BRUNEI                                                                          
GEOGRAPHY                                                                       
Total area: 5,770 km2; land area: 5,270 km2                                     
                                                                                
Comparative area: slightly larger than Delaware                                 
                                                                                
Land boundary: 381 km with Malaysia                                             
                                                                                
Coastline: 161 km                                                               
                                                                                
Maritime claims:                                                                
                                                                                
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;                                                 
                                                                                
Territorial sea: 12 nm                                                          
                                                                                
Disputes: may wish to purchase the Malaysian salient that divides               
the country                                                                     
                                                                                
Climate: tropical; hot, humid, rainy                                            
                                                                                
Terrain: flat coastal plain rises to mountains in east; hilly                   
lowland in west                                                                 
                                                                                
Natural resources: crude oil, natural gas, timber                               
                                                                                
Land use: arable land 1%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures              
1%; forest and woodland 79%; other 18%; includes irrigated NEGL%                
                                                                                
Environment: typhoons, earthquakes, and severe flooding are rare                
                                                                                
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: 397,777 (July 1991), growth rate 6.3% (1991)                        
                                                                                
Birth rate: 22 births/1,000 population (1991)                                   
                                                                                
Death rate: 4 deaths/1,000 population (1991)                                    
                                                                                
Net migration rate: 45 migrants/1,000 population (1991)                         
                                                                                
Infant mortality rate: 10 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)                       
                                                                                
Life expectancy at birth: 74 years male, 77 years female (1991)                 
                                                                                
Total fertility rate: 2.9 children born/woman (1991)                            
                                                                                
Nationality: noun--Bruneian(s); adjective--Bruneian                             
                                                                                
Ethnic divisions: Malay 64%, Chinese 20%, other 16%                             
                                                                                
Religion: Muslim (official) 63%, Buddhism 14%, Christian 8%,                    
indigenous beliefs and other 15% (1981)                                         
                                                                                
Language: Malay (official), English, and Chinese                                
                                                                                
Literacy: 77% (male 85%, female 69%) age 15 and over can                        
read and write (1981)                                                           
                                                                                
Labor force: 89,000 (includes members of the Army); 33% of labor                
force is foreign (1988); government 47.5%; production of oil, natural           
gas, services, and construction 41.9%; agriculture, forestry, and fishing       
3.8% (1986)                                                                     
                                                                                
Organized labor: 2% of labor force                                              
                                                                                
GOVERNMENT                                                                      
Long-form name: Negara Brunei Darussalam                                        
                                                                                
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)                                          
                                                                                
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                                              
                                                                                
National holiday: National Day, 23 February (1984)                              
                                                                                
Executive branch: sultan, prime minister, Council of Cabinet                    
Ministers                                                                       
                                                                                
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Council                              
(Majlis Masyuarat Megeri)                                                       
                                                                                
Judicial branch: Supreme Court                                                  
                                                                                
Leaders:                                                                        
                                                                                
Chief of State and Head of Government--Sultan and Prime Minister                
Sir Muda HASSANAL BOLKIAH Muizzaddin Waddaulah (since 5 October 1967)           
                                                                                
Political parties and leaders:                                                  
Brunei United National Party (inactive), Anak HASANUDDIN, chairman;             
Brunei National Democratic Party (the first legal political party and now       
banned), leader NA                                                              
                                                                                
Suffrage: none                                                                  
                                                                                
Elections:                                                                      
                                                                                
Legislative Council--last held in March 1962; in 1970                           
the Council was changed to an appointive body by decree of the sultan           
and no elections are planned                                                    
                                                                                
Communists: probably none                                                       
                                                                                
Member of: APEC, ASEAN, C, ESCAP, ICAO, IDB, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC,                
ISO (correspondent), ITU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UPU, WHO, WMO                        
                                                                                
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Dato Paduka Haji Mohamed SUNI             
bin Haji Idris; Chancery at 2600 Virginia Avenue NW, Washington DC 20037;       
telephone (202) 342-0159;                                                       
                                                                                
