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State of Brunei is located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia. Bordering the South China Sea, Malaysia, Sarawak and separated into two parts by Limbang in Sawawak. It has a coastline of 161 km and claims 12 nautical miles of territorial sea and 200 nautical miles of exclusive economic zone. Geologically it has flat coastal plain rising to mountains in east and hilly lowland in west. The lowest point is South China Sea and highest point is the Bukit Pagon at 1,850 m. The dominant towns are the port town of Muara, Seria the oil producing town and Kuala Belait.
The chief natural resources are petroleum, natural gas and timber.
The climate is tropical, generally hot, humid and rainy throughout the year. |
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| People |
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The total population of Brunei is about 374,577. The ethnic population is dominated by the Malay with 67%, Chinese with 15%, indigenous with 6% and other ethnic groups with 12%. Two third of the population follow Islam with 67% which is also the official religion, 13% practice Buddhism, 10% follow Christianity, and 10% follow other indigenous religion. Malay is the official language, English is also widely spoken and Chinese is also spoken by minority.
The Brunei culture is excessively Malay with influence from Hinduism and Islam. Sale and consumption of alcohol is completely banned in this country. |
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| Government |
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The sultanate has been very powerful from the fourteen to sixteen century. Its domain extended to whole island of Borneo and the southwestern Philippines. European intervention successively brought an end to this regional power.
The government operates under the framework of constitutional sultanate. Sultan and the Prime Minister is both chief of the state and head of the government. The council of Cabinet Ministers are appointed and presided over by the monarch, they deal with executive matters. There is also a Religious Council, in which the members are appointed by the monarch that advises on religious matters. A Privy Council is also constituted in which again the members are appointed by the monarch, they deals with constitutional matters, and the Council of Succession where the members are appointed by the monarch, determines the succession to the throne if the need arises.
Elections are not held, and monarch is hereditary. Brunei is administratively divided into 4 districts or daerah, these districts are Belait, Brunei and Muara, Temburong and Tutong. These districts are furthermore sub-divided into thirty-eight mukims.
Capital: Bandar Seri Begawan
Independence Day: 1 January 1984
Sultan and Prime Minister: Sir Hassanlal Bolkiah
Currency: Brunei Dollar |
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| Economy |
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Brunei has a small decent economy that incorporates a mixture of foreign and domestic entrepreneurship, government regulation, welfare measures and village tradition. Crude oil and natural Gas production account for nearly half of its GDP and approximately 90% of the exports.
61% of the labor force is into the industrial sector, 36% in the service sector and 2.9% in the agricultural sector. The dominant agricultural produce of Brunei is rice, vegetables, fruits water, buffalo, cattle, goats, eggs and chickens. The chief industrial products and services are petroleum, petroleum refining, liquefied natural gas, construction. Major export commodities are crude oil, natural gas, refined products and clothing. |
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| Tourism |
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Brunei is renowned for its natural beauty and rainforests, its advantage is its raw and unexploited natural beauty within the reach of contemporary luxuries. It is an aspired tourist destination for both natural scenic beauty lovers and adventure seekers as it offers activities from mountain biking, whitewater rafting, rock climbing, sport fishing, wreck and reef diving in the South China Sea, to jungle hiking on well-maintained trails, the ecotourism and adventure options in Brunei are endless.
Brunei has recorded upto approximately 1 million foreign visitors, majority arriving from Malaysia through land entry points. Brunei enjoys an appropriate location at the heart of Southeast Asia and is well-connected to destinations worldwide. |
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