Sibu is an inland town, and the capital of
Sibu District (229.8 square kilometers) in
Sibu Division,
Sarawak, east
Malaysia. It is located at the confluence of the
Rajang and Igan Rivers, some 60 kilometers from the ocean. The population is dominated by Chinese especially the
Fuzhou as well as indigenous
Melanau,
Malay, and
Iban. The district population (per year 2009 census) is 264,000.
Sibu is the main tourist gateway to the Upper Rajang River, with its small riverine towns and its many Iban and Orang Ulu
longhouses.
There is no known
adjective for the people from Sibu, although there have been many unofficial suggestions: Siburian, Sibuian, Sibunite, Sibu-yan - none are officially recognised.
There has been a marked increase in public buildings in recent years. Sibu now boasts the
largest town square in Malaysia, and the tallest building in Sarawak - the Sanyan Tower (三洋大厦，"Wisma Sanyan" in the official
Malay language), a newly refurbished waterfront, and a large number of public parks. Sibu also has university-level courses offered by Laila Taib College (Previously known as United College Sarawak), which has built a campus on the site of the old Sibu airport.
Sibu Jaya, located 25 km away, is being developed as a satellite town.
Sibu Airport, built during
World War II, was relocated to its present site 23 kilometers from town near Sibu Jaya in 1994.
Wisma Sanyan
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
