Brunei is a small country in Southeast Asia with a population of just around 390,000. It became a British protectorate in 1888 and gained independence in 1984. Since then, Brunei has become a constitutional sultanate with a ministerial government. Brunei’s economy is dominated by the energy sector, as the country is endowed with large reserves of oil and natural gas. It is the source of one of the highest per capita GDPs in Asia.