Brunei's own "National Day" is February 23. This is their celebration of independence from Britain (the sultanate was a protectorate of the UK until 1984).
Note: Any enlarged and/or bolded material are my highlighting.
The Flag of Brunei Darussalam
Brunei Darussalam
Sultan: Haji Hassanal Bolkiah (since 1967)
Land area: 2,035 sq mi (5,271 sq km); total area: 2,228 sq mi (5,770 sq km)
Population (2008 est.): 381,371 (growth rate: 1.7%); birth rate: 18.3/1000; infant mortality rate: 12.6/1000; life expectancy: 75.5; density per sq km: 72
Capital and largest city (2003 est.) : Bandar Seri Begawan, 78,000
Other large cities: Kuala Belait 27,800, Seria 23,400
Monetary unit: Brunei dollar
National Name: Negara Brunei Darussalam
Languages: Malay (official), English, Chinese
The official language is Malay, but English is widely understood and used in business. Other languages spoken are several Chinese dialects, Iban, and a number of native dialects. Ethnicity/race : Malay 67%, Chinese 15%, indigenous 6%, other 12%
National Holiday : National Day, February 23 (note: the national holiday, slightly akin to July 4th).
National Day, 23 February (1984): 1 January 1984 was the date of independence from the UK, while 23 February 1984 was the official date of independence from British protection.
Religions : Islam (official religion) 67%, Buddhist 13%, Christian 10%, indigenous beliefs and other 10%
Literacy rate: 92.7% (2006 est.)
Geography:
About the size of Delaware, Brunei is an independent sultanate on the northwest coast of the island of Borneo in the South China Sea.
Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2007 est.): $19.64 billion; per capita $51,000.
Real growth rate: 0.4%. Inflation: 0.4%.Unemployment: 4% (2006). Arable land:1%. Agriculture: rice, vegetables, fruits; chickens, water buffalo, eggs.
Labor force: 146,300; note: includes foreign workers and military personnel; temporary residents make up about 40% of labor force; agriculture, forestry, and fishing 2.9%; production of oil, natural gas, services, and construction 61.1%; government 36% (2003 est.).
Industries: petroleum, petroleum refining, liquefied natural gas, construction. Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, timber. Exports: $4.514 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.): crude oil, natural gas, refined products. Imports: $1.641 billion c.i.f. (2004 est.): machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, chemicals.
Major trading partners: Japan, South Korea, Australia, U.S., Thailand, Indonesia, China, Singapore, Malaysia, UK (2004).
Communications:
Telephones: main lines in use: 90,000 (2002); mobile cellular: 137,000 (2002).
Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 10, shortwave 0 (1998).
Television broadcast stations: 2 (1997).
Internet hosts: 6,409 (2003). Internet users: 35,000 (2002).
Transportation: Highways: total: 2,525 km; paved: 2,525 km (2000). Waterways: 209 km; navigable by craft drawing less than 1.2 m (2004). Ports and harbors: Lumut, Muara, Seria.
Airports: 2 (2004 est.).
Illicit drugs:
Drug trafficking and illegally importing controlled substances are serious offenses in Brunei and carry a mandatory death penalty.
A Very Brief History (6th century AD to today):
Brunei was trading with China during the 6th century, and, through allegiance to the Javanese Majapahit kingdom (13th to 15th century), it came under Hindu influence. In the early 15th century, with the decline of the Majapahit kingdom and widespread conversion to Islam, Brunei became an independent sultanate.
It was a powerful state from the 16th to the 19th century, ruling over the northern part of Borneo and adjacent island chains. But Brunei fell into decay and lost Sarawak in 1841, becoming a British protectorate in 1888 and a British dependency in 1905.
Japan occupied Brunei during World War II; it was liberated by Australia in 1945.
The sultan regained control over internal affairs in 1959, but Britain retained responsibility for the state's defense and foreign affairs until 1984, when the sultanate became fully independent. Sultan Bolkiah was crowned in 1967 at the age of 22, succeeding his father, Sir Omar Ali Saifuddin, who had abdicated. During his reign, exploitation of the rich Seria oilfield had made the sultanate wealthy. Brunei has one of the highest per capita incomes in Asia. The sultan is believed to be one of the richest men in the world.
In Aug. 1998, Oxford-educated Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah was inaugurated to be the heir (the future sultan) to the 500-year-old monarchy.
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