Orang Utan

The orangutans are two species of great apes known for their intelligence, long arms and reddish-brown hair. Native to Indonesia and Malaysia, they are currently found only in rainforests on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, though fossils have been found in Java, Vietnam and China. They are the only surviving species in the genus Pongo and the subfamily Ponginae (which also includes the extinct genera Gigantopithecus and Sivapithecus). Their name derives from the Malay and Indonesian phrase orang hutan, meaning "man of the forest".[2][3] The orangutan is an official state animal of Sabah in Malaysia.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orang_utan

Etymology of Orang Utans

The word orangutan (also written orang-utan, orang utan and orangutang) is derived from the Malay and Indonesian words orang meaning "man" and hutan meaning "forest",[4] thus "person of the forest". Orang Hutan is the common term in these two national languages, although local peoples may also refer to them by local languages. Maias and mawas are also used in Malay, but it is unclear if those words refer only to orangutans, or to all apes in general.
The word was first attested in English in 1691 in the form orang-outang, and variants with -ng instead of -n as in the Malay original are found in many languages. This spelling (and pronunciation) has remained in use in English up to the present, but has come to be regarded as incorrect by some.[5]
The name of the genus, Pongo, comes from a 16th century account by Andrew Battell, an English sailor held prisoner by the Portuguese in Angola, which describes two anthropoid "monsters" named Pongo and Engeco. It is now believed that he was describing gorillas, but in the late 18th century it was believed that all great apes were orangutans; hence Lacépède's use of Pongo for the genus.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orang_utan

Sarawak & Its History

Sarawak (Jawi: سراوق) is one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Known as Bumi Kenyalang (‘Land of the Hornbills’), it is situated on the north-west of the island. It is the largest state in Malaysia; the second largest, Sabah, lies to the northeast.

The administrative capital is

Kuching which has a population of 579,900 (2006 census; Kuching City South - 143,500; Kuching City North - 133,600; Padawan- 3rd Mile/ 7th Mile/ 10th Mile - 302,800).

The name Kuching literally means ‘cat’ (kucing). Major cities and towns also include Sibu (pop. 254,000), Miri (pop. 263,000) and Bintulu (pop. 176,800). As of last census (Dec 31, 2006), the state population was 2,357,500. For more details about the population see Demographics of Malaysia, though it is interesting to note that Sarawak is, like Sabah to the north, a multicultural state, with no ethnic majority.

Where is Borneo.......???

An island of the western Pacific Ocean in the Malay Archipelago between the Sulu and Java seas southwest of the Philippines. It is the third-largest island in the world. The sultanate of Brunei is on the northwest coast; the rest of the island is divided between Indonesia and Malaysia.

Borneo is the third largest island in the world after Greenland and New Guinea. The Malaysian states located on Borneo are separated in Sarawak with a size of 123 520 square km and Sabah with 75 230 square km at the North Coast with the sultanate Brunei wedged in between these two Malaysian provinces. The southern two thirds of Borneo are called Kalimantan and belong to Indonesia. Famous for its richness in plant and animal species, Borneo is a centre of biodiversity in tropical Asia. Floristically, the tropical rainforests in Borneo are the richest of all major plant communities on earth. As a result of a Stocktaking in 1995, about 60% of Sabah and 70% of Sarawak are still covered with tropical rainforest that applies as one of the oldest in the world. Borneo is home to many endangered animal species, such as Proboscis monkeys, Orang Utans, the Sumatran Rhinoceros, Elephants, clouded leopards and so on. In the National Parks still the visitor will have a chance to see these fascinating creatures in their natural habitat.