Brunei

Brunei Darussalam Negara Brunei Darussalam (Malay)
Flag Emblem
Motto:  الدائمون المحسنون بالهدى‎ Ad-dāʾimūna al-muḥsinūna bi-l-hudā (Sentiasa membuat kebajikan dengan petunjuk Allah) Always in service with God's guidance
Anthem:  Allah Peliharakan Sultan ﷲ ڤليهاراکن سلطان‎ God Bless the Sultan
Show globe Show map of south-east Asia Location of Brunei (green) in the ASEAN (dark grey)  –  [Legend]
Capital and largest city	Bandar Seri Begawan 4°53.417′N 114°56.533′E / 4.890283°N 114.942217°E / 4.890283; 114.942217
Official language	Malay[1]
Other languages and dialects[2][3][4]	Brunei Malay English Tutong Kedayan Belait Chinese (Hokkien, Hakka Chinese, Standard Chinese and Cantonese) Murut Dusun Brunei Bisaya
Official scripts	Malay alphabet (Rumi) Jawi alphabet[5]
Ethnic groups (2023)[6]	73.7% Malays 9.6% Chinese 16.6% others
Religion (2021)[6]	82.1% Sunni Islam (official) 6.7% Christianity 6.3% Buddhism 4.9% other (includes Indigenous beliefs)
Demonym(s)	Bruneian
Government	Unitary Islamic absolute monarchy
• Sultan and Prime Minister	Hassanal Bolkiah
• Crown Prince and Senior Minister	Al-Muhtadee Billah
Legislature	none[a]
Formation
• Sultanate established	c. 1368
• British protected state	17 September 1888
• Independence from the United Kingdom	1 January 1984
Area
• Total	5,765[10] km2 (2,226 sq mi) (164th)
• Water (%)	8.6
Population
• 2020 estimate	460,345[11] (169th)
• 2016 census	417,256
• Density	72.11/km2 (186.8/sq mi) (134th)
GDP (PPP)	2024 estimate
• Total	$33.875 billion[12] (145th)
• Per capita	$76,864[12] (9th)
GDP (nominal)	2024 estimate
• Total	$15.783 billion[12] (122nd)
• Per capita	$35,813[12] (23rd)
HDI (2022)	0.823[13] very high (55th)
Currency	Brunei dollar (BND)
Time zone	UTC+8 (Brunei Standard Time)
Drives on	left
Calling code	+673[c]
ISO 3166 code	BN
Internet TLD	.bn[14]
^ Also 080 from East Malaysia.

Brunei,^[b] officially Brunei Darussalam,^[c][d] is a country in Southeast Asia, situated on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from its coastline on the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with its territory bifurcated by the Sarawak district of Limbang. Brunei is the only sovereign state entirely on Borneo; the remainder of the island is divided between its multi-landmass neighbours of Malaysia and Indonesia. As of 2023^[update], the country had a population of 455,858,^[11] of whom approximately 180,000 resided in the capital and largest city of Bandar Seri Begawan. Its official language is Malay and Islam is the state religion of the country, although other religions are nominally tolerated. The government of Brunei is a constitutional absolute monarchy ruled by the Sultan, and it implements a fusion of English common law and jurisprudence inspired by Islam, including sharia.

At the Bruneian Empire's peak during the reign of Sultan Bolkiah (1485–1528), the state is claimed to have had control over the most of Borneo, including modern-day Sarawak and Sabah, as well as the Sulu archipelago and the islands off the northwestern tip of Borneo. There are also claims to its historical control over Seludong, the site of the modern Philippine capital of Manila, but Southeast Asian scholars believe the name of the location in question is actually in reference to Mount Selurong, in Indonesia.^[18] The maritime state of Brunei was visited by the surviving crew of the Magellan Expedition in 1521, and in 1578 it fought against Spain in the Castilian War.

During the 19th century, the Bruneian Empire began to decline. The Sultanate ceded Sarawak (Kuching) to James Brooke and installed him as the White Rajah, and it ceded Sabah to the British North Borneo Chartered Company. In 1888, Brunei became a British protectorate and was assigned a British resident as colonial manager in 1906. After the Japanese occupation during World War II, a new constitution was written in 1959. In 1962, a small armed rebellion against the monarchy which was indirectly related to the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation was ended with British assistance and led to the ban of the pro-independent Brunei People's Party. The revolt had also influenced the Sultan's decision not to join the Malaysian Federation while it was being formed. Britain's protectorate over Brunei would eventually end on 1 January 1984, becoming a fully sovereign state.

Brunei has been led by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah since 1967, and the country's unicameral legislature, the Legislative Council, is simply consultative and are all appointed by the Sultan. The country's wealth derives from its extensive petroleum and natural gas fields. Economic growth during the 1990s and 2000s has transformed Brunei into an industrialised country, with its GDP increasing 56% between 1999 and 2008. Political stability is maintained by the House of Bolkiah by providing a welfare state for its citizens, with free or significant subsidies in regards to housing, healthcare and education. It ranks "very high" on the Human Development Index (HDI)—the second-highest among Southeast Asian states after Singapore, which it maintains close relations with including a Currency Interchangeability Agreement. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Brunei is ranked ninth in the world by gross domestic product per capita at purchasing power parity. Brunei is a member of the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the East Asia Summit, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation the Non-Aligned Movement, the Commonwealth of Nations, and ASEAN.

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