| Bandar Seri Begawan بندر سري بڬاوان |
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| Nickname(s): Bandar or BSB | |
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Bandar Seri Begawan
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Brunei |
| District | |
| Area | |
| • City | 100.36 km2 (38.7 sq mi) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • City | 140,000 |
| • Density | 1,395/km2 (3,613/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 276,608 |
| • Demonym | Begawanese |
| Website | www.municipal-bsb.gov.bn/ |
| Mean solar time UTC+07:39:00 | |
Bandar Seri Begawan, (Jawi: بندر سري بڬاوان ; Malay: [ˌbanda səˌri bəˈɡawan]) with an estimated population 140,000 (as of 2010),[1] is the capital and largest city of the Sultanate of Brunei. The urban area has a population of 276,608 people.
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Habitation on the banks of the Brunei River can be traced back to the 8th century where there had been settlements similar to those in Kampong Ayer, located on areas close to the present site of the Brunei Museum.
Seri Begawan was named after the Sultan's late father Omar Ali Saifuddien on 5 October 1970, its original name being Bandar Brunei or Brunei Town. Begawan is a name given to Bruneian monarchs who have abdicated, originally coming from the Sanskrit word for "god": भगवान bhagavān. Seri also comes from the honorific Sanskrit word Sri. Bandar, comes from Persian بندر via Indian languages and means "port" or "haven" (bandar means "town" in Malay).
On 1 August 2007, The Sultan of Brunei gave consent for the extension of Bandar Seri Begawan from 12.87 square kilometres to 100.36 square kilometres. For a list of the included villages and mukims see "Expansion of the City" below.
Bandar Seri Begawan is located at 4°53'25"N, 114°56'32"E, on the northern bank of the Brunei River.
Bandar Seri Begawan features a tropical rainforest climate with no real dry season. In fact, the city sees heavy precipitation throughout the course of the year with the driest month (March) on average having 120 mm of rain per year. October through December are the rainiest months of the year in the city, when precipitation is seen roughly two out of every three days. As is common to cities with a tropical rainforest climate, average temperatures are relatively constant throughout the course of the year, with average highs temperatures of around 32 C and average low temperatures of 23 C.
| Climate data for Bandar Seri Begawan | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °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) |
| Average low °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) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 292.6 (11.52) |
158.9 (6.256) |
118.7 (4.673) |
189.4 (7.457) |
234.9 (9.248) |
210.1 (8.272) |
225.9 (8.894) |
226.6 (8.921) |
264.4 (10.409) |
312.3 (12.295) |
339.9 (13.382) |
339.6 (13.37) |
2,913.3 (114.697) |
| Avg. rainy days | 16 | 12 | 11 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 19 | 21 | 23 | 21 | 205 |
| Source: World Meteorological Organization[2] | |||||||||||||
The population of Bandar Seri Begawan is around 140,000 and the metropolitan area is 278,000 as for August 2010. The majority of Bruneians are ethnic Malays, with Chinese being the most significant minority group. Aboriginal groups such as the Iban also exist and are loosely classified as Malays. Large numbers of transitory workers are to be found within Brunei, the majority being from Indonesia, the Philippines and the Indian subcontinent.
The capital is connected to Bus of Bandar Seri Begawan the western part of the country by road. To get to the eastern part of Brunei (Temburong) it is necessary to travel through Sarawak which is in Malaysia, via the town of Limbang which is accessed by the Kuala Lurah Bus terminal. To get to Bandar Seri Begawan from the west, access is via Miri town in Sarawak via the Sungai Tujuh Bus terminal and then along the coastal highway.
The main bus station in the city is located in Jalan Cator underneath a multi-story car park. There are six bus routes servicing Bandar Seri Begawan area; the Central Line, Circle Line, Eastern Line, Southern Line, Western Line and Northern Line. The buses operate from 6.30 am till 6.00pm except for Bus No. 1 and 20 which have extended to the night. All bus routes begin and terminate their journey at the main bus terminal. Buses heading to other towns in Brunei such as Tutong, Seria and Kuala Belait also depart from the main bus terminal and Taxicab.
Brunei International Airport serves the whole country. It is 11 km from the town centre and can be reached in 10 minutes via the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Highway. Airlines flying into the airport include Royal Brunei Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Malaysian Airlines, Air Asia, Cebu Pacific and Thai Airways International.[3]
A water taxi service known as 'penambang' is used for transportation between downtown Bandar Seri Begawan and Kampong Ayer. Water taxis are the most common means of negotiating the waterways of Kampung Ayer. They can be hailed from the numerous "docking parts" along the banks of the Brunei River. Fares are negotiable. Regular water taxi and boat services depart for Temburong between 7:45 am and 4 pm daily, and also serve the Malaysian towns of Limbang, Lawas, Sundar and Labuan. A speedboat is used for passengers traveling to Penamdang Ferry Service and from Bangar and Limbang.
The Istana Nurul Iman palace is the residence of His Majesty the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah. The palace is located on a leafy, riverside sprawl of hills on the banks of the Brunei River directly south of Bandar Seri Begawan, a few miles outside the city center. Istana Nurul Iman is believed to be the world's largest residential palace of any type. Its name is taken from Arabic, meaning Palace of the Light of Faith. The palace was designed by Leandro V. Locsin, and built by the Filipino firm, Ayala International.
