Official name
Negara Brunei Darussalam (in Malay – ‘Negara Brunei’ means ‘the state of Brunei’, and ‘Darussalam’ means ‘abode of peace’).
Brunei Darussalam (in English)
Capital
Bandar Seri Begawan
Geography
It
is strategically located on the north-west coast of the island of
Borneo. Brunei Darussalam is approximately two to three hours flying
distance from most ASEAN countries.
Land area
Brunei
Darussalam has a total land area of 5,765 square kilometres with over
161 kilometres of coastline along the South China Sea. The western part
of Brunei Darussalam consists of Brunei Muara, Tutong and Belait
districts, while the eastern part is the Temburong District.
Population
Brunei Darussalam’s population was 393,372 (2011).
People
Brunei
Darussalam has seven ethnics comprising of Malay, Kedayan, Belait,
Tutong, Bisaya, Murut, Dusun. Majority of the population are Malays with
an estimated 258,465 people (2011); followed by Chinese with 40,534
people; and 94,373 people comprising of other minor groups.
Language
Bahasa
Melayu (Malay language) is the official language but English is also
widely spoken. Various Chinese and Indian dialects are used by the
respective communities.
Religion
The official religion is
Islam. However, other religions may be practised in peace and harmony by
the persons professing them as stated in the Constitution of Brunei
Darussalam.
Government
His Majesty Sultan
Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, The Sultan and Yang
Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam is the Head of State and Head of
Government of Brunei Darussalam. His Majesty who is the 29th Sultan of
Brunei is the Prime Minister, Minister of Defence and Minister of
Finance. His Majesty is assisted by five constitutional bodies namely
the Council of Succession, the Council of Ministers, the Privy Council,
the Religious Council and the Legislative Council.
Brunei
Darussalam was a British protectorate state from 1888 to 1983 and
achieved its full sovereignty on January 1, 1984. Brunei Darussalam is
governed on the basis of the Constitution of Brunei Darussalam
established in 1959.
Brunei Darussalam is a member of several
regional and international organisations such as Association of South
East Asian Nations (ASEAN), The United Nations (UN), Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC), The Commonwealth, International Monetary
Fund (IMF), Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), World Trade
Organisation (WTO), Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and so on.
Economy
Brunei
Darussalam has a small but wealthy economy comprising of a mixture of
foreign and domestic entrepreneurships. It is largely supported by
exports of crude oil and natural gas with revenues from the petroleum
sector accounting for nearly over half of her Gross Domestic Product
(GDP).
Currency
The monetary unit of the
country is Brunei Dollar and written as BND. It is pegged to the value
of the Singapore Dollar and both currencies can be used in Brunei
Darussalam and Republic of Singapore.
Climate
Brunei Darussalam has a tropical equatorial climate with high rainfall and warm temperatures all year round.
Time zone
Brunei Darussalam is eight hours ahead of the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+8).
