As Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah possesses virtually unlimited power in his state. His fortune was once estimated at as much as $ 20 billion.
On July 15, 1946, Hassanal Bolkiah, the reigning Sultan of Brunei and one of the richest men in the world, was born. Interestingly, Brunei is an absolute monarchy, meaning that the sultan possesses virtually unlimited power in that state. Hassanal Bolkiah is a Muslim by religion, and Islam is also the official religion of Brunei. The country has about 415,000 inhabitants, and is among the smallest in the world (approximately twice as small as Kosovo, but still twice as large as Luxembourg).
Because Brunei is a rich country, mainly because of oil and natural gas, Hassanal Bolkiah possesses great wealth. His residence in Brunei is the largest ruling palace in the world. Its name is Istana Nurul Iman, and it contains as many as 1,788 rooms. It is interesting that the Sultan is also the Prime Minister of Brunei (Prime Minister) and the Minister of Defense and Finance of that country. His fortune was once estimated at as much as $ 20 billion.
