Brunei Darussalam

Brunei, also known as Brunei Darussalam, is a tiny nation situated north of Borneo, an island in Southeast Asia, neighbouring both Malaysian states, Sarawak and Sabah, and its coastline of South China Sea. Brunei is known for its production of oil and gas works, the capital, Bandar Seri Begawan, and home to the current monarch, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. It is an Islamic state, following the sharia law, and has a long-running history since its empire. Malay is its official language, and follows its style and dialect of this language.
== Bandar Seri Begawan ==
Bandar Seri Begawan, shortened Bandar, is the nation's capital. Its former name was Brunei Town before 1970. It is known to have many mosques, villages, commercial areas and landmarks, Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, Royal Regalia Museum, Tamu Kianggeh, Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium, as well as Istana Nurul Iman, private residence of the Sultan and most royalties, and Kampong Ayer, translated to 'water village' known for its unique housing and jetties, along the Brunei River. The capital offers an archaeological park in Kota Batu, burial of the late sultans, and museums within the area.
== Geography ==
=== Districts ===
Brunei has four districts. Brunei-Muara is the most populous district, Belait is the largest district, home to many oil and gas productions, Temburong is a green resort with many national parks, campsites and rivers, and Tutong is between districts Belait and Brunei-Muara.
== Economy ==
Known for its oil and gas works, Brunei produces crude oil, petroleum and natural gas, making one of world's largest gas exporters, and has made it to the Global Innovation Index since 2023. As Brunei is an Islamic nation, it acquires the name 'Brunei Halal' for its halal foods.
=== Banking ===
Brunei currently has three local banks, foreign and a central bank. One is Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam, which is the national Islamic bank of Brunei Darussalam. Another is a trust fund, Perbadanan Tabung Amanah Islam Brunei, commonly known for the acronym TAIB. Other most common banks include Baiduri Bank and Standard Chartered, most frequent for ATM locations nationwide. There are more in Brunei but are not that common, such as Maybank, UOB (United Overseas Bank), RHB Bank, Bank of China, which some has only one branch and ATM in the country.
== Monarchy ==
Brunei is known for their rulers, as a Sultanate. Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah is the current Sultan since 1967 and officially the living longest-reigning monarch, after the death of her Majesty, Elizabeth II, in 2022. Other well-known royals include sons, Prince Azim, a renowned film producer and advocate, later died in 2020, Prince Abdul Mateen, who married Anisha Rosnah at the start of 2024, the royal wedding, and Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III, former Sultan and the 'Father of Independence' and the first Minister of Defence, Prince Jefri Bolkiah, Crown Prince Muhtadee-Billah and Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha, Queen Consort.
== Transport ==
Brunei's transportation include land transports, buses, water taxis and the flag carrier airline, Royal Brunei Airlines. One of its ferry terminals are located in Muara, the port area, access to many water transportation, as well as other jetties, mostly found on Kampong Ayer. Its main bus terminal is located in the capital, Bandar Seri Begawan, serving bus routes: Laluan Pusat, Keliling, Utara, Selatan, Timur and Barat, which in English is translated into: Central, Circle, Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western lines. Brunei also offers taxi and ride-hailing services, Dart.
== Public holidays ==
Brunei has many public holidays, most following the Islamic calendar. Since its independence in 1984, its national day 'Hari Kebangsaan' is celebrated every year on 23 February. Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah's birthday is also celebrated on 15 July. Islamic holidays include the birth of Prophet Nabi Muhammad, known as the 12th day of Rabi' al-Awwal in Islamic calendar, the first day of Ramadan, marking the first day of the holy month, first few days to Shawwal, commonly known as Eid ul-Fitr, and other festivities.
== Trivia ==
* Brunei uses left-hand traffic (LHT), when driving on roads must be on the left side. This includes most of the countries in Southeast Asia.
* The nation was named after Sultan Shah Berunai, also spelled 'Shah Brunei'.
* Its national anthem is Allah Peliharakan Sultan, translated to "God Bless the Sultan", and was written in 1947 by Yura Halim.
* Most of Brunei's population is Malay (Sunni Islam). The religion was installed in the 15th century by the reigning Sultan.
* The national dish is 'ambuyat', also eaten in East Malaysia (Sarawak, Sabah, Labuan Federal Territory). This dish itself is similar to papeda, which is another dish in eastern Indonesia.
* Notice that billboards, road names and services' names on signboards include Jawi, an Arabic language of writing. It is due to the official religion of Brunei.
* 'Bunga Simpur' is the national flower. Its notable appearance could be seen in the B$1 note of the Brunei dollar (BND).
* The Brunei dollar (BND) shares the same exchange rate with the Singapore dollar (SGD), which is also accepted since its Currency Interchangeability Agreement in 1967.
** A commemorative B$20 note was launched in 2007, in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of Currency Interchangeability Agreement between Brunei and Singapore.
* In all services (including companies, retailers, other public places) nationwide, it is compulsory to hang two portraits of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and his wife, Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha. This is due to practice of paying respect in the country.
* Brunei-Muara did not have direct access to the Temburong district by road, until the completion of Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Bridge (Jambutan Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Bridge in Malay), also known as Temburong Bridge in 2020, during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
** The bridge is by far the longest in Southeast Asia area, at 30 kilometres.
* Brunei celebrates its 'national day' on 23 February year, although gaining independence on 1 January 1984.
* One local musician, Aziz Harun, gained huge success to the hit "Ketipak Ketipung Raya" featuring Malaysian singer, Aisha Retno, during the Raya season in 2024. The hit gained over 1 million views and streams on both YouTube and Spotify, as it was one of the official tracks for this festivity.
** One of the other examples of a Bruneian hit is "Majal" by Swanz featuring Asmai, and by producer Mancientry. It gained huge popularity after 2023.
*The international fast-food franchise, McDonald's has recently opened its doors in Kuala Belait, far from the capital. Its debut in the Brunei-Muara district was before 1993. McDonald's currently has six restaurants nationwide, and was owned by Makan Ceria Sdn Bhd.
*A restaurant in Brunei has an exact copy to the American diner chain, Chili's, although it is different to the one in Brunei. The location is within the Jangsak area.
*Brunei used to have HSBC as both ATM and branch locations, until mid-2010s.