1.7906 (2002), 1.7917 (2001), 1.724 (2000)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Brunei
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 3, FM 10, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios:
329,000 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:
2 (1997)
Televisions:
201,900 (1998)
Internet country code:
.bn
Internet hosts:
6,409 (2003)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
2 (2000)
Internet users:
35,000 (2002)
Transportation Brunei
Highways: total: 2,525 km paved: 2,525 km unpaved: 0 km (2000)
Waterways:
209 km (navigable by craft drawing less than 1.2 m) (2004)
Pipelines:
gas 665 km; oil 439 km (2004)
Ports and harbors:
Lumut, Muara, Seria
Merchant marine:
total: 8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 465,937 GRT/413,393 DWT
by type: liquefied gas 8
foreign-owned: 8 (United Kingdom 8) (2005)
Airports:
2 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Heliports:
3 (2004 est.)
Military Brunei
Military branches:
Royal Brunei Armed Forces: Royal Brunei Land Forces, Royal Brunei
Navy, Royal Brunei Air Force
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age (est.) (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18–49: 103,885 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18–49: approx. 85,045 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males: 3,478 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$290.7 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
5.1% (2004)
Transnational Issues Brunei
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
This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005
======================================================================
@Bulgaria
Introduction Bulgaria
Background:
The Bulgars, a Central Asian Turkic tribe, merged with the local
Slavic inhabitants in the late 7th century to form the first
Bulgarian state. In succeeding centuries, Bulgaria struggled with
the Byzantine Empire to assert its place in the Balkans, but by the
end of the 14th century the country was overrun by the Ottoman
Turks. Northern Bulgaria attained autonomy in 1878 and all of
Bulgaria became independent in 1908. Having fought on the losing
