Sarawak
—  State  —
Land of The Hornbills
Flag Coat of arms of Sarawak Coat of arms
Nickname(s): Land of the Hornbills
Motto: "Bersatu, Berusaha, Berbakti" "United, Striving, Serving"
Anthem: Ibu Pertiwiku (My Motherland)
Sarawak in    Malaysia
Capital	Kuching
Divisions	In alphabetical order: Betong Bintulu Kapit Kuching Limbang Miri Mukah Samarahan Sarikei Sibu Sri Aman
Government
• Yang DiPertua Negeri	Abang Muhammad Salahuddin Abang Barieng
• Chief Minister	Abdul Taib Mahmud (BN)
Area[1]
• State of Sarawak	124,450 km2 (48,050 sq mi)
Population (2010)[2]
• State of Sarawak	2,420,009
• Density	19/km2 (50/sq mi)
Human Development Index
• HDI (2010)	0.692 (high) (11th)
Postal code	93xxx to 98xxx
Calling code	082 (Kuching), (Samarahan) 083 (Sri Aman), (Betong) 084 (Sibu), (Kapit), (Sarikei), (Mukah) 085 (Miri), (Limbang), (Marudi), (Lawas) 086 (Bintulu), (Belaga)
Vehicle registration	QA & QK (Kuching) QB (Sri Aman) QC (Kota Samarahan) QL (Limbang) QM (Miri) QP (Kapit) QR (Sarikei) QS (Sibu) QT (Bintulu) QSG (Sarawak State Government)
Brunei Sultanate	19th century
Brooke dynasty	1841
Japanese occupation	1941–1945
British control	1946–1963
Independence	22 July 1963[3]
Accession with the Federation of Malaya to form Malaysia[4]	16 September 1963[5]
Website	www.sarawak.gov.my

Sarawak (Jawi:سراوق) (Malay pronunciation: [saˈrawaʔ]) is one of two Malaysian states^[5] on the island of Borneo. Known as Bumi Kenyalang ("Land of the Hornbills"), 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 has a population of 658,562.^[6] Major cities and towns include Miri (pop. 269,380), Sibu (pop. 209,616) and Bintulu (pop. 189,695). As of the last census (2010), the state population was 2,420,009.^[2]

History[link]

The eastern seaboard of Borneo was charted, though not settled, by the Portuguese in the early 16th century. The area of Sarawak was known to Portuguese cartographers as Cerava. During the 17th century, Sarawak was self-governed under Sultan Tengah. By the early 19th century, Sarawak had become a loosely governed territory under the control of the Brunei Sultanate. During the reign of Pangeran Indera Mahkota in 19th century, Sarawak was facing chaos.^[7] Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin II (1827–1852), the Sultan of Brunei, ordered Pangeran Muda Hashim in 1839 to restore order and it was during this time that James Brooke arrived in Sarawak. Pangeran Muda Hashim initially requested assistance in the matter, but Brooke refused. In 1841, Brooke paid another visit to Sarawak and this time he agreed to provide assistance. Pangeran Muda Hashim signed a treaty in 1841 surrendering Sarawak and Sinian to Brooke. On 24 September 1841, Pangeran Muda Hashim bestowed the title Governor to James Brooke. He effectively became the Rajah of Sarawak and founded the White Rajah Dynasty of Sarawak, later extending his administration through an agreement with the Sultan of Brunei. Sarawak was thus an independent kingdom from 1841 until 1888, when the state was placed under British protection.

Sir James Brooke, Raja of Sarawak

Brooke Dynasty[link]

James Brooke was appointed Rajah by the Sultan of Brunei on 18 August 1842. Brooke ruled the territory, later expanded, across the western regions of Sarawak around Kuching until his death in 1868. His nephew Charles Anthony Johnson Brooke became Rajah after his death; he was succeeded on his death in 1917 by his son, Charles Vyner Brooke, with the condition that Charles should rule in consultation with his brother Bertram Brooke.^[8] The Sarawak territories were greatly enlarged under the Brooke dynasty, mostly at the expense of areas nominally under the control of Brunei. In practice Brunei had only controlled strategic river and coastal forts in much of the lost territory, so most of the gain was at the expense of Muslim warlords and of the de facto independence of local tribes.

The Brooke dynasty ruled Sarawak for a hundred years and became famous as the "White Rajahs", accorded a status within the British Empire similar to that of the rulers of Indian princely states. In contrast to many other areas of the empire, however, the Brooke dynasty was intent on a policy of paternalism in order to protect the indigenous population against exploitation. They governed with the aid of the Muslim Malay and enlisted the Ibans and other "Dayak" as a contingent militia. The Brooke dynasty also encouraged the immigration of Chinese merchants but forbade the Chinese to settle outside of towns in order to minimise the impact on the Dayak way of life. Charles Brooke, the second White Rajah of Sarawak, established the Sarawak Museum, the oldest museum in Borneo.

