Negara Brunei Darussalam (The Country of Brunei, Abode of Peace)


FLAG:
Yellow with two diagonal bands: white (top band, double-width) and black (starting from the upper hoist side). The national emblem is superimposed in red at the flag's centre. The emblem includes the following components:

• Swallow-tailed flag, representing Royalty
• The Royal umbrella
• Winged column, symbolizing the protection of justice, tranquillity, prosperity and peace
• Two upraised hands, signifying the Government's pledge to promote welfare, peace and prosperity
• An upturned crescent, symbol of Islam, the national religion of Brunei
• Embodied within the crescent in yellow Arabic script is the nation's motto, which can be roughly translated: Always in Service by God's Guidance
• A scroll beneath the crest with Arabic script reading "Brunei Darussalam" or "Brunei, the Abode of Peace"

LOCATION:
Located on the northern shore of the Island of Borneo, between longitudes 114'04" and 114'23" East and latitudes 4'00" and 5'05" North. Brunei, although occupying less than 1% of Borneo's land area, is the only sovereign country on the island, which it shares with the Indonesian provinces of West, East, South and Central Kalimantan and the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak.

LAND AREA: 5,765 sq. km.

POPULATION: 372,360 (2005 est.)  

DENSITY: 65 persons/sq. km.

CAPITAL CITY: Bandar Seri Begawan

POPULATION: 236,200 (district)

ETHNIC GROUPS: Malay: 67%; Chinese: 15%, indigenous tribes: 6%; other: 12%

LANGUAGE:
Bahasa Melayu (Malay) is the official language, but English is widely spoken. Mandarin, Chinese dialects and native languages of Borneo are also spoken by segments of the population.

RELIGIONS:
Islam (official): 67%; Buddhism: 13%; Christianity: 10%; indigenous beliefs and other: 10%

NATIONAL PHILOSOPHY:
Since gaining independence from the British in 1984, Brunei has adopted the national philosophy of the Malay Islamic Monarchy (Melayu Islam Beraja), a system that encompasses strong Malay cultural influences, stressing the importance of Islam in daily life and governance, and respect for the monarchy as represented by His Majesty The Sultan. It is a philosophy of tolerance, which allows other cultures to follow individual traditions and to practice other religions.

CLIMATE:
Temperate equatorial climate year round, characterized by temperatures ranging between 23 to 32 degrees Celsius, and an average annual rainfall of 320 cm. There is no distinct rainy season, though the period from November to March tends to bring heavier rains.

BORDERS:
Bounded on all sides by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, except for a 161 km long stretch of coastline along the South China Sea to the north.

ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS:
4 Districts: Brunei-Muara (housing the capital city), Tutong, Belait, and Temburong

HEAD OF STATE:
His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah Ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar 'Ali Saifuddien Sa'adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam. His Majesty is the 29th ruler of his line, which began with Sultan Muhammad in 1405.

SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT:
Independent sovereign constitutional Sultanate, with His Majesty The Sultan as the supreme executive authority. His Majesty is advised by an appointed Council of Cabinet Ministers, Religious Council, Privy Council, a Council of Succession and a Legislative Council.

ECONOMY:
With a total GDP of around US$6.5 billion and a per capita GDP of around US$18.3 thousand (2002), Brunei's resource-rich (oil & natural gas) economy affords its population high living standards, resulting in positive social indicators such as high literacy rates, longer life expectancy, and low unemployment and crime rates. The government provides for all medical services and subsidizes rice and housing.

Government, construction, services, retail and some light manufacturing are the other major sectors in Brunei's economy. The government is currently working towards economic diversification — in which tourism plays an important role — as well as encouraging foreign investment and developing education and human resources. These measures are designed to prepare the nation for the challenges of the future when the oil and gas reserves will have been depleted and new sources of income will be needed to maintain the current high standards of living enjoyed by Bruneians.

TOURISM INFRASTRUCTURE:
With over 2,500 rooms spread among 30 establishments ranging from guesthouses to the super luxurious "7-star" Empire Hotel and Country Club, and with a dozen or so active inbound tour operators, Brunei has a well-established, yet underutilized tourism infrastructure attracting an increasing number of regional and international visitors.

TOURISM ARRIVALS:
Brunei recorded approximately 1 million foreign visitors in 2003, the vast majority arriving from Malaysia through land entry points. Based on estimates derived from hotel occupancy rates and on market intelligence gathered from inbound operators, Brunei Tourism estimates the number of bona fide leisure and business tourists to be around 100,000 in 2003, with a 3-day average length of stay. Most of these tourists originated from the short- and medium-haul markets, though a significant portion originated from long-haul markets, mainly UK and Germany. Brunei Tourism’s objective is to increase international tourist arrivals by a minimum average rate of 7% yearly, as well as to increase average length of stay and expenditure.

INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORT LINKAGES:
Brunei enjoys a convenient location at the heart of Southeast Asia and is well-connected to destinations worldwide.

Air:
Royal Brunei Airlines, the nation’s flagship carrier, flies non-stop or direct to most major Asia-Pacific destinations and the Middle East, as well as to Europe via London and Frankfurt. Meanwhile, Malaysia Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, Dragonair and Philippines Airlines serve Bandar Seri Begawan and offer one-stop connections to the rest of the world through their hubs in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Manila.

