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Brunei is an independent Islamic Sultanate, located in
the South China Sea. It occupies two enclaves on the
northwest coast of the island of Borneo and is
surrounded by Sarawak (a state in Malaysia). It covers
an area of 5770 km2. The main cities are
Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital, with 81 500
inhabitants (2004), Kuala Belait (28 400 inhab.) (2004),
Seria (23 500 inhab.) (2004) and Tutong (40 100 inhab.)
( 2004). The climate is tropical, very humid and
monsoon type. Average monthly temperatures vary between
24 o C and 30 o C. The rainy
season occurs from December to March, with the northeast
monsoon, and from May to October, with the southwest
monsoon.
Economy
Brunei's economy is based almost exclusively on the
export of oil and natural gas. At the agricultural
level, the existing crops are fruit, rice and
vegetables; and at the animal level, chickens and
buffalo stand out. The country has one of the highest
GDP per capita values in the world. Brunei's
main trading partners are Japan, Singapore, Malaysia and
Thailand.
Environmental indicator: the value of carbon dioxide
emissions, per capita (metric tons, 1999), is 14.2.
Population
The population is 379,444 inhabitants (est. 2006), which
corresponds to a density of about 64.54 inhab./km2. The
birth and mortality rates are, respectively, 18.79% and
3.45%. Average life expectancy is 75.01 years. The value
of the Human Development Index (HDI) is 0.872 and the
value of the Gender-adjusted Development Index (IDG) is
0.867 (2001). It is estimated that in 2025 the
population will reach 506 000 inhabitants. The most
representative ethnic groups are Malays (67%) and
Chinese (16%). The most important religions are Muslim
(67%), Buddhist (13%) and Christian (10%). The official
language is Malay.
History
Brunei was visited by Fernão de Magalhães in 1521, at a
time when the sultan dominated the entire island. Its
power and influence were diminished by the action of
Portuguese and Dutch, having increased its dependence on
Great Britain. British protectorate from 1888, Brunei
became independent in 1984. It is a monarchy, in which
the head of state and government is a sultan. |
| 1UpTravel.com - Maps of Brunei Darussalam |
| Browse a collection of three country maps of this
Southeastern Asian country, bordering the South China
Sea and Malaysia. Check out the political map of Brunei. |
| http://www.1uptravel.com/worldmaps/brunei.html |
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| ABC Maps - Brunei |
| ABC provides two color countrywide maps that include
surrounding nations and bodies of water. Follow links
for more detailed information. |
| http://www.theodora.com/maps/brunei_map.html |
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| Brunei - Merriam-Webster Atlas |
| Detailed color map of this Asian country also includes
country facts, illustration of the nation's flag, and a
historical summary. |
| http://www.m-w.com/maps/brunei.html |
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| Brunei - National Geographic |
| Check out a satellite created map of this Asian country
with zooming ability. Plus, find cities, land features,
and bordering countries. |
| http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine/index.html?i |
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| Brunei - Topography |
| Color-coded topographic map documents land forms, rivers
and major cities. Follow links for country statistics
and related news. |
| http://www.sesrtcic.org/members/bru/brumapto.shtml |
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| Graphic Maps- City Map of Brunei |
| Discover a map of Brunei country with its different
cities. |
| http://www.graphicmaps.com/webimage/countrys/asia/ciamaps/bn |
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| Lonelyplanet.com- Map of Brunei |
| Lonely Planet offers multi color map of Brunei, an Asian
country. |
| http://www.lonelyplanet.com/mapshells/south_east_asia/brunei... |
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