In the early part of 1941 preparations were afoot to introduce a new constitution, designed to limit the power of the Rajah and give the people of Sarawak a greater say in government. Despite this democratic intention, the draft constitution contained irregularities, including a secret agreement drawn up between Charles Vyner Brooke and his top government officials, financially compensating him via treasury funds.^[9]

Second World War and Occupation[link]

Japan invaded Sarawak and occupied the island of Borneo in 1941, occupying Miri on 16 December and Kuching on 24 December, holding both territories for the duration of World War II until the area was secured by Australian forces in 1945. Charles Vyner Brooke formally ceded sovereignty to the British Crown on 1 July 1946, under pressure from his wife among others. In addition the British Government offered a healthy pension to Brooke.

Anthony Brooke continued to claim sovereignty as Rajah of Sarawak. After the end of the Second World War, Anthony Brooke then opposed the cession of the Rajah's territory to the British Crown, and was associated with anti-secessionist groups in Sarawak. For this he was banished from Sarawak and he was allowed to return only seventeen years later, when Sarawak became part of Malaysia. Sarawak became a British colony (formerly an independent state under British protection) in July 1946, but Brooke's campaign continued. The Malays in particular resisted the cession to Britain, dramatically assassinating the second British governor, Sir Duncan George Stewart.

Independence[link]

Sarawak was officially granted independence on 22 July 1963,and joined with Malaya, Sabah, and Singapore, in the federation of Malaysia,^[10][11] formed on 16 September 1963, despite the initial opposition from parts of the population.^[12][13] Sarawak was also a flashpoint during the Indonesian Confrontation between 1962 and 1966.^[14][15]

Geography[link]

The Sarawak state legislative assembly building, in Kuching. Having land area of 124,450 km² spreading between latitude 0° 50′ and 5°N and longitude 109° 36′ and 115° 40′ E, it makes up 37.5% of the land of Malaysia. Sarawak also contains large tracts of tropical rain forest home to an abundance of plant and animal species. The state of Sarawak stretches for over 750 km along the north east coastline of Borneo, interrupted in the north by about 150 km of Brunei coast. Sarawak is separated from the Indonesian part of Borneo (Kalimantan) by ranges of high hills and mountains that are part of the central mountain range of Borneo. These get higher to the north and culminate near the source of the Baram River with the steep Mount Batu Lawi, Mount Mulu in the Park of the same name and Mount Murud with the highest peak in Sarawak. The major rivers from the south to the north include Sarawak River, the Lupar River, the Saribas River, and the Rajang River which is the longest river in Malaysia at 563 km long. The Baleh River branch, the Baram River and the Limbang River drains into the Brunei Bay as it divides the two parts of Brunei and the Trusan River. The Sarawak river 2459k2 in area and is the main river flowing through the capital Kuching. Sarawak can be divided into three natural regions. The coastal region is rather low lying flat country with large extents of swamps and other wet environments. The hill region provides most of the easily inhabited land and most of the larger cities and towns have been built in this region. The ports of Kuching and Sibu have been built some distance from the coast on rivers. Bintulu and Miri are close to the coast line where the hills stretch right to the South China Sea. The third region is the mountain region along the border and with the Kelabit and Murut highlands in the north.

Environment[link]

Sarawak has vast areas of both lowland and highland rainforest. However, Sarawak has been hit hard by the logging industry and the expansion of monoculture tree plantations and oil palm plantations. Malaysia's deforestation rate is increasing faster than anywhere else in the world. Statistics estimate Sarawak's forests have been depleted but there is no definitive study to know how much. Malaysia's deforestation rates overall are among the highest in Asia, jumping almost 86 percent between the 1990–2000 period and 2000–2005. In total, Malaysia lost an average of 1,402 km² —0.65 percent of its forest area—per year since 2000.^[16] By comparison, South East Asian countries lost an average of 0.35% of their forest per annum during the 1990s.

Demographics[link]

Population[link]

As of the 2010 census, the population of Sarawak was 2,399,839, making it the 4th most populous state in Malaysia.^[17] Due to the large area of Sarawak, it has the lowest population density in Malaysia, which stands at 22 person per square kilometre. Sarawak also has some of the lowest population growth in Malaysia.

Ethnic groups[link]

A Modern Iban Longhouse, built using new materials and preserving essential features of communal living

Iban girls dressed in full Iban (women) attire during Gawai festivals in Debak, Betong region, Sarawak

Sarawak has more than 40 sub-ethnic groups, each with its own distinct language, culture and lifestyle. Cities and larger towns are populated predominantly by Malays, Melanaus, Chinese, Indians and a smaller percentage of Ibans and Bidayuhs who have migrated from their home-villages for employment reasons.

