Kapit | |
|---|---|
Town anddistrict capital | |
| Bandar Kapit | |
| Chinese transcription(s) | |
| • Simplified | 加帛 |
 The Kapit town skyline | |
  Kapit  Kapit | |
| Coordinates:2°01′0″N112°56′0″E / 2.01667°N 112.93333°E /2.01667; 112.93333 | |
| Country |  Malaysia |
| State |  Sarawak |
| Division | Kapit |
| District | Kapit |
| Area | |
• Total | 15,595.60 km2 (6,021.49 sq mi) |
| Population (2020)[1] | |
• Total | 65,800 |
| • Density | 4.2/km2 (11/sq mi) |
| Website | kapitdc |
Kapit is a town and the capital ofKapit District inKapit Division,Sarawak,Malaysia on the south bank of theRajang River. The district comprises 15,595.6 square kilometres and as of 2020, it has a population of 65,800.
Kapit is accessible by boat (slightly more than 2 hours fromSibu by express boat), light aircraft, and most recently by road.[2] Reaching Kapit by car and bus fromSibu takes about 1 hour 30 minutes or about 1 hour fromSong. It is the vibrant commercial and social center for the middleRajang River catering to thelonghouse communities and timber camps. It is an excellent base for exploring nearby longhouses or for arranging trips to theUpper Rejang andBalleh Rivers.
During the reign ofRajah Charles Brooke, a "Fort Kapit" was built in Kapit in 1880 to prevent theIban from migrating up-river and attackingOrang Ulu settlements.[3] With the security provided by the fort, the area surrounding the fort was settled byHoklo (Hokkien) Chinese in 1880, additionalHakka Chinese immigrants arrived in 1906, andFuzhou Chinese in 1919. The Hokkiens worked as labourers while the Hakkas worked as farmers before venturing into businesses. Hock Leong Tieng Temple was built by the Chinese in 1889. Tai San Ten Association was formed in 1935 to serve the interests of Hokkiens and Hakkas.[3] In 1924, a peace treaty was signed between the Iban and the Orang Ulu people at Fort Kapit, thus ending the hostilities between the two tribes permanently.[4] In 1925, "Fort Kapit" was renamed asFort Sylvia, after the wife ofRajah Vyner Brooke, RaniSylvia Brooke.[3] The fort had withstood floods in 1887, 1934, 1961 and 1983.[4] On 28 January 1934, Kapit experienced the most severe flood in history with water level as high as 162 feet (49 m).[3]
In 1941, at the time of theJapanese occupation, Kapit only had two rows of 37 shophouses. The town was completely destroyed by allied bombing during the war.[citation needed]
On 15 February 1962, 51 elected Iban chiefs had a meeting in Kapit to discuss the terms and proposals of the formation of federation ofMalaysia,[5] before theCobbold Commission came to Kapit to assess the people's sentiment there. The meeting produced 13 resolutions that agreed to the formation of Malaysia as long as the resolutions were fulfilled.[6][7]
Kapit was upgraded into adivision on 2 April 1973.[8]
Built in 1880,Fort Sylvia once housed the Kapit district office and a magistrate court. After 1973, it housed the Kapit Divisional Office.[9]
Kapit is located 140 km upriver from Sibu along theRajang River.[3]
Kapit has atropical rainforest climate (Af) with heavy to very heavy rainfall year-round.
| Climate data for Kapit | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 29.9 (85.8) | 30.0 (86.0) | 30.7 (87.3) | 31.3 (88.3) | 31.6 (88.9) | 31.4 (88.5) | 31.4 (88.5) | 31.2 (88.2) | 31.2 (88.2) | 31.1 (88.0) | 30.7 (87.3) | 30.4 (86.7) | 30.9 (87.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 26.1 (79.0) | 26.2 (79.2) | 26.6 (79.9) | 27.0 (80.6) | 27.2 (81.0) | 26.9 (80.4) | 26.8 (80.2) | 26.7 (80.1) | 26.8 (80.2) | 26.8 (80.2) | 26.5 (79.7) | 26.3 (79.3) | 26.7 (80.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 22.3 (72.1) | 22.4 (72.3) | 22.6 (72.7) | 22.7 (72.9) | 22.9 (73.2) | 22.5 (72.5) | 22.2 (72.0) | 22.2 (72.0) | 22.4 (72.3) | 22.5 (72.5) | 22.4 (72.3) | 22.3 (72.1) | 22.5 (72.4) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 382 (15.0) | 332 (13.1) | 353 (13.9) | 288 (11.3) | 277 (10.9) | 261 (10.3) | 201 (7.9) | 307 (12.1) | 307 (12.1) | 372 (14.6) | 333 (13.1) | 455 (17.9) | 3,868 (152.2) |
| Source: Climate-Data.org[10] | |||||||||||||
Immaculate Conception Church was first established in Kapit in 1882. The church celebrated its 130th anniversary in 2012.[11] Kapit is home to many races likeIban, Chinese,Malay,Bidayuh,Kenyah,Kayan, andMelanau. People in Kapit may be Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, or other religions.
