Sarawak

Sarawak, state, Malaysia, in the northwestern portion of the island of Borneo, adjacent to Sabah. The population is composed chiefly of Malays, Dayaks, and Chinese. The majority of the people are Christians, although a large Muslim population exists. The official languages are Malay and English. The capital is Kuching. Principal products include rubber, petroleum, timber, pepper, sago, rice, gold, and bauxite; coal resources exist.

Government of the present territory was obtained by the British soldier Sir James Brooke from the sultan of Brunei, Omar Ali Saifuddin II, in 1841. Sarawak was placed (1888) under British protection and was occupied by the Japanese in December 1941. In 1946 the raja ceded the country to Britain, and Sarawak became a crown colony. Sarawak joined with the Federation of Malaya, Singapore, and Sabah (formerly British North Borneo) to form the independent Federation of Malaysia in 1963 (now Malaysia). The head of state of Sarawak acts on the advice of a chief minister, who is responsible to a unicameral legislature. Area, 124,449 sq km (48,050 sq mi); population 1,954,300 (1997 estimate).