Brunei – background information

Brunei, officially Negara Brunei Darussalam, occupies less than 1 percent of the total land area of Borneo. Borneo, the third largest island in the world, after Greenland and New Guinea, houses three nations: Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. Brunei, situated on the NW coast of Borneo, is bordered by the South China Sea to the north, and divided in two by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, which surrounds all of Brunei’s borders.

Brunei has an equatorial climate, with an average annual temperature of 28˚C along the coast and 21˚C in the highlands. The dry season usually runs from May to October, the wet season from November to March. Humidity is usually around 75-85%, but can reach 100% in the rainforests at night. Rainfall is well distributed throughout the year, with an average annual rainfall of over 2,500mm. The wettest area is the Temburong district, which has an average annual rainfall of 4,060mm.

Brunei lies between 4˚ and 5˚ north of the equator, with an area of 5,765 km². The country is divided into four districts: Brunei Muara, Tutong and Belait in the western part, and the Temburong district separated by Sarawak to the east. The districts are further sub-divided into thirty-eight ‘mukims’.

Brunei has a population of approximately 400,000, with around 97% of the population occupying the larger western part of the country. The population of Brunei comprises of approximately 73% Malay and 15% Chinese, with the remaining 12% indigenous tribes. The official language of Brunei is Malay, although Chinese and English are also widely spoken. The official religion is Islam, with the Sultan being the head of the Islamic faith in Brunei.

Most of the country occupies a low alluvial coastal plain, which rarely rises above 15m. The coast is mainly sandy, except for a stretch of rocky headland (rising to 30m) between Muara and Pekan Tutong. Further towards the interior of the western part of Brunei, the landscape turns much hillier with two upland areas: the Ladan Hills and the Labi Hills. The district of Temburong to the east is much more mountainous, with deep, narrow valleys, and hills over 600m.

There are four main rivers within Brunei: the Temburong, the Belait, the Tutong, and the Brunei River. The capital (and largest city) of Brunei is Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB), which is situated on a natural inlet of Brunei Bay. The highest mountain in the region is Bukit Pagon at a height of 1,850 metres, although its summit is in neighbouring Sarawak.

Crude oil and natural gas are the chief exports of Brunei, accounting for 40% of the country’s GDP, and 90% of its exports. Brunei is the third-largest oil producer in Southeast Asia, and the fourth largest producer of liquefied natural gas in the world. The Seria oilfield, just off the coast of Belait, lies on a narrow anticline just 13km long and 2.5 km wide. The Belait district of Brunei is the centre for the oil and gas industries. Brunei’s resource-rich economy allows its population high living standards, with high literacy rates, long life expectancy, and low unemployment and crime rates.  With the petroleum and natural gas resources expected to run dry within 20 years, Brunei’s government has recognised the need to diversify by targeting international tourism, finance, transport and ICT.

  Brunei – ecology and wildlife

The island of Borneo is home to over half of the world’s plant and animal species, and is considered one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots. Many of the species found are endemic to the island, with an estimated 5,000 endemic flowering plants, and 500 endemic mammals, birds, reptiles and fish. Borneo is famous for being one of the two places in the world where the Orang-utan has survived. As late as the middle of the 19th century, pristine rainforest covered over 90% of the island of Borneo. Today, due to extensive logging across the island, the figure is around 50%. 

Over 60% of Brunei is covered in primary rainforest. Unlike the rest of Borneo, Brunei’s oil wealth has meant there has been little need for the country to exploit the rainforests, which has left large areas free from loggers and shifting cultivators.

Approximately 15% of the total land area of Brunei is protected as reserves or National Parks. Ulu Temburong National Park, created in 1988, covers an area of 50,000ha, approximately 40% of the district of Temburong. The park contains some of the best preserved rainforests of Borneo, from lowland forest and jungle rainforest to montane forest rising to 2000 metres.

