Mukim Serasa
Mukim Serasa is a mukim in Brunei-Muara District, Brunei. The population was 16,173 in 2016.[1] The mukim encompasses Muara Town, home to Muara Port, the country's only deepwater port.
Mukim Serasa | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Serasa is in pink. | |
| Coordinates: 5°00′29″N 115°03′09″E | |
| Country | Brunei |
| District | Brunei-Muara |
| Population (2016)[1] | |
| • Total | 16,173 |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (BNT) |
| Postcode | BTxx28 |
Name
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.[2]
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 (Malay: Pulau Pilong-Pilongan) 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;[3] and Serasa Spit, an artificial spit.
Demographics
As of the 2016 census,[1] 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
The mukim encompasses the following village subdivisions:[1]
| Village | Population (2016) |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Muara Town | 2,102 | - |
| Kampong Kapok | 2,791 | - |
| Kampong Meragang | 7,668 | Includes the public housing estate RPN Meragang |
| Kampong Sabun | 412 | - |
| Kampong Serasa | 3,200 | Includes the public housing estate Perpindahan Serasa |
| Total | 16,173 | - |
Facilities
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
- Kampong Kapok Mosque
- Kampong Perpindahan Serasa Mosque
- Setia Ali Mosque
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.[4]
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.[5][6]
References
- "Population and Housing Census Update Final Report 2016" (PDF). www.deps.gov.bn. Department of Statistics. December 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
- Mohd Yunos, Rozan (2013). SEMINAR UNITED NATIONS GROUP OF EXPERTS ON GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES ASIA, SOUTHEAST DIVISION (PDF). pp. 9, 18.
- "Ports department - Muara Port facilities". Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 28 May 2007.
- "Department of Environment, Park and Recreation - Serasa Beach". www.env.gov.bn. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
- "Sultan graces RBAF 56th Anniversary celebrations at Muara naval base – Borneo Bulletin Online". Borneo Bulletin Online. 18 September 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
- "Muara Naval Base - Naval Technology". Naval Technology. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