US--Ambassador Christopher H. PHILLIPS; Embassy at Third Floor,                 
Teck Guan Plaza, Jalan Sultan, Bandar Seri Begawan (mailing address             
is P. O. Box 2991, Bandar Seri Begawan and Box B, APO San Francisco,            
96528); telephone  673  (2) 229-670                                             
                                                                                
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 50% of GDP. Per capita GDP of $9,600                   
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.              
                                                                                
GDP: $3.3 billion, per capita $9,600; real growth rate                          
2.7% (1989 est.)                                                                
                                                                                
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.3% (1989 est.)                              
Unemployment: 2.5%, shortage of skilled labor (1989 est.)                       
                                                                                
Budget: revenues $1.2 billion; expenditures $1.4 billion,                       
including capital expenditures of $230 million (1988 est.)                      
                                                                                
Exports: $1.9 billion (f.o.b., 1989);                                           
                                                                                
commodities--crude oil, liquefied natural gas, petroleum products;              
                                                                                
partners--Japan 60%, Thailand 10%, Singapore 4% (1988)                          
                                                                                
Imports: $1.2 billion (c.i.f., 1989);                                           
                                                                                
commodities--machinery and transport equipment, manufactured                    
goods, food, chemicals;                                                         
                                                                                
partners--Singapore 36%, UK 26%, Switzerland 7%, US 7%, Japan 6%                
(1988)                                                                          
                                                                                
External debt: none                                                             
                                                                                
Industrial production: growth rate 12.9% (1987); accounts for                   
52.4% of GDP                                                                    
                                                                                
Electricity: 310,000 kW capacity; 890 million kWh produced,                     
2,400 kWh per capita (1990)                                                     
                                                                                
Industries: petroleum, 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: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $20.6                  
million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments          
(1970-87), $143.7 million                                                       
                                                                                
Currency: Bruneian dollar (plural--dollars); 1 Bruneian dollar                  
(B$) = 100 cents                                                                
                                                                                
Exchange rates: Bruneian dollars (B$) per US$1--1.7454 (January                 
1991), 1.8125 (1990), 1.9503 (1989), 2.0124 (1988), 2.1060 (1987), 2.1774       
(1986), 2.2002 (1985); note--the Bruneian dollar is at par with the             
Singapore dollar                                                                
                                                                                
Fiscal year: calendar year                                                      
                                                                                
COMMUNICATIONS                                                                  
Railroads: 13 km 0.610-meter narrow-gauge private line                          
                                                                                
Highways: 1,090 km total; 370 km paved (bituminous treated) and                 
another 52 km under construction, 720 km gravel or unimproved                   
                                                                                
Inland waterways: 209 km; navigable by craft drawing less than 1.2              
meters                                                                          
                                                                                
Ports: Kuala Belait, Muara                                                      
                                                                                
Merchant marine: 7 liquefied gas carriers (1,000 GRT or over)                   
totaling 348,476 GRT/340,635 DWT                                                
Pipelines: crude oil, 135 km; refined products, 418 km;                         
natural gas, 920 km                                                             
                                                                                
Civil air: 4 major transport aircraft (3 Boeing 757-200,                        
1 Boeing 737-200)                                                               
                                                                                
Airports: 2 total, 2 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways; 1                
with runway over 3,659 m; 1 with runway 1,406 m                                 
                                                                                
Telecommunications: service throughout country is adequate for                  
present needs; international service good to adjacent Malaysia;                 
radiobroadcast coverage good; 33,000 telephones (1987); stations--4             
AM/FM, 1 TV; 74,000 radio receivers (1987); satellite earth stations--1         
Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT                              
                                                                                
DEFENSE FORCES                                                                  
Branches: Royal Brunei Armed Forces (including Ground Forces,                   
Flotilla, and Air Wing), Royal Brunei Police                                    
                                                                                
Manpower availability: males 15-49, 110,727; 63,730 fit for                     
military service; 3,199 reach military age (18) annually                        
                                                                                
Defense expenditures: $233.1 million, 7.1% of GDP (1988)                        
                                                                                
