 | |
| Continent | Southeast Asia |
|---|---|
| Region | Asia |
| Coordinates | 4°30′N114°40′E / 4.500°N 114.667°E /4.500; 114.667 |
| Area | Ranked 163rd |
| • Total | 5,765 km2 (2,226 sq mi) |
| • Land | 91.33% |
| • Water | 8.67% |
| Coastline | 266 km (165 mi) |
| Borders | Malaysia |
| Highest point | Bukit Pagon 1,850 metres (6,070 ft) |
| Lowest point | South China Sea 0 metres (0 ft) |
| Longest river | Belait River 32 km (20 mi) |
| Largest lake | Tasek Merimbun 7,800 ha (19,000 acres) |
| Exclusive economic zone | 10,090 km2 (3,900 mi2) |
Brunei is a country inSoutheast Asia, bordering theSouth China Sea andEast Malaysia. Its geographical coordinates are4°30′N114°40′E / 4.500°N 114.667°E /4.500; 114.667. The country is small with a total size of 5,765 km2 (2,226 mi2).[1] It is larger in size thanTrinidad and Tobago. It is close to vital sea lanes through the South China Sea linking theIndian andPacific Oceans. The country has two parts physically separated byMalaysia, making it almost an enclave within Malaysia.[2]
Brunei shares a 266 km (165 mi)border with Malaysia,[3] and has a 161 km (100 mi)coastline.[4] The terrain is a flat coastal plain that rises to mountainous in the east and hilly lowlands in the west. While earthquakes are quite rare, Brunei is located near thePacific Ring of Fire.[5]
Atropical climate withhigh humidity prevails in Brunei. Typically, the entire nation experiences the sameclimate. The entire year is hot in the country. Themonsoon winds and other wind systems in the area brought on by the distribution ofair pressure inSoutheast Asia, as well as the location onBorneo's northwest coast, which lies in the equatorial tropics, all have an impact on the climate. ITCZ (Intertropical Convergence Zone) is the name given to the low pressure trough that occurs around theequator. Areas in the subtropics on bothhemispheres, however, experience high pressure, resulting in a pressure difference. This is due to air masses from the southern and northern hemispheres meet in this region, causing major climate shifts, the Intertropical Convergence Zone is crucial.[6]
It's vital that the ITCZ's position typically oscillates based on the sun's zenithal position and is not always fixed. The magnitude of the latitudinal oscillation is reduced to roughly half that of the sun because of the movement's two-month delay. There are two distinct seasons in the nation that are separated by two transitional phases as a result of the ITCZ's shifting location throughout the year and the associatedtrade winds. TheSouth China Sea and Borneo are substantially impacted bynortheast monsoon winds that recurve via the Inter-Tropical Convergence zone to become northwesterly winds that blow across Indonesia between December and March. The ITCZ's typical location is between latitudes 50S and 100S when it migrated south across Brunei and Borneo in late December, a time period known as the Northeast Monsoon.[6]
In Bruneiforest cover is around 72% of the total land area, equivalent to 380,000 hectares (ha) of forest in 2020, down from 413,000 hectares (ha) in 1990. In 2020, naturally regenerating forest covered 374,740 hectares (ha) and planted forest covered 5,260 hectares (ha). Of the naturally regenerating forest 69% was reported to beprimary forest (consisting of native tree species with no clearly visible indications of human activity) and around 5% of the forest area was found within protected areas. For the year 2015, 100% of the forest area was reported to be underpublic ownership.[7]
The Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone, which is positioned east of thePhilippines around latitude 150N between June and September, transforms into a monsoon trough to the west. The Southwest Monsoon is created by southeast trade winds that originate in the southern hemisphere and recurve on the equator. The northeast monsoon dominates from December to March whereas the southwest monsoon blows from May to September. Transitional months are recognized as April, October, and November.[6]
