Marudi is a town in the

Malaysian state The states and federal territories of Malaysia are the principal administrative divisions of Malaysia. Malaysia is a federation of 13 states (''Negeri'') and 3 federal territories (''Wilayah Persekutuan''). States and federal territories Ele ...

Sarawak Sarawak (; ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the M ...

, and is a part of the division of

Miri ) , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = State , subdivision_name1 = , subdivision_type2 = Division , subdivision_name2 ...

. It is the seat of

Marudi District Marudi is a district, in Miri Division, Sarawak, Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three fede ...

, and is located on the banks of

Baram River The Baram River ( ms, Sungai Baram) is a river in Sarawak on the island of Borneo. The river originates in the Kelabit Highlands, a watershed demarcated by the Iran Mountains of East Kalimantan, which form a natural border with Sarawak. The riv ...

, about upstream from the river mouth. Marudi was the administrative centre of the northern region of Sarawak before

Miri ) , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = State , subdivision_name1 = , subdivision_type2 = Division , subdivision_name2 ...

was established. Marudi is considered as the cultural heart of the

Orang Ulu Orang Ulu ("people of the interior" in Malay) is an ethnic designation politically coined to group together roughly 27 very small but ethnically diverse tribal groups in northeastern Sarawak, Malaysia with populations ranging from less than 300 p ...

, the highland tribes of Sarawak. It is also a transit gateway to

Gunung Mulu National Park The Gunung Mulu National Park is a national park in Miri Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that encompasses caves and karst formations in a mountainous equatorial rainforest setting. The park is famous for its cav ...

, a

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

History

Charles Brooke succeeded

James Brooke Sir James Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak (29 April 1803 – 11 June 1868), was a British soldier and adventurer who founded the Raj of Sarawak in Borneo. He ruled as the first White Rajah of Sarawak from 1841 until his death in 1868. Brooke was bor ...

as the new Rajah of Sarawak in 1868. By 1883, the

sultan of Brunei The sultan of Brunei is the monarchical head of state of Brunei and head of government in his capacity as prime minister of Brunei. Since independence from the British in 1984, only one sultan has reigned, though the royal institution dates bac ...

(

Abdul Momin Abdul Momin (; ; 1788 – 29 May 1885) was the 24th Sultan of Brunei from 1852 until his death in 1885. Early life He was the son of Pengiran Shahbandar Pengiran Anak Abdul Wahab and grandson of Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin I. He was also the brot ...

) ceded the Baram region (including Miri) to Charles Brooke. The fourth division of Sarawak was immediately created with the installation of Mamerto George Gueritz as the first Resident of the Division. A fort was built in at Marudi, 43 km to the east of Miri in 1883: it was named Claudetown in honour of Claude Champion de Crespigny, Resident of the Third Division when he died in 1884, and it became the administrative centre of the division. The administration was helped by two junior officers, 30 rangers, and a few native police.

Charles Hose Charles Hose FRGS. FLS (12 October 1863 – 14 November 1929) was a British colonial administrator, zoologist and ethnologist. Life and career He was born in Hertfordshire, England, and was educated at Felsted in Essex. Admitted to Clare Colleg ...

became Resident of Baram District in 1891 and the fort in Marudi was renamed Fort Hose. In 1895 and 1896, the Brooke administration organized an expedition to

Usun Apau Plieran Usun Apau Plieran is a remote abandoned Kenyah Jamuk, Badeng and Lepu Aga' village settled in 1860, Belaga district. To be exact, Usun Apau Plieran is located at the upstream of Sungai Plieran and Sungai Tiyut. The highest peak that close to thi ...

to punish the

Kenyah people The Kenyah people are an indigenous, Austronesian-speaking people of Borneo, living in the remote Baram Lio Matoh, Long Selaan, Long Moh, Long Anap, Long Mekaba, Long Jeeh, Long Belaong, Long San, Long Silat, Long Tungan, Data Kakus, Data S ...

(including the Badeng people, a sub-tribe of Kenyahs) living there, who were alleged to have been responsible for the deaths of a Malay, a Chinese trader, and several

Iban people The Ibans or Sea Dayaks are a branch of the Dayak peoples on the island of Borneo in South East Asia. Dayak is a title given by the westerners to the local people of Borneo island. It is believed that the term "Iban" was originally an exonym ...

. In October 1896, Saba Irang, the headman of the Badeng people, came to Claudetown to seek refuge and make peace with the Brooke administration. Hose decided to organize a peace conference at his fort in April 1899 to “encourage the Madang (Badeng) to be loyal subjects and to ensure a friendly recognition by them by the Baram people". The conference was attended by 6,000 people. This peace conference also led to creation of the Baram Regatta, a long boat race competition among the natives that continues to be held in the present day. The Resident Office moved from Marudi to Miri in 1912 after oil was discovered in Miri.

Administration

The town is the administrative centre of

, a

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

in the

Miri Division Miri Division is one of the twelve administrative divisions of Sarawak, Malaysia. It has a total area of 26,777.1 square kilometres, and is the second largest division after Kapit Division. The seat of this division is the city of Miri. The pop ...

of Sarawak.

Transportation

Air

Marudi is served by

Marudi Airport Marudi Airport is an airport in Marudi, Miri Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. It has a 10/28 runway and its aircraft parking bay can handle three to four de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter at the same time. Airlines and destinations Incidents ...

(MUR) which is in the town. Twin Otters fly to Miri up to nine times daily and serve

Bario Bario is a community of 13 to 16 villages located on the Kelabit Highlands in Miri Division, Sarawak, Malaysia, lying at an altitude of 1000 m (3280 ft) above sea level. It is located close to the Sarawak-Kalimantan border, 178 k ...

Long Banga Long may refer to: Measurement * Long, characteristic of something of great duration * Long, characteristic of something of great length * Longitude (abbreviation: long.), a geographic coordinate * Longa (music), note value in early music mensur ...

Long Lellang Long Lellang (also known as Long Lelang) is a small village in the Kelabit people, Kelabit highlands of Sarawak, Malaysia. It lies approximately east-north-east of the state capital Kuching. The village is predominantly populated by the Kelabit p ...

Long Akah Long Akah (also known as Long Aka) is an old settlement in the interior of the Telang Usan district of Sarawak, Malaysia, on the upper reaches of the Baram river. It lies approximately east-north-east of the state capital Kuching. The village ...

and

Long Seridan Long Seridan is a Kelabit settlement in the Miri division of Sarawak, Malaysia. It lies approximately east-north-east of the state capital Kuching. Long Seridan Airport has a STOL runway, originally built by Gurkha engineers in 1963. There are ...

. The airport is a 10-minute (1 km) walk east from the centre. Marudi view from sky

Water

Express boats between Marudi and Kuala Baram used to operate regularly in the morning and early afternoon until the road connecting Miri to Marudi was paved. The express boats service stopped operating June 1, 2015.

Geography

Climate

Marudi has a

tropical rainforest climate A tropical rainforest climate, humid tropical climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southea ...

with heavy to very heavy rainfall year-round.

Economy

Tourism

The main tourist attraction in the town is Fort Hose, a wooden fort built during the Brooke administration. The fort was named after Hose. The fort was later converted into a museum that houses some ethnographic photographs, local textiles, handicrafts, and ceremonial items. Marudi Landmark (Baram Regatta Statue)

References

{{Authority control Marudi District Towns in Sarawak