60 Fun Facts About Brunei

On which island does Brunei lie?

It is the only sovereign state entirely on the island, which it shares with two larger neighbours.

What is the capital and largest city of Brunei?

It was called Brunei Town until 1970, when it was renamed for the current sultan's father.

The capital was known by what name until 1970?

It was renamed in honour of the 28th sultan, the current ruler's father.

Apart from its coastline, Brunei is completely surrounded by which Malaysian state?

One of its districts even splits Brunei into two separate pieces.

Which Malaysian district cuts Brunei into two unconnected parts?

The White Rajahs seized it in 1890; Brunei only settled the dispute in 2009.

Who became Sultan of Brunei in October 1967?

He took the throne on his father's abdication, became prime minister at independence in 1984 and by 2025 was the world's longest-reigning living monarch.

Hassanal Bolkiah, sultan from 1967, is which number in Brunei's line of sultans?

He took the throne when his father abdicated in October 1967 and celebrated a Golden Jubilee in 2017.

Istana Nurul Iman, the sultan's residence, holds which Guinness record?

It has 1,788 rooms and 257 bathrooms and opens to the public only for the Eid festival, when some 110,000 visitors come.

How many rooms does the Istana Nurul Iman palace contain?

Its banquet hall seats 5,000 and its mosque 1,500; it was finished in 1984 at enormous cost.

Brunei became fully independent from Britain on 1 January of which year?

It joined ASEAN six days later as its sixth member; National Day is celebrated on 23 February.

Brunei declined to join which new federation in 1963, partly because of a revolt the year before?

The 1962 Brunei revolt was put down with British help and the pro-independence Brunei People's Party was banned.

Kampong Ayer, the historic settlement on the Brunei River near the capital, is what?

Nicknamed the "Venice of the East", it was described by Magellan's chronicler Pigafetta in 1521.

Which member of Magellan's expedition described Brunei's water settlements after visiting in 1521?

Magellan had already been killed in the Philippines; the survivors reached Brunei on the way home.

Brunei's flag is mostly yellow, a colour that in Southeast Asia traditionally represents what?

The white and black diagonal stripes stand for the two chief ministers, or wazirs; the red crest was added in 1959.

Brunei’s flag gained its diagonal white and black stripes in which year, when it accepted a British Resident?

Before that the flag was plain yellow; the national crest was added with the 1959 constitution.

Under a 1967 agreement, Brunei's currency is interchangeable at par with which other currency?

Each is accepted as "customary tender" in the other country.

Ambuyat, the national dish of Brunei, is a starchy paste made from what?

It is eaten with a forked bamboo utensil called chandas, twirled and dipped in sour sauces, then swallowed without chewing.

Ambuyat is traditionally eaten with what utensil?

Diners twirl the paste round the prongs and dip it in sambal made with fermented durian or shrimp.

Nasi katok, the cheap staple of rice, fried chicken and sambal, traditionally sold for how much?

The name means "knock rice": customers knocked on the vendor's door to buy it.

Brunei's national philosophy, proclaimed at independence, is Melayu Islam Beraja, meaning what?

Its three pillars are Malay culture, the Islamic religion and rule by the sultan.

Brunei's economy depends overwhelmingly on which two resources?

They account for about 90% of GDP; the country is Southeast Asia's fourth-largest oil producer.

Oil was first struck in Brunei in 1929 at which town, still the centre of the industry?

Two men had smelled oil near the Seria river in 1926; a British Gurkha battalion is still based there.

Which British adventurer was made governor of a Bornean territory by the Sultan of Brunei in 1841?

He had helped crush a rebellion; his family went on to strip Brunei of most of its territory.

Brunei became a British protectorate in which year?

Sultan Hashim asked London for protection against the Brookes' encroachments; a British Resident followed in 1906.

Under which sultan, reigning from 1485, did the Bruneian Empire reach its peak?

Known as Nakhoda Ragam, the "Singing Captain", he is said to have introduced cannon to Brunei.

In 1578 Brunei fought the Castilian War against which European power, which briefly captured its capital?

A fleet from Manila took Kota Batu with help from two Bruneian nobles, but withdrew after disease ravaged the troops.

The country's full official name has three words. Which one means "Abode of Peace"?

Negara means "country" in Malay; the name Brunei itself may come from a legendary cry of "Baru nah!" ("that's it!").

The Temburong District, an exclave, was finally joined to the rest of the country in 2020 by what?

It is the longest bridge in Southeast Asia and bypasses four Malaysian immigration checkpoints.

Ulu Temburong National Park, the country's first national park, is nicknamed what?

Protected since 1991, it covers about 40% of the Temburong District and is famous for its canopy walkway.

