Bintulu

This article is about a town in Sarawak, Malaysia. For the administrative district, see Bintulu District. For the administrative division, see Bintulu Division. For the federal constituency represented in the Dewan Rakyat, see Bintulu (federal constituency).

Bintulu
Town and district capital
Bandar Bintulu
Bintulu Town
Other transcription(s)
 • Jawiبينتولو
 • Chinese民都鲁 (Simplified)
民都魯 (Traditional)
Míndōulǔ (Hanyu Pinyin)
From top, left to right:
Downtown area, the Central Market, UPMKB, Coastal Promenade, and the Civic Center.
Official seal of Bintulu
Bintulu Development Authority
Nickname: 
"Energy Town of Sarawak"[1]
Map
Location of Bintulu in Sarawak
Bintulu is located in Sarawak
Bintulu
Bintulu
   Bintulu in    Sarawak
Bintulu is located in Malaysia
Bintulu
Bintulu
Bintulu (Malaysia)
Bintulu is located in Southeast Asia
Bintulu
Bintulu
Bintulu (Southeast Asia)
Bintulu is located in Asia
Bintulu
Bintulu
Bintulu (Asia)
Coordinates: 03°10′24″N 113°02′36″E / 3.17333°N 113.04333°E / 3.17333; 113.04333
Country Malaysia
State Sarawak
DivisionBintulu
DistrictBintulu
Settled by James Brooke1862
Formation of BDA8 July 1978
Government
 • TypeMunicipal council
 • BodyBintulu Development Authority
 • General ManagerRodziah Haji Morshidi[2]
Area
 • Bintulu Town[3]237.12 km2 (91.55 sq mi)
Elevation
[4]
8 m (26 ft)
Lowest elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Population
 (2010)[6]
 • Bintulu town
114,058
 • Local authority area
212,994[5]
Time zoneUTC+8 (MST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+8 (Not observed)
Postal code
97xxx[7]
Area code(s)+6086 (landline only)[8]
Vehicle registrationQT (for all vehicles except taxis)
HQ (for taxis only) [9]
Websitewww.bda.gov.my

Bintulu is a coastal town on the island of Borneo in the central region of Sarawak, Malaysia. Bintulu is located 610 kilometres (380 miles) northeast of Kuching, 216 kilometres (134 miles) northeast of Sibu, and 200 kilometres (120 miles) southwest of Miri. With a population of 114,058 as of 2010, Bintulu is the capital of the Bintulu District of the Bintulu Division of Sarawak, Malaysia.

The name of Bintulu was derived from the local native language "Mentu Ulau" (picking heads). Bintulu was a small fishing village when Rajah James Brooke acquired it in 1861. Brooke later built a fort there in 1862. In 1867, the first General Council meeting (now Sarawak State Legislative Assembly) was convened in Bintulu. It is the earliest state legislature system in Malaysia. The construction of the earliest airstrip in Bintulu began in 1934 but was halted in 1938 due to financial difficulties. During World War II, the airstrip was heavily bombed by Allied forces. The British later rebuilt the airstrip, and it became fully operational in 1955. The old airport was replaced by a new airport in 2002. Bintulu remained a fishing village until 1969 when oil and gas reserves were discovered off the coast. Since then, Bintulu has become the centre of energy intensive industries such as a Malaysia LNG plant, a Shell Middle Distillate Synthesis plant, and a Bintulu combined cycle power plant. The economy has also expanded into oil palm and forest plantations, palm oil processing, wood-waste processing, and cement manufacturing. The port of Bintulu is the busiest in Sarawak. The town is also a gateway to Samalajau Industrial Park.

Among the tourist attractions in Bintulu are Similajau National Park, Tumbina Park, Tanjung Batu beach, Jepak village, Kuan Yin Tong temple, Assyakirin mosque, Council Negri monument, Tamu Bintulu, and Pasar Utama markets. The Borneo International Kite Festival is held annually in the town.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference energytown was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Message from General Manager". Bintulu Development Authority. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  3. ^ "About Us". Bintulu Development Authority Official Website. Bintulu Development Authority Official Website. 5 September 2014. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
  4. ^ "Malaysia Elevation Map (Elevation of Bintulu)". Flood Map : Water Level Elevation Map. Archived from the original on 23 August 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  5. ^ "Population Distribution by Local Authority Areas and Mukims, 2010 (page 10)" (PDF). Department of Statistics, Malaysia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2015. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  6. ^ "Population Distribution by Local Authority Areas and Mukims, 2010 (Page 158, under Bintulu Townland)" (PDF). Statistics Department, Malaysia. December 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  7. ^ "Bintulu, Bintulu – Postcode – 97000". postcode.my. Archived from the original on 29 March 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  8. ^ "Sarawak Energy Station Addresses". Sarawak Energy Berhad. Archived from the original on 25 July 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  9. ^ Soon, Teh Wei (23 March 2015). "Some Little Known Facts On Malaysian Vehicle Registration Plates". Malaysian Digest. Archived from the original on 8 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)