Generally, Sarawak has seven major ethnic groups namely Iban, Chinese, Malay, Bidayuh, Melanau, Orang Ulu and 'others'. Several more minor ethnics which do not belong to any of these seven major ethnic groups are Kedayan, Javanese, Bugis, Murut and Indian. Unlike Indonesia, the term Dayak is not officially used to address Sarawakian's native ethnicity.

Iban[link]

Sea Dayaks (Iban) women from Rejang, Sarawak, wearing rattan corsets decorated with brass rings and filigree adornments. The family adds to the corset dress as the girl ages and based on her family's wealth.

The Ibans comprise the largest percentage (almost 30%) of Sarawak's population.^[19] Iban is native to Sarawak and Sarawak has the highest number of Ibans in Borneo.

The large majority of Ibans practise Christianity. However, like most other ethnic groups in Sarawak, they still observe many of their traditional rituals and beliefs. Sarawak celebrates colourful festivals such as the Gawai Dayak (harvest festival), Gawai Kenyalang (hornbill, or the god of war festival), penuaian padi and Gawai Antu (festival of the dead).

Chinese[link]

Chinese pioneers first came to Sarawak as traders and explorers in the 6th century. Today, they make up 24% of the population of Sarawak^[20] and consist of communities built from the economic migrants of the 19th and early 20th centuries. They are classified as a non-Bumiputera ethnic group, despite bearing the largest contribution and hardship towards the development of Sarawak since the early 19th century.

The Sarawak Chinese belong to a wide range of dialect groups, the most significant being Foochow, Hakka, Hokkien, Teochew, Hainanese, and Puxian Min. The Chinese maintain their ethnic heritage and culture and celebrate all the major cultural festivals, most notably Chinese New Year and the Hungry Ghost Festival. The Sarawak Chinese are predominantly Buddhists and Christians.

Malay[link]

The Malays make up 23% of the population in Sarawak.^[21] They mostly populate the southern region and urban areas of Sarawak. In Malaysia, for statistical purpose, Javanese and Bugis including some other Indonesian-origin ethnics like Banjar are categorized under Malay ethnic group. A huge majority of the Malays in Sarawak were not actually Malays but ethnics of Indonesian origin that does not fall into the Dayak category but arranged as so for statistic purposes and due to cultural similarities.

Melanau[link]

The Melanaus have been thought to be amongst the original settlers^{[citation needed]} of Sarawak.^[22] They make up 6% of the population in Sarawak.^[23]

Today most of the Melanaus community is Muslim whilst some remained Christians, though they still celebrate traditional animist festivals such as the annual Kaul Festival.

Bidayuh[link]

Concentrated mainly on the West end of Borneo, the Bidayuhs make up 8% of the population in Sarawak^[24].

The Bidayuhs speak a number of different but related dialects. Some Bidayuhs speak either English or Sarawak Malay as their main language. While some of them still practise traditional religions, the majority of modern-day Bidayuhs have adopted the Christian faith with a few villages embracing the Islamic faith as a minority group within the Bidayuh community. Another ethnic associated to Bidayuh is Salako, classified as Bidayuh by the Malaysian government for political convenience.

Orang Ulu[link]

A young Sarawakian playing the sapeh

Orang Ulu is a group of ethnics in Sarawak. The various Orang Ulu ethnics together make up roughly 6% of Sarawak's population. The phrase Orang Ulu means upriver people and is a term used to collectively describe the numerous tribes that live upriver in Sarawak's vast interior. Such groups include the major Kayan and Kenyah tribes, and the smaller neighbouring groups of the Kajang, Kejaman, Punan, Ukit, and Penan. Nowadays, the definition also includes the down-river tribes of the Lun Bawang, Lun Dayeh, "mean upriver" or "far upstream", Berawan, Saban as well as the plateau-dwelling Kelabits. Orang Ulu is a term coined officially by the government to identify several ethnics and sub-ethnics who live mostly at the upriver and uphill areas of Sarawak. Most of them live in the district of Baram, Miri, Belaga, Limbang and Lawas.

A vast majority of the Orang Ulu tribe are Christians but traditional religions are still practised in some areas.

Some of the major tribes making up the Orang Ulu group include:

• Kayan
• Lun Bawang
• Kelabit
• Kenyah
• Penan
• Bisaya

Others[link]

Other minority ethnic groups residing in Sarawak are the Kedayan ethnic group and the Punan Bah people (in actual fact is a collective of obscure and unaccounted ethnic communities grouped together as a single ethnic entity), and also non-Bumiputera ethnic groups, which are the Indian and Eurasian.

