Brunei

Brunei, officially the State of Brunei Darussalam ( Malay : Negara Brunei Darussalam), is a country in Southeast Asia. It is located on the island of Borneo in the South China Sea and is further completely surrounded by Malaysia . Brunei is 5,765 sq km slightly larger than Gelderland .

Contents

 * 1 History
 * 2 Administrative divisions
 * 3 Demographics
 * 3.1 Population
 * 3.2 Language
 * 3.3 Religion
 * 4 Culture
 * 5 Economics
 * 6 Geography
 * 6.1 Cities
 * 6.2 Sights
 * 7 Climate
 * 8 Health Care
 * 9 Media
 * 10 Nature
 * 11 Education
 * 12 Politics
 * 13 Traffic and transport
 * 14 Sharia

History
Brunei was from the 14th century an independent sultanate and then included the southern Philippines, and Sarawak and Sabah. In 1888 it became a British protectorate. The representatives of the British king was the British resident in Brunei and later the high commissioners.

The Japanese occupied Brunei on January 6 1942 . On 14 June 1945, Brunei was recaptured by the British. The sultanate was ended on January 1 1984 independent.

Since 1967 ruling Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah as absolute monarch. The half elected and half appointed parliament from the British period was abolished after independence, but in 2004 restored.

Brunei has affiliations with: APEC , ASEAN and the Commonwealth of Nations (formerly the British Commonwealth)

Administrative divisions
Districts of Brunei Brunei is divided into four districts, called daerah:
 * Belait
 * Brunei and Muara
 * Temburong
 * Tutong

Population
Approximately two thirds of the population is of Malay origin. Chinese are the largest ethnic minority (15 percent of the population).

Language
The official language is Malay ; in addition, Chinese an important language. Also in Brunei English spoken.

Religion
Sunni Islam is the official religion of Brunei. According to the constitution, the Sultan must be Muslim. He is also the religious leader of the Muslim population of Brunei.Other religions in Brunei are Buddhism (17% of the population, mainly among Chinese) and Christianity (31% of the population). Since 1990, the government aims to anchor the Malay Islamic monarchy in the minds of the people (ban on Christian holidays and alcohol, introducing more Islamic holidays). The contract workers which include the rubber plantations were put to work, were Hindu .

Culture
The culture of Brunei is very similar to the Malay culture, with much influence of Hinduism and Islam . Children wear, as in many other countries school uniforms. Alcohol is not sold in stores in Brunei, for religious reasons. There are no discos or nightclubs. Many activities take place at home, such as karaoke . Alcohol is bought in Sarawak, part of Malaysia. A foreigner can be up to 12 cans of beer or two bottles of wine imported for personal use.

Brunei has, in addition to the Islamic and Christian holidays two national holidays: February 23 independence is celebrated on July 15 and the Sultan's birthday.

In Brunei they are three types of identity cards, either yellow (official inhabitants), red (permanent residents) and green (foreigners with work visas). It is quite difficult as a foreigner to get a red identity card; the period is for men at least 20 years (if married to a woman Brunei). For a foreign woman (married to Brunei man) it is significantly faster, between 3 and 5 years.

Economy
The production of crude oil and gas accounts for almost 90% of GDP . In addition, there clothing industry. Health care and study is free, oil, rice and subsidized housing. Brunei aims to be less dependent on revenue from oil and gas. Brunei is a member of APEC .

Muara Port is a port in Muara approximately 29 km from Bandar Seri Begawan. This is also the Muara Container Terminal .

On labor or products is no excise tax. One car is on average 20% tax. Road tax averaged 25 per year.

Geography
Brunei consists of two parts, both at the Brunei Bay area, but not connected. 97 percent of the population lives in the western part that by far the largest. Approximately ten thousand people live in the mountainous eastern part, in the province of Temburong . Brunei also claim parts of the Spratly Islands .

City
The main cities are the capital, Bandar Seri Begawan, the port cities of Kuala Belait and Muara and the oil town of Seria . Seria live many foreigners (British, Dutch) who takes the spot working for the local oil companies.
 * * In 2001 a new census took place, but these are not (yet) no data available for the cities
 * ** Kampong Ayer is usually mentioned as part of Bandar Seri Begawan, causing the population of the city is at 45 867

Sights
Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque
 * Bandar Seri Begawan including the Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque and Istana Nurul Iman, the palace of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah .

Climate
The climate is tropical, with high temperatures, high humidity and heavy rainfall.

Health
Healthcare in Brunei is free. Raja Isteri Anak Saleha Peng Iran Hospital in Bandar Seri Begawan is the largest hospital in Brunei. It was opened on 28 August 1984. It is 170,000 m2 and is located approximately 0.8 km outside the center.

Media
Media in Brunei especially defend the positions of the government. Newspapers in Brunei Borneo Bulletin , Media Permata and The Brunei Times .

The government of Brunei has six channels using DVB-T (RTB 1, RTB 2, RTB 3 (HD), RTB 4 5 RTB and RTB New Media (Game portal) and five radio stations (National FM, Pilihan FM, Nur Islam FM, Harmony FM and Pelangi FM).

There is cable TV (Astro Crystal) and Kristal FM radio station.

UBD FM is an online radio station of the University of Brunei Darussalam.

Nature
Brunei has several nature reserves which include the Tasek Merimbun Heritage Park . There are unspoilt stretches of rainforest .

The Ulu Temburong National Park is located south of the district Temburong 550 km2 of forest. It has a research center, the Kuala Belalong Rainforest Field Studies Centre, which is reachable only by boat.

25 hectares of the Kuala Belalong area for projects in collaboration with the University of Brunei Darussalam, Kuala Belalong Field Studies and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute . It is called the Belalong Rainforest Experience.

Education
Education in Brunei is free.

The University of Brunei Darussalam is a university since 1985 in Bandar Seri Begawan . There are 12 disciplines and approximately 2,800 students.

The University Islam Sultan Sharif Ali, an Islamic university since 2007. It has 4 study.

Politics
Hassanal Bolkiah, the Sultan of Brunei.

The Sultan of Brunei , Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah, is one of the world's richest people.

He is also head of state and head of government ( prime minister ). He is assisted by advisory councils and ministers. There is no elected legislature. The prime minister is appointed by the sultan, he currently performs that function so themselves.

Traffic and transport
Brunei International Airport is the international airport in Bandar Seri Begawan in Brunei.

The capital is a bus accessible from the west of Brunei with the bus or Bandar Seri Begawan from Miri in Sarawak in Malaysia from the Sungai Tujuh bus terminal and along the coastal road. East of Brunei ( Temburong ) is accessible from Sarawak in Malaysia, via Limbang from the Kuala Lurah bus terminal. The bus station in Bandar Seri Begawan is located in Jalan Cator. There are six bus routes in the vicinity of Bandar Begawan Series Central Line, Circle Line, Eastern Line, Southern Line, Western Line and the Northern Line.

There is also a bus to the places Tutong , Seria and Kuala Belait . There is a water taxi, known penambang between Bandar Seri Begawan and Kampong Ayer . There are also links toTemburong and Limbang , Lawas , Sundar and Labuan in Malaysia.

Sharia
In October 2013 made Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah announced that in the sultanate of Brunei in April 2014 by the Sharia, Islamic law takes effect. Sharia law applies only to Muslims and not Christians, Buddhists or people who follow other faiths. According to the sultan Sharia should be seen as a special directive from Allah. Its introduction is in his part of the history of the country.