Capital Cities Around the World
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32 BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN Further Reading Duodo, Cameron. “A Stich-Up in Bamako?” New African 517 (May 2012): 24–27. Lyons, Michael and Alkison Brown. “Has Mercantilism Reduced Urban Poverty in SSA? Perceptions of Boom, Bust, and the China-Africa Trade in Lomé and Bamako,” World Development 38, no. 5 (2010): 771–82. Williams, Stephen. “Bamako,” New African 440 (May 2005): 62–65. BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN Bandar Seri Begawan is the capital and largest city of the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace, which is the formal name for the small Southeast Asian country on the north coast of the island of Borneo that is called simply Brunei. The country is also called the Sultanate of Brunei. Bandar Seri Begawan is located on the northern bank of the Brunei River in the northern part of the country near Brunei Bay of the South China Sea. The population of the city is about 140,000 and that of the urban area is 277,000; the population of Brunei as a whole is about 402,000. Bandar Seri Begawan is sometimes called simply Bandar or BSB. Historical Overview. Settlement of Brunei goes at least as far back as the 6th century, and that of the banks of the Brunei River to the 8th century. During the 15th–17th centuries, the Sultanate of Brunei ruled a much larger territory that encompassed all of northern Borneo and the southern Philippine Islands. Islam came to Brunei in the 16th century. From 1888 to 1984, Brunei was a British protectorate. It was occupied by Japan during World War II. The city, then called Brunei Town, was captured by the Japanese on December 22, 1941, and then liberated on June 10, 1945, under Operation Oboe Six. Oil was discovered in Brunei in 1929 and the fi rst offshore well was drilled in 1957. Oil production now accounts for some 90 percent of Brunei’s Gross Domestic Product. As the British colonial period drew to an end in Southeast Asia, Brunei opted out of joining the Malaysian Federation in 1962, and on January 1, 1984, became an independent country. Its government is a constitutional sultanate. Hassanal Bolkiah, the 29th Sultan of Brunei, has ruled Brunei since 1967, and is one of the world’s longest-serving rulers still in power. Because of the oil wealth of his country, Bolkiah is also one of the richest people in the world, with a personal fortune estimated to be $20 billion. He has a personal collection of 1,932 automobiles, including 532 Mercedes-Benzes, 367 Ferraris, 185 BMWs, 177 Jaguars, 160 Porsches, 130 Rolls-Royces, and 20 Lamborghinis. Major Landmarks . The Istana Nurul Iman is the royal palace and residence of Hassanal Bolkiah, the Sultan of Brunei. Access is private. The palace is also the working quarters for the Sultan and totals 1,888 rooms, 290 bathrooms, and a fl oor area of 2,152,782 square feet (200,000 sq m). The Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque, built in 1958, is distinguished by a golden dome and interior walls of Italian marble and is said to be one of the most beautiful mosques in the world. The Jame’asr Hassanal Bolkiah Mosque is even larger. Major museums include the Royal Regalia Museum about the life of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, the Brunei History Center, the Malay Technology Museum, and the Brunei Stamp Gallery. Kampong Ayer (the water village) is a traditional Malay neighborhood in which houses stand on poles above the water and are reached by water taxi. BANGKOK 33 Culture and Society. Most residents of Bandar Seri Begawan are ethnically Malay, including citizens of Brunei and of neighboring Malaysia. The population also includes a Chinese minority and foreign expatriates in the diplomatic community and in oil production. Some of the service work is done by laborers from Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and South Asia. Income levels in Brunei are among the highest in the world on average, but that number is skewed because of the greatly disproportionate wealth of the royal family. Nevertheless, Brunei citizens enjoy a high standard of living and have access to free public health care and education. The offi cial religion is Islam, although other religions are practiced as well. Malay is the offi cial language, specifi cally Bahasa Melayu, but English and Chinese are widely spoken as well. Further Reading Leake, David. Brunei: The Modern Southeast Asian Islamic Sultanate. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1989. Sidhu, Jatwan S. Historical Dictionary of Brunei Darussalam. