Brunei: The Quiet Billionaire Countries

Here’s a new riddle for you: what do flying snakes, an assortment of imported Australian beef, and gold-domed mosques have in common? Well, they can all be found in the single, small nation of Brunei. Don’t fret if you can’t locate Brunei on a globe, because it’s like that kid riding shotgun in a Lamborghini when they reveal they’re from a wealthy family — they never boast, but that’s a real-show stealer.

Now let’s dive into the flag details. I’m sure looking closely, or from a distance, you would think that someone placed an anchor on a banana. But as emblem deep as a crest full of royal symbols, from parasols to Arabic calligraphy, the parasols restore everything. Not France, but the motto: “Render service to God’s guidance.” “Not bad but it is amazing for a flag that seems to belong on a shipping container.”

Let’s play connect-the-dots with Brunei’s geography. Each country owns a piece of the island. But here’s the twist: Brunei itself is split into two parts. Temburong, the eastern slice, is kind of a loner cousin surrounded by Malaysian water. To get there, you take a boat, enter through a car in Malaysia, or cross a very particular bridge. It’s like a game of “How bad do you want to get to Temburong?”

The bling center is undoubtedly Bandar Seri Begawan with the gold-domed royal barges and palatial mosques. The Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque is constructed on a man-made lagoon; this particular mosque came as the crown jewel of Brunei with a golden dome that certainly would make it wonderous if it were real.

Orbit out and envision a town that defies the laws of land. Additionally, there are schools, bonafide hospitals, and even body eateries floating on the splendid Brunei River. The locals commute via water taxis in what can only be described as casual. This region can closely be compared to Southeast Asia’s Venice, alienated from the costly gondolas.

Brunei’s territory may be tiny, but focus on the oil, because Brunei runs on this. Shell has the sole refinery running these past decades, and esencially profits multiplied from 1929. This black gold benefit allows Brunei to import most of it’s food despite being agriculturally capable. They even own cattle ranch in Australia that’s bigger than Brunei just to supply boast.

Alongside these imports comes a one of kind Brunei vibe. Malay is the official depending language spoken, but English is extremely common. Aside from them Chinese Training and Kedayan (which is a local dialect) is also common. The region finds itself in the midst of languages due to British colonial history.

People. Brunei’s population is estimated to be around 417,000. The majority (around 63%) are Malays, with the rest being Chinese, Indigenous Kedayans, Bisaya, and other groups such as Indians, Filipinos, and some Europeans and Middle Easterners who work in oil — the latter two groups being small in number. Their lifestyle?

Routine Bruneian life is pretty good, but living is not all relaxed and chill. It has sparked quite the reaction, primarily from non-Muslim society and global human rights organizations, and for good reason. While the law is being rolled out in steps, it certainly caught everyone’s attention.

Bruneians have the Sultan, Hassanal Bolkiah, to thank for lending Brunei some of the notoriety associated with his name. This guy’s lifestyle is straight out of a James Bond villain’s wishlist. He possesses the only palace in the world that has 1,700 plus rooms, 5 pools, a banquet hall for 5000 that seats and additional to 9000 cars some of which he customized himself.

Even if the life of Bruneians is lavish due to the royalties, they seem to be happy with the country’s progression as well. Brunei has proper health and educational institutions as well as low crime rates. On the political aspect of things, Brunei is known for remaining neutral and being on good terms with its ASEAN neighboring countries like Malaysia, Philippines and of all, Singapore. Here’s a fun fact: Brunei and Singapore would accept each other’s currency like they’re one wallet shared by the family.

So what is Brunei really? Its a tiny country compared to the rest of the world with its ‘big’ vision, hidden in the forests of Borneo. The country is calm, isolated and full of highlights. Rich in oil but surrounded by nature, ultra-modern yet traditonally deep and not flashy, wealthy and peaceful is what defines Brunei. Even though we sonstantly associate the country as ‘small’, the amount of stories it holds is astounding.