Berambang Island (Malay: Pulau Berambang) is an island at the southern bank of the Brunei River in the Mukim Kota Batu, Brunei-Muara District, Brunei.[1][2] The island was formerly named Buang Tawer during The Brooke Era from 1841 until 1941.[3] The mausoleum of the 9th Sultan of Brunei, Muhammad Hassan is located on the island, near Kampong Sungai Bunga.[4]
Native name: Pulau Berambang Nickname: Buang Tawer | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Berambang Island as seen from space in 2010. | |
  Berambang Island Location in Brunei | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Brunei Bay |
| Coordinates | 4°51′31″N 114°58′53″E / 4.8586390°N 114.9813499°E |
| Archipelago | Malay Archipelago |
| Administration | |
Brunei | |
| District | Brunei-Muara |
| Mukim | Kota Batu |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 1,530 (2016) |
A proposal for an 1,939 hectares (4,790 acres) protection status to be implemented on the island.[5] The island is home to proboscis monkeys, birds, secondary forests and swamp forests.[5]
Geography
editBerambang, Baru-Baru and Berbunut are the three islands which are located in close proximity of Bandar Seri Begawan.[6] Cermin Island sits at an estimated distance of 0.5 miles (0.80 km) north of Kampong Sungai Bunga.[7] Cape Kindana (Tanjong Kindana) is located at the most north eastern end of the island.[8] It is also the longest island in Brunei Bay and the biggest in the Brunei River.[9][10]
In order to preserve its important mangrove forests and indigenous animals, Berambang Island has been classified as a wildlife sanctuary under the Wildlife Protection Act (1978). Three places on the island have been designated as sanctuaries by the Museums Department: Kampong Riong, Kampong Pudak, and Kampong Tanjong Kindana. In addition to providing vital shelter for proboscis monkeys, these mangrove ecosystems in the Sungai Brunei river system enhance the natural environment around mainland urban growth.[11]
History
editDuring Sultan Hassan's reign from 1582 until 1598, he was the architect of the bridge linking from Tanjong Kindana or also known as Tanjong Chendana, to Cermin Island.[12][13] It can be noted that after the death of Sultan Hassan in 1598, he was buried near Sungai Bunga in Cape Kindana.[10]
In 1903, a Charles Brooke's coal mine discovered oil on the island.[14] A total of 14,533 tonnes (14,303 long tons; 16,020 short tons) of coal was exported by Rajah of Sarawak's Brooketon Colliery in Muara and Buang Tawer.[15][16] According to an annual report in 1915, a blockhouse overlooking the river built during the coal mining days was dismantled and materials were reused to build a new office, police station and barracks in Muara.[17][18] Crude oil was discovered in 1920 and by 1924, it has already produced up to 3,320 US gallons (12,600 L; 2,760 imp gal).[1]
In the 1990s, a proposal was made to create a 7 square kilometres (2.7 sq mi) mangrove forest reserve.[19] As part of the 2001–2005 National Development Plan (RKN), a B$181.5 million housing scheme was drawn up in several areas which included Kampong Sungai Bunga.[20] In 2007, a new cemetery was built on the island.[21]
Administration
editAs of 2016, the island comprised the following census villages:[22]
| Village | Population
(2016) |
|---|---|
| Kampong Riong | 41 |
| Kampong Sungai Bunga | 797 |
| Kampong Menunggol | 541 |
| Kampong Pudak | 151 |
Majority of the buildings are built from concrete, especially on the northern side of the island.[23]
Places of interest
editBatu Gasing Awang Semaun – local legend has it that near Bukit Patoi in Temburong, the legendary warrior Awang Semaun and his nephew, Awang Sinuai, were engaged in a game of gasing (spinning top). When it came Awang Semaun's turn to spin his gasing, it collided with his nephew's and took off from Temburong toward the Brunei River, where it bounced off the seas like a skipping stone and landed upside-down on the shores of Berambang Island, where it spun until it transformed into a large rock.[24]
References
edit- ^ a b "Brunei-River-Heritage-Trail_compressed" (PDF). bruneitourism.com. 2019.
