Seria

Seria

Seria is a town in Brunei's Belait district, located about 65 kilometers west of the country's capital, Bandar Seri Begawan. It lies in a mangrove swamp and is surrounded by an oil field. It was the first place in Brunei where oil was mined in 1929 and has become one of the centers of the country's oil and gas industry, it is including offshore wells. In Seria, a tanker terminal receives ships carrying crude oil. The city's oil has provided much of Brunei's development since the middle of the 20th century. Brunei Shell Petroleum, one of the Sultanate's largest companies, has its headquarters here. The name Seria stands for South East Reserved Industrial Area. In the past Seria was known as Padang Berawa, a local name meaning "Wild pigeons’ Field", referring to the area between the Bera and Seria rivers. The name has now been forgotten.