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Welcome to Brunei!
Home of my penpal Riza

The flag of Brunei pictured above actually has the state motto located in the centre of it, I can't see it there myself, but I promise you it is. I don't mind not being able to see it because, it is written in Arabic anyway. It says "Always render service by God's guidence." The state crest, the bright red bit in the centreof the flag includes a small flag and a royal umbrella. Just below are wings of four feathers representing justice, tranquility, prosperity and peace. A hand on either side stands for the government's pledge to promote wealth, peace and prosperity. A large crescent represents Islam, the national religion, and the scroll at the bottom of the crest reads "Brunei Darussalam, Abode of Peace." Ok, the detail is impossible to see, so thank goodness for my explanation.
The majority of Bruneians, about 65% are of Malay descent, and about 20% trace their ancestry back to mainland China. There are about 8% indigenous people, the Muruts, Tutongs, Belaits, Penans, and Ibans, and 6% who are temporary residents involved in oil production and related businesses.
Most Indian residents are Muslims, but there are some Hindus. Some Chinese Bruneians are Christians, but most are Buddhists.
Malay is the first language of all Bruneians of Malay descent. It is spoken with some variation from the Southern Phillipines, westward through Indonesia and into Malaysia. The Chinese usually speak Cantonese or one of the other southern Chinese language. Other languages include Arabic and the tribal languages, which are being replaced by Malay as the country becomes more developed.
Islam is the official religion followed by 67% of the population. Buddhism is followed by around 12% and approx 9% are Christians. There are also some tribal faiths.
The Sultan is the Prime Minister and Defense Minister.
The Brunei dollar is made up of 100 cents.

Here is a recipe Riza sent me. She eats it during the festival at the end of Ramadan. Since it is obviously a special occasion cake, I made it for Christmas last year. The cake weighs about 2 kilos, so I would suggest to anyone making this cake, unless you have a VERY large and hungry family, halve or even quarter the recipe!
"BATIK CAKE"
10 eggs................................500g margarine
1 cup sugar...........................1 tin full cream condensed milk
3 cups plain flour...................2 packets of Choc Ripple biscuits
2 cups milo..........................1 cup parisienne essence
*1. Beat margerine with sugar until well mixed. Put in the eggs one by one. Add the milk, milo, flour and parisienne essence. Mix well.
*2. Transfer mixture into a saucepan and heat on low until it becomes a soft dough.
*3. Add the crushed biscuits and stir.
*4. Finaly, transfer into a suitable container and leave it in the fridge for a few hours.
*5. Only eat in very small portions, or you will feel dreadfully unwell and won't be able to look chocolate in the face for a month. Enjoy!

For fantastic Islamic info, see Leila's Page
To compare the Brunei dollar with anything else, use Yahoo Currency Converter
To see pictures of this country's paper money, go to Ron Wise's Paper Money Homepage
For a Brunei info site, go here
For a page showing the holidays of Brunei, look at the Global Calender
To see the language make up of Brunei, go here.

Do you feel e-mailey? If so, e-mail me!
rosie_0801@yahoo.com