Petra Jaya is a suburb of Kuching

Kuching

Kuching , officially the City of Kuching, and formerly the City of Sarawak, is the capital and most populous city of the East Malaysian state of Sarawak. It is the largest city on the island of Borneo, and the fourth largest city in Malaysia....

, Sarawak

Sarawak

Sarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Known as Bumi Kenyalang , Sarawak is situated on the north-west of the island. It is the largest state in Malaysia followed by Sabah, the second largest state located to the North- East.The administrative capital is Kuching, which...

, Malaysia. This suburb was named after sixth Yang di-Pertuan Agong

Yang di-Pertuan Agong

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong is the head of state of Malaysia. The office was established in 1957 when the Federation of Malaya gained independence....

, Tuanku Yahya Petra of Kelantan

Kelantan

Kelantan is a state of Malaysia. The capital and royal seat is Kota Bharu. The Arabic honorific of the state is Darul Naim, ....

 (1975-1979).

History

The suburb was founded in the 1970s. The area where Petra Jaya is sited was formerly known as Matang. Most of the lands in the area then was undeveloped. Kampungs or villages along and near the riverbanks of the Sarawak river were the only residential areas. The area was only accessible by the Satok suspension bridge, ferry or sampan. Since 1975, the completion of the Datuk Patinggi Tun Abdul Rahman Yaakub bridge, known as the Satok Bridge, together with construction of new road networks has made the area more accessible to development. Development in the area was further accelerated when it was designated as the Administrative Centre for the Sarawak Government, whereby many government offices and bodies relocated their headquarters and offices to Petra Jaya.

Administration

Petra Jaya is under the administrative jurisdiction of Dewan Bandaraya Kuching Utara

Dewan Bandaraya Kuching Utara

Dewan Bandaraya Kuching Utara or The Commission of The City of Kuching North is a local authority which administers Kuching city centre and other areas. The agency is under Ministry of Environment, Sarawak...

 (DBKU). The Kuching North City Hall (DBKU) headquarters is located here. In addition to that, the Administrative Centre of the Sarawak Government is located here.

Geography and Demographics

Petra Jaya covers a large portion of Kuching City North area across the Sarawak river, north of Kuching City Centre and stretches from the Northern bank of the Sarawak River, right after the bridge at Satok up till the Santubong Bridge further north which connects Petra Jaya to the Santubong Peninsula. The land in the area are generally flat with several hilly areas near Semariang. Most lands in this area are classified as Native Area Land and as such, a significant portion of the population in Petra Jaya are Bumiputras.

Development

Relatively Petra Jaya is the most developed area in Kuching City North barring areas under DBKU which are south of the Sarawak River. It is fairly densely developed in the south or near the river. Most of the development in Petra Jaya are residential in nature. Commercial developments are few and far in between with scattered blocks of shophouses. It is notable that industries except for light small scale ones, are almost absent in Petra Jaya.

Transportation

Petra Jaya is accessible from Kuching City South via Datuk Patinggi Tun Abdul Rahman Yaakub Bridge from Satok and the newly completed Tun Salahuddin Bridge from Pending. Alternative access is via the Bako Causeway or Jalan Matang-Batu Kawa. Petra Jaya typical low density characteristic of a suburb has caused residents to be heavily reliant on cars because public transportation is quite poor in this part of Kuching.

List of attractions

• The Astana
  The Astana, Sarawak
  The Astana is a palace in Kuching, Sarawak, on the north bank of the Sarawak River, opposite the Kuching Waterfront. It is the official residence of the Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak, the Governor of Sarawak...
  
  
• Fort Margherita
  Fort Margherita
  Fort Margherita is an old fort built in 1879 by Charles Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak situated in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. The fort is an important landmark and monument in Sarawak's history which goes back to the Brooke Dynasty. The fort, built in the style of an English castle, was designed to...
  
  
• Sarawak State Museum
  Sarawak State Museum
  The Sarawak State Museum is the oldest museum in Borneo. It was established in 1888 and opened in 1891 in a purpose-built building in Kuching, Sarawak...
  
  
• Wisma Bapa Malaysia
  Wisma Bapa Malaysia
  Wisma Bapa Malaysia is the old Sarawak's State Legislative Assembly Building. Located in Petra Jaya, Kuching, Sarawak Malaysia, it housed the august institution from August 1976 until May 2009...
  
   - the old state secretariat building
• New Sarawak State Legislative Assembly Building
  New Sarawak State Legislative Assembly Building
  The New Sarawak State Legislative Assembly Building is the current state legislative complex of Sarawak, located in Kuching, Malaysia. It is the meeting place where state assemblymen from all over Sarawak will meet and preside over debates and passing of laws.The complex is located at the north...
  
   - the new state secretariat building
• Masjid Negeri Petra Jaya
  Masjid Negeri Petra Jaya
  Petra Jaya State Mosque is a new state mosque in Sarawak, located in Petra Jaya, it also known as Masjid Jamek. It was opened in 1990. Beside this mosque where Bangunan Bina, Masja and Pustaka Negeri Sarawak. Kuching, Malaysia....
  
  
• Pustaka Negeri Sarawak (State Library)
• Kuching North City Hall (DBKU) headquarters, Bukit Siol
• Kuching Cat Museum
  Kuching Cat Museum
  The Kuching Cat Museum is a cat museum in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. It was founded in 1993. It is owned by the Kuching North City Hall . There are 2000 exhibits, artifacts, statues about cats from all over the world. According to Malaysian and Chinese beliefs, the cat is a lucky animal...
  
  
• Hornbill
  Hornbill
  Hornbills are a family of bird found in tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia and Melanesia. They are characterized by a long, down-curved bill which is frequently brightly-colored and sometimes has a casque on the upper mandible. Both the common English and the scientific name of the family...
  
  's statue
• Stadium Sarawak
  Sarawak Stadium
  Sarawak Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Kuching, Malaysia. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium has a capacity of 40,000 spectators. It was built in 1995 for the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship...
  
  
• Stadium Perpaduan
• Stadium Negeri