Brunei

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Background:

The Sultanate of Brunei's influence peaked between the 15th and 17th centuries when its control extended over coastal areas of northwest Borneo and the southern Philippines. Brunei subsequently entered a period of decline brought on by internal strife over royal succession, colonial expansion of European powers, and piracy. In 1888, Brunei became a British protectorate; independence was achieved in 1984. The same family has ruled Brunei for over six centuries. Brunei benefits from extensive petroleum and natural gas fields, the source of one of the highest per capita GDPs in the developing world.

Location:

Southeastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and Malaysia

Geographic coordinates:

4 30 N, 114 40 E

Area:

total: 5,770 sq km
land: 5,270 sq km
water: 500 sq km

Land boundaries:

total: 381 km
border countries: Malaysia 381 km

Coastline:

161 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm or to median line

Climate:

tropical; hot, humid, rainy

Terrain:

flat coastal plain rises to mountains in east; hilly lowland in west

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: Bukit Pagon 1,850 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, natural gas, timber

Land use:

arable land: 2.08%
permanent crops: 0.87%
other: 97.05% (2005)

Irrigated land:

10 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:

typhoons, earthquakes, and severe flooding are rare

Environment - current issues:

seasonal smoke/haze resulting from forest fires in Indonesia

Geography - note:

close to vital sea lanes through South China Sea linking Indian and Pacific Oceans; two parts physically separated by Malaysia; almost an enclave within Malaysia

Population:

379,444 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 28.1% (male 54,411/female 52,134)
15-64 years: 68.8% (male 138,129/female 123,017)
65 years and over: 3.1% (male 5,584/female 6,169) (2006 est.)

Median age:

total: 27.4 years
male: 28 years
female: 26.7 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.87% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:

18.79 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:

3.45 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:

3.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.12 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female
total population: 1.09 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 12.25 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 15.46 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 8.86 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 75.01 years
male: 72.57 years
female: 77.59 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.28 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

less than 0.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people with HIV/AIDS:

less than 200 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

less than 200 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Bruneian(s)
adjective: Bruneian

Ethnic groups:

Malay 67%, Chinese 15%, indigenous 6%, other 12%

Religions:

Muslim (official) 67%, Buddhist 13%, Christian 10%, indigenous beliefs and other 10%

Languages:

Malay (official), English, Chinese

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 93.9%
male: 96.3%
female: 91.4% (2002)

Country name:

conventional long form: Negara Brunei Darussalam
conventional short form: Brunei

Government type:

constitutional sultanate

Capital:

Bandar Seri Begawan

Administrative divisions:

4 districts (daerah-daerah, singular - daerah); Belait, Brunei and Muara, Temburong, Tutong

Independence:

1 January 1984 (from UK)

National holiday:

National Day, 23 February (1984); note - 1 January 1984 was the date of independence from the UK, 23 February 1984 was the date of independence from British protection

Constitution:

29 September 1959 (some provisions suspended under a State of Emergency since December 1962, others since independence on 1 January 1984)

Legal system:

based on English common law; for Muslims, Islamic Shari'a law supersedes civil law in a number of areas

Suffrage:

none

Legislative branch:

Legislative Council met on 25 September 2004 for first time in 20 years with 21 members appointed by the Sultan; passed constitutional amendments calling for a 45-seat council with 15 elected members; Sultan dissolved council on 1 September 2005 and appointed a new council with 29 members as of 2 September 2005
elections: last held in March 1962 (date of next election NA)

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court - chief justice and judges are sworn in by monarch for three-year terms; Judicial Committee of Privy Council in London is final court of appeal for civil cases; Shariah courts deal with Islamic laws (2006)

Economy - overview:

This small, well-to-do economy encompasses a mixture of foreign and domestic entrepreneurship, government regulation, welfare measures, and village tradition. Crude oil and natural gas production account for nearly half of GDP and more than 90% of government revenues. Per capita GDP is far above most other Third World countries, and substantial income from overseas investment supplements income from domestic production. The government provides for all medical services and free education through the university level and subsidizes rice and housing. Brunei's leaders are concerned that steadily increased integration in the world economy will undermine internal social cohesion, although it became a more prominent player by serving as chairman for the 2000 APEC (Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation) forum. Plans for the future include upgrading the labor force, reducing unemployment, strengthening the banking and tourist sectors, and, in general, further widening the economic base beyond oil and gas.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$6.842 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

1.7% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$23,600 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 3.6%
industry: 56.1%
services: 40.3% (2004 est.)

