Belait District
Encyclopedia
Districts of Brunei
Brunei is divided into four districts :The districts are subdivided into thirty-eight mukim .-See also:*ISO 3166-2:BN*...
(Malay: daerah
Daerah
Daerah or Daïra |circle]]; plural dawaïr) is an Arabic language subdivision term.- Arab countries :* subdivisions of Algeria: below wilayah , see Daïra of Algeria...
) in Brunei
Brunei
Brunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace , is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia...
, as well as the western-most. The word 'Belait' is taken from the name of the native inhabitants of Belait, the Belait People
Belait People
The Belait People are an ethnic group which reside mainly in the Belait district of Brunei. They are the native inhabitants of the Belait district from which the name was taken. The majority of the Belait People live in the Belait district and they are overwhelmingly Muslims...
. The district is administered from the town of Kuala Belait
Kuala Belait
This article refers to the town of Kuala Belait. For the mukim of the same name, please refer to Kuala Belait, Belait. For district, please see Belait district.Kuala Belait |Jawi]]: )is a town located in South-West of Brunei...
, its capital. Belait is governed by an appointed District Officer. The current District Officer of Belait is Awg. Haji Jamain bin Momin. Other major town includes include Seria
Seria
Seria is a town in the Belait District of Brunei Darussalam. Its full name is Pekan Seria in full . Seria was originally known as Padang Berawa which is Wild Pigeon's Field in Malay. The name "Seria" comes from the river located very near where oil was first discovered in the area in 1929...
town and Sungai Liang.
Location and geography
The district borders the South China SeaSouth China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
to the north, the Bruneian district of Tutong
Tutong District
Tutong is a district in Brunei and its capital is Pekan Tutong or Tutong Town . The district borders the South China Sea to the north, the Bruneian district of Brunei and Muara and the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the east and the Bruneian district of Belait to the west. It has a population of...
to the east and the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the south and west.
The district covers 2,727 km2/1,052 mi², which is about half of the entire nation. The landscape of the district varies from the peat swamps and lowland forests near the coast to the montane rainforesst in the interior parts of the district.
The Belait River (Sungai Belait) flows through Belait and it is the longest river in Brunei
Brunei
Brunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace , is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia...
. The Belait River, together with its tributaries drains the district - the Belait district roughly corresponds to the watershed of the Belait River.
Mukim
In Brunei, a mukim is a subdivision of a daerah . The equivalent of the word 'mukim' in English would be 'sub-district'.In Malaysia, a mukim can either be a subdivision of a daerah or a subdivision of sub-district, In Singapore, a mukim is one of two varieties of survey...
s (English: sub-districts). These are often named after the most important town or village contained within. These are:
- Bukit SawatBukit Sawat, BelaitBukit Sawat is a mukim in the Belait district in Brunei. The name 'Bukit' is the Malay word for hill and 'Sawat' probably comes from the name of a fruit-plant...
- Kuala BalaiKuala Balai, BelaitKuala Balai is a mukim in the Belait district in Brunei. It is located in the west of the Belait District. It borders Mukim Seria to the north, Mukim Labi to the east and south, Sarawak, Malaysia to the west and Mukim Kuala Belait to the north-west....
- Kuala BelaitKuala Belait, BelaitKuala Belait is a mukim of Brunei and is also the westernmost mukim in the Belait District and in Brunei. It is bounded by the South China Sea to the north, Mukim Seria to the east, Kuala Balai to the south-east and Sarawak to the south and west....
- LabiLabi, BelaitLabi is a mukim in the Belait District of Brunei, an administrative area made up of several Kampongs . It is located at the centre of the Belait District to the south-west, bordering Mukim Liang to the north, Mukim Bukit Sawat to the north-east, Mukim Sukang to the east, Sarawak to the south and...
- LiangLiang, BelaitLiang is a mukim in the Belait District of Brunei. It is located in the north of the Belait District facing the South China Sea, bordering Mukim Telisai to the north-east, Mukim Bukit Sawat to the south-east, Mukim Labi to the south and Mukim Seria to the west.-Areas and divisions:Mukim Liang...
- MelilasMelilas, BelaitMelilas is a mukim in the Belait District of Brunei. It is located in the southernmost point of the Belait District, bordering Mukim Sukang to the north and Sarawak to the east, south and west.-Areas and divisions:...
- SeriaSeria, BelaitSeria is a mukim in the Belait District of Brunei. It is about 169 square kilometres in size. It is located in the north-west of the Belait District, bordering the South China Sea to the north, Mukim Liang to the east, Mukim Labi to the south-east, Mukim Kuala Balai to the south and Mukim Kuala...
- SukangSukang, BelaitSukang is a mukim in the Belait District of Brunei. It is located in the south, centre of the Belait District, bordering Mukim Bukit Sawat to the north, Mukim Rambai to the north-east, Sarawak to the east and south-east, Mukim Melilas to the south and Mukim Labi to the west.-Areas and...
Each Mukim
Mukim
In Brunei, a mukim is a subdivision of a daerah . The equivalent of the word 'mukim' in English would be 'sub-district'.In Malaysia, a mukim can either be a subdivision of a daerah or a subdivision of sub-district, In Singapore, a mukim is one of two varieties of survey...
is composed of a number of villages or kampongs.
Population
The district has a population of around 70,000 people (2006 census) most of whom live in Kuala BelaitKuala Belait
This article refers to the town of Kuala Belait. For the mukim of the same name, please refer to Kuala Belait, Belait. For district, please see Belait district.Kuala Belait |Jawi]]: )is a town located in South-West of Brunei...
