We are visiting Brunei, a small but very wealthy country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. There are around 500,000 people living here, and the capital is Bandar Seri Begawan. The official language is Malay, but many people also speak English and Chinese.

Brunei is a tiny nation, covering about 5,765 square kilometers, or 2,226 square miles. To imagine its size, the whole country is about twice the size of the city of Luxembourg, or roughly the same size as the island of Bali in Indonesia. It is surrounded almost entirely by Malaysia and the South China Sea.

The most popular sport in Brunei is Football, but the people also enjoy a traditional game called Sepak Takraw, which is like volleyball but played using only the feet, knees, and chest to hit a rattan ball. Their national animal is the White-bellied Sea Eagle, a majestic bird of prey that can be seen soaring over the country’s long coastline.

The flag features a yellow field with two diagonal stripes of white and black, and the yellow color represents the Sultan, who is the leader of the country.

The food is a delicious blend of Malay, Chinese, and Indian influences. The national dish is Ambuyat, which is a sticky, starchy paste made from the interior of a sago palm tree; it is eaten using a two-pronged bamboo stick and dipped into various savory and sour sauces. They also love Nasi Katok, a simple and popular meal of rice, fried chicken, and a spicy chili sauce called sambal.

Brunei is home to Kampong Ayer, the largest water village in the world, where thousands of people live in houses built on stilts over the Brunei River; it has its own schools, fire stations, and even a hospital, all connected by wooden walkways and water taxis. The country is also famous for the Istana Nurul Iman, which is the largest residential palace in the world, containing over 1,700 rooms and a garage for hundreds of luxury cars! Most of Brunei is still covered in untouched pristine rainforest, as the country’s wealth from oil means they haven’t had to cut down trees for timber. In these forests, you can find the Proboscis Monkey, a strange-looking primate with a very large, floppy nose that is only found on the island of Borneo.

From the golden domes of its beautiful mosques to the quiet green heart of the jungle, Brunei is a land of tradition and great wealth. Terima kasih! That means “Thank you!”