The Kedayan are an ethnic group residing in parts of Sarawak. The Kedayan language is spoken by more than 37,000 people in Sarawak, with most of the members of the Kedayan community residing in Lawas, Limbang, Miri and Sibuti areas. Unlike its Peninsular counterpart, Sarawakians of Indian descent are small in number and have assimilated very well to the other communities. Eurasians continues to be the smallest among the minority ethnic groups in Sarawak, mostly due to assimilation and interracial marriages. The Punan Bah communities are usually located in areas that encompass the borders of Sarawak, Sabah, Brunei and Indonesia. More studies need to be carried out about them, as they are one of the lesser known group in the state.

Religions[link]

Sarawak possesses a richly spiritual society formed from its multiracial and diversity of religions of its people.

Christianity has the highest number of practitioners in Sarawak with 43%-majority according to the 2010 census. Major Christian denominations in Sarawak are the Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Methodists, Borneo Evangelical Mission (BEM or Sidang Injil Borneo, S.I.B.) and Baptists. Many Sarawakian Christians are non-Malay Bumiputera, ranging from Iban, Bidayuh, Orang Ulu and Melanau. Islam is the second largest religion in Sarawak with 30% of Sarawak population are Muslim. Many Muslims are from Malay, Melanau and Kedayan ethnic groups. Buddhism is the third largest, predominantly practiced by Chinese, with slightly less than 20% professing it. Other significant religions in Sarawak are Baha'i, Hinduism, Sikhism and animism. Many Dayak especially Iban continue to practice traditional ceremonies, particularly with dual marriage rites and during the important harvest and ancestral festivals such as Gawai Dayak, Gawai Kenyalang and Gawai Antu. Other ethnics who still have trace number of animism followers are Melanau and Bidayuh.

Government[link]

Kuching is the capital Sarawak and lies along Sarawak River. On the left is the State Legislative Assembly Building.

Unlike other states in Malaysia, Sarawak is divided into divisions rather than districts. Each division is headed by one Resident. Divisions are further divided into districts, each of which is headed by a District Officer; and each district is divided into sub-districts, each headed by an Administrative Officer.

Administrative divisions[link]

Sarawak is divided into 11 Divisions:

• Betong Division
• Bintulu Division
• Kapit Division
• Kuching Division
• Limbang Division
• Miri Division
• Mukah Division
• Samarahan Division
• Sarikei Division
• Sibu Division
• Sri Aman Division

Administrative districts[link]

Each division is further divided into districts. There are 33 districts throughout Sarawak.

Energy[link]

The state of Sarawak has introduced the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy.

Economy[link]

The breakdown of Sarawak’s GDP share by sector for 2010.

Sarawak has an abundance of natural resources. LNG and petroleum have provided the mainstay of the Malaysia federal government's economy for decades while State of Sarawak only get a 5% royalty from it. Sarawak is also one of the world's largest exporters of tropical hardwood timber and is the major contributor to Malaysian exports. The last UN statistics estimated Sarawak's sawlog exports at an average of 14,109,000 m³ between 1996 and 2000.^[26]

Agriculture, logging and land usage[link]

Sarawak's rainforests have been gradually depleted by the demand driven by the logging industry and the following introduction of palm oil plantations. Many of Sarawak's rural communities have felt changes affected by the economic activity of these industries. Peaceful protests and timber blockades between native communities and logging companies are common, often resulting in preventive police action. The Penan, Borneo's nomadic hunter gatherers have been most affected by these changes, complaining of illness through polluted rivers, game depletion resulting in widespread hunger and loss of traditional medicines and forest products. Their resistance to logging companies culminated in a series of protests and timber blockades in the 1990s, of which many were dismantled by the Police, within the remit of the Law. The Penan claim that their rights are not respected by the State nor by logging companies.^[27] Another example, the native customary rights court case of Rumah Nor in the Kemena Basin gave rural communities engaged in subsistence farming hope for continued communal use of land reserves. Although the Court of Appeal ruled against Rumah Nor on the grounds that they had not produced sufficient evidence for their claim, it nevertheless upheld the principles stated by the lower court. These principles are the basis of not only Rumah Nor's claim, but of the claims of all Sarawak's native communities, namely, (i) that native customary rights are NOT created by legislation, although they can be extinguished by legislation, on condition of adequate compensation, and (ii) that these communities have a territory including forest reserves and rivers, and farmland, including land under fallow. Thus although the Court of Appeal ruled against Rumah Nor's specific claims, it upheld the lower court's ruling in favour of Rumah Nor with regard to the general principles. In this sense, it represents a significant blow to the state's claims that native customary rights comprise only those rights recognised by the state through its legislation.

