The Simunjan District is a district in the

Samarahan Division Samarahan Division is one of the twelve administrative divisions in Sarawak, Malaysia. Formerly part of the First Division, which included Kuching, it became a separate Division on 24 July 1986, with a total area of 4,967.4 square kilometres. ...

Sarawak Sarawak (; ) is a 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 Malaysian state of Sabah to the northeast, ...

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 federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

, located between Serian and Sri Aman. It borders Sebuyau and Samarahan and lies approximately east-south-east of the state capital Kuching. Most of its inhabitants are made up of the

Malay Malay may refer to: Languages * Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore ** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century ** Indonesi ...

and the

Iban IBAN or Iban or Ibán may refer to: Banking * International Bank Account Number Ethnology * Iban culture The Ibans or Sea Dayaks are a branch of the Dayak people, Dayak people on the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. It is believed that the ...

people.

Etymology

There are a few deviations regarding the origin of Simunjan name. The first being when a Chinese merchant went to dry tobaccos during cloudy weather. Based on this folklore, a Chinese merchant came to Simunjan on a boat known as Wangkang (

Djong (ship) The djong, jong, or jung (also called junk in English) is a type of ancient sailing ship originating from Java, Indonesia that was widely used by Javanese, Sundanese, and later Malay sailors. The word was and is spelled ''jong'' in its languag ...

) to rest. While at Simunjan, he tried to dry his tobaccos in the sun, but the weather was cloudy. The local told them that his "''Jan''" ("tobacco" in Chinese) will be "''Semun''" (or "damp"); "''Semunlah jan'' kau kelak" ("Your tobacco will get damp.") Since this encounter, the place have been known as "Simunjan." Another oral tradition speaks of Simunjan coming from the word "''Semun''" and "''Hujan''" (or "rain".) In this version, Simunjan people originated from an area known as "Ensengei" that migrated to Simunjan. Most of them worked as miners. While trying to start a match, the match was damp due to the frequent rainfall. Because this area was still unnamed, people combined "''Semun''" and "''Hujan''" to refer this place, hence "Simunjan." Based on another source, Simunjan got its name from "''Burung Munjan"'' ("Munjan Bird.") Burung Munjan was to believe a bird native to Simunjan that was abundant within Gunung Ngeli forest. Simunjan derived from the phrase "''Si Munjan''" (or "The Munjan") hence its name. However, there are little resources that elaborate further regarding this version, except for a few mentions from locals. A statue of Burung Munjan was erected around 1990, at Padang Sentral (Central Park) before was moved to Majlis Daerah Simunjan. It is believed that Burung Munjan went extinct due to rampant human activities in Simunjan.

Famous persons

* Sapok Biki - Malaysian boxer who won a gold medal during the

1998 Commonwealth Games The 1998 Commonwealth Games ''( Malay: Sukan Komanwel 1998)'', officially known as the XVI Commonwealth Games ''(Malay: Sukan Komanwel ke-16)'', was a multi-sport event held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This edition is marked by several unpreceden ...

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...

is a Simunjan native.

Climate

Simunjan 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 ...

(Af) with heavy to very heavy rainfall year-round.

Neighbouring settlements

Neighbouring settlements include: *

Kampung Sageng A kampong (''kampung'' in Malay and Indonesian) is the term for a village in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore and a "port" in Cambodia. The term applies to traditional villages, especially of the indigenous people, and has also been used ...

north *

Kampung Lintang Kampung Lintang was one of Simunjan's village. It was believed that Kampung Lintang was beside Kampung Kelka. Kampung Lintang has perished after a horrible soil erosion Soil erosion is the denudation or wearing away of the upper layer of soil ...

north * Kampung Sungai Jong south *

Kampung Jagong Kampung Jagong is a settlement in the Simunjan division of Sarawak, Malaysia. It lies approximately east-south-east of the state capital Kuching. Neighbouring settlements include: * Kampung Sageng east * Simunjan east * Kampung Lintang east * ...

west *

Kampung Segunduk A kampong (''kampung'' in Malay language, Malay and Indonesian language, Indonesian) is the term for a village in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore and a "port" in Cambodia. The term applies to traditional villages, especially of the indige ...

southeast * Kampung Lobang Empat southeast * Kampung Malanjok southeast *

Kampung Dundong Kampung Dundong is a settlement in Sarawak, Malaysia. It lies approximately east-south-east of the state capital Kuching. Neighbouring settlements include: *Kampung Seteman northwest *Kampung Jagong east *Kampung Sabang north *Kampung Tegelam ...

west *

Kampung Sabang Kampung Sabang is a settlement in the Simunjan division of Sarawak, Malaysia. It lies approximately east-south-east of the state capital Kuching. Neighbouring settlements include: *Kampung Seteman southwest *Kampung Dundong south * Kampung Pe ...

northwest * Kampung Lingkau southeast * Kampung Sungai Ba west

References

External links

* {{Sarawak