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Brunei, or its formal name the State of Brunei Darussalam, is completely surrounded by Malaysia's largest state, Sarawak. Which body of water borders Brunei to the north?

South China Sea. Brunei shares a total of 161 km coastlines with the South China Sea. Brunei belongs to the Commonwealth of Nations.

With a total area of 5,766 square kilometers, Brunei is the second smallest South-East Asian country; the smallest being Singapore. Brunei consists of two unconnected parts and they are divided into four districts. Which of the following is NOT one of them?

Kuala Lumpur. Brunei's four districts (daerah in Malay) are Belait, Brunei-Muara, Temburong and Tutong. These four districts are further divided into 38 mukims (a Malay word meaning smaller areas) or wards. Kuala Lumpur is the capital of Malaysia. The word "kuala" means confluence, while "lumpur" means mud or muddy.

The capital of Brunei, Bandar Seri Begawan, is located in the district of Brunei-Muara. Is it also the largest city of Brunei in size?

Y. The three largest cities of Brunei are Bandar Seri Begawan, Gadong Town and Jerudong. The word "bandar" is a Malay word, which means city.

What is the currency that is used in Brunei? This currency has the same value as the Singapore dollar.

Brunei dollar. In Malay, the Brunei dollar is ringgit Brunei. Peso is used in the Philippines, while Rupiah is used in Indonesia. On the other hand, Dong is used in Vietnam. The Brunei dollar (BND) is pegged with the Singapore dollar (SGD) at the fixed ratio 1:1.

Low's Pitcher-Plant (a type of carnivorous plant), or its scientific name Nepenthes lowii, is a tropical plant species endemic to Borneo. This plant can be found at Brunei's highest mountain, Bukit Pagon.

T. At a height of 1850 metres, Bukit Pagon is Brunei's highest mountain. In Malay, the word "bukit" means mountain. Low's Pitcher-Plant was named after Hugh Low, a British naturalist who first found the species on Mount Kinabalu (Sabah, Malaysia).

Istana Nurul Iman (Nurul Iman Palace) is one of the world's largest palaces. It is opened to the public on which grand occasion?

Hari Raya Aidilfitri. Muslims celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri after a month of fasting during the Ramadan month. The palace is opened for three days. Each year, more than 100,000 people visit the palace for the open house function over the three-day period.

Which two main exports of Brunei account for about half of the nation's gross domestic product (GDP)?

Crude oil and natural gas. The company that is in charge of the crude oil and natural gas production in Brunei is Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP). This company is owned partly by the Brunei government and also the Royal Dutch company. Manufactured goods and chemicals are Brunei's main imports.

The national anthem of Brunei is "Allah Peliharakan Sultan", which is translated as "God Bless the Sultan". As the title suggests, this song is sung in the national language of Brunei. What is it?

Malay. Malay, or Bahasa Melayu, is the national language of Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore. However, English is spoken widely in these three countries. School children are taught both Malay and English in schools. The word "peliharakan" or "pelihara" is a Malay verb which means to look after or to bless.

Bruneians celebrate their country's independence day on 1 January. Brunei gained its independence in 1984 from which nation? (Hint: Malaysia and Singapore also gained independence from this nation).

United Kingdom. Malaya (Malaysian Federation) gained its independence from the UK in 1957. At that time, Malaya consisted of West Malaysia and Singapore. Initially, Brunei's territory included most parts of Sarawak. However, the nation lost its land to Sarawak's White Rajahs (the dynasty of that ruled Sarawak). Brunei remained a British protectorate until 1984.

Brunei has adopted an Islamic absolute monarchy political regime and the Sultan is the head of the government. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the 29th Sultan of Brunei, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, was the world’s wealthiest man in 1993.

T. "Forbes" magazine reported that Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah has had total assets of more than 25 billion US dollars. Bolkiah has been known for being an avid car collector. At one time, he reputedly had more than 530 Mercedes-Benzes, 500 Rolls-Royces and 360 Ferraris in his car collection.