Brunei 🇧🇳
Brunei is a country in Asia with a population of 449,002. Its capital is Bandar Seri Begawan. The official currency is BND, and the main languages are Malay.
Quick facts
- Capital: Bandar Seri Begawan
- Continent: Asia
- Population: 449,002
- Area: 5,765 km²
- Density: 77.9 people per km²
- Currency: BND
- Languages: Malay
- ISO code: BN
Where Brunei sits
Brunei 🇧🇳 is one of 48 countries in Asia, with its capital at Bandar Seri Begawan. It covers 5,765 square kilometres — 166th in the world — and is home to about 449,002 people, 171st globally.
The countries it shares a continent with include China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Bangladesh. If you are learning geography region by region — which works far better than alphabetically, because memory for places is spatial — those are the ones to learn alongside it.
How Brunei compares
Raw figures are hard to hold on their own, so it helps to anchor them. In population, Brunei sits closest to Bahamas and Belize. In land area, its nearest counterparts are Palestine and Trinidad and Tobago.
At 77.9 people per square kilometre it is somewhat above the world average of 59.4. It ranks higher by area than by population, so it is more spacious than its population alone suggests.
Malay is an official language in 3 countries here, among them Malaysia and Singapore. The BND is used by Brunei and no one else.
To see Brunei next to every other country, sort the country rankings by population, area or density; its currency and languages are listed alongside every other country's in world currencies and world languages.
How to remember Brunei
Bandar Seri Begawan is a long name, so learn it in three parts: Bandar, Seri, Begawan. Picture the city's water village, Kampong Ayer, with its houses on stilts over the Brunei River.
The flag of Brunei: yellow, white, black and red
🇧🇳 The flag is a yellow flag crossed diagonally by a white stripe and a black stripe, with the red national emblem in the centre. Yellow stands for the sultan, and the white and black stripes for his chief ministers. The emblem includes a royal umbrella, wings, two raised hands and a crescent, and the ribbon reads 'Brunei, the Abode of Peace'.
Region and neighbours
Brunei is a small country on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia, on the South China Sea. It shares land borders with one country: Malaysia. Brunei is split into two parts, and both are surrounded on land by the Malaysian state of Sarawak.
- Malaysia 🇲🇾 — capital Kuala Lumpur
Three facts about Brunei
- Brunei's wealth comes mainly from its oil and natural gas fields.
- Kampong Ayer, in the capital, is a historic village of houses, schools and mosques built on stilts above the water.
- The country is split into two separate parts, both on the island of Borneo.
Sources: Wikipedia: Brunei, Wikipedia: Flag of Brunei, Wikipedia: Bandar Seri Begawan, Wikipedia: Kampong Ayer, CIA World Factbook.
Quiz yourself on Brunei
- Asian capitals quiz — match Brunei to Bandar Seri Begawan
- Asian flags quiz — spot the Brunei flag among its neighbours
Quizzes that include Brunei
Three angles are worth covering for any country — where it is, what its flag looks like, and what its capital is. For Brunei those are:
- Asia map quiz — place it on a blank map
- Asia flags quiz — identify its flag among its neighbours
- Asia capitals quiz — match it to Bandar Seri Begawan
- Brunei capital quiz — five quick questions starting with Brunei
- Daily Map Challenge — five countries to find on a blank world map, the same five for everyone each day
Doing all three for one continent before moving on is far more efficient than learning flags globally, then capitals globally, then the map.
Read more about Brunei
- Capital of Brunei: Bandar Seri Begawan — the capital in detail, with size and density rankings
- All 48 countries of Asia
Nearby countries
- Afghanistan 🇦🇫 — capital Kabul
- Armenia 🇦🇲 — capital Yerevan
- Azerbaijan 🇦🇿 — capital Baku
- Bahrain 🇧🇠— capital Manama
- Bangladesh 🇧🇩 — capital Dhaka
- Bhutan 🇧🇹 — capital Thimphu
- Cambodia 🇰🇠— capital Phnom Penh
- China 🇨🇳 — capital Beijing
- Georgia 🇬🇪 — capital Tbilisi
- India 🇮🇳 — capital New Delhi
- Indonesia 🇮🇩 — capital Jakarta
- Iran 🇮🇷 — capital Tehran
Frequently asked questions
What are the colours of the Brunei flag?
The flag of Brunei is a yellow flag crossed diagonally by a white stripe and a black stripe, with the red national emblem in the centre. Yellow stands for the sultan, and the white and black stripes for his chief ministers. The emblem includes a royal umbrella, wings, two raised hands and a crescent, and the ribbon reads 'Brunei, the Abode of Peace'.
Which countries border Brunei?
Brunei shares land borders with Malaysia. Brunei is split into two parts, and both are surrounded on land by the Malaysian state of Sarawak.
How can I remember the capital of Brunei?
Bandar Seri Begawan is a long name, so learn it in three parts: Bandar, Seri, Begawan. Picture the city's water village, Kampong Ayer, with its houses on stilts over the Brunei River.