Bandar Seri Begawan
بندر سري بڬاوان (Jawi) | |
|---|---|
| Other transcription(s) | |
| • Mandarin | 斯里巴加湾市 Sīlǐbājiāwānshì (Hanyu Pinyin) |
| Nicknames: The Venice of the East[1] | |
OpenStreetMap  | |
| Coordinates: 4°53′25″N 114°56′32″E / 4.89028°N 114.94222°E | |
| Country | Brunei |
| District | Brunei–Muara |
| Settled | 1906 |
| Administrative centre | 1909 |
| Municipality | 1 January 1921 |
| Renamed Bandar Seri Begawan | 4 October 1970 |
| Government | |
| • Body | Bandar Seri Begawan Municipal Board |
| Area | |
| • Total | 100.36 km2 (38.75 sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (BNT) |
| Area code | +673 2 |
| Website | bandaran-bsb.gov.bn |
Bandar Seri Begawan[a] (BSB) is the capital and largest city of Brunei. It is officially a municipal area (kawasan bandaran) with an area of 100.36 square kilometres (38.75 sq mi) and an estimated population of 100,700 as of 2007.[3] It is part of Brunei–Muara District, the smallest yet most populous district which is home to over 70 per cent of the country's population.[4] It is the country's largest urban centre and nominally the country's only city. The capital is home to Brunei's seat of government, as well as a commercial and cultural centre. It was formerly known as Brunei Town until it was renamed in 1970 in honour of Omar Ali Saifuddien III, the 28th Sultan of Brunei and the father of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.
The history of Bandar Seri Begawan can be traced back to the establishment of a Malay stilt settlement on the waters of the Brunei River which became the predecessor of Kampong Ayer today. It became the capital of the Bruneian Sultanate from the 16th century onwards, as well as in the 19th century when it became a British protectorate. The establishment of a British Residency in the 20th century saw the establishment of modern-day administration on land, as well as the gradual resettlement of the riverine dwellers to the land. During World War II, the capital was occupied by the Japanese forces from 1941 and bombed in 1945 upon liberation by Allied forces. Brunei's independence from the British was declared on 1 January 1984 on a square in the city centre.
Bandar Seri Begawan is home to Istana Nurul Iman, the largest residential palace in the world by the Guinness World Records,[5] and Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, Brunei's iconic landmark. It is also home to Kampong Ayer, the largest 'water village' in the world and nicknamed Venice of the East.[6] It was once the host city of the 20th Southeast Asian Games in 1999 and 8th APEC Summit in 2000.
- ^ "The Venice of the East". People.cn. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
- ^ Cohen, Saul Bernard (2008). The Columbia Gazetteer of the World: A to G. Columbia University Press. p. 299. ISBN 978-0-231-14554-1.
- ^ "Jabatan Bandaran Bandar Seri Begawan, Kementerian Hal Ehwal Dalam Negeri – Maklumat Bandaran". municipal-bsb.gov.bn (in Malay). Archived from the original on 2 October 2017. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
- ^ "Built environment: Public works are providing a stream of contracts, while reforms and economic diversification pave the way for further growth | Brunei Darussalam 2013 | Oxford Business Group". oxfordbusinessgroup.com. 2 May 2013. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
- ^ "Largest residential palace | Guinness World Records". Guinness World Records. Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
- ^ Wong, Maggie Hiufu; Tham, Dan (24 January 2018). "Brunei's Kampong Ayer: Largest settlement on stilts | CNN Travel". CNN. Archived from the original on 8 July 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
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