Brunei

Geography                 Economy                 Defense Forces
 

People                    Transportation          Government



Communications            History      	          Travel

GEOGRAPHY

Location

Southeastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and Malaysia

Area

Total area: 5,770 sq km
Land area: 5,270 sq km
Comparative area: slightly larger than Delaware

Land Boundaries

Total 381 km, Malysia 381 km

Coastline

161 km

Maritime Claims

Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm or to median line
Territorial sea: 12 nm

International Disputes

May wish to purchase the Malaysian salient that divides the country; all of the Spratly Islands are claimed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam; parts of them are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines; in 1984, Brunei established an exclusive fishing zone that encompasses Louisa Reef, but has not publicly claimed the island

Climate

Tropical; hot, humid, rainy

Terrain

Flat coastal plain rises to mountains in east; hilly lowland in west
lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: Bukit Pagon 1,850 m

Natural Resources

Petroleum
Natural gas
Timber

Land Use

Arable land: 1%
Permanent crops: 1%
Meadows and pastures: 1%
Forest and woodland: 79%
Other: 18%

Irrigated Land

10 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment

Current issues: NA
Natural hazards: typhoons, earthquakes, and severe flooding are very rare
International agreements: party to - Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Law of the Sea

Note: Close to vital sea lanes through South China Sea linking Indian and Pacific Oceans; two parts physically separated by Malaysia; almost an enclave of Malaysia

PEOPLE

Population

299,939 (July 1996 est.)
292,266 (July 1995 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 Years

33% (male 51,266; female 49,194) (July 1996 est.)
34% (male 50,624; female 48,458) (July 1995 est.)

15-64 Years

62% (male 98,806; female 88,323) (July 1996 est.)
62% (male 95,955; female 85,581) (July 1995 est.)

65 Years and Over

5% (male 6,843; female 5,507) (July 1996 est.)
4% (male 6,476; female 5,172) (July 1995 est.)

Population Growth Rate

2.56% (1996 est.)
2.63% (1995 est.)

Birth Rate

25.5 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
25.83 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death Rate

5.1 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
5.07 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net Migration Rate

5.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
5.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 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: 1.24 male(s)/female
all ages: 1.1 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

24.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
24.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Total population: 71.39 years (1996 est.); 71.24 years (1995 est.)
Male: 69.82 years (1996 est.); 69.65 years (1995 est.)
Female: 73.04 years (1996 est.); 72.91 years (1995 est.)

Total Fertility Rate

3.39 children born/woman (1996 est.)
3.41 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

Noun: Bruneian(s)
Adjective: Bruneian

Ethnic Divisions

Malay 64%
Chinese 20%
Other 16%

Religions

Muslim (official) 63%
Buddhism 14%
Christian 8%
Indigenous beliefs and other 15% (1981)

Languages

Malay (official), English, Chinese

Literacy

Age 15 and over that can read and write (1995 est.)

Total population: 88.2%
Male: 92.6%
Female: 83.4%

Labor Force

119,000 (1993 est.); note - includes members of the Army

By occupation:

Government 47.5%
Production of oil, natural gas, services, and construction 41.9%
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing 3.8% (1986)

Note: 33% of labor force is foreign (1988)

GOVERNMENT

Names

Conventional long form: Negara Brunei Darussalam
Conventional short form: Brunei

Digraph

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 U.K.)

National Holiday

National Day 23 February (1984)

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 Islamic law

Suffrage

None

Executive Branch

Chief of state and head of government: Sultan and Prime Minister His Majesty Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan Haji HASSANAL Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah (since 5 October 1967)
Cabinet: Council of Cabinet Ministers is composed chiefly of members of the royal family, appointed and presided over by the sultan; deals with executive matters

Religious Council

Is appointed by the sultan; advises on religious matters

Privy Council

Is appointed by the sultan; deals with constitutional matters

the Council of Succession

Is appointed by the sultan; determines the succession to the throne if the need arises

Legislative Branch

Unicameral

Legislative Council (Majlis Masyuarat Megeri)

Elections last held in March 1962; in 1970 the Council was changed to an appointive body by decree of the sultan; an elected legislative Council is being considered as part of constitution reform, but elections are unlikely for several years