Which large-nosed primate, endemic to the island, lives in the mangroves near Brunei's water village?

Its Latin genus name Nasalis means "nose"; a male's can exceed 10 cm and hang below the mouth.

Brunei was the first country in Asia to impose a nationwide ban on what?

It also bans the sale and public consumption of alcohol.

Brunei's 2019 move to punish gay sex with stoning under sharia led to what international response?

The sultan then extended a moratorium on the death penalty to the sharia code and shelved the second phase.

Which script, based on Arabic letters, is used alongside the Latin alphabet to write Malay in Brunei?

Malay switched mainly to Latin letters around 1941, but Jawi remains on signs and official documents.

Brunei's national football team is nicknamed what?

They shocked the region by winning a neighbouring country's cup competition in 1999.

Brunei was expelled from the 2008 Beijing Olympics on the day of the opening ceremony for what reason?

The country has never won an Olympic medal and has never sent anyone to a Winter Games.

DPMM FC, Brunei's best-known football club, is owned by whom?

It has played in the Singapore and neighbouring leagues, since Brunei's own league is too small.

Roughly how much was Brunei's Prince Jefri accused of embezzling from the state investment agency?

His Amedeo conglomerate built the Empire Hotel and Jerudong Park amusement park.

Jerudong Park, the largest amusement park in Southeast Asia, was unusual on opening for what?

Michael Jackson played at its 1994 launch for the sultan's 48th birthday; a small fee was later introduced.

The capital's golden-domed 1958 mosque sits in an artificial lagoon beside what?

Completed in 1958 with Italian marble and Saudi carpets, it was based on a sketch by the sultan himself.

Brunei's Legislative Council is unusual among national legislatures because it is what?

The sultan has held emergency powers since the 1962 revolt, renewed every two years.

Brunei has technically been under what since the 1962 revolt, renewed every two years?

The 1959 constitution gives the sultan full executive authority.

Which sultan, the "Architect of Modern Brunei", introduced the 1959 constitution and abdicated in 1967?

The capital, the great mosque and the Temburong bridge are all named after him.

Brunei has one of the world's highest rates of what, at one per 2.09 people?

Cheap petrol, low import tax and no real public transport explain it.

The country's largest mosque, opened in 1994 in the Kiarong suburb, was built to mark what?

It opened on 14 July 1994, the sultan's 48th birthday, and was his gift to the nation.

Which country invaded Brunei on 16 December 1941 and occupied it for the rest of World War II?

Australian troops retook it in June 1945; the runway the occupiers built became the international airport.

Brunei is the least populous country in which continent?

Fewer than half a million people live in an area smaller than Delaware.

According to legend, what did founder Awang Alak Betatar exclaim on landing, giving Brunei its name?

The phrase means roughly 'that's it!'; the founder became Sultan Muhammad Shah, the first Muslim ruler.

How many districts (daerah) is Brunei divided into?

Brunei-Muara is the smallest but most populous; Tutong is home to Tasek Merimbun, the largest natural lake.

How many mukims (sub-districts) does Brunei have in total?

Each mukim encompasses several villages, or kampongs.

Which foreign troops are stationed at Seria under a defence agreement with Brunei?

About 1,500 personnel are based in the oil town.

Roughly what share of Brunei's land was covered by forest in 2020?

Some 69% of the naturally regenerating forest is primary forest with no visible human disturbance.

Roughly what proportion of Brunei's population is ethnically Chinese?

Malays make up about two-thirds; Buddhism, practised mainly by the Chinese, accounts for around 6% of people.

In which year did Brunei first compete at the Summer Olympics?

It has appeared at every Games since except 2008, and has yet to win a medal.

Which regional multi-sport event did Brunei host in 1999, its first major international sporting event?

Bruneian athletes have won 14 golds at the SEA Games over the years but only four bronzes at the Asian Games.

What is the name of Brunei's English-language daily newspaper, published since 1953?

It began as a weekly community paper and went daily in 1990.

Via which city did Royal Brunei Airlines route its London Heathrow service in the 2010s?

The stopover was central to the airline's aim of making Brunei a hub between Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

Roughly what share of its food does Brunei import?

Around three-quarters of those imports come from other ASEAN countries; the state has pushed rice self-sufficiency with its 'Laila Rice'.

Brunei ranks as which largest oil producer in Southeast Asia, at about 167,000 barrels a day?

It is also the world's ninth-largest exporter of liquefied natural gas and a member of OPEC+.

Brunei's national martial art is called what?

Football remains the most popular sport; the national team joined FIFA in 1969.

Which city's hub operator consulted on the $150 million upgrade of Brunei's main airport?

The project was designed to double annual passenger capacity from 1.5 to 3 million.