Bandar Seri Begawan (formerly known as Brunei Town), the capital city of Brunei. *Photo from Wikipedia
February 23 is National Day of Brunei, which remarks the Independence from the United Kingdom in 1984.
(*Its actual independence day is January 1)
At the peak of the Bruneian Empire, Sultan Bolkiah is alleged to have had control over most regions of Borneo. The maritime state was visited by Spain’s Magellan Expedition in 1521 and fought against Spain in 1578’s Castille War.
During the 19th century, the Bruneian Empire began to decline. The Sultanate ceded Sarawak (Kuching) to James Brooke and installed him as the White Rajah, and it ceded Sabah to the British North Borneo Chartered Company. In 1888, Brunei became a British protectorate and was assigned a British resident as colonial manager in 1906.
After the Japanese occupation during World War II, in 1959, a new constitution was written. In 1962, a small armed rebellion against the monarchy was ended with the help of the British. Brunei gained its independence from the United Kingdom on 1 January 1984.
Brunei, officially the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace, is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its coastline with the South China Sea, the sovereign state is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak.
*Reference: Wikipedia