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding to it.(October 2018) |
Kapit is reachable by express boats from Sibu plying the Rajang river. Kapit is also reachable through one hour ride by express boats fromSong. Kapit river transport is served by the Kapit express boat terminal.[3] As car transportation has been open to public, express boats became a risk to operate, as customer no longer opt express boats as their main transportation, which could see the demise of local express boat industry in the future.[12]
As of October 2020, Sibu-Kapit road has been open to public, although it is not complete yet. It is accessible by car and takes around 1 hour and 30 minutes to reach there. As road need further refinement for completion, the road is subject to daily opening schedule, which is three times a day. Its opening times are 6.00–7.30 am, 12.00–1.30 pm and 5.00–9.00 pm. It is scheduled to fully operate by 1 December 2020,[13] but due to frequent road travel usage by local, the road completion experienced delay, also factoring the safety of road environment by the working contractor.[14]
As of December 2021, the road finally completed, with the full completion of Yong River Twin Bridge No.1 and No.2. Express bus shuttle service to and fro Sibu and Kapit available less than a month, on New Year 2022, after the road completion.[15]
While the main road, connecting Sibu and Kapit, has completed, the main problem due to lack of available alternative road previously not faced in Kapit is congestion in peak hours, making it harder for motorists to have a smooth and consistent journey.[16] In anticipation of such cases, federal government announced an alternative road would be built at some point,[17] although as of April 2022, there's still no word regarding the project.
| Operating Route | Operator | Remark |
|---|---|---|
| Kapit-Kuching | BusAsia | |
| Kapit-Sibu | BusAsia, Kapit Bus Express, Lanang Bus |
| Operating Route | Operator | Remark |
|---|---|---|
| Poh Kiong-Kapit bus stop | Kapit Bus Express |
Kolej Profesional Mara Kapit
| This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding to it.(October 2018) |
There is a museum housed insideFort Sylvia today. The museum is managed by Tun Jugah foundation. The museum exhibits the photographs and documents depicting the early history of Kapit, photographs and mementos ofJugah Barieng (an Iban paramount leader), Iban costumes, textiles, mural paintings, and Sarawakamber carvings.[18] There is another museum housed at Kapit civic centre.[4]
Built in 1898, Hock Leong Tieng temple is one of the oldest heritage buildings in Kapit. The temple was built with materials and workforce shipped from China in its early days. DuringWorld War II, the temple was spared from bombings by Japanese or Allied forces.[19]
Rumah Bundong is one of the oldest longhouses in Kapit. It is located 40 km from town centre. The 50-metre-high Wong Tinggi waterfall is located at one hour walk from the longhouse.[4]
Teresang Market is the largest market in the town of Kapit which sells a variety of daily necessities. It opens from 4 am until 7 pm.[3] Local handicrafts such asrattan products and colourful bead bags are also sold here.[4] Kapit town square is surrounding with shops selling everything from noodles to ropes.[20]
Kapit is known for itsEmpurau fish which can sold as high as RM 500 per kilogramme for its rarity and unique taste when being served as an exotic dish. Dishes such asRiang andRampo are fishes and shrimps cooked using leaves from the forests. A plant calledTubu is used as the natural flavour enhancer.[4] Kapit is also known for its "kasam babi" (preserved pork) and "kasam ikan" (preserved fish).
Pelagus Rapids resort is located at one hour boat ride from Kapit town. The resort was closed since 2012 due to low occupancy rate.[21][22]
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