What is the capital of Brunei?
Country Name | Brunei |
Full Country Name | Brunei Darussalam |
Local - Long | Negara Brunei Darussalam |
Local - Short | Brunei |
Etymology- history of name | Derivation of the name is unclear; according to legend, MUHAMMAD SHAH, who would become the first sultan of Brunei, upon discovering what would become Brunei exclaimed "Baru nah," which roughly translates as "there" or "that's it" |
Government Type | Absolute monarchy or sultanate |
Capital Name | Bandar Seri Begawan |
Capital - geographic coordinate | 4 53 N, 114 56 E |
Capital Time Difference | UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Independence | 1 January 1984 (from the UK) |
National Holiday | National Day, 23 February (1984); note - 1 January 1984 was the date of independence from the UK, 23 February 1984 was the date of independence from British protection |
Constitution | Drafted 1954 to 1959, signed 29 September 1959; amended 1984, 2004, 2011; note - some constitutional provisions suspended since 1962 under a state of emergency, others suspended since independence in 1984 |
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Who is the president of Brunei?
Executive Branch: |
Chief of State: Sultan and Prime Minister Sir HASSANAL Bolkiah (since 5 October 1967); note - the monarch is both chief of state and head of government Head of Government: Sultan and Prime Minister Sir HASSANAL Bolkiah (since 5 October 1967) Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed and presided over by the monarch; note - 4 additional advisory councils appointed by the monarch are the Religious Council, Privy Council for constitutional issues, Council of Succession, and Legislative Council Elections/Appointments: none; the monarchy is hereditary |
Citizenship Criteria: |
Citizenship by Birth: no Citizenship by Descent Only: the father must be a citizen of Brunei Dual Citizenship Recognized: no Residency Requirement for Naturalization: 12 years |
Legal System: | Mixed legal system based on English common law and Islamic law; note - in May 2014, the first of three phases of sharia-based penal codes were instituted, which applies to Muslims and non-Muslims and exists in parallel to the existing common law-based code |
Suffrage: | 18 years of age for village elections; universal |
Legislative Branch: |
Description: unicameral Legislative Council or Majlis Mesyuarat Negara Brunei (36 seats; members appointed by the sultan including 3 ex-officio members - the speaker and first and second secretaries; members appointed for 5-year terms) Elections: appointed by the sultan Election Results: NA; composition - men 33, women 3, percent of women 8.3% |
Judicial Branch: |
Highest Resident Court(s): Supreme Court (consists of Court of Appeal and High Court, each with a chief justice and 2 judges); Sharia Court of Appeal (consists of judges appointed by the monarch); note - Brunei has a dual judicial system of secular and sharia (religious) courts; the Judicial Committee of Privy Council in London serves as the final appellate court for civil cases only Judge Selection and Term of Office: Supreme Court judges appointed by the monarch to serve until age 65, and older if approved by the monarch; Sharia Court of Appeal judges appointed by the monarch for life Subordinate Courts: Intermediate Court; Magistrate's Courts; Juvenile Court; small claims courts; lower sharia courts |
Regions or States: | 4 districts (daerah-daerah, singular - daerah); Belait, Brunei-Muara, Temburong, Tutong |
Political Parties and Leaders: |
National Development Party or NDP [YASSIN Affendi] Note: Brunei National Solidarity Party or PPKB [Abdul LATIF bin Chuchu] and People's Awareness Party or PAKAR [Awang Haji MAIDIN bin Haji Ahmad] were deregistered in 2007; parties are small and have limited activity |
International Law Organization Participation: | Has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt |
International Organization Participation: | ADB, APEC, ARF, ASEAN, C, CP, EAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIFIL, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
Diplomatic Representation in the US: |
Chief of Mission: Ambassador Serbini ALI (since 28 January 2016) Chancery: 3520 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008 Telephone: [1] (202) 237-1838 FAX: [1] (202) 885-0560 Consulate(s): New York |
Diplomatic Representation from US: |
Chief of Mission: Ambassador Craig B. ALLEN (since 9 March 2015) Embassy: Simpang 336-52-16-9, Jalan Datu, Bandar Seri Begawan, BC4115 Mailing Address: Unit 4280, Box 40, FPO AP 96507; P.O. Box 2991, Bandar Seri Begawan BS8675, Negara Brunei Darussalam Telephone: [673] 238-4616 FAX: [673] 238-4604 |