Judicial Branch

Supreme Court, chief justice and judges are sworn in by the sultan for a three-year term

Political Parties and Leaders

Brunei United National Party (inactive), Anak HASANUDDIN, chairman; Brunei National Solidarity Party (the first legal political party and now banned), leader NA; Brunei Peoples Party (banned), leader NA

Member of

APEC, ASEAN, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDB, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, Mekong Group, NAM, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO

National Anthem

Flag

Yellow with two diagonal bands of white (top, almost double width) and black starting from the upper hoist side; the national emblem in red is superimposed at the center; the emblem includes a swallow-tailed flag on top of a winged column within an upturned crescent above a scroll and flanked by two upraised hands

ECONOMY

Overview

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.

National Product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $4.6 billion (1995 est.); $4.43 billion (1993 est.)

National Product Real Growth Rate

2% (1995 est.)
-4% (1993 est.)

National Product Per Capita

$15,800 (1995 est.)
$16,000 (1993 est.)

Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)

2.4% (1994 est.)
2.5% (1993 est.)

Unemployment Rate

4.8% (1994 est.)
5% (1993 est.)

Budget

Revenues: $2.1 billion (1993); $1.5 billion
Expenditures: $2.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $427 million (1993); $1.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $255 million (1990 est.)

Exports

$2.4 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
$2.2 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)

Commodities:

Crude oil
Liquefied natural gas
Petroleum products

Partners:

Japan 50%
U.K. 19%
Thailand 10%
Singapore 9% (1991)

Imports

$1.8 billion (c.i.f., 1994 est.)
$1.2 billion (c.i.f., 1993 est.)

Commodities:

Machinery and transport equipment
Manufactured goods
Food
Chemicals

Partners:

Singapore 29%
U.K. 19%
U.S. 13%
Japan 5%
Malaysia 9% (1991)

External Debt

Industrial Production

Growth rate 12.9% (1987); accounts for 42% of GDP (1990), includes mining, quarrying, and manufacturing

Electricity

Capacity: 380,000 kW
Production: 1.2 billion kWh
Consumption per capita: 3,971 kWh (1993)

Industries

Petroleum
Petroleum refining
Liquefied natural gas
Construction

Agriculture

Imports about 80% of its food needs; principal crops and livestock include rice, cassava, bananas, buffaloes, and pigs

Economic Aid

Recipient: U.S. commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $20.6 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $153 million

Currency

1 Bruneian dollar (B$) = 100 cents

Exchange Rates

Bruneian dollars (B$) per US$1 - 1.4214 (January 1996), 1.4174 (1995), 1.5274 (1994), 1.6158 (1993), 1.6290 (1992), 1.7276 (1991), 1.8125 (1990); note - the Bruneian dollar is at par with the Singapore dollar

Fiscal Year

Calendar year

TRANSPORTATION

Railroads

Total: 13 km private line
Narrow gauge: 13 km 0.610-m gauge

Highways

Total: 2,443 km
Paved: 1,296 km
Unpaved: 1,147 km (1993)

Inland Waterways

209 km; navigable by craft drawing less than 1.2 meters

Pipelines

Crude oil 135 km; petroleum products 418 km; natural gas 920 km

Ports

Bandar Seri Begawar, Kuala Belait, Muara, Seria, Tutong

Merchant Marine

Total: 7 liquefied gas carriers (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 348,476 GRT/340,635 DWT

Airports

Total: 2
With paved runways over 3,047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1

Heliports

3 (1995 est.)

COMMUNICATIONS

Telephone System

76,900 telephones (1993); service throughout country is adequate for present needs; international service good to adjacent Malaysia

Local: NA
Intercity: NA
International: 2 INTELSAT (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean) earth stations

Radio

Broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 4, shortwave 0
Radios: 115,000 (1993)

Note: Radiobroadcast coverage good

Television

Broadcast stations: 1
Televisions: 78,000 (1993 est.)

DEFENSE FORCES

Branches

Land Forces, Navy, Air Force, Royal Brunei Police

Manpower Availability

Males age 15-49 83,641; males fit for military service 48,559; males reach military age (18) annually 2,918 (1996 est.)

Defense Expenditures

Exchange rate conversion - $312 million, 6.2% of GDP (1994)

History
World Atlas

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