Brunei - WordPress.com · • Brunei became a BriHsh protectorate in 1888, and in 1906 administraon was vested in a BriHsh resident, whose advice the sultan was bound to accept. •

Brunei

WhereisBrunei

AsmallIslamicsultanate,Bruneiisoneofthefewremainingcountriesintheworldwithoutpersonalincometax.LocatedonthenorthwesterncoastoftheislandofBorneo,itwasapowerfulstateinthe16thcentury,withauthorityoverthewholeisland.Area2,226squaremiles(5,765squarekilometers).PopulaHon(2017est.)428,000.ThesultanateisboundedonthenorthbytheSouthChinaSeaandonitslandlockedsidesbytheMalaysianstateofSarawak.ThegeographicposiHonofSarawakalsodividesBruneiintotwoseparateporHons.

BruneiisasmallIslamicsultanatelocatedonthenorthwesterncoastoftheislandofBorneo.ItisboundedbytheSouthChinaSeaandtheMalaysianstateofSarawak.SarawakalsodividesBruneiintotwoseparateporHons.

BasicFacts•  Officialname:NegaraBrunei

Darussalam(StateofBruneiDarussalam)

•  Formofgovernment:monarchy(sultanate)withoneadvisorybody

•  Headofstateandgovernment:SultanandPrimeMinisterSirHajiHassanalBolkiahMuʿizzaddinWaddaulah

•  Capital:BandarSeriBegawan •  Officiallanguage:Malay•  Officialreligion:Islam•  Monetaryunit:Bruneidollar(B$)3•  Popula<on:428,000

•  Popula<onrank:176•  Totalarea(sqmi):2,226•  Density:personspersqmi:192.3•  Urban-ruralpopula<on

Urban:77.2%Rural:22.8%

•  LifeexpectancyatbirthMale:74.8yearsFemale:79.6years

•  Literacy: Male:97.5% Female:94.5%•  GNIpercapita(U.S.$):30,516

Land&Climate•  Densetropicalrainforestscoverthreefourthsofthecountry•  TheBelaitisthelargestriverinthecountry.•  Bruneiisreallyaffectedbyequatorialmonsoons,orrain-bearingwinds.

•  RainfallisheavyandisdistributedthroughouttheyearwithannualprecipitaHonrangingfrom100inchesonthecoasttomorethan200inchesintheinterior.

•  Temperaturesaveragebetween76°and86° F

•  Brunei’smammalsincludeproboscismonkeys,leafmonkeys,pigtailmacaques,gibbons,sunbears,sambardeer,pangolinsandbat

•  AmongBrunei’smostnotablebirdsareitsarguspheasantsandhornbills.

•  ManyrepHles,includingthelargereHculatedpython,inhabitthecountry’sswampsandwoodlands.

Animals

Economy•  AlmostallofBrunei’seconomyis

basedontheexploitaHonofpetroleumandnaturalgas

•  Agriculture,fishing,andforestrywereoncethethecenterofBrunei’seconomy,buthavedeclinedinimportanceagerthediscoveryofpetroleumresourcesinthe1920s(accounHngforjust1percentofexports)

•  Bruneireliesonimportsfornearlyallitsmanufacturedgoodsandmostofitsfood

People

•  Nearlytwo-thirdsofthepopulaHonisMalay•  Brunei’spopulaHonispredominantlySunniMuslim•  Abouttwo-thirdsofthepopulaHonliveinandaroundBandarSeriBegawan,thecapital–  AlongsidethemodernsecHonofthecapitalistheoldersecHonknownasKampongAyer,wherepeopleliveinsmallhousesonsHltsalongtheinletsoftheriver

•  MosttransportaHonisalongtheriversasroadcondiHonsaresopoor

•  Becauseoftheoil-basedeconomyBruneiisoneoftherichestcountriesinSoutheastAsia

EarlyHistory

•  500’sAD,BruneiisknownasitsownenHtyandbegantradingwithChina

•  1300sBruneiisintroducedtoHinduismthroughtheMajapahitempire,basedinJava.

•  1521FerdinandMagellanlandsinBruneiin1521•  1800sBrunei’spowersubsequentlydeclinedduetointernalstrife

andthesessionofneighboringSarawaktotheBriHsh•  BruneibecameaBriHshprotectoratein1888,andin1906

administraHonwasvestedinaBriHshresident,whoseadvicethesultanwasboundtoaccept.

•  1929StartofoilproducHonandBrunei’srevivalstartsin1929.•  1941–45,duringWorldWarII,Bruneiwasoccupiedbythe

Japanese.TheBriHshreturnedagerthewar,andnegoHaHonsbeganforitseventualindependence

Brunei’sflagun-l1906.YellowistheroyalcolorinBornei

ModernHistory•  1959Brunei’sselfgovernmentbeganand

itadoptedawrikenconsHtuHon,•  1967SultanOmarAliSaifuddienabdicatedinfavourofhiseldest

son,HassanalBolkiahMuʿizzaddinWaddaulah,•  1970sBrunei’seconomyflourishedasoneoftheworld’swealthiest

(onapercapitabasis)oilproducers.•  Jan.1,1984BruneigainedindependenceandanIslamicsultanate

wasproclaimed•  1995TheBruneiNaHonalUnitedPartywasallowedtooperate

(agerbeingshutdowninthemid-1980s)andafewyearslaterwasjoinedbytwonewparHes

•  2004ThesultanreconvenedtheLegislaHveCouncil,whichhadnotmetin20years,todiscussconsHtuHonalamendments.

•  2009AgreementreachedoverthedisputedLimbangterritorysplinngBrunei.BruneidroppeditsclaimonLimbangandMalaysiadroppeditsclaimtooil-richareasintheSouthChinaSea

Interes<ngfacts

•  Bruneiisamongthelargestconsumersoffishpercapitaintheworld

•  CiHzensinBruneireceivefreeeducaHonandmedicalservicesfromthegovernment.

•  Bruneihasoneofthehighestcar-ownershiprates(roughlyonecarpereverytwopeople)intheworld.

•  Bruneiansdon’tpointusingtheirindexfingers;thisisconsideredimpolite.Theypointwiththeirthumbsinstead.