History
Bintulu was once under the rule of the Brunei Sultanate. However, in 1841, Sarawak now Kuching was ceded to Sir James Brooke, an English adventurer who then became the First Rajah of Sarawak. In 1861, Bintulu, which was still part of Brunei, was also ceded to the Rajah and became part of Sarawak.
On September 8, 1867, it became the first meeting place of the State Legislative Assembly, the Council Negeri. Following other Sarawak divisional counterparts, Bintulu has also being under the rule of Rajah Brooke family, Japan, British and now Malaysia.
Starting from a scratch, Bintulu was formerly a fishermen village, with few old Chinese shophouses now, all of these shophouses are no longer exist. Following the discovery of large reserves of natural gas offshore Bintulu in 1969, a feasibility study conducted in 1975 found in nearby Tanjung Kidurong a suitable site for Sarawak's first deep-water port. Realising the industrial potential in Bintulu, the Bintulu Development Authority BDA was established in 1978 by the State Government to undertake infrastructure development as well as to coordinate and promote industrial investment in the area. Currently, BDA is celebrating their 30th anniversary.
Bintulu has now thrived tremendously from a small fishermen village with the population of mere 70,000 in the early 1970s to more than 200,000 now. Bintulu has superceded Kapit and Sarikei for becoming the fourth largest urban town in Sarawak. The population of Bintulu is expected to grow 30,000 in the next 5 years. The development in Bintulu can be seen anywhere, while changes in its town landscape can be observed significantly in 2-3 years.
Bintulu is planning to be a fully-industrialized city by the year 2020.