The city incorporates nearby Kampong Ayer, 'water village', which has houses on stilts and stretches about 8 km along the Brunei river (Sungei Brunei). It is a well preserved national heritage site, the largest of its kind in the world with approximately 30,000 residents. The Kampong is over 1,000 years old. The name Venice of the East was coined by Antonio Pigafetta in honor of the water village he encountered at Kota Batu (just east of city's central business district). Pigafetta was on Magellan's voyages in 1521.
Self contained, the water village is equipped with schools, police stations, clinics, a waterborne fire brigade and mosques. Kampong Ayer existed since the 10th century A.D, is actually a cluster of villages, each with their own village leader (head of the villages), or Ketua Kampong. The villages are connected by a complex web of walkways and bridges. Kampong Ayer's historical importance lies in the fact that the Sultanate's civilization started here with fishing as one of the main livelihoods of the villages. There was a concentration of skilled craftsmen producing handicrafts from brass, silver and wood, hence granting the water village a status of commercial and social importance.
The skills of these craftsmen can be viewed at The Kampong Ayer Cultural & Tourism Gallery. The construction of the gallery was started in August 2007 and it was completed in June 2009 with an enclosed area of 565 sq meters. Some unique treasures of the Kampong Ayer over its illustrious history are exhibited in 5 mini-galleries within the building.
The city produces furniture, textiles, handicrafts, and timber. Royal Brunei Airlines, the national airline, has its head office in the RBA Plaza in the city.[5][6]
The expanded Bandar Seri Begawan will encompass more villages and mukims. They are:
Mukim Kianggeh: Kg Kianggeh, Berangan, Jalan Tasek Lama, Mabohai/Tungkadeh, Melabau, Kumbang Pasang, Padang Baru, Pusar Ulak and Tumasek
Mukim Gadong: Kiulap, Kiarong, Menglait, Batu Bersurat/ Pengkalan Gadong, Mata Mata (which does not include Perpindahan Mata-Mata or Mata-Mata housing scheme) and Beribi
Mukim Kilanas: Madewa, Tasek Meradun, Bunut and Perpindahan Bunut
Mukim Berakas 'A': Pulaie, Manggis I, Anggerek Desa, Pancha Delima, Orang Kaya Besar Imas, Delima Satu, Serusop, Jaya Setia, Jaya Bakti and Brunei International Airport Area.
Mukim Berakas 'B': Manggis II, Madang, Sungai Tilong and Salambigar.
Mukim Kota Batu: Sungai Lampai/Pintu Malim, Kota Batu, Pelambayan, Subok and Belimbing.
Also, areas in kg Ayer will also come inside the Bandar Seri Begawan expansion. They are:
1. Mukim Sungai Kedayan: Bukit Salat, Sumbiling Lama, Sungai Kedayan 'A', Sungai Kedayan 'B', Ujong Tanjong and Kuala Peminyak
2. Mukim Tamoi: Tamoi Ujong, Tamoi Tengah, Pengiran Kerma Indera Lama, Pengiran Tajuddin Hitam, Ujong Bukit/Limbongan, Pengiran Bendahara Lama
3. Mukim Burong Pingai Ayer: Burong Pingai Ayer, Lurong Dalam, Pandai Besi 'A', Pandai Besi 'B', Sungai Pandan 'A', Sungai Pandan 'B', and Pengiran Setia Negara, Pekan Lama
4. Mukim Peramu: Peramu, Pekilong Muara, Bakut Pengiran Siraja Muda ' A', Bakut Pengiran Siraja Muda 'B', Bakut Berumput and Lurong Sikuna
5. Mukim Saba: Saba Tengah, Saba Ujong, Saba Laut, Saba Darat 'A' and Saba Darat 'B'.
6. Mukim Sungai Kebun: Setia 'A', Sungai Siamas/Ujong Klinik, Setia 'B' Sungai Kebun, Bolkiah 'A' and Bolkiah 'B'.[7]
All levels of education are available in Bandar Seri Begawan from kindergarten to the tertiary level. The Universiti Brunei Darussalam, established on 28 October 1985, only a year after the Sultanate regained full independence, is located four and a half kilometres from the city center.[8] It is the oldest and also the largest university in Brunei in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered. The Sultanate's second university, Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali, is also located in Bandar Seri Begawan's suburb of Gadong. It was established on 1 January 2007[9] as an Islamic university.
Higher Educational Institutes in Bandar Seri Begawan include Maktab Sains Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan (Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan College of Science), Institute Teknologi of Brunei (Brunei Institute of Technology), Maktab Jururawat Pengiran Anak Puteri Rashidah Sa'adatul Bolkiah (the only nursing college in Brunei), Maktab Teknik Sultan Saiful Rijal (Sultan Saiful Rijal Technical College), and Pusat Tingkatan Enam Meragang (Meragang Sixth Form Centre).
Schools in the capital include Chung Hwa Middle School, St. George's School, St. Andrew's School, International School Brunei (ISB), Jerudong International School, Kolej Universiti Perguruan Ugama Seri Begawan, and Institut Tahfiz Al Quran Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah (ITQSHHB).
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