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COUNTRY'S NAME
NEGARA BRUNEI DARUSSALAM (The Country of Brunei, Abode of Peace)

SIZE
5,765km2

POPULATION
340,800 (2002 est.)

DENSITY
59 persons/km2

LOCATION:
Located on the Northwestern shores of the Island of Borneo, between longitudes 114'04" and 114'23" East and latitudes 4'00" and 5'05" North. Brunei, although occupying less than 1% of Borneo's land area, is the only sovereign country on the island, which it shares with the Indonesian provinces of West, East, South and Central Kalimantan, and the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak.

HEAD OF STATE
His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah Ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar 'Ali Saifuddien Sa'adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, 29th Ruler of his line, starting with Sultan Muhammad in 1405 AD.

ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS
Four districts (Brunei - Muara, Tutong, Belait, Temburong)

BORDERS:
Bounded on all sides by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, except in the North for a 161 km long coastline with the South China Sea

CAPITAL CITY
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (in the Brunei - Muara District)

CLIMATE
Pleasant equatorial climate characterized by year round average temperatures ranging between 23 to 32 degrees Celsius, and rainfalls averaging 3.2 meters annually, with no distinct rainy season, although the months from November to March tend to bring heavier rains and stronger seas.

ECONOMY
With a GDP of around USD4.2 billion and a per capita GDP of around USD12.3 thousand (provisional 2002 figures), Brunei's mainly oil and gas based economy offers a high standard of living to its population, resulting in positive social indicators such as high literacy rates, long life expectancy, low infant mortality rates, low unemployment and low crime rates. Government, construction, services, retail and some manufacturing complete Brunei's current economic scenario, with tourism very much a sunrise industry called to play in future an important role in Brunei's economic diversification drive.

THE NATIONAL FLAG OF BRUNEI DARUSSALAM

The rectangular shaped State flag of four component portion, two parallelograms and two trapeziums - is cut across by a parallelogram from a point 6.35 cm below the top left corner to a point of the same distance from the bottom corner on the right side. The standard measures 82 cm long by 91.4 cm wide. The parallelogram dividing the rectangle in this manner leaves two similar trapeziums at the top and bottom of the flag, with the lower trapezium assuming the inverted form of the upper trapezium. The parallelogram is again divided into two parallelograms of unequal depths, the upper being 2.54 cm wider that the lower which is 19.05 cm in width.

The State crest in red superimposes the center of the flag.

The forefingers of the upright arms, which support the red crest, are equidistant at 61 cm from the left and right sides of the flag.

Embodied in the crest in yellow Arabic script is the state motto, which can be roughly translated: Always Render Service by God's Guidance

Four colours are incorporated in the flag, red for the crest, yellow for the trapeziums, white for the upper parallelogram and black for the lower parallelogram.

The National Crest of Brunei Darussalam

The National Crest of Brunei Darussalam has developed from a Royal emblem and in its original form still maintains its status as one of the Royal emblems. The present National Crest was superimposed on the National flag after promulgation of the 1959 Brunei Constitution. The crest consists of: Bendera - the flag. Payung Ubor-Ubor - the Royal Umbrella. Sayap - the wing. Tangan (Kimhap) - the hand Bulan - the crescent.

The Bendera and Payung Ubor-Ubor have been Royal regalia's since the creation of the crest.

The Sayap - the wing of four feathers - symbolizes the protection of justice, tranquility, prosperity and peace.

Tangan or Kimhap - the hand - signifies the Government's pledge to promote welfare, peace and prosperity.

Bulan - the crescent - is the symbol of Islam, the national religion of Brunei Darussalam.
The characters inscribed on the crescent is the National slogan, "Always in service with God's guidance".

The scroll beneath the crest reads "Brunei Darussalam" which means "Brunei, the abode of peace".

BRUNEI NATIONAL ANTHEM

AIR, SEA AND ROAD LINKS
Brunei enjoys excellent connections to the outside world. Royal Brunei Airlines flies non-stop or direct to most major destinations in Asia-Pacific, South Asia, the Middle East and to London and Frankfurt in Europe, while Malaysia Airlines, Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways provide easy one-stop connections to the rest of the world through their hubs in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Bangkok. Ferries link Brunei with the Malaysian island of Labuan off the coast of Sabah, and to the Malaysian towns of Limbang and Lawas in Sarawak, while the road network connects Brunei to Miri, Limbang and Lawas in Sarawak, and onward to Kota Kinabalu in Sabah. The Indonesian provinces of Kalimantan can be reached by road, air or boat via Sarawak or Sabah.