Brunei is divided into four districts: Brunei Muara, home to the capital – Bandar Seri Begawan; the sparsely populated Temburong (cut off from the rest of the country by the Limbang district of Sarawak), agriculture-laden Tutong and oil-rich Belait. Despite its lucrative assets, much of Brunei has remained unchanged for centuries due to its oil resources – primary and secondary tropical rainforests still cover about 75 % of the total land area. Most sightseeing spots in the sultanate are located within the Bandar Seri Begawan area. Additionally, the oil-rich emirate has one major national park as well as a number of forest reserves including Lake Merimbum, Peradayan Forest Reserve and Ulu Temburong National Park.
The Sultanate of Brunei is a small but - thanks to natural gas and petroleum resources - very rich country located in Southeast Asia. It is surrounded by Malaysia and has two parts physically separated by Malaysia, almost being an enclave. Strategically located on the South China Sea, close to vital sea lanes linking Indian and Pacific Oceans, it has an exclusive economic fishing zone that extends as far as Louisa Reef in the southern Spratly Islands although it makes no public territorial claim to the offshore reefs.
Brunei is officially an Islamic state, with many large beautiful mosques across the country. Sale of alcohol is banned. Bringing in meat, (other than seafood) which has not been certified "halal", (slaughtered according to Islamic law), is also banned. During the fasting month of Ramadan, many shops and restaurants will be open. However, eating, drinking or smoking in front of people who are fasting is considered rude and asking permission is appropriate.
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