, the main town and Seria
Seria
Seria is a town in the Belait District of Brunei Darussalam. Its full name is Pekan Seria in full . Seria was originally known as Padang Berawa which is Wild Pigeon's Field in Malay. The name "Seria" comes from the river located very near where oil was first discovered in the area in 1929...
. The native inhabitants of the district are the Belait People
Belait People
The Belait People are an ethnic group which reside mainly in the Belait district of Brunei. They are the native inhabitants of the Belait district from which the name was taken. The majority of the Belait People live in the Belait district and they are overwhelmingly Muslims...
and together with the other Bumiputera races form a majority in the district. A large minority of this population is ethnic Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
, particularly those speaking Cantonese, Toisanese
Taishan dialect
Taishanese is a dialect of Yue Chinese. The dialect is closely related to Cantonese.Taishanese is spoken in the southern part of Guangdong Province in China, particularly in and around the city-level county of Taishan...
, and Hakka. Iban
Iban people
The Ibans are a branch of the Dayak peoples of Borneo. In Malaysia, most Ibans are located in Sarawak, a small portion in Sabah and some in west Malaysia. They were formerly known during the colonial period by the British as Sea Dayaks. Ibans were renowned for practising headhunting and...
s, Penan
Penan
The Penan are a nomadic aboriginal people living in Sarawak and Brunei. They are one of the last such peoples remaining. The Penan are noted for their practice of 'molong' which means never taking more than necessary...
s and other indigenous people make up the rest of the population. Also present are a large community of expatriate
Expatriate
An expatriate is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing...
s (Caucasians
Caucasian race
The term Caucasian race has been used to denote the general physical type of some or all of the populations of Europe, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Western Asia , Central Asia and South Asia...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
ns, Filipinos
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
) mostly working with or associated with the oil and gas industry.
Although it is the second most populous district, it has the lowest average population density (23 persons per square kilometer) of all four districts due to its large area. The population distribution is uneven, the areas around the coast are more densely settled than the mountaineous interior rainforests. The largest urban areas in terms of population are the district administrative capital of Kuala Belait and the oil town of Seria.
Road
The district is connected by the Seria/Lumut bypass to the Muara-Tutong highway to the east and by the Rasau Bridge to Sungai Tujoh and MiriMiri
Miri is a city in northern Sarawak, Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. It is the second largest city in Sarawak, with a population of about 300,000, and the government administrative centre of Miri District in Miri Division....
in the west. Roads near the coast, particularly in the urban areas of Kuala Belait, Seria and Sungai Liang are mostly surfaced and in good condition. Roads towards the interior - Labi, Melilas and Sukang - are partially surfaced, but may suffer from floods and landslides during the rainy season.
Rail
The Japanese built a wooden set of rail lines from Badas to the coast during the Second World War. This is no longer in use and has fallen into disrepair.Ports and ferries
The port of Kuala Belait is one of the three ports in Brunei. It is located on the Belait river and caters to small crafts. (See Kuala BelaitKuala Belait
This article refers to the town of Kuala Belait. For the mukim of the same name, please refer to Kuala Belait, Belait. For district, please see Belait district.Kuala Belait |Jawi]]: )is a town located in South-West of Brunei...
.)
A ferry service crosses the mouth of the Belait River linking Kuala Belait to Kg. Sg. Teraban. (This services has been ceased since 2005).
Air
There is one airfield at Anduki, a suburbSuburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of Seria. This is used mainly by Shell
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
to transport company personnel to the offshore rigs and platforms. (See Seria
Seria
Seria is a town in the Belait District of Brunei Darussalam. Its full name is Pekan Seria in full . Seria was originally known as Padang Berawa which is Wild Pigeon's Field in Malay. The name "Seria" comes from the river located very near where oil was first discovered in the area in 1929...
.)
The interior villages of Sukang are visited by a regular flying medical service.
There are no commercial flights into and out of the district.
Economy
The Belait District, and Seria town in particular, is the heart of the oil and gas industry in Brunei. It has a large expatriateExpatriate
An expatriate is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing...
community, including many Dutch people
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
. This is because Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
has a major presence in the region.
There are two onshore oil and gas fields in the district - the large Seria Oil Field discovered in 1929 which is still producing hydrocarbons even today, and the smaller Rasau
Rasau
Rasau is an area in Brunei. The area contains one of the two oil fields of Brunei, the Rasau Field, and a small village, Kampong Rasau. The village located in the area has a population of 103.-Location:...
Field close to the town of Kuala Belait. The Tali Field, which is an extension of the Seria Field is found in the coastal waters off Seria. Further offshore lies the South-West Ampa, Fairley
Fairley
Fairley is a surname and may refer to :* Barker Fairley , British-born Canadian painter and writer* Brian Fairley , former Scottish football manager* Caleb Fairley , American murderer...
, Fairley Baram and Egret fields.
The petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
produced are processed onshore in and around Seria and the majority of it is exported. Some of the oil is refined at the refinery
Refinery
A refinery is a production facility composed of a group of chemical engineering unit processes and unit operations refining certain materials or converting raw material into products of value.-Types of refineries:Different types of refineries are as follows:...
in Seria for local consumption. Natural Gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
from the fields are sent to the Brunei Liquefied Natural Gas Plant (BLNG) in Lumut where it is cooled and liquefied. This is exported via tankers to mainly Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
.
In the eastern part of the district, Liang
Liang
Liang may refer to:*Liang , a Chinese surname common in Taiwan and southern China.*Liang , one of the states in China of the Spring and Autumn period ....
is currently experiencing a major development with the establishment of SPARK, which is a 271 hectare site developed to be a world class petrochemical hub. The first major investment at SPARK is the USD450 million Methanol plant developed by the Brunei Methanol Company, a joint venture between Petroleum Brunei and two leading Japanese companies, Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation and Itochu Corporation. The plant is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2010.