Selangau, Sarawak

Selangau (GPS: 2.52432, 112.32486) is a small town in the Sibu Division of Sarawak. The town is also the district centre of the Selangau Division. It is on the Pan Borneo Highway, the trunk road that connects it to Sibu to the south, and Mukah and Bintulu to the north. Selangau is about an hour from Sibu.

Selangau was named after Sungai Selangau, a tributary of the Batang Mukah river. The original village was located near the estuary of Sungai Selangau, where there were four shops owned by Chinese and Iban traders. The place was originally a settlement of the Beketan tribe which moved to Ulu Tatau after the Iban tribe moved there from Kanowit and Sungai Lemanak.

When the Pan Borneo Highway was completed along this stretch in the 1960's, the people moved to set up a new settlement along the highway. At that time, it was part of Mukah district. Its strategic location along the route between Sibu and Bintulu makes it an idea rest stop. Due to its rapid development, Selangau was elevated to the status of district within the administration of the Sibu Division on 1 March, 2002.

Selangau is on the map of Towns in Sarawak

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