Brunei: An Unremarkable Nation

By Brian Englesma

Hey there cats and dogs, I’d like to take a moment of your time and tell you about a nation that I feel is very random: Brunei. The Kingdom of Brunei is located on the island of Borneo in southeastern Asia. Brunei shares this island home with two other larger and far less random countries: Malaysia and Indonesia.

Officially Brunei is known as the State of Brunei, Abode of Peace. A nation of over 380,000, Brunei occupies almost 2,230 square miles, about the size of Delaware, of pristine land on the northern shore of Borneo. Their government is officially an Islamic Absolute Monarchy, with the proud Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah ruling over the nation.

The Sultan of Brunei is known worldwide for his jet setting life of luxury. He officially has three wives and twelve children, and has amassed a fortune of twenty billion dollars. For a brief time in 1997 he proudly claimed the title of richest man in the world. The Sultan owns a Boeing 747 with gold plated furniture. Furthermore, the Sultan owns the largest amusement park in Southeastern Asia, Jerudong Park, worth an estimated three billion dollars, and in the past admission to the park has been free. Finally, the Sultan is world known for his love of expensive cars. It’s estimated that the Sultan of Brunei owns between three and six thousand cars, at an estimated value of four billion dollars.

While the Sultan’s wealth is undeniable, his power is at a low point in history. The Sultanate of Brunei once controlled nearly all of the island of Borneo. Attacks by Europeans looking to carve out colonies and spheres of influence eventually dwindled Brunei’s land to its current Delawarian size.

One thing Bruneians are proud of is their wealth. Brunei ranks fifth in per capita GDP (PPP) of 51,000 dollars, one spot ahead of the United States. Brunei’s wealth lies mostly in its vast oil reserves, which make up half of the nations GDP. Other sources of wealth include foreign investment, tourism and banking. Recently the national airline of Brunei, Royal Brunei, has been attempting to make Brunei a hub for air travel on its way from Asia to Australia.
Brunei is quick to boast of its free, universal health care. It should be noted, however, that no hospital in Brunei is currently undergoing international health care accreditation, and no medical schools exist within the entire nation.

Ethnically, it is predominantly Malay, although they also have a large amount of Chinese and Filipino immigrants who came to the country to find work. Similarly, Islam is the largest religion in the state, and is the official state religion.

One interesting feature of Brunei is its almost complete prohibition of alcohol. Following the adoption of a prohibitionist policy in the early 1990′s all bars, pubs and nightclubs were forced to close. One exception does exist to this rule, as foreigners and non-Muslims are allowed to bring up to twelve cans of beer and 2 bottles of other alcohol into the nation once every 48 hours.

Known best for its playboy Sultan, Brunei is an overlooked country often forgotten by the world. It has nearly everything you’re looking for in a random country; it’s small, peaceful, unnoticeable, and knowledge of the nation is low. Brunei, now that is a random country.