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INTRODUCTION TO BRUNEI

Brunei Darussalam - lying northwest of the island of Borneo, is one of the oldest kingdoms yet one of the youngest independent nations of the region. A small country with a total land area of just 5,765 sq km with a coastline that runs 161 km along the South China Sea, its tiny size has not impeded its social and economic progress.

Brunei Darussalam means Brunei, the Abode of Peace. The name aptly describes the tranquility of the nation, the gentle hospitality of its people and the lush, tropical forests and pristine coastlines that form an integral and ideology of Islam. Brunei Darussalam is stable and peaceful and is one of the safest countries in the world.

 

The four districts

Brunei is made up of four districts:

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Brunei-Muara, which is the smallest but the most densely populated district and where the centre and the capital Bandar Seri Begawan is located;
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Temburong, which is the least populated but most heavily forested district;
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Tutong, which is the home of many of Brunei's ethnic tribes; and
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Belait, the production base of the nation's main export commodities, which are oil and gas.

 

The capital, Bandar Seri Begawan, is populated by about 46,000 residents and is about 16 sq km in size.

 

 

The people of Brunei

 

Brunei is a Malay nation as the Malay racial group making up 74% dominates the population. The rest of the racial groups are the Chinese (16%), the indigenous groups (Ibans, Dusuns, etc) and the expatriates. There are more males than females in Brunei (176,300 or 51.7% male : 172,500 or 48.3% female). The annual increase in population is 2.3% (2002), while the birthrate is 21.9 per 1000 (2002) and the death rate is 3.1 per 1000 (2002). The people of Brunei are mostly young with 55.2% of the population in the working age group of between ages 20-54. Only 67% of the population are above the age of 55.

 

The breakdown by district shows that Brunei-Muara is the most populous, with about 69% of the country's total population, followed by Belait which has 17%, Tutong 12% and finally Temburong with less than 3% of the population.

 

Language

Bahasa Melayu or Malay is the official language but English is widely spoken, alongside Mandarin and the other Chinese dialects such as Hokkien, Hakka and Cantonese. Indian languages used include Tamil and Hindi.

Religion

Islam is the state religion that if co-exists with other beliefs which are openly practiced.

 

Malay Islamic Monarchy

The philosophy of Melayu Islam Beraja (Maly Islamic Monarchy) or MIB has been in existence as early as the 14th century when Brunei's king first converted to Islam. The present ruler, His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah, who is in the 29th descendent of this Islamic Monarchy, officially proclaimed the MIB philosophy on the 1st January 1984, the day of Brunei's independence. Melayu Islam Beraja or Malay Islamic Monarchy has since become the nation's system of ruling, its way of life and form of Government.

  

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