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Miri, Sarawak

Miri
City
Other transcription(s)
 • Jawi ميري
 • Chinese 美里
From left to right: Marina Bay boats and sunset, Miri city centre from Canada Hill
From left to right: Marina Bay boats and sunset, Miri city centre from Canada Hill
Official seal of Miri
Miri City Council
Nickname(s): "Resort City", "Oil Town"
Motto: Maju Bersama Masyarakat (English: Progress with the Society)
Miri is located in East Malaysia
Miri
Miri
Location in Borneo
Coordinates: 4°24′10″N 113°59′36″E / 4.40278°N 113.99333°E / 4.40278; 113.99333Coordinates: 4°24′10″N 113°59′36″E / 4.40278°N 113.99333°E / 4.40278; 113.99333
Country  Malaysia
State  Sarawak
Division Miri Division
District Miri District
Founded by Royal Dutch Shell 10 August 1910
Granted municipality status 6 November 1981
Granted city status 20 May 2005
Government
 • Type Miri City Council
 • Mayor Adam Yii Siew Sang
Area
 • Miri City 997.43 km2 (385.11 sq mi)
Elevation 8 m (26 ft)
Lowest elevation 0 m (0 ft)
Population (2010, 2016)
 • Miri City 300,543 (10'), 358,020 (16')
 • Density 235.15/km2 (609.0/sq mi)
 • Demonym Mirian
Time zone MST (UTC+8)
 • Summer (DST) Not observed (UTC+8)
Postal code 98xxx
Area code(s) +6085 (landline only)
Vehicle registration QM and QM****A (etc..) (for all vehicles except taxis)
HQ (for taxis only)
Website www.miricouncil.gov.my

Miri /ˈmɪr/ (Jawi: ميري‎; Chinese: 美里; pinyin: Méi Lǐ) is a coastal city in northeastern Sarawak, Malaysia, located near the border of Brunei, on the island of Borneo. The city covers an area of 997.43 square kilometres (385.11 sq mi), located 798 kilometres (496 mi) northeast of Kuching and 329 kilometres (204 mi) southwest of Kota Kinabalu. Miri is the second largest city in Sarawak, with a population of 358,020 as of 2016. The city is also the capital of Miri District of the Miri Division.

Before Miri was founded, Marudi was the administrative centre of the northern region of Sarawak. Miri was founded in 1910 when the first oil well was drilled by Royal Dutch Shell. The discovery of an oil field in Miri has led to rapid development of Miri town. Miri became the administrative centre of the northern region of Sarawak by 1929. During World War II, the Miri oil fields were destroyed by the Brooke government to sabotage Japanese operations in Southeast Asia but to no avail; Miri town was the first landing point of Japanese troops in Borneo. The subsequent Japanese occupation led Miri to become a target of Allied air raids which caused the destruction of oil refinery facilities in Miri. The petroleum industry continued to be a major player in the city's economy after the war. Oil exploration has moved offshore since the 1950s, but subsequently new inland oil fields were found in 1989 and 2011. In 1974, the formation of Malaysian oil and gas company Petronas led to co-operation between Petronas and Shell on oil exploration in the Miri region. In 2005, Miri became the 10th city in Malaysia to be granted official city status, the first non-state capital city to be bestowed such status.


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