Kapit — Kapit Map Poster

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Kapit Map Poster

Kapit sits far up the Rajang, Malaysia's longest river, in the interior of Sarawak. From above, the river dominates everything: a broad, slow band of water that curves past the town and carries on through forest in both directions. The built-up area keeps close to the bank, where wharves and jetties once handled nearly all of the town's arrivals.

Behind the waterfront, a small grid of streets holds the town centre. It soon loosens into lanes that follow the ground as it rises into low hills. Past the last houses, the map thins out quickly. A few roads wind away between ridges, and the rest is open space where rainforest takes over. The contrast between the dense riverside core and the empty country around it gives the drawing its character.

For a long time the easiest way to reach Kapit was by express boat from Sibu, downriver. The town grew as a trading and administrative post for the upper Rajang and the Iban longhouse communities along its tributaries. A Kapit map poster shows that setting plainly: a settlement defined by its river, with streets, bends and hills rendered in fine black lines.