There are no roads in the Park; access is via traditional longboats and hiking tracks. The Belalong River, within the park, is reserved solely for scientific research, and is home of the Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre. The centre is run by the University of Brunei Darussalam, and is visited by scientists from across the world, studying the area’s unique habitats and wildlife.

Notable reptile and amphibian species found within the rainforests of Brunei, include the venomous Wagler’s Pit viper (Tropidolaemus wagleri), the Five-lined Flying Lizard (Draco quinquefasciatus) and Wallace’s Flying Frog (Rhacophorus nigropalmatus), named after the naturalist, Alfred Russell Wallace, who collected the first specimen for identification in the 19th century. Important bird species include the rhinocerous hornbill (Bucerous rhinocerous), Bulwer’s pheasant (Lophura bulweri), and the grey-headed fishing eagle (Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus).

It is estimated there are approximately 400 species of butterfly found within the Ulu Temburong National Park, including the Rajah Brooke’s Birdwing (Troides Brookiana), which was named after the ‘White Rajah’ James Brooke, who ruled Sarawak.

Away from the interior rainforests, Brunei has a variety of habitats, from the low-lying peat swamp forests to areas of heath forest and mangroves. The mangroves grow around the tidal mudflats of Brunei Bay, and the Belait and Tutong estuaries, and are important breeding areas for proboscis monkeys, crocodiles, large colonies of flying fish and many wetland birds. The most abundant mangrove tree is the bakau, which grows to approximately 9 metes in height. The estuaries and riverbanks of Brunei are also the home to the nipah palm.

Notable species of plants found within neighbouring Sabah and Sarawak, include: the rafflesia, often known as the ‘corpse flower’ due to its foul odour, and various species of pitcher plant, including the largest of the genus, Nepenthes rajah. Borneo is also home to around a tenth of the world’s species of orchids, including the rare Rothschild slipper orchid (Paphiopedilum rothschildianum). Kinabalu Park and Gunung Gading National Park are prime locations for spotting all three, and are easily accessible through the gateway of Brunei.

  Brunei – history & exploration

From as early as 290BC, evidence suggests that India was trading with South East Asia. Early trade was in spices, camphor, precious woods and other natural forest products. Brunei was on the main trade route between China and the Malay Archipelago, and by the 11th to 13th centuries, the Sultanate’s links with China flourished with the trade of silk, metal, porcelain and stoneware, for Brunei’s forest products such as bezoar stones, hornbill ivory, timber and birds’ nests. By the 15th century, many Chinese had settled in Brunei.

The origin of the Sultanate dates back to around 1370, when Mohammad Shah became the first Sultan of Brunei. In the mid 15th century, the then Sultan, Awang Alakber Tabar, married a Melankan princess, and converted to Islam. It was not until the Sultan’s niece married an Arab, Sharif Ali, that the Islamic faith spread outside the royal household. Sharif Ali, became Sultan Berkat, and introduced a legal system based on Islamic Sharia law. This was when the country assumed the epithet ‘Darussalam’, meaning ‘the abode of peace’.

The reign of the fifth Sultan, Bolkiah, from 1485-1521, is often considered Brunei’s ‘golden age’, when the sultanate had control over large areas of Sabah, Sarawak, the Sulu archipelago and the islands off the north-west tip of Borneo. In 1521, the first European, Ferdinand Magellan, explored the area. In 1526, the Portuguese set up a trading post in Brunei. Relationships with Spain were far more hostile, and in the 1570’s they attacked several important centres, including Manila and Muara.

Over the following two centuries, Brunei continued to be raided by the Spanish, and lost control of many of its dependencies, including Sulu and territories in Borneo. Brunei also suffered from internal battles over royal succession, and the rising influences of the European colonial powers in the region. These problems destroyed the economic base of the country and almost led to the collapse of the Sultanate.