Conservation[link]

In February 2011, the Government of Sarawak announced that it is intensifying wildlife conservation and protection activities as part of its commitment to sustainable development. Chief Minister Taib Mahmud said: "We must plan our development in a sustainable manner, to ensure that the prosperity of the State will not only be sustained but can be handed down to our children and grand-children."^[28]

A programme has been put in place to save the flora and fauna affected by the construction of the Bakun Hydro Electric Dam. A total of 349 species of flora, 65 species of fauna, 27 mammals and 38 bird species were identified and relocated to higher ground. There is now a conservation programme in place in the Bakun Dam catchment area and it is anticipated that the growth in eco-tourism will provide economic opportunities for local communities.^[29]

Other programmes include the Heart 2 Heart orangutan campaign which invites the public to get involved with orangutan conservation; orang-utan and turtle adoption; protection of the dugong (a large marine mammal) and the Irrawaddy dolphin, which are both endangered species; and the Reef Ball project that will rehabilitate Sarawak's ocean ecosystem by placing artificial reef modules in the sea to form new habitats. Reef balls have also proven their effectiveness in protecting turtles in Sarawak. In the early 1990s, between 70 to 100 turtle deaths were reported every year. Now, the number of deaths has been reduced significantly to less than 15 reported cases. Reef balls also protect traditional fishing areas and are used to create recreational diving sites.^[30]

Sanctuaries[link]

In March 2011 the Chief Minister said the state had “reserved two million hectares of land for national parks and animal sanctuaries”.^[31]

Tourism[link]

Tourism also plays a major part in the state's economy. In 2010, Sarawak was visited by 3,270,655^[32] tourists (international and domestic tourists). As for 2011, the state is targeting 4 million^[33] visitors. This is in-line with more direct flights from countries such as Japan and South Korea. The Sarawak Hornbill Tourism Award is held each year to appreciate the best in the tourism sector of the state. Some of the most popular tourist attractions are Kuching city, Gunung Mulu National Park, the Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) and many more. The RWMF is the region's premier "world music" event, attracting more than 20,000^[34] music fans.

See also[link]

Malaysia portal

• Malaysia Agreement
• Manila Accord
• Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization
• United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories
• Kingdom of Sarawak
• Flag of Sarawak
• Sarawak dollar
• Sarawak Stadium
• Gunung Mulu National Park

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Gudgeon, L. W. W. (1913), British North Borneo. London, Adam and Charles Black.
• Runciman, Steven (1960). The White Rajahs: A History of Sarawak from 1841 to 1946, Cambridge University Press.
• Chin, Ung Ho (1997), Chinese Politics in Sarawak: A Study of the Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP), (Kuala Lumpur, New York: Oxford University Press, 1997) (ISBN 983-56-0039-2).
• Barley, Nigel (2002), White Rajah, London, Brown Little/Abacus.
• Cramb, R. A. (2007), Land and Longhouse: Agrarian Transformation in the Uplands of Sarawak, Hawaii University Press
• Julitta Lim Shau Hua: „Pussy's in the well“ : Japanese occupation of Sarawak, 1941–1945. Research and Resource Centre SUPP Headquarters, Kuching 2006, ISBN 983-41998-2-1
• Brooke, Sylvia (The last Ranee of Sarawak), (1970), Queen of the Headhunters. William Morrow Co.
• Palmer, Gladys, (1929) Relations & Complications. Being the Recollections of H.H. The Dayang Muda of Sarawak. Foreword by T.P. O'Connor. Ghost-written by Kay Boyle. London, John Lane Co.
• Urmenyhazi, Attila (2007) DISCOVERING NORTH BORNEO, A travelogue on Sarawak & Sabah by the author-graphic designer-publisher. National Library of Australia, Canberra, record ID: 4272798.
• James Chin. “The More Things Change, The More They Remain The Same”, in Chin Kin Wah & D. Singh (eds.) South East Asian Affairs 2004 (Singapore: Institute of South East Asian Studies, 2004)
• James Chin. “Autonomy: Politics in Sarawak” in Bridget Welsh (ed) Reflections: The Mahathir Years, (Washington DC: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2004) (ISBN 9790615 124871) pp 240–251

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sarawak

Find more about Sarawak on Wikipedia's sister projects:
	Images and media from Commons
	Source texts from Wikisource
	Textbooks from Wikibooks

• SarawakReport Seati ke Menua Sarawak
• Sarawak online community forum website
• Sarawak Community Pages
• Sarawak government website
• Sarawak Social Network Community
• Sarawak National Parks
• Sarawak News
• WWF Heart of Borneo conservation initiative
• Sarawak travel guide from Wikitravel
• Virtual Malaysia – the official portal of the ministry of tourism – Sarawak page
• Independent News Portal for Sarawak's Indigenous Communities
• Swiss Charity who support Sarawak's Indigenous Land Rights
• American funded Charity Supporting Indigenous Development Initiatives and Conservation

