Brunei, officially Brunei Darussalam, is a country in Southeast Asia, situated on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from its coastline on the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with its territory bifurcated by the Sarawak district of Limbang. Brunei is the only sovereign state entirely on Borneo; the remainder of the island is divided between its multi-landmass neighbours of Malaysia and Indonesia. As of 2023, the country had a population of 455,858, of whom approximately 180,000 resided in the capital and largest city of Bandar Seri Begawan. Its official language is Malay and Islam is the state religion of the country, although other religions are nominally tolerated. The government of Brunei is a constitutional absolute monarchy ruled by the Sultan, and it implements a fusion of English common law and jurisprudence inspired by Islam, including sharia.
Sport in Brunei covers the variety of sports that are played, from amateur to professional levels, across the sultanate of Brunei Darussalam, in addition to individuals and teams who are sent to compete in tournaments both home and abroad. Association football is the most popular sport played in Brunei. Several sports, along with leisure activities are also partaken in Brunei; from badminton and swimming to horseback riding, mountain biking, and paintball.
Brunei People's Party (BPR), also known as Parti Rakyat Brunei (PRB), is a banned political party in Brunei. The party was established as a left-wing party in 1956 and aimed to bring Brunei into full independence from the United Kingdom. The party called for a constitution that would unite Brunei, North Borneo, and Sarawak under a fully democratic government, the Unitary State of North Kalimantan or Negara Kesatuan Kalimantan Utara (NKKU). However, in 1958 the British publicised their own ideas and rejected the Borneo union ambitions of the PRB, seeking instead for a gradual democratic transformation. The PRB's reactions to both the plan for a Federation of Malaysia and the Constitution of Brunei led to a mutiny in the first part of December 1962.
Kristal Astro was a sole operator of Brunei's multi-channel pay-TV service. It was officially launched on January 24, 2000. The company is a joint-venture between Kristal Sdn. Bhd. and Malaysia's MEASAT Broadcast Network Systems Sdn. Bhd., a subsidiary of Astro Malaysia Holdings Berhad.
Ethnic Chinese in Brunei are people of full or partial Chinese – particularly Han Chinese – ancestry who are citizens or residents in Brunei. As of 2015, they constitute 10.1% of the country's population, making them the second largest ethnic group in Brunei. Brunei is home to one of the smaller communities of overseas Chinese. Many Chinese in Brunei are stateless.
The Universiti Brunei Darussalam is a public national research university situated in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei, was founded in 1985 and is the oldest institution in the country. Nine research institutes, six academic service centers, and eight academic faculties make up the institution.
The Brunei Super League is a professional league for men's association football in the sultanate of Brunei Darussalam. It is at the top tier of the Bruneian football league system, and it is managed by the Football Association of Brunei Darussalam (FABD). The football clubs participating in this top tier league need to pass a set of requirements and verification process, particularly related to professionalism and infrastructure feasibility.
Datastream Digital Sdn Bhd. (DST), formerly DataStream Technology Sdn Bhd, is a Brunei-based government-linked conglomerate headquartered in the DST Group Building in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. It was established in 1995 and as of December 2021 has at least 420,000 subscribers.
Khairunnisa binti Haji Ash'ari is a Bruneian activist and politician, known for her work on environmentalism and women's rights. In Brunei and the surrounding region, Khairunnisa actively supports environmental sustainability and youth development. She presently holds the positions of general manager for RECOVER, co-founder and director of community engagement for Green Brunei, and director of the Green Xchange for the Society for Community Outreach and Training in addition to serving on the Brunei Legislative Council.
Abdul Qawi ibni Mohamed Bolkiah is a member of the Brunei royal family. He is a nephew of the current Sultan of Brunei, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and also the brother-in-law of the current Sultan of Kelantan, Sultan Muhammad V.
Mohammad Isham bin Haji Jaafar is a Bruneian physician who currently serves as the current Minister of Health since 2017.
Hamzah bin Haji Sahat is a retired Bruneian airman and the 11th Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) who served in post from September 2020 until his retirement in March 2022. He previously held the position as the commander of the Royal Brunei Air Force (RBAirF) from 2018 to 2020.
Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah or also referred to as Dato Dr Amin, is a Bruneian politician and businessperson whom is the incumbent second Minister of Finance and Economy II and the Minister at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) since 2018, and the chairman of the Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB) and Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam (BIBD).
Abdul Fattaah ibni Mohamed Bolkiah is a member of the royal family of Brunei. He is the second son and fourth children of Prince Mohamed Bolkiah by his first wife, Pengiran Anak Hajah Zariah, thus making him a prince of Brunei, and the nephew of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. Notably, he is the chairman of Baiduri Bank's board of directors. In addition, Abdul Fattah serves as a director for a variety of well-known Brunei businesses that are involved in facilities management, hospitality, business services, and real estate development.
Nik Hafimi binti Abdul Haadii is a Bruneian businessperson and politician who was previously appointed as a member of Brunei's Legislative Council (LegCo) from 2017 to 2022. Notably, she is the chair of the Yayasan Committee on Social Enterprise and the founding member of the Young Entrepreneur Association of Brunei.
Queenie Chong Chin Yee is a Bruneian businessperson and politician of Chinese descent who was among the members of Brunei's Legislative Council (LegCo) appointed in 2023. She is the CEO and co-founder of the online legacy planner Memori. She was also chosen as the inaugural Bruneian recipient of the Edmund Hillary Fellowship (EHF).
Siti Rozaimeriyanty binti Haji Abdul Rahman, sometimes referred to as Yanty Rahman, is a Bruneian architect and politician who was previously appointed as a member of Brunei's Legislative Council (LegCo) from 2017 to 2022. Notably, she is the Deputy President and Chairman of the Pertubuhan Ukur Jurutera dan Arkitek (PUJA), as well as a member of the ASEAN Architects Committee (Brunei), Darussalam Enterprise (DARe), APEQS, ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC), and East Asia Business Council's board of directors. Her areas of interest and experience are in construction and general business, with an emphasis on finding better and more varied ways to realize Brunei Vision 2035.
Rosmawatty binti Haji Abdul Mumin is a Bruneian civil servant and politician who was appointed a member of Brunei's Legislative Council (LegCo) in 2023. She became the first woman to hold a director position at Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP). She was the first female manager from Brunei to hold this role at BSP and the Shell Group in the Asia-Pacific area.
Musa bin Haji Adnin or sometimes referred to as Haji Musa Adinin, is a Bruneian businessman and diplomat who became the first and only Mexican Honorary Consulate in Kuala Belait since 2000. Additionally, he is the managing director of Adinin Group (AG) of Companies since 1991, Adinin Works & Engineering (AWE), Straits Central Agencies and director of AEGIS Secure Solutions.
Abdul Aziz bin Haji Hamdan is a Bruneian youth advocate, community worker and politician who was among the members of Brunei's Legislative Council (LegCo) appointed in 2023. He is also the advisor of IMPAK Youth Movement, Tutong Youth Leader, and ketua kampung of Kampong Sengkarai. He is involved, and contributes, in a number of areas including volunteer work, society, culture, tourism, and business.