In 1839, the British adventurer James Brooke arrived in Borneo, and helped the Sultan of Brunei, Omar Ali Saiffuddin, contain a rebellion by the Dayaks in the Sarawak valley. In return for his success Brooke was made Governor of Sarawak, and later the ‘White Rajah’ of Sarawak. He gradually expanded the area under his control, and made an unsuccessful attempt to gain control of Brunei. James Brooke’s successor, Rajah Charles Brooke continued attempts to erode the Sultan’s territory. In 1874, even the British were concerned by the ‘White Rajah’s expansionism, and rejected a proposal from Brooke proposing he should make the Sultanate a protectorate. However, a rebellion in 1884 led to the Protectorate Agreement of 1888 between Brunei and Britain, giving London full control of the Sultanate’s external affairs.

Oil exploration in Brunei began in 1899, although the Seria Oilfield was not discovered until 1929. During WW2 Brunei fell to the Japanese, and allied bombing caused considerable damage to the oil and port areas of Brunei.

In 1959, a new constitution was written, declaring Brunei a self-ruling state, although the country’s defence, security and foreign affairs remained with Britain. In 1971, Britain and Brunei signed a treaty to allow the Sultan full control of internal matters, with Britain retaining its advisory role only on defence. On 1st January 1984, Brunei Darussalam became a fully independent state.

  Further reading & resources

The Society's Foyle Reading Room has over 100 items relating specifically to Brunei, with a further 500 items relating to neighbouring Sarawak, Sabah and Kalimantan. The following are available for reference in the Foyle Reading Room.

  Visit the Society’s on-line catalogue for information .

Or visit the Foyle Reading Room in person, where a member of the Collections team will be able to assist.

  Books/Pamphlets/Journal articles:

• Borneo: Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei, Bradt Guide, 2009 (FRR/3D)
• Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei, Lonely Planet, 2001 (FRR/3D)
• Malaysia & Singapore handbook, Footprint Handbook, 1998. (FRR/3D)
• Belalong: a tropical rainforest, Earl of Cranbrook, 1994. (mg 327E)
• Brunei rainforest adventure. Brunei Rainforest Project 1991-2, Peter Brown with RGS, 1993. (mg 327H)
• Brunei: small but astoundingly wealthy, Rupert Grey. (Traveller (London) 18, 1988, 1: pp.14-19) (447XF)
• Brunei: the land and its people. Brunei Shell Petroleum Company, 1978. (mg 327H)
• Brunei: Borneo’s abode of peace, Joseph Judge. (Nat. G. Mag. (Washington) 145, 1974, 2: pp.206-25) (107C-109A)
• Background to a revolt: Brunei and the surrounding territory, Tom Harrisson, 1963. (mg X.972.12)
• The partition of Brunei, K.G. Tregonning. (J. Tropical G. (Singapore) 11, 1958, Apr: pp.84-9) (447B)
• The gardens of the sun, or a naturalist’s journal … of Borneo and the Sulu Archipelago, F.W. Burbidge, 1880. (N07/21M)
• Borneo and the Indian Archipelago, Frank S. Marryat, 1848. (N07/23E)
• A voyage to and from the island of Borneo, Captain Daniel Beeckman, 1718. (N07/23D)

  Maps:

• Sabah. Brunei: an International Travel Map, ITMB, [1:655 000], 1998. (mr Malaysia D.100)
• Street map: Bandar Seri Begawan, Negara Brunei Darassalam, 1:5 000, [1990]. (mr Brunei S.5)
• Negara Brunei Darussalam: tourist map, 1:250 000, 1983. (mr Brunei G.9)
• North Borneo/ Brunei/ Sarawak, DCS, 1:50 000 series, 1953-66.  (mr Asia S.32)
• Report map of the State of Brunei 1955, [1:500 000]. (mr Brunei G.7)
• Sarawak and Brunei, 1:500 000, 1954. (mr Brunei G.3)
• Land use map of Sarawak and Brunei, 1:250 000, [1954]. (mr Brunei G.3)
• Brunei, 1:63 360, 1937. (mr Brunei G.1)
• Borneo, shewing the lands ceded by the Sultans of Brunei & Sulu to the British North Borneo Company, Stanford’s Geographical Establishment, 1902.  (mr Brunei G.8)
• Map of North Borneo by Mr W. M. Crocker, 1:3 500 000, 1881. (mr Asia S/S.12)
• Borneo. North side near Brunei (River Limpong), C.A.C. de Crespigny, [1:490 000], [1872]. (mr Asia S/S.6)
• Map of Borneo from that of Baron Metrill de Carnbee and Admiralty surveys by Augustus Petermann, 1851. (mr Asia S/S.13)

