Brunei Darussalam is a Malay Muslim Monarchy on the northwest coast of the island of Borneo, immensely rich in oil which has been exploited since 1929. It lies between the East Malaysia States - Sabah and Sarawak.  It is among the world's smallest countries with a total area 5,765 sq. km. (2,226 sq, miles) about 10 times bigger than Singapore.
It has a tiny population of about 276,300 including immigrant workers. Over 30,000 live in the water Village (Kampong Ayer), in houses on stilts on the banks of the Brunei River. The majority residents are Malays, with large communities of Chinese, Europeans and Indians as well as a number of indigenous tribes, mainly live in the interior. The ruler is His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mui'zzaddin Waddaulah, the 29th Sultan of Brunei. He is the ruling monarch, who is also the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister.
Brunei Darusalam is one of the most ancient sovereign States in South East Asia. It was referred to Chinese history during the six century AD as a country 45 days sailing from China and rejoicing under the names of ‘Polo, Poli, Ye-po-ti, Pinu or P'o-ni,  thought to be early names for Brunei. By the tenth century, Brunei had emerged as a Kingdom of the Buddhist Srivijaya empire of Sumantra. Srivijaya eventually gave away to the Hindu Majapahit empire of Java, which in turn was destroyed by Muslim invaders in the fifteenth century. Islam came to Brunei shortly before the collapse of Majapahit. Brunei rose to the height of its power in the sixteenth century, and played an important role in the propagation of Islam. One of the greatest rules of this ‘golden age' was Sultan Bolkiah, known as " Nakhoda Ragam " (the Singing Admiral). Sultan Bolkiah undertook a number of voyages to Java and Malacca and made many conquests in Borneo and the Philippines.
BRUNEI DARUSSALAM became fully independent from the United Kingdom on 01st January, 1984.