Brunei Geograpy on years 2000

Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and Malaysia

Geographic coordinates: 4 30 N, 114 40 E

Map references: Southeast Asia

Area:
total: 5,770 sq km
land: 5,270 sq km
water: 500 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Delaware

Land boundaries:
total: 381 km
border countries: Malaysia 381 km

Coastline: 161 km

Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm or to median line
territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical; hot, humid, rainy

Terrain: flat coastal plain rises to mountains in east; hilly lowland in west

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: Bukit Pagon 1,850 m

Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, timber

Land use:
arable land: 1%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 1%
forests and woodland: 85%
other: 12% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 10 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: typhoons, earthquakes, and severe flooding are very rare

Environment - current issues: seasonal smoke/haze resulting from forest fires in Indonesia

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note: close to vital sea lanes through South China Sea linking Indian and Pacific Oceans; two parts physically separated by Malaysia; almost an enclave of Malaysia

Brunei Darussalam lies on the northwest coast of Borneo island Where it faces the South China Sea. With a land area of 5,765 square kilometres, it shares a common border with Sarawak, an east Malaysian state, which divides Brunei Darussalam into two, The eastern part is the Temburong District while the western portion consists of Brunei-Muara, Tutong and Belait districts. The 570-sq.km. Brunei-Muara District, where the capital, Bandar Seri Begawan is located, is the smallest, but the most important and populous of the four districts.

The 1166 sq. km. Tutong District, the third largest, is home to indigenous groups like the Tutong, the Kedayan, Dusun and Iban.

The Belait District, the centre of the oil and gas industries, is about 100 lcrns. From the capital.

Hilly lowlands, swampy plains and alluvial valleys dominate the BruneiMuara, Tutong and Belait districts in the larger western portion of the sultanate.

Mountainous terrain abound in the estern district of Temburong which has a land area of 1,288 sq.km.

The land surface is developed on a bedrock of tertiary age, comprising sandstones, shales and clay. The terrain in the western part is hilly lowland, which rises in the hinterland to about three hundred metres. To the east, the wide coastal plain reaches up to 1,841 metres above sea level on Mount Pagon in the Temburong District.

Main Rivers

Four main river Systems irrigate the four districts of Temburong, Belait, Tutong and Brunei-Muara.

Temburong, the smallest of the rivers, drains nearly the whole district.

The 2,700 sq. km. Belait basin has the largest area. The river narrows at the town of Kuala Belait. The upper catchment is mostly jungle and is sparsely populated. Some areas here have been cleared for agriculture. The lower catchment has an extensive area of peat swamp forests at its lower catchment area. Sandbars at the river mouth restricts shipping and water flow to the South China Sea.

The Tutong river covers the 1,300-square kilometre Tutong Basin. Sand-pits and sandbars make a complex estuary system at the Tutong river. Subject to fairly high tidal influence, its lower catchment area is a flood plain. Jungle with patches of agriculture covers its upper catchment. Near the upper part of Tutong River is Tasek Merimbun, Brunei's largest lake.

Dense mangroves and nipah palms, a rich breeding ground of coastal fisheries, cover the lower parts of rivers near estuaries. Pristine tropical jungles and valuable freshwater sources are the upper reaches of Brunei river. A high proportion of urban development borders in the Brunei river.

The Brunei River runs into the Brunei Bay beyond which is the Port of Muara. The upper reaches of the river are a major freshwater source particularly for the western part of the country.

Located by the principal rivers are all the district centres, including Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital, which is some distant inland, like Bangar in Temburong. Near respective estuaries are Tutong and Kuala Belait.

Climate

Brunei Darussalam has a tropical equatorial climate with high rainfall and warm temperature all year round. Monsoon winds influence the climatic variations. The northeast monsoon blows from December to March. The southeast monsoon occurs from June to October. Two inter-monsoon periods prevail from April to May and November to December.

The annual rainfall is generally high. The total rainfall was 2,917 mm in 1997, 3,295 mm in 1995, and 2,238 in 1990. The two rainy seasons are from September to January, with December as the wettest; and May to June. Virtually a drought period is February to April. Due to unstable climatic influences, well-defined seasons have not been outlined.

The drought months of March and April are the warmest. Humidity is high throughout the year due to high temperature and rainfall. Air temperature is relatively uniform throughout the year. The maximum mean temperature in Jan-Feb 1998 was 31.8 degrees Celsius; 32.1 in 1997. The minimum mean temperature in Jan-Feb 1998 was 24, same as in 1997.

Brunei is not directly in the path of tropical storms, cyclones and typhoons that pass through the South China Sea. Yet, it is heavily affected by tides.

Mangroves

Primary tropical jungles cover about 75 per cent of Brunei Darussalam. About three per cent of the total land area, or 18,814 hectares, are relatively unexploited and among the best preserved mangroves in the region.

Mangroves, natural hatcheries of marine life, are also habitat for plant and animal life which have adapted to the mangrove environment.

Of Brunei mangrove flora identified, 88 species are flower plants while 33 are ferns. There are a variety of insects, crabs, snails, shrimps, prawns, fish, otters, turtles, lizards, bats, flying foxes, bird species, especially king-fishers, monkeys (including the rare proboscis monkey) and crocodiles in the less accessible swamps.

Mangroves and swamps are also temporary homes for birds migrating every northern winter from China and Siberia to Brunei. Gazetted as protected and forest reserve areas are a large part of the mangroves.

Some parts are allocated for aquaculture, such as fish, shrimp or prawn rearing. Continuous research and effort with the right expertise are needed to manage and preserve this natural asset from neglect and future overexploitation.

Coastal Areas

Brunei’s 161 kilometres of coastline zone contains the country's most productive ecosystem and most valuable onshore and offshore hydrocarbon deposits. Non-oil coastal resources are largely unexploited. Largely sandy with patches of mangrove swamps and mud rivers near river estuaries and sheltered bays is the Brunei coastline facing the open sea.

Complex are the surface and deep water currents along the coast due to oceanic tides, wind and water density interaction. Waves along the coast are usually between one to three metres high.

Less saline and relatively warm at 29.5 degrees Celsius are the coastal waters, enriched by land nutrients caried by river waters to support marine life, making coastal waters rich fishing grounds. Some 500 species of fish and 12 shrimp and prawn species have been identified.

The mangrove-fringed Brunei, Temburong and Limbang River estuaries have high organic contents and contribute to the richness of Brunei coastal fisheries. Shrimp is abundant and peak catches are made from February to April after the northeast monsoon rainy season.

Five hundred species of fish and insects have been reported in Brunei waters as well as 12 species of shrimp.

More than 85 per cent of Brunei's population live in the coastal areas. The Brunei-Muara district is the most populated. Efforts are being undertaken to minimise pollution and damages to the environment and ecosystem as the country accelerates industrialisation and urbanisation.

Islands

Within the Brunei border are 33 islands with a total area of 7,939 hectares or 1.4 per cent of the total land area. Offshore are two islands while others are in inner Brunei Bay and in the country's major rivers. Mostly jungle covered, their sandy beaches face the open sea and mangroves in areas facing inland.

Largely uninhabited, the islands are an undisturbed environment and breeding grounds for endangered species. Turtle nesting has been found on some islands with sandy beaches. Many islands have a big population of the proboscis monkeys, an endangered breed found only in Borneo.

The islands also are a natural habitat for birds, flying foxes (large fruit bats), and animals.