Introduction

With an estimated population of 423,000 in 2014, according to the World Bank, ¹ Brunei appears to have an appropriate balance of people and land area (5,765 km²). Perched on the northeast hump of the island of Borneo, Negara Brunei Darussalam (Abode of Peace), its official designation, enjoys more than 160 kilometres of coastline along the South China Sea. Physically, it largely comprises a low coastal plain where the elevation progressively increases southwards, reaching a maximum height of 300 metres above sea level. Bukit Pagon (elevation 1,841 metres) in the eastern part of the country is the highest peak. Located merely 4–5° N of the Equator, the hot and humid climate averages around 27°C with more than 2,500 mm of rainfall throughout the year, accounting for a typical equatorial climate. As much as 75 per cent of the land area remains under thick equatorial rainforest.