Data at glance of Brunei - average on period

History

The Sultanate of Brunei's influence peaked between the 15th and 17th centuries, when its control extended over coastal areas of northwest Borneo and the southern Philippines. Internal strife over royal succession, colonial expansion of European powers, and piracy subsequently brought on a period of decline. In 1888, Brunei became a British protectorate; independence was achieved in 1984. The same family has ruled Brunei for over six centuries, and in 2017, the country celebrated the 50th anniversary of Sultan Hassanal BOLKIAH’s accession to the throne. Brunei has one of the highest per-capita GDPs in the world, thanks to extensive petroleum and natural gas fields.

Environment

Area: 5,765 km2

Climate: tropical; hot, humid, rainy

Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, timber

Ethnic characteristics

Groups: Malay 67.4%, Chinese 9.6%, other 23% (2021 est.)

Languages: Malay (Bahasa Melayu) (official), English, Chinese dialectsmajor-language sample(s): Buku Fakta Dunia, sumber yang diperlukan untuk maklumat asas. (Malay)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions: Muslim (official) 82.1%, Christian 6.7%, Buddhist 6.3%, other 4.9% (2021 est.)

Government

Capital: Bandar Seri Begawan

Government type: absolute monarchy or sultanate

Executive branch

Chief of state: Sultan and Prime Minister Sir HASSANAL Bolkiah (since 5 October 1967)

Head of government: Sultan and Prime Minister Sir HASSANAL Bolkiah (since 5 October 1967)cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed and presided over by the monarchelection/appointment process: none; the monarchy is hereditarynote 1: the monarch is both chief of state and head of government, as well as Minister of Finance, Defense, and Foreign Affairs and Tradenote 2: 4 additional advisory councils appointed by the monarch are the Religious Council, Privy Council for Constitutional Issues, Council of Succession, and Legislative Council

Legislative branch

Description: legislature name: Legislative Council (Majlis Mesyuarat Negara)legislative structure: unicameralnumber of seats: 45 (all appointed)electoral system: plurality/majorityscope of elections: full renewalterm in office: 5 yearsmost recent election date: 1/20/2023percentage of women in chamber: 11.4%expected date of next election: January 2028