Brunei

International Harbors

During the 15th and 17th centuries, the Sultanate of Brunei's control extended over coastal areas of northwest Borneo and the southern Philippines.

The fifth sultan, Bolkiah (1473-1521), was famed for his sea exploits and briefly captured Manila. Under the ninth sultan, Hassan (1605-19), who fully developed an elaborate Royal Court structure, elements of which remain.

After Sultan Hassan, Brunei entered a period of decline, due to internal battles over royal succession as well as the rising influences of European colonial powers in the region, that, among other things, disrupted traditional trading patterns, destroying the economic base of Brunei and many other Southeast Asia sultanates. In 1839, the English adventurer James Brooke arrived in Borneo and helped the Sultan put down a rebellion. As a reward, he became governor and later "Rajah" of Sarawak in northwest Borneo and gradually expanded the territory under his control.

Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque in Bandar Seri Begawan. Capital of Brunei Darussalam, Southeast Asia

Meanwhile, the British North Borneo Company was expanding its control over territory in northeast Borneo.

In 1888, Brunei became a protectorate of the British Government, retaining internal independence but with British control over external affairs. In 1906, Brunei accepted a further measure of British control when executive power was transferred to a British resident, who advised the ruler on all matters except those concerning local custom and religion.

June 3, 1885, London and China Telegraph , London, United Kingdom

The Pall Mall Gazette says: "The new cession of territory acquired by the British North Borneo Company, and so favourably noticed in a leading article of The Times of May 25, does not appear to be a matter for so much congratulation. From a private telegram received from Brunei, dated May 18, we learn that the inhabitants of the country in question, objecting to the transfer, resisted by force of arms; a severe fight ensued, and two Europeans belonging to ths company lost their lives in the encounter. The name of the district in which this engagement took place is Kawang, in Borneo proper.

November 7, 1888, Colonies and India, London, United Kingdom

THE NEW PROTECTORATE IN BORNEO
SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT IT.

The announcement made on Oct. 31 as to the establishment of a virtual protectorate over British North Borneo, Brunei, and Sarawak had been expected for some time. By the new arrangement British influence is now supreme over the whole of the north-west and north coast of Borneo, a stretch of something like 2,000 miles. The total area of the united protectorate will probably be about 70,000 square miles, just the area of British East Africa. The progress of British North Borneo up to the present date is pretty well known from the annual reports of the company. Its forests are being cleared and the ground planted with tobacco, rice, maize, and other products; the native products are being worked, minerals are being diligently, and to some extent successfully, searched for, and Colonists, European and Chinese, are being attracted. The revenue is increasing every year and the expenditure diminishing, while the exports have been growing by leaps and bounds.

As for the little Sultanate of Brunei, it has been in process of cutting down for years, by Sarawak on the one side, British North Borneo on the other, and the Dutch towards the interior, so that now its area is probably not more than 2,500 square miles. Like British North Borneo and Sarawak, it has numerous winding rivers, forming swamps and great deltas, and large forests, the land rising into mountains in the interior. The romantic story of Sarawak and its English Rajah, the late Sir James Brooke, is well known to most of our readers. Under Sir James and his nephew, the present Rajah, the State has continued to prosper. It has an area of from 35,000 to 40,000 square miles, and a population of only 300,000. Here again are found winding deltaic rivers, great forests, and mountains rising in the interior to 8,000 feet. The limit towards the interior-is but illdefined. Sarawak has been under the government of Englishmen since 1840.

Palm Tree (Sago): Cycas Ruminiana

It is said to furnish more than half the sago supply of the world, and there is little doubt about its mineral wealth. But the territory is imperfectly explored, and there are indications of various minerals which may in the future repay working.

The exports average about a million dollars in annual value. The people are mainly Chinese, Malays, and Dyaks, and under the English Rajahs these live peaceably together. Important posts are filled by English officials, though, the Rajah takes natives' into his Council.

There is a trained military force of 250 men, besides a police force, and there is a regular civil service, as in an ordinary British Colony. There are both Protestant and, Roman Catholic missions, and many of the people are Mahomedans. The total trade, exports and imports, of the three territories may at present be estimated at about a million sterling.

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1899. World's Fleet. Boston Daily Globe

Lloyds Register of Shipping gives the entire fleet of the world as 28,180 steamers and sailing vessels, with a total tonnage of 27,673,628, of which 39 perent are British.

Great Britain	10,990 vessels, total tonnage of 10,792,714
United States	3,010 vessels, total tonnage of 2,405,887
Norway	2,528 vessels, tonnage of 1,604,230
Germany	1,676 vessels, with a tonnage of 2,453,334, in which are included her particularly large ships.
Sweden	1,408 vessels with a tonnage of 643, 527
Italy	1,150 vessels
France	1,182 vessels

For Historical Comparison
Top 10 Maritime Nations Ranked by Value (2017)

	Country	# of Vessels	Gross Tonnage (m)	Total Value (USDbn)
1	Greece	4,453	206.47	$88.0
2	Japan	4,317	150.26	$79.8
3	China	4,938	159.71	$71.7
4	USA	2,399	55.92	$46.5
5	Singapore	2,662	64.03	$41.7
6	Norway	1,668	39.68	$41.1
7	Germany	2,923	81.17	$30.3
8	UK	883	28.78	$24.3
9	Denmark	1,040	36.17	$23.4
10	South Korea	1,484	49.88	$20.1
Total		26,767	87.21	$466.9