Labour force:

146,300
note: includes foreign workers and military personnel; temporary residents make up about 40% of labour force (2003 est.)

Labour force - by occupation:

agriculture: 2.9%
industry: 61.1%
services: 36% (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate:

4.8% (2004)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

0.9% (2004)

Budget:

revenues: $3.765 billion
expenditures: $4.815 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:

rice, vegetables, fruits; chickens, water buffalo, eggs

Industries:

petroleum, petroleum refining, liquefied natural gas, construction

Industrial production growth rate:

7.3% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:

2.906 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - consumption:

2.726 billion kWh (2004)

Oil - production:

200,800 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - consumption:

10,770 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - exports:

192,700 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

1.255 billion bbl (1 January 2002)

Natural gas - production:

11.4 billion cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

 (2003 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

9 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

390.8 billion cu m (1 January 2002)

Exports:

$4.514 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:

crude oil, natural gas, refined products

Exports - partners:

Japan 38.1%, South Korea 14%, Australia 11.2%, US 8.6%, Thailand 7.9%, Indonesia 6%, China 4.5% (2004)

Imports:

$1.641 billion c.i.f. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, chemicals

Imports - partners:

Singapore 32.7%, Malaysia 21.2%, UK 8.3%, Japan 7.2% (2004)

Economic aid - recipient:

$4.3 million (1995)

Currency (code):

Bruneian dollar (BND)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Telephones - main lines in use:

90,000 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

137,000 (2002)

Telephone system:

general assessment: service throughout the country is excellent; international service is good to East Asia, Europe, and the US
domestic: every service available
international: country code - 673; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean); digital submarine cable links to Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore (2001)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 2 (transmitting on 18 different frequencies), shortwave 0
note: British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) station transmits two FM signals with English and Nepali service (2006)

Television broadcast stations:

4; note - including two UHF stations broadcasting a subscription service (2006)

Internet country code:

.bn

Internet hosts:

27 (2005)

Internet users:

56,000 (2005)

Airports:

2 (2005)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2005)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2005)

Heliports:

3 (2005)

Pipelines:

gas 665 km; oil 439 km (2004)

Roadways:

total: 1,150 km
paved: 399 km
unpaved: 751 km (1999)

Waterways:

209 km (navigable by craft drawing less than 1.2 m) (2005)

Merchant marine:

total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 465,937 GRT/413,393 DWT
by type: liquefied gas 8
foreign-owned: 8 (UK 8) (2005)

Ports and terminals:

Lumut, Muara, Seria

Military branches:

Royal Brunei Armed Forces: Royal Brunei Land Forces, Royal Brunei Navy, Royal Brunei Air Force (Tentera Udara Diraja Brunei) (2005)

Disputes - international:

in 2003 Brunei and Malaysia ceased gas and oil exploration in their disputed offshore and deepwater seabeds and negotiations have stalemated prompting consideration of international legal adjudication; Malaysia's land boundary with Brunei around Limbang is in dispute; Brunei established an exclusive economic fishing zone encompassing Louisa Reef in southern Spratly Islands in 1984 but makes no public territorial claim to the offshore reefs; the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" has eased tensions in the Spratly Islands but falls short of a legally binding "code of conduct" desired by several of the disputants

Illicit drugs:

drug trafficking and illegally importing controlled substances are serious offenses in Brunei and carry a mandatory death penalty