Brunei History and Culture

Brunei is a small country located in Southeast Asia, with a high standard of living due to its vast oil and gas reserves. It is governed as a Sultanate and its citizens pay no income tax. A British protectorate since 1888, Brunei was the only Malay state in 1963 which chose not to join the federation that became Malaysia, and only became fully independent in 1984.
The vast majority of its population lives in the larger western part of the country, with only around 10,000 people living in its mountainous eastern region. Most of its land is covered by the rainforests of the Borneo region.

The official religion is Islam, and its official language is Standard Malay, although Arabic is also taught in the schools. Brunei has a relatively conservative culture with Sharia law officially declared as their judicial infrastructure.