Sea:
Ferries link Brunei with the Malaysian island of Labuan off the coast of Sabah, and to the Malaysian towns of Limbang and Lawas in Sarawak.

Road:
An extensive overland road network also connects Brunei to Sarawak and Sabah, while the Indonesian province of Kalimantan can be reached by road, air or boat via Sarawak or Sabah.

HEALTH, SAFETY AND SECURITY:
Brunei is free from malaria and other tropical diseases, is outside the typhoon belt, has no volcanoes, and is not prone to earthquakes or other major natural disasters. The country also enjoys government stability and economic prosperity, resulting in a very low crime rate.

 

Sarawak

Sarawak is the most multi-racial state in Malaysia with over 24 distinct ethnic groups; the major groups are the Ibans, Chinese, Bidayuh, Malays, Melanau and the Orang Ulu . The current population of Sarawak is 2 million and covers an area of 125,000 sq. km .

Once part of the Sultanate of Brunei, Sarawak has a romantic history where an English family ruled as Rajahs for over 100 years. It was ceded by the 3rd and last Rajah in 1946 to the British Crown and in 1963 it became part of the Federation of Malaysia. The state capital is Kuching with a population of 500,000 .

 

Sabah

The modern history of Sabah began in 1881 when the British North Borneo Company leased it from the Sultan of Sulu. Known as British North Borneo, the name reverted to Sabah upon the formation of the Federation of Malaysia in 1963.

Also with a diverse group of people, the majority of which are the Kadazan/Dusun it covers an area of 74,000 sq km with a population of 2 million . The state capital is Kota Kinabalu with a population of 500,000.

B. Government

Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy with a unique system whereby the 9 hereditary sultans in Peninsular Malaysia rotate among themselves for a 5 year term to be the Paramount Ruler (Yang Di Pertuan Agong) .Presently the King of Malaysia is the Sultan of Perlis and his reign will be from 2002-7.

The form of government is based loosely on the British system and electoral mandate is given for a maximum of 5 years.

Presently, Malaysia is governed by the Barisan Nasional (National Front) , a coalition of parties led by the dominant UMNO (United Malay National Organisation) and which control over two third of the seats in Parliament.

Both Sarawak and Sabah have their own state legislatures with an appointed governor as the head of state serving a renewable term of 5 years.

C. Climate

The climate is typically tropical with temperature ranging from a cool 22 ° C (72 ° F) in the evenings to a sultry 34 ° C (93 ° F) in the daytime.

When is it a good time to visit?

Sarawak receives an abundance of rainfall (averaging 200-250 cm a year ); the rainy season is normally during the ' landas ', a local term for the monsoon rains that come between November to February each year. Sabah is less wet than Sarawak and because it lies just below the typhoon belt, it is often known as "the land below the wind".

The monsoon period should not deter visitors to the region as it is not cold; in fact the rains during this time may be heavy but it is intermittent and they bring respite from the tropical heat. This is also the time of the year when the local tropical fruits unique to the region are in abundance.

D. Time Difference

Malaysia has a single time zone and is 8 hours ahead of GMT . This means it is 8 hours ahead of London (GMT) and 7 hours ahead during daylight saving time in the spring and summer. It is 13 hours ahead of New York (Eastern Standard time) and 12 hours during daylight saving time in the summer.

E. Electricity

The electricity supply is 220/240 volts at 50 hertz . The electrical plugs and sockets used are similar to those used in Britain. North Americans will have to use adaptors which are readily available from the major hotels.

F. Banking and Currency

The Malaysian currency, the Ringgit (RM) is presently to the US dollar at 3.28 RM to 1 USD . There is limited currency control in effect and the ringgit can be hard to obtain overseas. Visitors are allowed to bring in any amount of foreign currency but amounts over USD10000 have to be declared upon entry. It is illegal to bring in or to take out more than RM1000 in local notes.

The Malaysian Ringgit notes are available in denominations of RM1, RM5, RM10, RM50 and RM100 , and coins from 1 sen, 5 sen, 10 sen, 20 sen, 50 sen .

Most outlets take the major credit cards and ATM machines are readily available. However, do note that most but not all of these machines have a 24 hour operation.

G. Customs Allowances

Normally visitors entering Malaysia are allowed to bring into the country ,duty-free: up to a liter of alcoholic beverages and 200 sticks of cigarettes or 50 cigars and 225 gm of tobacco .

H. Visa and Immigration

There is a severe penalty for drug traffickers. Presently, only Israeli passport holders are not valid for entry to the country except with prior exemption. Visitors from most countries are not required to obtain a visa except for nationals from : Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Cuba, Hong Kong ( Certificate of Identity), India, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and Vietnam . All other nationals are allowed in without visa requirements for a stay of 7 days . Generally visitors from Western countries are allowed in without a visa requirement for a stay of 1-3 months. Validity on passports should be 6 months or more. There is severe penalty for drug traffickers.

I. Departure Tax

Do not forget that there is a departure tax . Most of the time, this is already included in your airline ticket. The departure tax at airports is RM5 for local departures and RM40 for international departures. Brunei and Singapore are considered as international destinations.