Brunei Description

Brunei - a country of contradictions and contrasts. Mosque with golden domes are side by side with the poor neighborhoods that were built on stilts. However, Brunei has one of the world's highest rates of per capita income. People live here, observing strict laws shiriata, and standards of conduct is sufficiently severe. In Brunei prohibited use of alcohol and there is no night life, probably, so come here only real travelers who wish to get acquainted with the true traditions of the East and its history. The official name of the country - the State of Brunei Darussalam.

Capital - Bandar Seri Begawan - located in the lower reaches of the river Brunei.

The most critical moment in the debate, to open the country for tourism or not, were very free (as defined by the Muslims) like the Europeans and the concerns about how people will interact very different cultures, beliefs and morals.

Typical for the modernization of the coastal zone will not affect the interior of the country, which still flourishes subsistence farming. Another interesting fact is that outside of the country originating from Brunei praktichseki no.

Local residents are exempt from taxes, many types of services, especially health and education (including overseas), paid by the state, and the birthday of the Sultan all receive gifts. In addition, the state pays for the traditional annual pilgrimage to Mecca - the hajj.

The first mention of the Chinese chroniclers of Brunei refers to the 6 century BC. e. In 10 century, Brunei was known as the "Buddhist Kingdom Sriwidjaja empire of Sumatra, which probably was the prototype of the empire of Java. Brunei reached its heyday in the 16 th century and played an important role in spreading Islam. At the time, like Portugal, Spain, Holland and Britain expanded its colonial possessions in Southeast Asia, the Sultan of Brunei have been able to preserve the independence and sovereignty of the state, despite a decline in its territories and spheres of influence.

At that time, Brunei was a powerful state, which occupied in the sixteenth century, a significant part of the island of Borneo and some neighboring islands. Life in the Sultanate of Brunei was in full swing: the sultans ruled the island, and fought with its neighbors and pirated in the surrounding seas. Dovoevalis before that lost most of its territories.

And only 20 of the last century, when the former greatness of the country's virtually nothing left in the country have found oil. And Brunei overnight became fabulously rich country.

Brunei is located in South-East Asia, on the northwest coast of Borneo and consists of two distinct regions separated by approximately 30-kilometer stretch of Malaysian territory. It shares borders with Malaysia on the north by the South China Sea. West Brunei - a hilly lowland, the eastern part consists of coastal plains rising to a height of 1841 meters in the area of Bukit Pagon. Total area - 5,8 thousand square meters. km.