On the occasion of the independance of Brunei, H.E Dato Paduka Serbini Ali , ambassador of Brunei to the King of Belgians and head of the  Mission of Brunei to the European Union  gave a reception for  the friends of his country at Steigenberger Hotel in Brussels last week

Where is Brunei ? Brunei 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, it is completely surrounded by the state of Sarawak, Malaysia; and it is separated into two parts by the Sarawak district of Limbang. It is the only sovereign state completely on the island of Borneo. The remainder of the island’s territory is divided between the nations of Malaysia and Indonesia. Brunei’s population was 408,786 in July 2012.^[11]

Recent history of BRUNEI. 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 regained its independence from the United Kingdom on 1 January 1984.

The economy of BRUNEI. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Brunei is ranked fifth in the world by gross domestic product per capita at purchasing power parity. The IMF estimated in 2011 that Brunei was one of two countries  with a public debt at 0% of the national GDP. Forbes also ranks Brunei as the fifth-richest nation out of 182, based on its petroleum and natural gas fields.

The food of BRUNEI. The food in Brunei is definitely asian. There are different influences from China to Thailand to Malaysia, to indonesia and Singapore. The BRUNEI food is also characterised by an islamic influence. Fruit and sweet cakes are also present. the food is hala and prok is avoided. Alcohol is banned in Brunei.