· Copies of selected maps (depending on copyright status) may be purchased as prints from the Foyle Reading Room. For more information please contact us at enquiries@rgs.org or 020 7591 3044.

  Picture Library Material:
Highlights include photographs by Charles Hose, H.M. Lomas, Tom Harrisson, and images from the RGS Brunei Rainforest Project 1991-2.

· Prints of photographs and other images can be purchased from the Society’s Picture Library website

  Geographical Journal Articles:

• Climatic Patterns in a Tropical Rainforest in Brunei by A.P. Dykes. (GJ Vol.166, No.1, Mar 2000, pp.63-80)
• The RGS expedition to Gunong Mulu, Sarawak 1977-78 by A. Robin Hanbury-Tenison & A. Clive Jermy. (GJ Vol.145, No.2, Jul 1979, pp.175-191)
• Innermost Borneo: Ten Years’ Exploration and Research by Tom Harrisson.
  (GJ Vol.125, No.3/4, Sep-Dec 1959, pp.299-311)
• In the Heart of Borneo by Charles Hose. (GJ Vol.16, No.1, Jul 1900, pp.39-59)
• A Journey up the Baram River to Mount Dulit and the Highlands of Borneo by Charles Hose. (GJ Vol.1, No.3, 1893, pp.193-206)
• Notes on Sarawak and Northern Borneo by William M. Crocker. (Proceedings of RGS New Monthly Series, Vol. 3, No.4, Apr 1881, pp. 193-208)

  Journal Maps

Several Brunei maps from the Society’s publications can be purchased. For more information please contact us at enquiries@rgs.org or 020 7591 3044.

• Map of North Borneo [Insets: General Map of Borneo 1:15 500 000 & Residency of Sarawak 1:900 000], W.M.Crocker, 1881, £45 (432)
• Borneo from within [sketch map of N.W. Borneo] by Tom Harrisson D.S.O., 1959, £15 (1424)

  Expedition Reports

• University of Leeds expedition to Brunei 1982 (1174)
• Oxford University geological expedition to Negara Brunei Darussalm 1986 (1679)
• University of Leeds and 1st King’s Own Scottish Borderers Tartan River expedition, Brunei 1986 (1638)
• Cambridge Temburong ’89, Cambridge-Brunei rainforest expedition 1989 (2541)
• Dragon School Exploration Brunei 1998 (3506)
  

  Further Reading:

• Rebellion in Brunei: the 1962 Revolt, Imperialism, Confrontation & Oil, IB Tauris & Co. Ltd, 2007.
  ISBN: 9781845114237
• Wild Borneo: The wildlife & scenery of Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei and Kalimantan, New Holland Publishers, 2006. ISBN: 9781845373788
• This is Borneo, Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei and Kalimantan, New Holland Publishers, 2006.
  ISBN: 9781845377236
• Language, Ideology and Power in Brunei Darussalam, Ohio University Press, 1996.
  ISBN: 9780896801929
• By god’s Will: a portrait of the Sultan of Brunei by Lord Chalfont, Grove Press, 1989.
  ISBN: 9781555843960

  Internet resources & online travel reviews

• Brunei Tourism
• Bond in Brunei: Jennie returns to the jungle (Independent.co.uk 17 Nov 2007)
• The day we went to Bangar (Telegraph.co.uk 08 Feb 2006)
• The gold-plated stopover (Independent.co.uk 27 November 1999)

(Views and opinions on external websites do not reflect those of the Society.)

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