Brunei Darussalam

About

~ Official Name ~

Negara Brunei Darussalam (The Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace)

~ Government ~

Brunei is a Malay Muslim monarchy ruled by His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, the 29th monarch in succession to the throne.

The Sultan is also the Prime Minister heading a team of cabinet ministers. His Majesty is the Defence and Finance Minister.

The Ministers each head a ministry and Deputy Ministers assist them in some ministries and Permanent Secretaries in all ministries. The ministries are divided into various departments; each headed by a Director. Brunei's four districts – Brunei Muara, Belait, Tutong and Temburong are each under the supervision of a District Officer. Each District Officer has a team of Mukim heads termed as Penghulus. A Mukim is a sub-division of a district. Each Mukim is divided into various villages headed by Ketua Kampongs (village headmen) Other grassroots representatives are long-house Tuais (elders) and the Pehin Kapitan Cina, who represents the Chinese community.

~ National Language ~

Malay or Bahasa Melayu is the national and official language of the country. The Malays form the biggest ethnic group in Brunei. However, English is widely spoken and understood especially in the business community. The various indigenous groups speak indigenous dialects in Brunei. Chinese groups speak Mandarin, Hokkien and Cantonese as well as the national language, Bahasa Melayu.

~ Area ~

The country covers an expanse of 5,800 square kilometeres and has a coastline of about l30kms. About 75% of the land is covered in jungle, most of which is pristine rain -forest.

~ Climate ~

Brunei has a tropical equatorial climate with a high mean temperature of about 28 degrees Celsius. Average annual rainfall is a high 3,295mm while the mean humidity level is in excess of 80%. Climate is largely influenced by seasonal monsoons. The dry months are usually during March to May (the period of uncertain winds and changing monsoons), and the wet months are between November to February (North-East monsoons).

~ Topography ~

Brunei has an undulating landscape marked by low hills and wide valleys. It has a narrow coastal plain which is intersected by several rivers descending from a mountainous hinterland. Temburong district, the eastern split half, is more hilly and mountainous.

The major Brunei, Tutong, Belait and Temburong rivers and its tributaries drain the valleys.

Mangrove swamps usually cover the lower reaches of the rivers and the upper reaches are often stony with rapids in the higher regions. Beaches facing the open sea are sandy and a mixture of sand and mangrove in the areas away from the sea.

~ Population ~

The total population stands at 305,100 (1996 figures). Population is concentrated in Brunei-Muara District, along coastal regions and major rivers of the country. Population density is 53 persons per square kilometre. Population growth averages at 3.1% per year. The annual birth and death rates are 2.5% and 0.33% respectively. Life expectancy for men is 72.1 and for women, it is 76.5 years.

~ By Sex ~


Males: 161,500 (52.9%)

Females: 143,600 (47.1%)


~ By Racial Group ~


Malays and other indigenous groups: 222,100 (75.8%)

Chinese: 46,300 (15.2%)

Others: 36,700 (12.0%)

~ By Age Group ~


0-9 years old: 70,500

10-19 years old: 5,600

20-29 years old: 57,800

30-39 years old: 57,000

40-49 years old: 34,300

50-59 years old: 15,300

60-69 years old: 8,400

70-79 years old: 3,800

80-84 years old: 1,000

85 and above: 1,000

~ By District ~


Brunei-Muara District 201,100 (65.9%)

Belait District 61,800 (20.3%)

Tutong District 33,500 (11.0%)

Temburong 8,700 (2.9%)

~ Employment ~

Population under employment 112,000

(75,100 males, 36,900 females)

Rate of Unemployment 4.7%

~ Education ~

Student Population

Kindergarten and primary schools: 55, 561

Secondary Schools: 28,162

Technical or vocational colleges: 2,018

Teachers training college: 529

Institutes: 390

University: 1,622

Institutions of Education

Kindergartens and primary schools: 122
Secondary school: 50
Technical and vocational colleges: 8
Teacher training colleges: 1
Institutes: 3
University: 1

~ GDP ~

Total GDP for 1996 was B$7,684.8m
Oil Sector B$2,832.2m
Non-oil sector B$4,852.6m
Government sector B$2,260.2m
Private sector B$2,592.4m
Per capita B$25,200.Om

~ Trade ~

Exports

Total exports B$3,388.Om
Total imports B$2,953.7m
Trade balance B$ 434.4m
Crude petroleum export B$1,475. 8m
Natural gas exports B$1,561.4m

Imports

Machinery and Transport
Equipment imports B$1,033.5m
Manufactured goods import B$ 908.9m
Food import B$ 324.3m
Manufactured articles import B$ 303.Om
Chemicals import B$ 217.9m

~ Transport ~

Land

Registered vehicles 177,599
Private cars 149,738
Goods vehicles 15,797
Motorable Roads 2,469.6km

Sea

Total registered boats 212

Air

Inward air passengers: 529,800
Outward air passenger 522,600