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BruneiBruneiThe '''Sultanate of Brunei''', more commonly referred to as '''Brunei Darussalam''' or simply '''Brunei''', is a Petroleum-rich country located on the island of Borneo, in southeast Asia. Apart from its coastline with the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by East Malaysia. Brunei is one of the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). {| border=1 align=right cellpadding=4 cellspacing=0 width=300 style="margin: 0 0 1em 1em; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;" |+<big><big>'''برني دارالسلام<br>Negara Brunei Darussalam'''</big></big> |- | style="background:#efefef;" align="center" colspan=2 | {| border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" |- | align="center" width="140px" | Image:Brunei_flag_large.png|125px|Flag of Brunei | align="center" width="140px" | Image:bx-coat.gif |- | align="center" width="140px" | (Flag of Brunei|In Detail) | align="center" width="140px" | (Coat of Arms of Brunei|Full size) |} |- | align="center" colspan=2 | <small>''National motto (translation): Always Render Service by God's guidance''</small> |- | align=center colspan=2 | image:LocationBrunei.png |- | '''Official language''' || Malay language |- | '''Capital''' || Bandar Seri Begawan |- | '''Sultan of Brunei|Sultan''' || Hassanal Bolkiah |- | '''Area'''<br> - Total <br /> - % water | List of countries by area|Ranked 163rd <br /> 5,765 square kilometre|km² <br /> 8.6% |- | '''Population''' <br /> - Total (2001) <br /> - Population density|Density | List of countries by population|Ranked 162nd <br /> 343,653 <br /> 61/km² |- | '''Independence''' || January 1, 1984 |- | '''Currency''' || Brunei dollar|Dollar |- | '''Time zone''' | Coordinated Universal Time|UTC + 8 |- | '''National anthem''' | ''Allah Peliharakan Sultan'' |- | '''Top-level domain|Internet TLD''' || .bn |- | '''List of country calling codes|Calling Code''' | 673 ''('''080''' from Malaysia)'' |} == History == ''Main article: History of Brunei'' The Sultanate of Brunei was very powerful from the 14th century|14th through 16th century, covering the southern Philippines, Sarawak and Sabah. European influence gradually brought an end to this power, and Brunei became a United Kingdom|British protectorate in 1888. == Politics == ''Main article: Politics of Brunei'' The Sultan of Brunei, whose List of Sultans of Brunei|title has passed within the same dynasty since the 15th century, is the head of state and head of government in Brunei. The Sultan is advised by several councils and a cabinet of ministers although he is effectively the ultimate ruler. The media is extremely pro-government and the Royal family retains an almost godlike status within the country. There is no elected legislative body. In September 2004 the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah convened an appointed Parliament which had not met since independence in 1984. The country has been under hypothetical martial law since a rebellion occurred in the early 1960's and was put down by British troops from Singapore. A garrison of Gurkha soldiers are still stationed in Brunei on the Sultan's payroll to protect the oil fields in the West of the country. == Districts == ''Main article: Districts of Brunei'' Brunei is divided into four districts, called ''daerah''. These are: * Belait * Brunei and Muara * Temburong * Tutong == Geography == ''Main article: Geography of Brunei'' Brunei consists of two unconnected parts; 97% of the population lives in the larger western part, only about 10,000 live in the mountainous eastern part, the district of Temburong. Major cities are the capital Bandar Seri Begawan (about 46,000 inhabitants), the port town Muara and Seria. The climate in Brunei is tropical, with high temperatures, a high humidity and heavy rainfall. <div style="float:right">Image:bx-map.gif</div> == Economy == ''Main article: Economy of Brunei'' This 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 nearly half of Gross domestic product|GDP. Per capita GDP is far above most other Third World countries, and substantial income from overseas investment supplements income from domestic production. The government provides for all medical services and subsidizes rice and housing. Brunei's leaders are concerned that steadily increased integration in the world economy will undermine internal social cohesion although it became a more prominent player by serving as chairman for the 2000 APEC (Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation) forum. Stated plans for the future include upgrading the labor force, reducing unemployment, strengthening the banking and tourist sectors, and, in general, further widening the economic base. == Demographics == ''Main article: Demographics of Brunei'' About two-thirds of the Brunei population are of Malay people|Malay origin. The most important minority ethnic group are the China|Chinese, with about 15%. These groups also reflect the most important languages: Malay language|Malay, which is the official language, and Chinese language|Chinese. English language|English is also spoken. Islam is the official religion of Brunei, and the sultan is the head of the religion in the country. Other faiths practised are Buddhism (mainly by the Chinese) and Christianity. == Culture == ''Main article: Culture of Brunei'' The culture of Brunei is similar to Malay culture, with heavy influences from Hinduism and Islam. ''See also:'' *Music of Brunei == Miscellaneous topics == * Communications in Brunei * Transportation in Brunei * Military of Brunei * Foreign relations of Brunei * Istana Nurul Iman (The Sultan's Palace) ''Much of the material in these articles comes from the CIA World Factbook 2000 and the 2003 U.S. Department of State website.'' == Further Reading == *L. W. W. Gudgeon (1913). ''British North Borneo''. London, Adam and Charles Black. ==External links== ===Official=== * [http://www.brunei.gov.bn Official Website of the Government of Brunei] {{Southeast_Asia}} Category:Brunei Category:Monarchies Category:Southeast Asian countries Category:Island nations Category:ASEAN member states bg:Бруней bn:ব্রুনাই ca:Brunei cs:Brunej de:Brunei et:Brunei es:Brunei eo:Brunejo fr:Brunei gd:Brunei hi:ब्रुनेई io:Brunei id:Brunei ia:Brunei it:Brunei he:ברוניי lv:Bruneja lt:Brunėjus ms:Brunei nl:Brunei nds:Brunei ja:ブルネイ no:Brunei pl:Brunei pt:Brunei ru:Бруней sa:ब्रूनै sk:Brunej sl:Brunej fi:Brunei sv:Brunei tl:Brunei th:ประเทศบรูไนดารุสซาลาม tr:Brunei uk:Бруней zh:文莱 First page | Prev | Next | Last page | This article on Brunei is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Brunei". if you like cool drinks you may be interested in:
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