	South China Sea	South China Sea	Belait / Brunei and Muara / Temburong / Tutong,  Brunei Darussalam Interior Division,  Sabah
	South China Sea		East Kalimantan,  Indonesia
		Sarawak    East
	West Kalimantan,  Indonesia	West Kalimantan,  Indonesia	East Kalimantan,  Indonesia

v t e Sarawak Divisions Betong Division Bintulu Division Kapit Division Kuching Division Limbang Division Miri Division Mukah Division Samarahan Division Sarikei Division Sibu Division Sri Aman Division Cities Kuching (capital) Miri Districts Belaga Bintulu Dalat Limbang Meradong Sarikei Selangau Song Sri Aman Tatau Sub-districts Sebauh Islands Bruit Island Towns Asajaya Ba'kelalan Batu Kawa Bau Beladin Betong Bintangor Bintulu Daro Dalat Debak Engkilili Julau Kanowit Kapit Kota Samarahan Lawas Limbang Lingga Lubok Antu Lundu Maludam Matu Mukah Marudi Oya Pakan Pusa Saratok Sebuyau Selangau Serian Serikin Sibu Siburan Simunjan Spaoh Sungai Tujuh Tanjung Kidurong Tatau Tebedu

v t e States and federal territories of Malaysia States Johor Kedah Kelantan Malacca Negeri Sembilan Pahang Perak Perlis Penang Sabah Sarawak Selangor Terengganu Federal Territories Kuala Lumpur Labuan Putrajaya

v t e United Nations list of Trust and Non-Self-Governing Territories (The United Nations Trusteeship Agreements or were listed by the General Assembly official document as Non-Self-Governing her was independence or other change in a Territory's status, after which information was no longer submitted to the United Nations.) Australia Cocos (Keeling) Islands · Papua  · Nauru Trust Territory · New Guinea Trust Territory Belgium Belgian Congo · Ruanda-Urundi Trust Territory Denmark Greenland France French Equatorial Africa · (Middle Congo) · (Ubangi Shari) · French Establishments in India · French Establishments in Oceania · French Guiana · French Somaliland · French West Africa · (French Guinea) · (French Sudan) · (Niger Colony) · Guadeloupe and Dependencies · Indo-China · Madagascar and Dependencies · Martinique · Morocco · New Caledonia and Dependencies · New Hebrides(Under Anglo French Condominium) · Réunion · St. Pierre and Miquelon · Tunisia · Cameroons Trust Territory · French Togoland Trust Territory Italy Somaliland Trust Territory Netherlands Netherlands Indies · Netherlands New Guinea · Netherlands Antilles · Surinam New Zealand Cook Islands · Niue Island · Western Samoa Trust Territory Portugal Angola, including the enclave of Cabinda · Cape Verde Archipelago · Goa and Dependencies · Portuguese Guinea · Macau and Dependencies · Mozambique · São João Baptista de Ajudá · Sao Tome and Principe · East Timor South Africa South West Africa Spain Fernando Póo and Rí Muni · Ifni United Kingdom Aden Colony and Protectorate · Bahamas · Barbados · Basutoland · Bechuanaland Protectorate · British Guiana · British Honduras · British Somaliland · Brunei · Cyprus · Fiji · Gambia · Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony · Gold Coast Colony and Protectorate · Hong Kong · Jamaica · Kenya · Leeward Islands(Antigua) · (St. Kitts- Nevis-Anguilla) · Malayan Union · Malta · Mauritius · Nigeria · North Borneo · Northern Rhodesia · Nyasaland · Sarawak · Seychelles · Sierra Leone · Singapore · Solomon Islands · Southern Rhodesia · Swaziland · Trinidad and Tobago · Uganda · Windward Islands (Dominica) · (Grenada) · (St. Lucia) · (St. Vincent) · Zanzibar · Cameroons · Togoland · Tanganyka Trust Territory United States Alaska · Hawaii · Panama Canal Zone · Puerto Rico · Pacific Islands Trust Territory Annotation: Change in Status • Joined • Independence  Category ·  Portal

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (February 2008)

Ben Fogle
Fogle presenting Crufts in 2008.
Born	Benjamin Myer Fogle[1] (1973-11-03) 3 November 1973 (age 38) London
Occupation	Television presenter
Title	Lord of Sealand[2]
Spouse	Marina Fogle[3]
Children	Ludo Fogle, Iona Fogle[3]
Parents	Julia Foster Bruce Fogle
Website
http://www.benfogle.com/

Ben Fogle (born 3 November 1973) is an English television presenter, adventurer and writer.^[4]

Early life[link]

Fogle is the son of British actress Julia Foster and Bruce Fogle. He was educated at two independent schools: The Hall School in Hampstead in London, and Bryanston School^[5] in Blandford Forum, Dorset, followed by the University of Portsmouth and the University of Costa Rica.^[6] Fogle became a Midshipman in the Royal Naval Reserve, serving as an officer on HMS Blazer.

