evidence: Brunei is an Islamic sultanate located in Southeast Asia on the island of Borneo. The small nation has a coastline with the South China Sea and is surrounded by its bigger neighbor, Malaysia. Brunei consists of two disconnected territories that occupy a total land area of 2,226 square miles and are separated by the state of Sarawak. The segment to the west is significantly larger than the part on to the east and is home to the nation’s capital of Bandar Seri Begawan. The nation gained its independence from the British in 1984 and has since seen its population rise to 428,000. [...] At the height of the Sultanate’s rule in the 15th century, Brunei occupied vast territory on the island of Borneo and territory to the south of the Philippines. The sultanates gradually declined and subsequently lost most of the territory due to internal succession conflict, piracy, and expansion of colonial powers such as the British. The 19th century witnessed the drastic decline of the sultanate after it ceded Sarawak to an adventurer by the name James Brooke in exchange for his services in crushing the internal rebellion and managing the pirate menace off the coast. With his help, the Sultan of Brunei was restored to his throne. The Sultan accorded him the title of the White Rajah and claim over the Sarawak territory.