Mukim Serasa Explained

Mukim Serasa
Settlement Type:Mukim
Coordinates:5.0081°N 115.0525°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Brunei
Subdivision Type1:District
Subdivision Name1:Brunei-Muara
Established Title:Established
Unit Pref:Metric
Population As Of:2021
Population Total:18,569
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone:BNT
Utc Offset1:+8
Postal Code Type:Postcode
Postal Code:BTxx28
Leader Title:Penghulu
Leader Name:Brunei–Muara District Office[1]

Mukim Serasa is a mukim in Brunei-Muara District, Brunei. The population was 16,173 in 2016.[2] The mukim encompasses Muara Town, home to Muara Port, the country's only deepwater port.

Etymology

Serasa is thought to have been given its name by a group of migrant workers who arrived at one of the village's waterways. They took some of the pucuk gajus (cashew leaves) and pucuk pawas (sprouts) as side dishes when they stopped to rest and eat their prepared pais-paisan meals. They discovered the taste of the pucuk-pucuk to be serasa (fitted to their palates), after eating it. They settled there and gave the river the name Serasa. Meragang, means red monkey in Dusun.[3]

Geography

Mukim Serasa is the north-easternmost mukim in the district, its land border is only with Mukim Mentiri to the west; the rest are bounded by the South China Sea to the north and the Brunei Bay to the east and south.

There are several island bodies off the coast of Serasa and the two which are well-known include Pelong Rocks and Pulau Muara Besar. There are also two sand spits found on its coast: Pelumpong Spit, which is originally a spit but has become a narrow island when an artificial channel was cut to provide access to Muara Port;[4] and Serasa Spit, an artificial spit.

Demographics

As of the 2016 census, the population of Mukim Serasa comprised 8,770 males and 7,403 females. The mukim had 2,946 households occupying 2,878 dwellings. The entire population lived in urban areas.

Villages

As of 2021, the mukim encompasses the following villages:

Settlements[5] Population (2021)Ketua kampung (2024)[6]
Kampong Kapok3,001Shahminan bin Haji Abdul Rahman
Kampong Sabun1,163Shahminan bin Haji Abdul Rahman (Acting)
Kampong Serasa2,676Abdul Hamid bin Haji Zinin @ Haji Zainin
RPN Kampong Serasa
Muara Town2,539Shahminan bin Haji Abdul Rahman (Acting)
Kampong Masjid Lama
Kampong Pelumpong
RPN Kampong Meragang Area 19,190Madzlan bin Haji Jumat
RPN Kampong Meragang Area 2Mohamad bin Haji Tamin

Infrastructure

Education

Pengiran Isteri Hajjah Mariam Secondary is the only secondary school within the mukim.

Meragang Sixth Form Centre, one of the few sixth form colleges in the country, is located in Kampong Meragang.

Mosques

Places of interest

The coast of Serasa which borders the South China Sea is lined with the beaches of Meragang, Muara, and Tanjong Batu and they have been designated as places of recreation for the public.

The coast of the artificial Serasa Spit is also lined with beach features. The area of this Serasa Beach has also been made into a public recreational area.[7]

Brooketon Colliery is a disused coal mine. It was developed during the period of Charles Brooke's rule of Sarawak in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Muara Naval Base is home to the base of the Royal Brunei Navy.[8] [9]

Notes and References

  1. Book: BUKU DIREKTORI TELEFON PENGHULU-PENGHULU MUKIM DAN KETUA-KETUA KAMPUNG NEGARA BRUNEI DARUSSALAM . April 2024 . . 4 . Brunei . 17 . ms.
  2. Web site: Population and Housing Census Update Final Report 2016 . . December 2018 . www.deps.gov.bn . Department of Statistics . 27 June 2021 .
  3. Book: Mohd Yunos, Rozan . SEMINAR UNITED NATIONS GROUP OF EXPERTS ON GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES ASIA, SOUTHEAST DIVISION . 2013 . 9, 18.
  4. Web site: Ports department - Muara Port facilities. 2007-05-28. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20070928154557/http://www.ports.gov.bn/ports/1.htm. 2007-09-28.
  5. Web site: October 2021 . Annex B . 23 January 2024 . DEPS.MoFE.gov.bn . Department of Economic Planning and Statistics, Ministry of Finance and Economy.
  6. Web site: Direktori Penghulu Mukim dan Ketua Kampung Daerah Brunei dan Muara . 2024-08-20 . Jabatan Daerah Brunei dan Muara . ms.
  7. Web site: Department of Environment, Park and Recreation - Serasa Beach. www.env.gov.bn. en-GB. 2018-02-16.
  8. News: Sultan graces RBAF 56th Anniversary celebrations at Muara naval base – Borneo Bulletin Online. 2017-09-18. Borneo Bulletin Online. 2018-02-16. en-US.
  9. News: Muara Naval Base - Naval Technology. Naval Technology. 2018-02-16. en-GB.