GEOGRAPHY OF BRUNEI
main cities and towns of Brunei
Brunei is a tiny country located on northern coast of the island of Borneo. It is surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak on three sides. On the fourth side is the South China Sea. Brunei covers an area of 5,675 square kilometers (2228 square miles), which is roughly the size of Delaware. Of this 2,036 square miles is land. Brunei is divided into two parts by Brunei Bay and Malaysia (the Sarawak district of Limbang). The western part of Brunei is about four times the size of the eastern part, the Temburong district, which is an exclave and is almost an enclave within Malaysia. [Source: CIA World Factbook]
Brunei means ‘Abode of Peace’. Although occupying less than 1 percent of Borneo's land area, it is the only sovereign country on the island, which it shares with the Indonesian provinces of West, East, South and Central Kalimantan and the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak. Brunei has a low coast plain, with mountains in the east and hilly lowlands in the west. There are swamps in the west and northeast. About 1 percent of the land in Brunei is good for agriculture (compared to 21 percent in the U.S.). Apart from Bandar Seri Begawan, the country's oil rich capital, and the coastal towns, the majority of the country is undeveloped. About 70 percent of Brunei is covered by rain forest. Several rivers provide transportation routes. The coastline of Brunei along the South China Sea is about 161 kilometers long.
Only 443 kilometers (275 miles) north of the equator, Brunei lies close to vital sea lanes through South China Sea linking the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is divided into four districts: Brunei/Muara, Tutong, Belait and Temburong. The districts of Brunei–Muara, Tutong and Belait make up the larger, western part of the country. Temburong district is in the eastThe major rivers are the Sungai and Limband rivesr; Bandar Seri Begawan is the capital and largest city with a population of 72,100 in 2025. Other main towns are: Kampong Ayer 42,500), Kuala Belait (28,400), Seria (28,300), Tutong (21,500), Muara and Bangar.
Administrative divisions: 4 districts ( daerah-daerah , singular - daerah ); Belait, Brunei dan Muara, Temburong, Tutong.
Districts of Brunei (name — Area — Capital)
Belait — 2,727 square kilometers (1,053 square miles)— Kuala Belait
Brunei and Muara — 570 square kilometers (220 square miles) — Bandar Seri Begawan
Temburong — 1,303 square kilometers (503 square miles) — Bangar
Tutong— 1,165 square kilometers (450 square miles) — Tutong
[Source: Geo-Data: The World Geographical Encyclopedia, The Gale Group Inc., 2003; [Source: CIA World Factbook]
Borneo
Brunei is located on the northern coast of Borneo. Borneo is the third largest island in the world after Greenland and New Guinea. Straddling the equator, it covers 748,168 square kilometers (288,869 square miles), more than twice the area of the British Isles or more than Texas and Louisiana combined, and measures about (1290 kilometers (800 miles) from north to south and 800 kilometers (500 miles) from east to west. Located at the geographic center of Maritime Southeast Asia, Borneo is part of an archipelago called the Greater Sunda Islands.
Northern Borneo, where Brunei is located, is situated across the South China Sea, about 600 kilometers, from peninsular Malaysia. The Indonesian province of Kalimantan occupies the southern two thirds of Borneo. Sarawak and Sabah occupy most of the northern part of Borneo. Northern Borneo has a wide, marshy coastal plains and rain-forest-covered mountains in their interior. The roads on Borneo are relatively poor, but much better than they used to be. Most people get around by plane or river or ocean boats.
Borneo is thinly populated and covered by mountains, rain forests and increasingly palm oil plantations. Most of the cities and towns are along the coast. The soil is poor. Large areas of the coast are made up of marshes and mangrove swamps. Most of the interior consists of rugged mountains interspersed with deep gorges. This area is laced with clear and whiskey-colored streams.
Borneo contains extensive river systems and wetlands. The longest river is the Kapuas in West Kalimantan, which flows for about one thousand one hundred forty three kilometres. Other major rivers include the Mahakam in East Kalimantan, the Barito, Kahayan, and Mendawai in South Kalimantan, the Rajang in Sarawak, and the Kinabatangan in Sabah. Lake Sentarum, located in Kapuas Hulu Regency in West Kalimantan, forms part of an important inland wetland system that supports rich wildlife and seasonal flooding forests.
See Separate Article: BORNEO: GEOGRAPHY, DEMOGRAPHY, STATES, TRAVEL factsanddetails.com
Geography Data
Area: total: 5,765 square kilometers (2,226 square miles); land: 5,265 square kilometers (2,033 square miles); water: 500 square kilometers (193 square miles). Geographic coordinates: 4 30 N, 114 40 E. [Source: CIA World Factbook]
Coastline: 161 kilometers (100 miles); Elevation: highest point: Bukit Pagon 1,850 meters (6070 feet); lowest point: South China Sea 0 meters; mean elevation: 478 meters (1,569 feet).
Land boundaries: total: 266 kilometers (165 miles); border countries (1): Malaysia 266 kilometers (165 miles). Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nautical miles (22.2 kilometers); exclusive economic zone: 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) or to median line.
