The UAE & Brunei

In this essay I am going to compare and contrast two countries, Brunei and the UAE.

Firstly, let us examine the similarities. Both are Islamic countries and both have hereditary monarchies. In addition, both countries are very rich because of large-scale natural resources of oil and gas. Furthermore, both countries have national airlines, modern airports and well-developed infrastructures.

There are, however, a number of differences. First and most obvious is geographical location. The UAE is in the Middle East whereas Brunei is a tropical country in the Far East. Another difference is climate. The UAE has winter and summer, but in Brunei the weather is largely the same all year round. It also rains a lot more in Brunei and, as a result, the tradition is to build houses on stilts. Another difference is the currency, dirhams in the UAE and ringgits in Brunei. Furthermore, people drive on the right in the UAE but on the left in Brunei. Secondary education is single-sex in the UAE but co-educational in Brunei. A final difference is dress; people in Brunei do not wear dishdashas or ubayas.

I've worked happily in both countries and both are safe, pleasant places to work and raise families in. Brunei was more exciting in that it was my first overseas post but here in the UAE right now I'm very comfortable, both professionally and socially.

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