Incredible photos show the gritty, floating 'water village' on stilts that houses 13,000 people in Brunei, a tiny Southeastern nation of unimaginable wealth

Mark AbadiSep 26, 2018, 23:03 IST

Mark Abadi

Brunei is a tiny country in Southeast Asia that's home to one of the most interesting communities in the world - Kampung Ayer, or "Water Village."
Nearly half of the capital city's population lives in Kampung Ayer, where thousands of houses stand on stilts, as do schools, mosques, restaurants, and police stations.
The village stands in stark contrast to the rest of Brunei's capital city, which has glimmering architecture and pristine streets.

The tiny nation of Brunei is incredibly wealthy. Its oil-based economy has propelled the Southeast Asian country to a higher GDP per capita than the United States, Japan, and Switzerland.

That wealth is on full display in Brunei's capital, Bandar Seri Begawan, where opulent buildings and majestic mosques line the pristine streets.

But that extravagance isn't reality for many of the residents of Bandar Seri Begawan. Nearly half of the city's entire population lives just outside the capital's downtown in a "floating village" on the Brunei River, where thousands of houses stand on tall stilts and residents drive water taxis to get around.

Besides housing 13,000 people, Kampung Ayer, or "water village," also has mosques, schools, restaurants, police stations, and a fire department - all on stilts.

Here's what it looks inside Kampung Ayer, one of the most interesting villages in the world.

See Incredible photos show the gritty, floating 'water village' on stilts that houses 13,000 people in Brunei, a tiny Southeastern nation of unimaginable wealth >>

Brunei is a tiny country on the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia.

Source: CIA World Factbook

Thanks to its oil and gas reserves, it's one of the richest countries in the world, with a GDP of $77,000 per capita.

Source: International Monetary Fund

Its wealth is on full display in its capital city, Bandar Seri Begawan, where glittering mosques and extravagant architecture appear around every corner.

Source: Business Insider

But on the other side of the Brunei River, things look a lot different.

Source: Business Insider

This is Kampung Ayer, or "Water Village," a floating settlement that's home to an estimated 13,000 of the city's 27,000 people.

Source: Academy of Brunei Studies

All the buildings in Kampung Ayer are on stilts.

Source: Business Insider

The floating village doesn't just contain thousands of homes. There are also mosques, schools, restaurants, police stations, and a fire station.

Source: Business Insider

People get around — carefully — on a series of interconnected wooden walkways.

Source: Business Insider

And they also get around by ubiquitous water taxis, which take people back and forth from the mainland for a fare of $1.

Source: ASEAN Information Center

The use of water taxis earned Bandar Seri Begawan the nickname "Venice of the East."

Source: ASEAN Korea

And many residents of the village make their livings operating them.

Source: ASEAN Korea

The village's infrastructure is built to withstand pummeling rains that fall during Brunei's monsoon season.

Source: Brunei Weather

The history of Kampung Ayer goes back centuries. At its height in the 1500s, the village stretched into neighboring Indonesia and nearby Philippines.

Source: Southeast Asia Globe

In modern years, the village gained electricity, phone lines, internet access, and even satellite TV.

Source: Southeast Asia Globe

In many ways, the floating village resembles any of its terrestrial counterparts. Street signs mark the intersections of boardwalks, for example.

Source: Business Insider

Some of the recently built houses evoke images of American suburbia.

Source: Business Insider

Newer, two-story houses in the village cost about $45,000, and older houses sell for just $4,000, according to the Southeast Asia Globe. Property is only available to Brunei residents.

Source: Southeast Asia Globe

In wealthier parts of the village, the interiors of houses are lavish and extravagant. Airbnb started operating in the village last year, allowing foreign visitors to stay in the traditional houses.

Source: Southeast Asia Globe

But in some of the poorer sections, houses and walkways are in disrepair.

Source: Southeast Asia Globe

The wealth and extravagance of the mainland stands in stark contrast to the reality of most residents of the village.

Source: Business Insider

A once-thriving fishing and crabbing industry has declined in recent years because of pollution and quarrying, according to the Southeast Asia Globe.

Source: Southeast Asia Globe

And as modern technology makes Brunei's capital more accessible, many village residents have flocked to the mainland. In 1971, 136,000 people, or 60% of the entire population of Brunei, called the village home, but now that number is down to 3%.

Source: Southeast Asia Globe

Officials in Brunei are hoping tourism can help revive Kampung Ayer and bring new jobs.

Source: Southeast Asia Globe

Until then, Kampung Ayer will remain a world apart.

Source: Business Insider

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Incredible photos show the gritty, floating 'water village' on stilts that houses 13,000 people in Brunei, a tiny Southeastern nation of unimaginable wealth

Brunei is a tiny country on the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia.

Thanks to its oil and gas reserves, it's one of the richest countries in the world, with a GDP of $77,000 per capita.

Its wealth is on full display in its capital city, Bandar Seri Begawan, where glittering mosques and extravagant architecture appear around every corner.

But on the other side of the Brunei River, things look a lot different.

This is Kampung Ayer, or "Water Village," a floating settlement that's home to an estimated 13,000 of the city's 27,000 people.

All the buildings in Kampung Ayer are on stilts.

The floating village doesn't just contain thousands of homes. There are also mosques, schools, restaurants, police stations, and a fire station.

People get around — carefully — on a series of interconnected wooden walkways.

And they also get around by ubiquitous water taxis, which take people back and forth from the mainland for a fare of $1.

The use of water taxis earned Bandar Seri Begawan the nickname "Venice of the East."

And many residents of the village make their livings operating them.

The village's infrastructure is built to withstand pummeling rains that fall during Brunei's monsoon season.

The history of Kampung Ayer goes back centuries. At its height in the 1500s, the village stretched into neighboring Indonesia and nearby Philippines.

In modern years, the village gained electricity, phone lines, internet access, and even satellite TV.

In many ways, the floating village resembles any of its terrestrial counterparts. Street signs mark the intersections of boardwalks, for example.

Some of the recently built houses evoke images of American suburbia.

Newer, two-story houses in the village cost about $45,000, and older houses sell for just $4,000, according to the Southeast Asia Globe. Property is only available to Brunei residents.

In wealthier parts of the village, the interiors of houses are lavish and extravagant. Airbnb started operating in the village last year, allowing foreign visitors to stay in the traditional houses.

But in some of the poorer sections, houses and walkways are in disrepair.

The wealth and extravagance of the mainland stands in stark contrast to the reality of most residents of the village.

A once-thriving fishing and crabbing industry has declined in recent years because of pollution and quarrying, according to the Southeast Asia Globe.

And as modern technology makes Brunei's capital more accessible, many village residents have flocked to the mainland. In 1971, 136,000 people, or 60% of the entire population of Brunei, called the village home, but now that number is down to 3%.

Officials in Brunei are hoping tourism can help revive Kampung Ayer and bring new jobs.

Until then, Kampung Ayer will remain a world apart.