About Brunei Darussalam

Brunei Darussalam is on the northwestern shore of Borneo and shares a common border with the Malaysian state of Sarawak. Set like a crown slightly askew, 75 per cent of its 5,765 km² land area is covered by equatorial rainforest. The living standard of its population is sustained by oil and gas exports.

Brunei has four constituent parts called districts: Brunei-Muara, Belait, Temburong and Tutong. Several mukim compose a district and several villages compose a Mukim. Headman of a single village is called Ketua Kampong and headman of a mukim is called Penghulu.

The post, Ketua Kampong, is an elected office voted by people living in a village. A Penghulu is elected by people living in a mukim. Both posts are open to contests for male candidates aged between 30 and 60. Office holders serve until they age 65.

Brunei’s official language is Malay but English is widely spoken. Its official religion follows the Sunni strand of Islam. His Majesty The Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam is the head of the Islamic faith. Other religions are also practised in Brunei including Christianity and Buddhism.

Capital
Bandar Seri Begawan is based in the Brunei-Muara district. The capital’s total land area is 100.36 square kilometres.

Area
Total land area is 5,765 square kilometres with a coastline of about 161 kilometres.

Population
The population is estimated at 406,200 people (2009) with 57.1 per cent are aged from 20 to 54 years old.

Majority of the population are Malays with an estimated 269,400 people, followed with Chinese – 44, 600 people and 92,200 comprising of other minor groups.

The most populous district is Brunei-Muara with estimated 283, 300 people; followed by the Belait district – 67,100 people; Tutong district – 45, 700 people; and 10, 100 people for Temburong district.

The Human Development Report 2009 published by the United Nations Development Programme revealed that between 1980 and 2007, Brunei's Human Development Index (HDI) rose by 0.39 per cent annually from 0.827 to 0.920 today which gives the country a rank of 30th out of 178 countries. It also stated that Brunei's literacy rate was at 94.9 per cent for those aged 15 years and above and life expectancy at birth was at 77 years. Further positive indicators saw Brunei ranked 8th for being a nation with very high human development.

Brunei also has one of the highest Gross Domestic Product per capita at USD50,200, the sixth highest where Liechtenstein, United Arab Emirates, Norway are among the top five.

Short historical background
Sino-Indo-Islamic influences had shaped Brunei’s culture. Historical findings suggest that the Brunei kingdom began more than 1,500 years ago, pre-dating Islam. Its earliest existence was believed to be a tributary province of the Java-based Majapahit Empire. After the disintegration of the Majapahit Empire, Brunei rulers took charge of their own territorial responsibility. Ancient Chinese texts referred Brunei as either Puni or Puli and documented its interactions with the Chinese Empire in the years 518, 523, 616, 669, 977, 1279, and 1369-1643 AD.

Imperial Chinese texts also indicated that Muslim influence was established in Brunei as early as 977 AD, and the employment of Arabic characters in Brunei’s written language, hitherto Sanskrit, started before 1370. Imperial Chinese texts noted that Brunei’s king named Awang Alak Betatar embraced the Islamic faith in 1371 in conjunction with his marriage to a princess from a neighbouring kingdom. As a territory administered by a Muslim government, subsequent Brunei sovereigns became known as sultans.

Brunei had signed a series of treaties with Great Britain since the 1800s, the one signed in 1888 marked the beginning of Brunei’s status as a British protectorate that lasted for 96 years. Brunei resumes its independence as a sovereign nation-state on January 1, 1984.