Career[link]

[edit] Castaway

Fogle first came to public notice by participating in the BBC reality show Castaway 2000, which followed a group of thirty-six people marooned on the Scottish island of Taransay for a year starting 1 January 2000. The social experiment aimed to create a fully self-sufficient community within a year.

Presenting[link]

Fogle has since become a regular television presenter for the BBC, hosting Crufts, One Man and His Dog, Countryfile, Country Tracks, Extreme Dreams With Ben Fogle, Animal Park, Wild on the West Coast, Wild in Africa, and "Ben Fogle's Escape in Time". He made a film about the facial deforming disease Noma for a BBC 2 documentary "Make Me A New Face" which followed the work of the charity Facing Africa and Great Ormond Street Hospital. He has made films about naval History and the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) for the History Channel and followed Princes William and Harry on their first joint Royal Tour in Botswana and made an exclusive documentary called Prince William's Africa. He marked the centenary of Captain Scott's expedition to the South Pole with The Secrets of Scott's Hut. He is popular on the motivational and corporate speaking circuit. His new series Swimming with Crocodiles will be on BBC2 and Storm City in 3D in Sky One and National Geographic. Fogle has recently become a special correspondent for NBC News in the United States.

[edit] Countryfile

Fogle appeared on the rural affairs programme alongside John Craven from 2001 until 2008, during which time he reported on a number of the UK's rural pastimes, including coracle racing, the worm charming championships, the lawn mower racing championship, world stinging nettle eating competition in Dorset, oyster eating championships in Northern Ireland, World Conker Championships in Northamptonshire, the alternative Scottish games, world tin bath racing on the Isle of Man, bog snorkelling and the Man versus Horse race in Wales, the Tough Guy Competition, cheese rolling in Gloucestershire, morris dancing, Tar Barrels in Devon, Up Helly Aa in Shetland, the Furry Dance in Cornwall and the British Open Crabbing Championships in Walberswick, Suffolk, and the World Coal Carrying Championships in Gawthorpe, West Yorkshire.

[edit] Extreme Dreams

He presented the BBC 2 series made by Ricochet in 2006 and 2007 in which he selected five members of the public to go on expeditions of a lifetime. Destinations included expeditions to the Kaiteur Falls in Guyana, Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Mount Baker in Uganda, Mount Roraima in Venezuela, the Black Cat trail in Papua New Guinea, the Inca ruins in Peru, the Sahara Desert of Libya, Across the Arctic tundra of Svalbard in the Arctic Circle and most recently a journey across the Andes of South America from the Equator in Ecuador to the tropic of Capricorn in Chile. The series is currently showing in South Africa, Australia, Norway, Sweden, New Zealand and the United States.

Sport[link]

Fogle was the first to cross the line in the pairs division of the 2005–2006 Atlantic Rowing Race in "Spirit of EDF Energy", partnered by Olympic rower James Cracknell^[7]. While competing in the 3000 mile race, the pair had their boat fully capsized by huge waves. They made landfall in Antigua at 07:13 GMT on 19 January 2006, a crossing time of 49 days, 19 hours, 8 minutes. After penalties, they were placed second in the pairs and fourth overall. The BBC series that followed the pair, Through Hell and High Water, won a RTS award in 2007.

Fogle has also completed the six-day Marathon des Sables for the World Wide Fund for Nature across 160 miles (260 km) of the Sahara Desert and the Safaricom Marathon in Kenya for the TUSK Trust, with Longleat Safari Park keeper Ryan Hockley. Fogle has completed the Bupa great North Run in 1 hour 33 minutes, the London Marathon and the Royal Parks Half marathon. He beat Eastenders actor Sid Owen in a three-round charity boxing match for BBC Sport Relief under the training of Frank Bruno, and he recently re-ran the Safaricom marathon in Kenya with the injured Battleback Soldiers.

In October 2009, Ben and James Cracknell cycled a rickshaw 423 miles from Edinburgh to London non stop. They took 60 hours to reach the capital, raising money for SSAFA (Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association). The event was filmed for ITV's Pride of Britain Awards.

Fogle and Cracknell will be embarking on the infamous Tour Divide race in the Autumn, a 3000-mile mountain-bike race across the Rocky mountains, from Banff in Canada to the border of Mexico. The world record is held by American Matthew Lee and stands at 17 days. The race was put on hold after Cracknell received life threatening-injuries after being knocked from his bicycle while training.

Ben is currently filming a new series A Year of Adventures with lonely Planet and BBC Worldwide in which Ben travels the world in the pursuit of the ultimate adventure, from solo skydiving in Australia to flying in a cold war fighter jet in the Czech Republic. During the series he swam from Alcatraz to San Francisco and dived between the tectonic plates of North America and Europe in Iceland

South Pole[link]

Fogle teamed up with James Cracknell once again, together with Ed Coats, a Bristol-based doctor,^[8] as Team QinetiQ to take part in the inaugural South Pole Race. The team took 18 days, 5 hours and 10 minutes to complete the 770-kilometre (480 mi) race, coming second overall, over 20 hours^[9] behind the Norwegian Team, who commended them on making it "a fantastic race".^[10] Ben suffered hypothermia and frostbite to his nose and the team experienced temperatures as low as −40 °C (−40 °F).

