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
International organization participation: 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
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador JAYA bin Abdul Latif
chancery: Watergate, Suite 300, 3rd floor, 2600 Virginia Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20037
telephone: [1] (202) 342–0159
FAX: [1] (202) 342–0158
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Theresa A. TULL
embassy: Third Floor, Teck Guan Plaza, Jalan Sultan, Bandar Seri
Begawan
mailing address: American Embassy Box B, Bandar Seri Begawan, APO AP
96440
telephone: [673] (2) 229670
FAX: [673] (2) 225293
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———
Economic 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.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $4.6 billion (1995 est.)
GDP real growth rate: 2% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita: $15,800 (1995 est.)
GDP composition by sector: agriculture: 3% industry: 42% services: 55%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.4% (1994 est.)
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)
Unemployment rate: 4.8% (1994 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $2.1 billion
expenditures: $2.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $427
million (1993)
Industries: petroleum, petroleum refining, liquefied natural gas,
construction
Industrial production growth rate: 12.9% (1987)
Electricity: capacity: 380,000 kW production: 1.2 billion kWh consumption per capita: 3,971 kWh (1993)
Agriculture: rice, cassava (tapioca), bananas; water buffalo, pigs
Exports: $2.4 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
commodities: crude oil, liquefied natural gas, petroleum products
partners: Japan 50%, UK 19%, Thailand 10%, Singapore 9% (1994 est.)
Imports: $1.8 billion (c.i.f., 1994 est.)
commodities: machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods,
food, chemicals
partners: Singapore 29%, UK 19%, US 13%, Malaysia 9%, Japan 5% (1994
est.)
External debt: 0
Economic aid: $NA
Currency: 1 Bruneian dollar (B$) = 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); note - the Bruneian dollar is at par with the Singapore dollar
Fiscal year: calendar year
Transportation———————
Railways: 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)
Waterways: 209 km; navigable by craft drawing less than 1.2 m
Pipelines: crude oil 135 km; petroleum products 418 km; natural gas 920 km
Ports: Bandar Seri Begawan, Kuala Belait, Muara, Seria, Tutong
Merchant marine:
total: 7 liquefied gas tankers (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 348,476
GRT/340,635 DWT (1994 est.)
Airports:
total: 2
with paved runways over 3 047 m: 1
with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 1 (1995 est.)
Heliports: 3 (1995 est.)
Communications———————
Telephones: 76,900 (1993)
Telephone system: service throughout country is adequate for
present needs; international service good to adjacent Malaysia
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean
and 1 Pacific Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 4, shortwave 0
Radios: 115,000 (1993)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1984 est.)
Televisions: 78,000 (1993 est.)
Defense———
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)
======================================================================
@Bulgaria————
Map—
Location: 43 00 N, 25 00 E—Southeastern Europe, bordering the
Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey
Flag——
Description: three equal horizontal bands of white (top), green, and red; the national emblem formerly on the hoist side of the white stripe has been removed - it contained a rampant lion within a wreath of wheat ears below a red five-pointed star and above a ribbon bearing the dates 681 (first Bulgarian state established) and 1944 (liberation from Nazi control)
Geography————