Land use: agricultural land: 2.5 percent (2023 estimate); arable land: 0.8 percent (2023 estimate); permanent crops: 1.1 percent (2023 estimate); permanent pasture: 0.6 percent (2023 estimate); forest: 72.1 percent (2023 estimate); other: 25.4 percent (2023 estimate). Arable land is land cultivated for crops like wheat, maize, and rice that are replanted after each harvest. Permanent crops is land cultivated for crops like fruit trees oranges that are not replanted after each harvest. Irrigated land: 10 square kilometers (2012).
Population distribution: the vast majority of the population is found along the coast in the western part of Brunei, which is separated from the eastern portion by Malaysia; the largest population concentration is in the far north on the western side of the Brunei Bay, in and around the capital of Bandar Seri Begawan. Brunei has a population density of approximately 89 people per square kilometer (about 231 people per square mile). This is calculated across a total land area of 5,270 square kilometers (2,035 square miles) with an estimated national population nearing 470,000.
Topography and Land Cover of Brunei
Brunei is made up of a flat coastal plain that rises to mountains in east; hilly lowland in west. The coastal plain is intersected by rivers descending from the hilly hinterland. Most towns and villages are beside estuaries.
There are beaches on the coastal plain which stretches from east to west for 90 kilometers (56 miles). The land becomes more hilly towards the southern part of the country, climbing more than 500 meters (1,650 feet) above sea level. The eastern part of Brunei is much more mountainous, especially in the southeast, where the country's highest point, 1850-meter-high (6070-feet-high) Pagon Peak is situated. Brunei’s vast tract of undisturbed, or little disturbed, rainforest is mostly in the Temburong District.
Brunei’s eastern and western segments are separated by Malaysia's Limbang River valley, but linked by the waters of Brunei Bay. Both the eastern segment (the Temburong District) and the more populated western segment have coastal plain risings gradually to hills and cut through by rivers running north to the sea. Bandar Seri Begawan, located in the north along an inlet of the Brunei River.[Source: Geo-Data: The World Geographical Encyclopedia, The Gale Group Inc., 2003]
In the west of Brunei, hills lower than 90 meters (295 feet) rise towards an escarpment and higher hills approaching the Sarawak border. Brunei's highest peak, Mt. Pagon is located in this area. Brunei's eastern sector is also covered with low hills, which gain height close to the border with Sarawak.
Lakes, Rivers and Wetlands of Brunei
Brunei has four major river systems, all flowing northward to the South China Sea. The country's longest river is the Belait River, which is about 209 kilometers (130 miles) long and flows through western Brunei. The Tutong River also flows through western Brunei and is an important waterway for the Tutong District. The Brunei River flows through the northern part of the country and empties into Brunei Bay, where the capital city, Bandar Seri Begawan, is located. In eastern Brunei, the Temburong River drains the entire Temburong District before reaching Brunei Bay. [Source: Geo-Data: The World Geographical Encyclopedia, The Gale Group Inc., 2003]
Brunei has relatively few natural lakes. The largest is Tasek Merimbun, which covers about 1.2 square kilometers (0.4 square miles). This distinctive S-shaped lake is surrounded by a nature park covering approximately 77 square kilometers (30 square miles) and is an important habitat for wildlife. Other notable lakes include Wong Kadir Lake and Teraja Lake, both located in the Belait District.
Brunei's wetlands are valuable natural environments. Extensive mangrove forests line the country's estuaries and coastal areas and are considered among the best-preserved mangrove ecosystems in Southeast Asia. Mangroves cover an estimated 3.2 percent of Brunei's land area and provide important habitats for fish, birds, and other wildlife. Brunei also has ecologically significant peat swamp forests, a habitat that has become increasingly rare in northern Borneo. These peat swamps are found mainly in western Brunei, particularly along sections of the Belait and Tutong river systems, where they support a rich diversity of plant and animal life.
Seas, Islands and Coastal Features of Brunei
The Sultanate of Brunei developed as a trading state located along shipping routes that linked the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean through the South China Sea. Today, much of the country's petroleum wealth comes from hydrocarbon deposits located beneath the South China Sea off Brunei's coast and along the coastline of Belait District. [Source: Geo-Data: The World Geographical Encyclopedia, The Gale Group Inc., 2003]
Brunei has 33 islands, which together account for about 1.4 percent of the country's land area. Two of these islands are located in the South China Sea, while the others are found in rivers or in Brunei Bay, including Pulau Muara Besar. Many of the islands serve as important wildlife habitats for species such as the proboscis monkey and are largely uninhabited, although some are used for recreation. Brunei has established a fishing zone in part of the Spratly Islands area, which is also claimed by the Philippines, Malaysia, China, Taiwan, and Vietnam. However, Brunei has not made a formal claim to the Spratly Islands.
The western part of Brunei has a coastline along the South China Sea, where sandbars separate river estuaries from the open sea. The districts of Belait, Tutong, and Brunei-Muara contain three major river estuaries as well as extensive mangrove forests. In the eastern district of Temburong, the steep, muddy shores of Brunei Bay and its inlets provide important habitat for wildlife. These coastal environments support a variety of plant and animal species and form part of Brunei's rich natural ecosystem.
Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons
Text Sources: Brunei Darussalam tourism websites, Brunei Darussalam government websites, Wikitravel, Wiki Voyage, UNESCO, Wikipedia, Lonely Planet guides, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, National Geographic, The New Yorker, Bloomberg, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Japan News, Yomiuri Shimbun, Compton's Encyclopedia and various books and other publications.
Updated in June 2026