The race was filmed by the BBC for the series On Thin Ice and was aired in Summer 2009.^[11] Macmillan published an account of their journey, Race to The Pole, which became a top-10 bestseller in the UK.

Writing[link]

Fogle has written five books; The Teatime Islands in search of the remaining islands in the British Empire in which he travels to Saint Helena, Ascension Island, the Falkland Islands, the British Indian Ocean Territories and Tristan da Cunha. He also tried to visit Pitcairn Island, but when the inhabitants learned that he was a journalist they refused to let him land. Fogle claims that they suspected that he was in fact a spy, and after some hours of interrogation he was refused permission to visit and deported. He was also accused of attempting to smuggle a breadfruit on to the island.^[12] The book was short-listed for the W H Smith's people's award for Best Travel Book.

He has also written Offshore published by Penguin in 2006 in which he travelled around Britain^[13] in search of an island of his own. He visited the Kingdom of Sealand and attempted to invade Rockall in the North Atlantic. In 2006 he published the hit Crossing, published by Atlantic books and co-written with Cracknell followed their Transatlantic rowing bid. In 2009, The Race to the Pole was published by Macmillan and spent ten weeks in the bestseller list.

Fogle writes a weekly Country Diary for the Sunday Telegraph and is a regular columnist for The Daily Telegraph and travel writer for The Independent and has contributed to the Evening Standard, New York Times, The Sunday Times and Glamour magazine. He has interviewed Gordon Brown and Prince William for the Mail on Sunday's LIVE magazine. He is guest director of Cheltenham Literary Festival and a regular at Hay-on-Wye.

Transworld published his first travel memoir The Accidental Adventurer in 2011 and his second will be published in 2012

Personal life[link]

In 2006 he married Marina Hunt, whom he met while walking his black Labrador Retriever, Inca.^[14] On 10 December 2009 Ben and Marina's first child, Ludo Fogle was born, weighing 7 lb (3.2 kg).^[15] Ben announced the birth of their second child on twitter, a baby girl named Iona Fogle, born on 26 May 2011 weighing in at 7 lb 6 oz (3.3 kg).

While filming the latest series of Extreme Dreams in Peru, Fogle caught leishmaniasis, which left him bedridden for three weeks on his return home. He was treated at London's Hospital for Tropical Diseases.^[16] Fogle went on to make a documentary, 'Make me a New Face", about children suffering from flesh eating bacteria called Noma in Ethiopia. The documentary was broadcast on BBC2.

Fogle is the President of the Campaign for National Parks,^[17] in which role he backs the Youth Hostels Association and National Parks Mosaic campaign to open up England's national parks to ethnic minorities. Fogle is also: an ambassador for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Tusk; a supporter of the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme, and Hearing Dogs for Deaf People; and a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. He is also a patron for the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, the Prince's Trust, the Royal Parks Foundation and ShelterBox. He is a patron, alongside the historian Philippa Gregory, of the UK Chagos Supporters Association fighting for the islanders' rights to return to the British Indian Ocean Territories

Fogle was awarded an honorary doctorate of letters by the University of Portsmouth in 2007.^[18] On the 13 August 2010 on the TV programme "Would I Lie To You?", Fogle admitted (and showed) that he had a tattoo of a nautical star on his right shoulder which he claimed to have acquired at the end of a drunken evening in a pub with the previously unknown tattooist. Fogle and his wife were invited to the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. His waxwork was recently unveiled at Madame Tussauds. He has had an acting cameo on Hotel Babylon.

Television presenting credits[link]

• Countryfile (2001–2009)
• Animal Park (2002–2009)
• Big Screen Britain (2003)
• Death by Pets (2003)
• Sport Relief 2004 (2004)
• The Sand Marathon (2004)
• Animal Park: Wild in Africa (2005 & 2006)
• Through Hell and High Water (2006)
• Crufts (2006, 2007 & 2008)
• Cash in the Attic
• One Man and His Dog
• Animal Park: Wild on the West Coast (2007)
• Extreme Dreams With Ben Fogle (2007–2009)
• On Thin Ice (2009)
• Ben Fogle's Escape In Time (2009-)
• Country Tracks (2009-)
• Make Me A New Face: Hope For Africa's Hidden Children (2010)
• "Prince William's Africa" (2010)
• The Secrets of Scott's Hut (2011)
• The World's Most Dangerous Roads [1] (2011)
• Swimming With Crocodiles (2012)
• Lonely Planet's Year of Adventures (2012)

References[link]