Brunei Darussalam

Brunei Darussalam or also known as the Nation of Brunei, the Adobe of Peace is a
country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. The
country is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak. Brunei is the only
sovereign state completely on the island of Borneo, the remainder of the island’s
territory is divided between the nations of Malaysia and Indonesia. Their capital city is
Bandar Seri Begawan.

Geography

Brunei is a southeast Asian country consisting of two unconnected parts with a total
area of 5,765 square kilometres (2,226 sq mi) on the island of Borneo. It has 161
kilometres (100 mi) of coastline next to the South China sea, and it shares a 381 km (237
mi) border with Malaysia.

Climate

The climate in Brunei is tropical equatorial and humid subtropical at higher altitudes
with heavy rainfall. Bandar Seri Begawan's climate is tropical equatorial with two
seasons. Dry season is extremely hot (24 to 36 °C or 75.2 to 96.8 °F). Wet or rainy
season is generally warm and wet (20 to 28 °C or 68.0 to 82.4 °F). Most of the country is
a flat coastal plain with mountains in the east and hilly lowland in the west. The lowest
point is at sea level and the highest is Bukit Pagon (1,850 m or 6,070 ft).

History

Early accounts on Brunei history can be traced back in the 6th Century when they were
reportedly doing trade with China. Islam allegedly arrived in Brunei in the 12th century
based on some relics found. Hindu influence came through allegiance to the Javanese
Majapahit Kingdom between the 13th and 15th century. During the decline of the
Majapahit Kingdom, there was widespread conversion into Islam which Brunei
succumbed into and eventually became an independent sultanate in the 15th century.
From the 16th to the 19th century, Brunei became a powerful state ruling over the
northern part of Borneo up to the nearby islands. Brunei started to lose control over
the territory when they lost Sarawak in 1841 and eventually becoming a British
protectorate in 1881 and in 1905, they were dependent on the British. During World
War II, Brunei had fallen under Japanese regime, along with neighbouring states until
1945 when they were liberated by Australia.

The sultanate slowly got back into power and in 1959, regained the controls over its
internal affairs. Britain retained the responsibility for the state’s defense program and
foreign affairs policies until 1984. After which, the sultanate of Brunei became fully
independent. Sultan Bolkiah began his reign at age 22 in 1967 when his father, Sir Omar
Ali Saifuddien, abdicated the throne. The sultanate became wealthy during his reign
mainly because the Brunei had cultivated the rich Seria oilfield. Up to now, Brunei is
one of the wealthiest nations in Asia with a very high per capita income. The sultan is
considered one of the richest men in the world. Sultan Bolkiah inaugurated his heir to
the 500-year-old monarchy, the Oxford-educated Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah, in August
1998.

Economy

Brunei's small, wealthy economy is a mixture of foreign and domestic entrepreneurship,

government regulation, welfare measures, and village tradition. Crude oil and natural
gas production account for about 90% of its GDP. About 167,000 barrels (26,600 m3) of
oil are produced every day, making Brunei the fourth-largest producer of oil in
Southeast Asia and also the ninth-largest exporter of the substance in the world.

Demographics

The population of Brunei in July 2013 was 415,717 of which 76% live in urban areas. The
rate of urbanization is estimated at 2.13% per year from 2010 to 2015. The average life
expectancy is 77.7 years. In 2014, 65.7% of the population were Malay, 10.3% are
Chinese, 3.4% are indigenous, with 20.6% smaller groups making up the rest. The official
language of Brunei is Malay and the official religion of Brunei is Islam.
Culture

The culture of Brunei is predominantly Malay (reflecting its ethnicity), with heavy
influences from Islam, but is seen as much more conservative than Indonesia and
Malaysia. Influences to Bruneian culture come from the Malay cultures of the Malay
Archipelago. Four periods of cultural influence have occurred, animist, Hindu, Islamic,
and Western. Islam had a very strong influence, and was adopted as Brunei's ideology
and philosophy. Brunei's official main language is Malay but English is also widely
spoken as it is a compulsory subject in the majority of the schools.

Analysis

Brunei is indeed a developed country due to its wealthy economy and very high GDP per
capita. Brunei is also the fourth-largest producer of oil in Southeast Asia, the ninth-
largest exporter of the substance in the world, and fifth in the world by gross domestic
product per capita at purchasing power parity.

Map of Brunei Darussalam

Anya 9B