]! ^! 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 Asia. 
]" ^" Southeastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and Malaysia ^# 4 30 N, 114 40 E ^$ Southeast Asia ^% `! 5,770 sq km `" 5,270 sq km `# 500 sq km ^& slightly smaller than Delaware ^' `! 381 km `Y Malaysia 381 km ^( 161 km ^) `$ 12 nm `N 200 nm or to median line ^* tropical; hot, humid, rainy ^+ flat coastal plain rises to mountains in east; hilly lowland in west ^, `% South China Sea 0 m `& Bukit Pagon 1,850 m ^- petroleum, natural gas, timber ^. `' 2.08% `( 0.87% `) 97.05% (2005) ^/ 10 sq km (2003) ^0 typhoons, earthquakes, and severe flooding are rare ^1 seasonal smoke/haze resulting from forest fires in Indonesia _P `P Biodiversity, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution `Q none of the selected agreements ^2 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 
]# ^3 374,577 (July 2007 est.) ^4 `+ 27.8% (male 53,512/female 50,529) `, 69% (male 130,134/female 128,488) `- 3.2% (male 5,688/female 6,226) (2007 est.) ^5 `! 27.2 years `. 27.3 years `/ 27.1 years (2007 est.) ^6 1.81% (2007 est.) ^7 18.56 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^8 3.26 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^9 2.79 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^: `0 1.05 male(s)/female `1 1.059 male(s)/female `, 1.013 male(s)/female `- 0.914 male(s)/female `2 1.022 male(s)/female (2007 est.) ^; `! 13.12 deaths/1,000 live births `. 15.72 deaths/1,000 live births `/ 10.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) ^< `2 75.3 years `. 73.12 years `/ 77.59 years (2007 est.) ^= 1.97 children born/woman (2007 est.) ^> less than 0.1% (2003 est.) ^? less than 200 (2003 est.) ^@ less than 200 (2003 est.) ^A `3 Bruneian(s) `4 Bruneian ^B Malay 67%, Chinese 15%, indigenous 6%, other 12% ^C Muslim (official) 67%, Buddhist 13%, Christian 10%, other (includes indigenous beliefs) 10% ^D Malay (official), English, Chinese ^E `5 age 15 and over can read and write `2 93.9% `. 96.3% `/ 91.4% (2002) 
]$ ^F `6 Negara Brunei Darussalam `7 Brunei `Z Negara Brunei Darussalam `[ Brunei ^H constitutional sultanate ^I `8 Bandar Seri Begawan `9 4 53 N, 114 56 E `: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) ^J 4 districts (daerah-daerah, singular - daerah); Belait, Brunei and Muara, Temburong, Tutong ^K 1 January 1984 (from UK) ^L 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 ^M 29 September 1959 (some provisions suspended under a State of Emergency since December 1962, others since independence on 1 January 1984) ^N based on English common law; for Muslims, Islamic Shari'a law supersedes civil law in a number of areas ^O none ^P `; Sultan and Prime Minister Sir HASSANAL Bolkiah (since 5 October 1967); note - the monarch is both the chief of state and head of government `< Sultan and Prime Minister Sir HASSANAL Bolkiah (since 5 October 1967) `= Council of Cabinet Ministers appointed and presided over by the monarch; deals with executive matters; note - there is also a Religious Council (members appointed by the monarch) that advises on religious matters, a Privy Council (members appointed by the monarch) that deals with constitutional matters, and the Council of Succession (members appointed by the monarch) that determines the succession to the throne if the need arises `> none; the monarch is hereditary ^Q 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 `> last held in March 1962 (date of next election NA) ^R 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) ^S Brunei Solidarity National Party or PPKB [Haji Mohd HATTA bin Haji Zainal Abidin]; National Development Party or NDP [YASSIN Affendi] `* People's Awareness Party or PAKAR [Awang Haji MAIDIN bin Haji Ahmad] was deregistered in 2007; parties are small and have limited activity ^T NA ^U APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, C, EAS, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDB, IFRCS, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO ^V `R Ambassador Pengiran Anak Dato PUTEH `S 3520 International Court NW #300, Washington, DC 20008 `T [1] (202) 237-1838 `U [1] (202) 885-0560 ^W `R Ambassador Emil SKODON `_ Third Floor, Teck Guan Plaza, Jalan Sultan, Bandar Seri Begawan, BS8811 `` PSC 470 (BSB), FPO AP 96507; P.O. Box 2991, Bandar Seri Begawan BS8675, Negara Brunei Darussalam `T [673] 222-0384 `U [673] 222-5293 ^X 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 
