Brunei
/bruːˈnʌɪ
/
A small, oil-rich sultanate on the NW coast of Borneo, population 388,200 (est. 2009); languages, Malay (official), English (official), Chinese; capital, Bandar Seri Begawan.
In the 16th century Brunei dominated Borneo and parts of the Philippines, but its power declined as that of the Portuguese and Dutch grew, and in 1888 it was placed under British protection. It became a fully independent Commonwealth state in 1984.