Sarikei, Sarawak

Sarikei (GPS: 2.1317, 111.52372) is a town in Sarawak. It is the capital of the Sarikei District, which covers 985 sq km in the Sarikei Division. Just like Sibu, Kanowit and Belaga, Sarikei is another town on the Rajang River.

As of the year 2000, Sarikei has a population of 61,000. The people in Sarikei are mostly Iban, Melanau, Malay and Chinese.

Sarikei is a centre for the growing of pepper and pineapples. The shophouses in the town are pre-war houses dating to the 1930's. The town is on the way between Kuching and Sibu on the Pan Borneo Highway.

History of Sarikei

There is no conclusive documentation as to when Sarikei was founded, and by whom. Rajah James Brooke is recorded to have visited it on 30 April 1845, that means it was already established by then. The people of Sarikei is said to have resisted coming under the rule of the White Rajahs, and on 1 April, 1856, they burned down Sarikei rather than to accept Brooke's rule.

Map of Sarikei

Places of Interest in Sarikei

Sarikei is on the map of Towns in Sarawak

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Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.