Brunei

Location

• Southeastern Asia, along the northern coast of the island of Borneo, bordering the South China Sea and Malaysia
• close to vital sea lanes through South China Sea linking Indian and Pacific Oceans; two parts physically separated by Malaysia; the eastern part, the Temburong district, is an exclave and is almost an enclave within Malaysia

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Bandar Seri Begawan	64,409	Capital
Sengkurong	40,972
Mentiri	39,324
Kuala Belait	31,178
Seria	30,097
Tutong	19,151
Serasa	18,569
Liang	16,813

Size

• 2,228 square miles
• 5,770 square kilometers
• slightly smaller than Delaware

History

The Sultanate of Brunei's influence peaked between the 15th and 17th centuries, when its control extended over coastal areas of northwest Borneo and the southern Philippines. Internal strife over royal succession, colonial expansion of European powers, and piracy subsequently brought on a period of decline. In 1888, Brunei became a British protectorate; independence was achieved in 1984. The same family has ruled Brunei for over six centuries, and in 2017, the country celebrated the 50th anniversary of Sultan Hassanal BOLKIAH’s accession to the throne. Brunei has one of the highest per-capita GDPs in the world, thanks to extensive petroleum and natural gas fields.

Climate

tropical; hot, humid, rainy

Terrain

flat coastal plain rises to mountains in east; hilly lowland in west

Languages

Malay (Bahasa Melayu) (official), English, Chinese dialectsmajor-language sample(s): Buku Fakta Dunia, sumber yang diperlukan untuk maklumat asas. (Malay)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions

Muslim (official) 82.1%, Christian 6.7%, Buddhist 6.3%, other 4.9% (2021 est.)

Government

absolute monarchy or sultanate

• Constitution: history: drafted 1954 to 1959, signed 29 September 1959amendment process: proposed by the monarch; passage requires submission to the Privy Council for Legislative Council review and finalization takes place by proclamation; the monarch can accept or reject changes to the original proposal provided by the Legislative Councilnote: some constitutional provisions suspended since 1962 under a state of emergency, others suspended since independence in 1984
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18 years of age for village elections; universal
• Legal System: mixed legal system based on English common law and Islamic lawnote: in 2019, sharia penal codes came into force and apply to Muslims and partly to non-Muslims in parallel with common law codes
• Executive Branch: chief of state: Sultan and Prime Minister Sir HASSANAL Bolkiah (since 5 October 1967)head of government: Sultan and Prime Minister Sir HASSANAL Bolkiah (since 5 October 1967)cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed and presided over by the monarchelection/appointment process: none; the monarchy is hereditarynote 1: the monarch is both chief of state and head of government, as well as Minister of Finance, Defense, and Foreign Affairs and Tradenote 2: 4 additional advisory councils appointed by the monarch are the Religious Council, Privy Council for Constitutional Issues, Council of Succession, and Legislative Council
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of the Court of Appeal and the High Court, each with a chief justice and 2 judges); Sharia Court (consists the Court of Appeals and the High Court)judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges appointed by the monarch to serve until age 65, and older if approved by the monarch; Sharia Court judges appointed by the monarch for lifesubordinate courts: Intermediate Court; Magistrates' Courts; Juvenile Court; small claims courts; lower sharia courtsnote: Brunei has a dual judicial system of secular and sharia (religious) courts; the Judicial Committee of Privy Council (in London) serves as the final appellate court for civil cases only
• Legislative Branch: legislature name: Legislative Council (Majlis Mesyuarat Negara)legislative structure: unicameralnumber of seats: 45 (all appointed)electoral system: plurality/majorityscope of elections: full renewalterm in office: 5 yearsmost recent election date: 1/20/2023percentage of women in chamber: 11.8%expected date of next election: January 2028

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• almost exclusively an oil and gas economy; high income country; expansive and robust welfare system; the majority of the population works for the government; promulgating a nationalized halal brand; considering establishment of a bond market and stock exchange
• Budget: revenues: $1.058 billion (2020 est.)expenditures: $3.189 billion (2020 est.)
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: petroleum, natural gas, timber
• Industries: petroleum, petroleum refining, liquefied natural gas, construction, agriculture, aquaculture, transportation
• Agricultural Products: chicken, eggs, fruits, vegetables, rice, bananas, beans, cucumbers/gherkins, pineapples, beef (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 2.5% (2022 est.)arable land: 0.8% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 1.1% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 0.6% (2022 est.)forest: 72.1% (2022 est.)other: 25.4% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: crude petroleum, gold, refined petroleum, coal, cars (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: Malaysia 23%, UAE 10%, China 10%, UK 10%, Australia 6% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: refined petroleum, natural gas, crude petroleum, hydrocarbons, fertilizers (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: Australia 21%, Japan 17%, China 17%, Singapore 16%, Malaysia 6% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports