahan. The RM400 million centre, formerly known as Sarawak International Medical Centre, was assigned professional cardiac specialists, along with the latest modern technology. In addition, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak has proposed to build a training hospital for its Medicine and Health Sciences Faculty under the 10th Malaysia Plan.
Shopping
The Summer Shopping Mall - Located at Kota Samarahan, is a 3-storey shopping mall with an underground car park. The adjacent Summer Lagoon Water Theme Park is on schedule to be open later in this year. Its main tenants are Servay Hypermarket, Parkwell Departmental Store and Lotus Five Star, the region largest Lotus Five Star Cineplex with 12 comfortable hall consist of 9 elegant Cinema hall, two 3D Movie Hall and one classy theatre room.
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.
