Although a tiny state with a small population on the northern coast of Borneo in South-East Asia, Brunei has one of the highest standards of living in the world thanks to sizeable deposits of oil and gas.

The country only gained independence in 1984, but has the world’s oldest reigning monarchy and centuries of royal heritage. At the helm of the only remaining Malay Islamic Monarchy in the world, the Sultan of Brunei comes from a family line that dates back over 600 years. The first Sultan ascended the throne in 1405, founding a dynasty of which the current Sultan, His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, is the 29th ruler. In 1984, the Sultan declared Negara Brunei Darussalam ('Brunei, The Abode of Peace') as a sovereign, democratic and independent Malay Muslim Monarchy (Melayu Islam Beraja) which would be administered according to the teachings of Islam. Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah has been on the throne for 38 years and is one of the world’s richest individuals.

Brunei is a heavily forested state, and most human activity is restricted either to coastal areas or estuaries. Visitors will encounter the grandeur of Islamic architecture and royal tradition in Brunei and cannot miss architectural treasures such as the Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, with its gleaming gold dome.

Geography
Brunei is a small coastal state just 443km (277 miles) north of the equator in the northwest corner of Borneo, bordered on all landward sides by Sarawak (Malaysia), which splits Brunei into two parts. The landscape is mainly equatorial jungle cut by rivers. Most settlements are situated at estuaries. The state is made up of four districts: Brunei-Muara (the capital district), Tutong and Belait (Brunei’s center of oil and gas exploitation, in the west of the country); and Temburong, the eastern district, which has large areas of virgin rainforest. The islands in Brunei Bay fall within the Brunei-Muara or Temburong districts.