Brunei
Officially the State of Brunei, the country is located on the North coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. It is completely surrounded by the state of Sarawak, Malaysia, apart from its coastline with the South China Sea.
The country is actually separated into two parts by a region of Sarawak called Limbang.
Geography:
Brunei is made up of two unconnected parts. The majority of the population lives in the larger Western part while only about 10, 000 people live in the Eastern part. The capital of Brunei is Bandar Seri Begawan and has a population of around 46, 000. Other major towns include Muara, Seria and Kuala Belait.
The climate in Brunei is equatorial tropical and boasts high temperatures, sunshine, high humiditiy and heavy rainfall year round.
Government:
Brunei is controlled by the King and is as a result an absolute monarchy. There is no elected legislative body, however a Parliament has been appointed for sometime, yet lacks any capacity beyond advisors to the monarch.
Brunei has been independent from the United Kingdom since 1984. It is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and of ASEAN.
Did You Know?
- The sale and public consumption of alcohol is banned.
- The official language of the country is Malay, although a large minority also speak Chinese. There are also a great number of English speakers in Brunei.
© Written by E.J.Clarke.
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