Brunei is a small sultanate along the northern coast of Borneo Island and bordering the South China Sea and Malaysia. It is covered with lush rainforests, and dotted with a large group of beautiful mosques with gilded domes, towering minarets and exceptional decorations. It also boasts a rich culture and charming nature, thanks to its wealth of oil. With one of the highest standards of living in the world, this small tropical sultanate gained independence in 1984, but it has the world's oldest monarchy and centuries of royal heritage, and has the only remaining Islamic Malaysian monarchy in the world.