Betong is a town and administrative district of the Betong Division

Betong Division

Betong Division, formed on March 26, 2002, is the 11th and newest of the eleven administrative divisions in Sarawak, east Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. Formerly part of Sri Aman Division, Betong is in the Saribas area...

 in 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, lying in the Saribas

Saribas

Saribas is an area made up of the three main rivers in the Betong Division of Sarawak, Malaysia. The three rivers are Batang Layar, Batang Paku, and Batang Rimbas....

 area. It was formerly placed under the district of Sri Aman

Sri Aman

Sri Aman is a market town and port, and the capital of Sri Aman District and Sri Aman Division in Sarawak, east Malaysia.Sri Aman is also called Bandar Sri Aman, and was formerly known as Simanggang. Sri Aman in the Malay language means "town of peace ." Located on the Lupar River, it is...

.

Betong is famous for its longhouses (Rumah Panjang) and rich culture

Culture

Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...

, but the surrounding area was only recently established as an administrative division of Sarawak. The total population is 51,426, which consists of Malays (Orang Laut

Orang Laut

The Orang Laut, or Bajau Laut are a group of Malay people living in the Riau Islands of Indonesia. It also may refer to any Malay origin people living on coastal islands, including those of Andaman Sea islands in Thailand and Burma, commonly known as Moken.-Etymology:The Malay term orang laut...

) (29,919), Iban

Iban people

The Ibans are a branch of the Dayak peoples of Borneo. In Malaysia, most Ibans are located in Sarawak, a small portion in Sabah and some in west Malaysia. They were formerly known during the colonial period by the British as Sea Dayaks. Ibans were renowned for practising headhunting and...

s (18,764), Chinese

Han Chinese

Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...

(2,321) and others (422).

Notable people (in no particular order)

• Rentap or Libau (great Iban warrior during the era of the Brooke White Rajahs in Sarawak)
• YB. Tan Sri Datuk Patinggi Dr. Alfred Jabu ak Numpang (current Deputy Chief Minister of Sarawak)
• YB. Datuk Seri Douglas Uggah ak Embas (politician)
• YB. Robert Lawson Chuat (politician)
• YB. Dato' Yong Khoon Seng (politician)
• Dr Wahbi Haji Junaidi (former State assemblyman)
• Tan Sri Datuk Amar Stephen Kalong Ningkan (First Chief Minister of Sarawak)
• Datuk Michael Buma (Iban ethnologist, educationist, politician, writer)
• Right Reverend Bishop Datuk Basil Temenggong (first native Bishop in the Anglican Diocese of Sarawak)
• Dato' Sri Edmund Langgu (consultant with Tun Jugah Foundation)
• Temenggong Datuk Montegrai (Iban community leader)
• Tan Sri Gerunsin Lembat (first State secretary)
• Datuk Tan Ik Kiat (ex-MD of Sarawak Shell Berhad)
• Edwin Dundang Bugak (politician)
• Benedict Sandin (Iban ethnologist, historian, curator of Sarawak Museum)
• Andy Telasai Indit (Social Media Expert & Digital Publishing of Media Prima BHD)
• Henry Golding (Freelance presenter, Emcee, 8TV Host of Media Prima BHD)
• Dato' Sri Empiang Jabu (politician and wife of current Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister)