The White Rajahs were a hereditary monarchy of the Brooke family, who founded and ruled the Raj of Sarawak as a sovereign state, located on the north west coast of the island of Borneo in maritime Southeast Asia, from 1841 to 1946. Of British origin, the first ruler was James Brooke. As a reward for helping the Sultanate of Brunei fight piracy and insurgency among the indigenous peoples, he was granted the province of Kuching, which was known as Sarawak Asal in 1841 and received independent kingdom status.
HH Sir James Brooke, 1st Rajah of Sarawak
Graves of the White Rajahs at St Leonard's Church, Sheepstor, Devon, England
Brooke Memorial outside the Old Courthouse at Kuching showing bronze image of a Sarawak native warrior
Fort Margherita was erected by Rajah Charles and named after his wife, the Ranee Margaret.
Borneo is the third-largest island in the world, with an area of 748,168 km2 (288,869 sq mi). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda Islands, located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and east of Sumatra.
Rich marine life off the coast of Borneo, in the Sulu Sea
Lake Sentarum, Kapuas Hulu Regency, West Kalimantan
The critically endangered Bornean orangutan, a great ape endemic to Borneo
NASA satellite image of Borneo on 19 May 2002
