BRUNEI DARUSSALAM

Nation of Brunei, Abode of Peace Negara Brunei Darussalam CAPITAL: Bandar Seri Begawan FLAG: On a yellow field extend two diagonal stripes of white and black, with the state emblem centered in red. ANTHEM: National Anthem, beginning Ya Allah lanjutkan usia (“God bless His Highness with a long life”). MONETARY UNIT: The Brunei dollar (B$, or ringgit) of 100 cents is valued at par with, and is interchangeable with, the Singapore dollar. There are coins of 1, 5, 10, 20, and 50 cents, and notes of 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500, 1,000, and 10,000 Brunei dollars. B$1 = US$0.5617; (or US$1 = B$1.78) as of May 2003. WEIGHTS AND MEASURES: Imperial weights and measures are in common use, as are certain local units, but a change to the metric system is slowly proceeding. HOLIDAYS: New Year’s Day, 1 January; National Day, 23 February; Anniversary of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, 31 May; Sultan’s Birthday, 15 July. Movable holidays include the Chinese New Year and various Muslim holy days. TIME: 8 PM = noon GMT.