Which sovereign state became independent of the United Kingdom on New Year's Day 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 country is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak. It is separated into two parts by the Sarawak district of Limbang. Brunei 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 423,196 in 2016.

Brunei gained its independence from the United Kingdom on 1 January 1984. Economic growth during the 1990s and 2000s, with the GDP increasing 56% from 1999 to 2008, transformed Brunei into an industrialised country. It has developed wealth from extensive petroleum and natural gas fields. Brunei has the second-highest Human Development Index among the Southeast Asian nations, after Singapore, and is classified as a "developed country". According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Brunei is ranked fifth in the world by gross domestic product per capita at purchasing power parity.

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6 Comments

Leapy Lee

The author forgot to mention that they introduced Sharia Law in 2019. Not a place I intend to visit anytime soon.

Louella Wilson

Julie Allen, well stated! I'm constantly surprised (maybe should not be) that so few bother to click on the given link. Which I did after reading your post. I did not know exactly when Brunei achieved independence, despite growing up in a neighbouring country.

Julie Allen

Karin Johansson,The road to independence began in 1959 when the Constitution Agreement was signed with the UK, abolishing the residency and providing for internal self-rule, with Britain remaining in charge of defence and foreign affairs. Subsequent treaties with the United Kingdom in 1971 and 1979 set the timeline for independence, with Brunei set to gain full autonomy over its affairs on January 1, 1984. Reading the Proclamation of Independence at 12.01am on that day, His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam declared: “The time has now arrived when Brunei Darussalam will resume full international responsibility as a sovereign and independent nation in the community of nations.”