- ^ Awang.), Mohd Jamil Al-Sufri (Pehin Orang Kaya Amar Diraja Dato Seri Utama Haji (2000). Tarsilah Brunei: The Early History of Brunei Up to 1432 AD. Brunei History Centre, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports. p. 11. ISBN 978-99917-34-03-3.
- ^ Watson, A. C. (2002). Bubungan Dua Belas. Brunei Museums Department, Kementerian kebudayaan Belia dan Sukan. p. 15. ISBN 978-99917-30-06-6.
- ^ "Timba Ilmu, Pengalaman Baharu | Brunei's No.1 News Website". www.brudirect.com. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
- ^ a b Silvestre, Geronimo (1992). The Coastal Resources of Brunei Darussalam: Status, Utilization and Management. WorldFish. p. 151. ISBN 978-971-8709-11-5.
- ^ Silvestre, Geronimo (1992). The Coastal Resources of Brunei Darussalam: Status, Utilization and Management. WorldFish. p. 143. ISBN 978-971-8709-11-5.
- ^ Office, United States Hydrographic (1949). Publication. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 360.
- ^ Brunei, Muzium (1989). The Brunei Museum Journal. p. 119.
- ^ Karim, Abdul (2008). Keruntuhan Empayar Brunei KM 19: satu kajian dari sudut ekonomi (in Malay). Pusat Sejarah Brunei, Kementerian Kebudayaan, Belia dan Sukan. p. 10. ISBN 978-99917-34-58-3.
- ^ a b "Discovering Brunei's island destinations » Borneo Bulletin Online". Discovering Brunei’s island destinations. 20 August 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
- ^ BRUNEI MUARA DISTRICT PLAN. Bandar Seri Begawan: Department of Town and Country Planning, Ministry of Development. January 2015. pp. 2-37 and 2-38.
- ^ Brunei (1977). Annual Report - State of Brunei. p. 494.
- ^ International Seminar on Brunei Malay Sultanate in Nusantara: proceedings (in Malay). Akademi Pengajian Brunei, Universiti Brunei Darussalam. 1996. p. 325.
- ^ Sidhu, Jatswan S. (22 December 2009). Historical Dictionary of Brunei Darussalam. Scarecrow Press. pp. xxxii. ISBN 978-0-8108-7078-9.
- ^ Manufactures, United States Bureau of (1908). Monthly Consular and Trade Reports. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 31.
- ^ Commons, Great Britain Parliament House of (1909). Parliamentary Papers: 1909-1982. H.M. Stationery Office. p. 286.
- ^ Brunei, Muzium (1981). Brunei Museum journal. p. 77.
- ^ Watson, A. C. (2002). Bubungan Dua Belas. Brunei Museums Department, Kementerian kebudayaan Belia dan Sukan. p. 41. ISBN 978-99917-30-06-6.
- ^ Nature, World Wide Fund for (1994). Centres of Plant Diversity: Asia, Australasia, and the Pacific. World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and ICUN - World Conservation Union. p. 252. ISBN 978-2-8317-0198-1.
- ^ Brunei (2000). Eighth National Development Plan, 2001-2005. Government Print. Department. p. 171.
- ^ Brunei (2007). Brunei Darussalam Long-term Development Plan. Government Print. Department, Prime Minister's Office, Brunei Darussalam. p. 149.
- ^ "Population and Housing Census Update Final Report 2016" (PDF). www.deps.gov.bn. Statistics Department. December 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
- ^ Badarudin, Adnan bin Pengiran (2001). Transforming Traditions: Architecture in the ASEAN Countries : Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand. ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information. p. 28. ISBN 978-981-04-3696-4.
- ^ "Brunei River Heritage Trail" (PDF).