Brunei
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Capital
Bandar Seri Begawan
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Local time
7:49
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Population
422 678
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Driving side
Left
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Calling code
+673
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Currency
$ BND (dollar)
Brunei
-
Capital
Bandar Seri Begawan
-
Local time
7:49
-
Population
422 678
-
Driving side
Left
-
Calling code
+673
-
Currency
$ BND (dollar)
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Average Salary
$ 2 228
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Petrol price
€ 0.41 pl
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Precipitation
2 722mm /year
Geography & travel
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Country Area
5 770 km2
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Protected Area
44%
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Forest Area
72%
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Agricultural area
2%
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Annual air passengers
1.17 m
Population
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Ethnicity
Malay - 67 %
Chinese - 15 %
indigenous - 6 %
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Religion
Islam - 67 %
Islam - 67 %
Buddhist - 13 %
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Literacy rates
96.1%
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Languages
Malay
English
Chinese
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Armed Forces
9 250
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Alcohol consumption
0.8 l/person
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Smoking
29.3%
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Diabetes
13.7%
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Tuberculosis
58 per 100k
Economy
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Industries
petroleum, petroleum refining, liquefied natural gas, construction, agriculture, transportation
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Agriculture
rice, vegetables, fruits, chickens, water buffalo, cattle, goats, eggs
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Natural Resources
petroleum, natural gas, timber
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Energy Import
-357%
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Natural Resources
petroleum, natural gas, timber
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Renewable Energy
0%
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CO2 Emissions
9 109kt
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Ease of Business
56 (Best=1, Worst=200)
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ATMs per 100k people
77
What not to do when visiting Brunei
Brunei Don‘t forget Brunei has implemented an Islamic Sharia penal code - the offences and punishments apply to both Muslims and non-Muslims (unless explicitly stated otherwise).
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Brunei Don't consume any food or drink in public during the Ramadan.
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Brunei Don't forget to do small bow when greeting with an older person to show respect - it's considered rude to stare into another person's eyes, mainly who is senior to you. Handshakes are only between the same sexes, placing hand to your heart after the handshake is common.
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Did you know?
Brunei is home to the world’s largest residential palace. The Sultan of Brunei has 1500 rooms and 257 bathrooms in his palace, a wife, who is also his cousin, and has been sung to by Michael Jackson for 17 million dollars.
South-Eastern Asia Don't lose the temper and cause "loss of face". The concept of "saving face" is extremely important in East Asian social relationships.
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Brunei Don't lose your face nor cause losing face to anyone - the role of the face, shame and honour are crucial for locals.
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South-Eastern Asia Don't provide your passport as collateral when hiring vehicles - better use cash as deposit.
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Brunei Don't publicly criticise the Sultan nor other members of Royal Family, Sharia Law, or Islam - it's strongly discouraged.
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Brunei Don't show off your love in public - non-Muslims may be arrested for khalwat (close proximity between the sexes, even holding the hands or other affection).
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Brunei Don't use left hand when handing over the things, receiving things nor when eating.
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South-Eastern Asia Don't be too affectionate in public - kissing, cuddling and similar behaviour are frowned upon if in public, especially amongst older locals.
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Brunei Don't give anything made of pigskin and don't give anything which is not halal. Bruneians usually don't invite foreigners into their homes.
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Brunei Don't expect rush or informal communication - the communication style tends to be indirect and somewhat ambiguous. This is done to avoid embarrassing someone or causing either party to lose face. If you are from a more direct culture, you may find the use of evasive responses or insincere yeses frustrating. Most Bruneians find emotions such as impatience, anger, or irritation embarrassing and try to avoid them. Therefore, it is incumbent upon the foreigner to refrain from showing his/her inner f
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South-Eastern Asia Don't pull the motorbike in the middle of the road when trying to turn right as you might be hit from behind or from the front by others. Most of the traffic accidents are caused by this as it's common vehicles are overtaking within each of the sides in parallel and stopping in the middle can cause you big troubles.
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Tell us your experience
We love to hear from people who have travelled the world and know ‘what not to do’. Why not help other people on their travels?
South-Eastern Asia Don't point at people or things with your feet - it's considered very rude as the feet are considered as the most inferior parts of the human body.
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Brunei Don't be surprised with different fuel-filling rules drivers of vehicles not registered in Brunei can only purchase the fuel (max 250 litres) at ten designated stations in the country. Filling a foreign car is more expensive.
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Brunei Don't try to buy alcohol - it cannot be purchased in Brunei. However, two litres of spirits/wine and 12 cans of beer may be imported by non-Muslim adults for personal consumption in private.
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Brunei Don't forget Friday is Muslim holy day - everything is closed.
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Brunei Don't forget to place your fork facing downwards on the plate with spoon facing downwards crossing the fork.
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Brunei Don't underestimate the difficulty of giving an absolute negative response by locals. They have many ways of giving a non-committal " yes". Phrases such as "it is inconvenient" or "we shall see" generally indicate a negative response.
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South-Eastern Asia Don't show disrespect to Buddha or its images - large or small, ruined or not, it's regarded as a sacred object.
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Brunei Don't ever mess with drugs - the death penalty is mandatory for those convicted of trafficking even the small amounts of illicit substances. You can be sentenced to ten years in prison if illegal drugs are found in your system, even if they were consumed outside of the country.
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Brunei Don't forget the rainy season takes place between May-July.
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Brunei Don't forget gambling, prostitution and pornography are illegal in Brunei under the harsh punishments.
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South-Eastern Asia Don't try to outrun the rainstorm on your moped.
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Tell us your experience
We love to hear from people who have travelled the world and know ‘what not to do’. Why not help other people on their travels?
South-Eastern Asia Don't touch a monk. Treat monks with the highest respect. Buddhist monks are forbidden to touch or be touched by a woman, or to accept anything from the hand of woman.
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