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 Geography
Brunei is located in south-east Asia on the nothern coast of
Borneo almost completely surrounded by Malaysia. It occupies
a total area of 5,770 sq km of which 5,270 sq km is land.
The country has a 381 km long land border and 161 km of
coastline. Brunei is close to vital sea lanes through South
China Sea linking Indian and Pacific Oceans. A map of Brunei
is available.
Brunei has a tropical climate, generally hot, humid and
rainy. The terrain consists of flat costal plains rising up
to mountains in the east and hilly lowlands in the west.
Natural resources include petroleum, natural gas and timber.
Typhoons, earthquakes and severe flooding are rare.
People
Brunei has a population of 276,984 (July 1993 est.).
Nationals in Brunei are known as Bruneian(s). The country
consists primarily of Malays (64%) and Chinese (20%). The
predominant religion is Muslim (63%) and Buddism (14%).
Malay is the official language, English and Chinese are also
spoken.
Government
The official name of this country is Negara Brunei
Darussalam and in short, Brunei. This is a constitutional
sultanate form of government. Brunei gained independence on
1 January 1984 from UK. The national holiday is on 23
February.
The Brunei flag is yellow with two diagonal bands of white
(top, almost double width) and black starting from the upper
hoist side; the national emblem in red is superimposed at
the center; the emblem includes a swallow-tailed flag on top
of a winged column within an upturned crescent above a
scroll and flanked by two upraised hands.
Economy
The economy is a mixture of foreign and domestic
entrepreneurship, government regulation and welfare
measures, and village tradition. It is almost totally
supported by exports of crude oil and natural gas, with
revenues from the petroleum sector accounting for more than
50% of GDP. Per capita GDP of $8,800 is among the highest in
the Third World, and substantial income from overseas
investment supplements domestic production. The government
provides for all medical services and subsidizes food and
housing.
Communications
Brunei has 13 km of railroads, 1,090 km of highways and 209
km of inland waterways. The ports are in Kuala Belait and
Muara. There are two airports.
The telecommunication service throughout country is adequate
for present needs. International service is good to adjacent
Malaysia
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