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2009. BANGKOK Bangkok is the capital and largest city of Thailand, a country in the heart of Southeast Asia that is bordered by Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, and Malaysia. The city is near the center of the country where the Thailand’s great river, the Chao Phraya, empties into the Gulf of Thailand. The river is the main geographical feature of the city, along with the low-lying, fl at terrain of the lower Chao Phraya basin. In addition to the wide main channel of the river, there are many deltaic distributaries and canals in the city, resulting in a nickname for Bangkok as the “Venice of the East.” In Thai, the name of the city is Krung Thep Maha Nakon or simply Krung Thep, meaning “City of Angels.” The population of Bangkok is about 8.2 million and that of the metropolitan area is between 14.6 million and 20 million, depending on how the metropolitan area is defi ned. The city is by far the leading city of Thailand, as well as an infl uential economic center in Southeast Asia and in the global economy more generally. Many foreign companies have offi ces or factories in or near Bang- kok, and its airport and seaport are among the world’s busiest. The city is also a major destination for tourism from around the world. Historical Overview . Bangkok dates to the early 15th century and was but a small village under the rule of the capital in Ayutthaya Kingdom until Ayutthaya’s fall to the Burmese Kingdom in 1767. At that time, the newly crowned King Thaksin moved the capital to the village, being attracted by its strategic location near the mouth of the Chao Phraya. In 1782, the next king, Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke, moved the capital to the eastern bank of the river, where the heart of the modern city is now located. Thailand played a strategic role as a buffer between British colonies in Southeast Asia to the west and south and French colonies to the east, and maintained its independence. Bangkok prospered as a result and became an infl uential city in the region. It grew steadily in the 19th and 20th centuries as the center of Thailand’s modernization, and then explosively in the second half of the 20th century as Thailand emerged as an important center of the global economy. In World War II, the city was occupied by Japanese forces and was bombed by the Allies. During the United States phase 34 BANGKOK of the Vietnam War (1960s–1975), the city was a transportation hub for American troops and equipment, and a rest and recreation center for American soldiers. There has been considerable political turmoil in Thailand over the past two decades, and the city is clogged from time to time with mass demonstrations. In November 2008, antigovernment protestors occupied Suvarnabhumi Airport, the city’s main link to the world, stranding many passengers and disrupting the economy. Major Landmarks. The heart of Bangkok is the island of Rattanakosin, the “Old City.” This is the site of the Grand Palace and its enormous complex of highly decorated religious buildings. Within the grounds of the Grand Palace is Wat Phra Kaew, the most sacred Buddhist temple of Thailand. One of its building houses the Emerald Buddha, Thailand’s most sacred Buddha image. Nearby is Wat Po, another major temple and the site of the famous Reclining Buddha statue, while across the river is Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, a striking high structure that is covered with broken pieces of colorful Chinese porcelain. Wat Arun can be climbed for a dramatic view of the Chao Phraya and the heart of Bangkok. Other landmarks are Dusit Palace built by King Rama V and its Vimanmek Mansion, the largest golden teakwood house in the world; Jim Thompson’s House, the National Museum, the Museum of Siam; the Victory Monument; the King Rama V Monument, and the Democracy Monument. In Siam Square is the newly opened Bangkok Art and Culture Center. Lumphini Park is the largest park in central Bangkok. Important districts include the Siam Square shopping district, Sukhumvit, and Chinatown. Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, on the banks of the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok. (Photo courtesy of Roman Cybriwsky) BANGUI 35 Culture and Society. Thailand is a devoutly Buddhist country and Bangkok refl ects that aspect with thousands of temples and Buddhist shrines, and many religious festivals and traditions. The city is also a major business center, and has more than 1,000 skyscrapers and a great many busy shopping areas, including ultramodern malls and popular street-side night markets. Its roads are famously jammed, so residents and visitors alike often get to where they need to be by river bus or on the Bangkok rail transit system that rides above street level. The language of the country and that of the city is Thai, although the population of the city includes many migrants from mountain regions where local languages are spoken. There is also a Chinese minority in the city that has long been infl uential in local trade and commerce.