A cashed-up anachronism with oil to burn.
This tiny oil-rich Islamic sultanate on the northwest coast of Borneo is known chiefly for the astounding wealth of its sultan, its tax-free, subsidised society, and the fact that (statistically at least) its population enjoy one of the highest per capita incomes on earth.
The economy is a mixture of foreign and domestic entrepreneurship, government regulation and welfare measures, and village tradition. It is almost totally supported by exports of crude oil and natural gas, with revenues from the petroleum sector accounting for more than 40% of GDP. Per capita GDP is among the highest in the Third World, and substantial income from overseas investment supplements domestic production. The government provides for all medical services and subsidizes food and housing.