Themunicipality ofBandar Seri Begawan's climate is tropical equatorial with two seasons.Dry season is extremely hot (24 to 36 °C or 75.2 to 96.8 °F).Wet or rainy season is generally warm and wet (20 to 28 °C or 68.0 to 82.4 °F).[8] Most of the country is a flatcoastal plain withmountains in the east andhillylowland in the west. The lowest point is atsea level and the highest isBukit Pagon (1,850 m or 6,070 ft).[9] The climatic regions of the country is as follows:[8]
| Climate data for Bandar Seri Begawan (Brunei Airport) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 34.1 (93.4) | 35.3 (95.5) | 38.3 (100.9) | 37.6 (99.7) | 36.4 (97.5) | 36.2 (97.2) | 36.2 (97.2) | 37.6 (99.7) | 36.0 (96.8) | 35.3 (95.5) | 34.9 (94.8) | 36.2 (97.2) | 38.3 (100.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 30.4 (86.7) | 30.7 (87.3) | 31.9 (89.4) | 32.5 (90.5) | 32.6 (90.7) | 32.5 (90.5) | 32.3 (90.1) | 32.4 (90.3) | 32.0 (89.6) | 31.6 (88.9) | 31.4 (88.5) | 31.0 (87.8) | 31.8 (89.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 23.3 (73.9) | 23.3 (73.9) | 23.5 (74.3) | 23.7 (74.7) | 23.7 (74.7) | 23.4 (74.1) | 23.0 (73.4) | 23.1 (73.6) | 23.1 (73.6) | 23.2 (73.8) | 23.2 (73.8) | 23.2 (73.8) | 23.3 (73.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 18.4 (65.1) | 18.9 (66.0) | 19.4 (66.9) | 20.5 (68.9) | 20.3 (68.5) | 19.2 (66.6) | 19.1 (66.4) | 19.4 (66.9) | 19.6 (67.3) | 20.5 (68.9) | 18.8 (65.8) | 19.5 (67.1) | 18.4 (65.1) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 292.6 (11.52) | 158.9 (6.26) | 118.7 (4.67) | 189.4 (7.46) | 234.9 (9.25) | 210.1 (8.27) | 225.9 (8.89) | 226.6 (8.92) | 264.4 (10.41) | 312.3 (12.30) | 339.9 (13.38) | 339.6 (13.37) | 2,913.3 (114.70) |
| Average rainy days | 16 | 12 | 11 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 19 | 21 | 23 | 21 | 205 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 86 | 85 | 84 | 84 | 85 | 84 | 84 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 86 | 86 | 85 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 196 | 191 | 225 | 239 | 236 | 210 | 222 | 218 | 199 | 206 | 205 | 211 | 2,558 |
| Source 1:World Meteorological Organisation,[10]Deutscher Wetterdienst (extremes, 1971–2012 and humidity, 1972–1990)[11] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: NOAA (sun, 1961–1990)[12] | |||||||||||||
Since the nation lies outside of thetyphoon belt and mostly untouched byearthquakes, it is less likely to experiencemajor disasters, making it a relatively safe area to live and work. Foreigners from temperate climes who want to avoid harshwinters are drawn to the country by its milder temperature. Additionally, the weather is suitable foroutdoor activities andwater sports.[6]
As of 2009, the statistics of Brunei is as follows:[13]
Area:
Maritime claims:
territorial sea:12 nmi (13.8 mi; 22.2 km)[15]
exclusive economic zone:10,090 km2 (3,900 mi2) and 200 nmi (230.2 mi; 370.4 km) or tomedian line[16]
Elevation extremes:
lowest point:South China Sea 0 m[9]
highest point:Bukit Pagon 1,850 m[9]
Natural resources:petroleum, natural gas, timber[17]
Land use:
arable land:0.76%
permanent crops:1.14%
other:98.10% (2012)
Irrigated land:10 km2 (3.9 mi2) (2003)
Total renewable water resources:8.5 km3 (2.0 mi3)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)
total:0.09 km3/yr (97%/0%/3%)
per capital:301.6 m3/yr (2009)
Environment – current issues:seasonal smoke/haze resulting from forest fires inIndonesia
Environment – international agreements:
party to:Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes,Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromThe World Factbook (2025 ed.).CIA.
