Brunei

Brunei is a small, wealthy kingdom on the north coast of the island of Borneo, bordering the South China Sea. Brunei is surrounded on three sides by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, and achieved its independence from the United Kingdom in 1984. The nation is split into four districts, the three western of which contain 97% of the population.

A nation of just over 2,000 square miles, Brunei was ruled as a British protectorate from 1888 to 1984. The nation is an absolute monarchy ruled by the Sultan of Brunei (Hassanal Bolkiah) and the nation has no elected legislative body. Islam is the official religion although other faiths are tolerated, with Buddhism and Christianity also practiced. Brunei has the 26th highest per capita income in the world, with the nation's wealth coming predominantly from offshore crude oil and natural gas reserves. Alcohol consumption, manufacture, and sale are forbidden in Brunei.