Saratok is a town, and the capital of the Saratok District (1,586.9 square kilometres) in

Betong Division Betong Division, formed on 26 March 2002, is one of the twelve administrative divisions in Sarawak, Malaysia. Formerly part of Sri Aman Division, Betong is in the Saribas area. It has a total area of 4,180.8 square kilometres, and is the smal ...

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, ...

, East

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...

in the island of Borneo. The last recorded district population was 54,400 (year 2020 census). It is located about from Betong.

Iban IBAN or Iban or Ibán may refer to: Banking * International Bank Account Number Ethnology * Iban culture * Iban language * Iban people Given name Cycling * Iban Iriondo (born 1984) * Iban Mayo (born 1977) * Iban Mayoz (born 1981) Football * ...

forms the majority of the population (51%) with Malay (40%), Chinese (7%),

Bidayuh Bidayuh is the collective name for several indigenous groups found in southern Sarawak, Malaysia and northern West Kalimantan, Indonesia, on the island of Borneo, which are broadly similar in language and culture (see also issues below). T ...

and

Melanau Melanau or ''A-Likou'' (meaning River people in Mukah dialect) is an ethnic group indigenous to Sarawak, Malaysia. They are among the earliest settlers of Sarawak. They speak in the Melanau language, which is a part of the North Bornean branc ...

minorities. A majority of the Iban people live in

longhouse A longhouse or long house is a type of long, proportionately narrow, single-room building for communal dwelling. It has been built in various parts of the world including Asia, Europe, and North America. Many were built from timber and often re ...

s in rural areas, planting

paddy Paddy may refer to: People *Paddy (given name), a list of people with the given name or nickname *An ethnic slur for an Irishman Birds *Paddy (pigeon), a Second World War carrier pigeon * Snowy sheathbill or paddy, a bird species *Black-faced s ...

pepper Pepper or peppers may refer to: Food and spice * Piperaceae or the pepper family, a large family of flowering plant ** Black pepper * ''Capsicum'' or pepper, a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae ** Bell pepper ** Chili ...

and tapping

rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, and ...

to earn a living. Some of the Ibans in Saratok either work on or own an

palm oil Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of the oil palms. The oil is used in food manufacturing, in beauty products, and as biofuel. Palm oil accounted for about 33% of global oils produced fr ...

plantations. Generally, the Malay community live near rivers, fishing and planting

pineapples The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centurie ...

cocoa Cocoa may refer to: Chocolate * Chocolate * ''Theobroma cacao'', the cocoa tree * Cocoa bean, seed of ''Theobroma cacao'' * Chocolate liquor, or cocoa liquor, pure, liquid chocolate extracted from the cocoa bean, including both cocoa butter an ...

and

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the f ...

. A majority of the shopkeepers in Saratok town are Chinese.

Events

A main annual event in Saratok is the Saratok Regatta or Pesta Air Sungai Krian, a boat-racing event. This event usually takes place during one weekend in July. Many stalls selling things ranging from food to souvenirs are set up in the car park between Saratok Wet Market and a nearby Buddhist temple to capitalise on the number of people who throng to this event every year.

Facilities

There are three

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

s and three

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

s in Saratok town and a number of rural primary schools. There are also Saratok Hospital, Klinik Welcare, Klinik PMG, Keluarga Supermarket, Nam Leong Supermarket, Family Supermarket and other facilities within the town. There are also three banks in Saratok town.

Transport

Local bus

Climate

Saratok 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 southe ...

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

Notable people

Notable people from Saratok include: * YBhg. Datuk Amar

Dunstan Endawie Enchana Datuk Amar Dunstan Endawie Enchana (25 July 1937 – 11 April 2014) was a Malaysian politician from Sarawak, former teacher and a member of the Iban people. He served as the Deputy Chief Minister of Sarawak from 1977 until 1979. Endawie also s ...

, former Deputy Chief Minister *Abang Sallehuddin Abg Shokeran - DBP General Director *YB Datuk

Ali Biju Datuk Ali anak Biju (born 27 January 1968) is a Malaysian politician who has served as the Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources for the second term in the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration under Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaak ...

, Deputy Minister Of Energy And Natural Resources

References

{{Sarawak Saratok District Towns in Sarawak