]% ^Y Brunei has a small well-to-do economy that encompasses a mixture of foreign and domestic entrepreneurship, government regulation, welfare measures, and village tradition. Crude oil and natural gas production account for just over half of GDP and more than 90% of exports. Per capita GDP is among the highest in Asia, 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. 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. ^Z $9.531 billion (2005 est.) ^[ $9.531 billion (2005 est.) ^\ 0.4% (2005 est.) ^] $25,600 (2005 est.) ^^ `@ 0.9% `A 71.6% `B 27.5% (2005 est.) ^_ 180,400 (2006 est.) ^` `@ 2.9% `A 61.1% `B 36% (2003 est.) ^a 4% (2006) _! NA% _" `C NA% `D NA% _# 1.1% (2005) _$ `E $3.765 billion `F $4.815 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2004 est.) _& rice, vegetables, fruits; chickens, water buffalo, cattle, goats, eggs _' petroleum, petroleum refining, liquefied natural gas, construction _( 1.8% (2005 est.) _) 2.913 billion kWh (2005) _* 2.726 billion kWh (2005 est.) _+ 0 kWh (2005) _, 0 kWh (2005) _- 219,300 bbl/day (2006) _. 14,900 bbl/day (2006 est.) _/ 205,600 bbl/day (2006) _0 31,190 bbl/day (2006) _W 1.255 billion bbl (1 January 2002) _1 11.5 billion cu m (2004 est.) _2 2 billion cu m (2004 est.) _X 9.5 billion cu m (2004 est.) _Y 0 cu m (2004 est.) _Z 390.8 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.) _3 $6.247 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) _4 crude oil, natural gas, refined products, clothing _5 Japan 36.8%, Indonesia 19.3%, South Korea 12.7%, US 9.5%, Australia 9.3% (2005) _6 $1.481 billion c.i.f. (2005 est.) _7 machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, chemicals _8 Singapore 32.7%, Malaysia 23.3%, Japan 6.9%, UK 5.3%, Thailand 4.5%, South Korea 4% (2005) _9 $0 (2005) _: $NA _; Bruneian dollar (BND) _< Bruneian dollars per US dollar - 1.5886 (2006), 1.6644 (2005), 1.6902 (2004), 1.7422 (2003), 1.7906 (2002) _= 1 April - 31 March 
]& _> 90,000 (2002) _? 205,900 (2004) _@ `G service throughout the country is excellent; international service is good to Southeast Asia, Middle East, Western Europe, and the US `H every service available `I 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 (2006) _A AM 1, FM 2 (transmitting on 18 different frequencies), shortwave 0 (British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) station transmits two FM signals with English and Nepali service) (2006) _B 4 (includes 2 UHF stations broadcasting a subscription service) (2006) _C .bn _D 27 (2005) _E 56,000 (2005) 
]' _F 2 (2006) _G `! 1 `a 1 (2006) _R `! 1 `c 1 (2006) _] 3 (2006) _^ gas 672 km; oil 463 km (2006) _H `! 3,650 km `K 2,819 km `L 831 km (2005) _b 209 km (navigable by craft drawing less than 1.2 m) (2005) _S `! 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 465,937 GRT/413,393 DWT by type: liquefied gas 8 `X 8 (UK 8) (2006) _I Lumut, Muara, Seria 
]( _J Royal Brunei Armed Forces: Royal Brunei Land Forces, Royal Brunei Navy, Royal Brunei Air Force (Tentera Udara Diraja Brunei) (2005) _T 18 years of age (est.) (2004) _K males age 18-49: 103,885 females age 18-49: 93,024 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 85,045 females age 18-49: 77,436 (2005 est.) _L males age 18-49: 3,478 females age 18-49: 3,342 (2005 est.) _U 5.8% (2006 est.) 
]) _N Brunei and Malaysia are still considering international adjudication over their disputed offshore and deepwater seabeds, where hydrocarbon exploration was terminated in 2003 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 the 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 _O drug trafficking and illegally importing controlled substances are serious offenses in Brunei and carry a mandatory death penalty 