| Official Name: | Padawan municipality |
| Settlement Type: | Municipality |
| Seal Size: | 250px |
| Seal Alt: | Seal of the Padawan Municipal Council |
| Motto: | Cekap Bersih Makmur (Efficient, Clean, and Prosperous) |
| Pushpin Map: | Malaysia |
| Pushpin Label Position: | left |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Malaysia |
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 300 |
| Coordinates: | 1.55°N 110.3353°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Malaysia |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Sarawak |
| Subdivision Type2: | Division |
| Subdivision Name2: | Kuching Division |
| Subdivision Type3: | District |
| Subdivision Name3: | Kuching District |
| Established Title: | First settled |
| Established Date: | Circa AD 600s (7th century)[1] |
| Established Title1: | Incorporation (Municipality) |
| Established Date1: | 1 August 1996 |
| Government Type: | local government |
| Leader Title: | Chairman |
| Leader Name: | Lo Khere Chiang[2] |
| Total Type: | Padawan municipality |
| Area Total Km2: | 1771.3 |
| Population Total: | 702,936 |
| Population As Of: | 2015 |
| Population Est: | 950,000 |
| Pop Est As Of: | 2014 |
| Timezone1: | MST |
| Utc Offset1: | +8 |
| Timezone Dst: | Not observed |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 93050 KUCHING (Matang Jaya, Telaga Air) 93250 KUCHING (Penrissen, Batu Kawah, Kota Sentosa, Kota Padawan) |
| Blank Name: | International dialling code prefix |
| Blank Info: | +6082 (landline only) |
| Blank1 Name: | Vehicle registration plate prefix |
| Blank1 Info: | QA and QK (for all vehicles except taxis) HQ (for taxis only) |
| Website: | www.mpp.gov.my |
The Padawan municipality is a collective name given to a subset of the Kuching District area which is not administered locally by the Kuching South City Council and the Kuching North City Hall, formerly known as Kuching Rural district. It has an area of 1771.3 km2, covering the suburbs of the Kuching Proper subdistrict and Padawan subdistrict.[3] The area is currently administered by the local government named Padawan Municipal Council, based in Kota Padawan, located at 10th mile (16 km) from Kuching city centre.[4]
The origin of the name "Padawan" came from the combination of Bidayuh words namely Padja and Birawan. There is a story of a Bidayuh village elder named Kinyau stayed in an area named Sibanyai 900 years ago. One day, he discovered white beads which has mystical healing power and they called it Birawan. These beads can also bring peace, prosperity, and tranquility to the area. The village elder has an eldest son named Padja. Therefore, the village elder decided to rename the area as "Padawan" in memory of his son and the mystical beads.[5]
Kota Padawan recreational park was completed in November 2021.[6]
See main article: Batu Kawa. Phase 4 of Batu Kawa Riverbank park, which features children playground facilities was completed in June 2022. Phase 5 construction of the park, which includes riverbank protection was started in the same month.[7]
Mile 7 flyover over a traffic junction along Kuching-Serian road was opened to public in July 2022.[8]
Kubah National Park is located within the Matang area.[9] Matang Wildlife Centre is located within the national park.[10]
Semenggoh Nature Reserve was established on 20 February 2000. It houses Sarawak Forestry Department's botanical research centre, seed bank and nursery, Semenggoh Wildlife Centre, and Sarawak Biodiversity Centre. Rajah Charles Brooke Memorial Hospital which was a former leprosy settlement during the Brooke's era, is located nearby the nature reserve.[11]
Padawan municipal area has nine tourist spots namely:[12]