Brunei

mean elevation:

478 m

elevation extremes:

0 m lowest point: South China Sea; 1850 highest point: Bukit Pagon

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

• close to vital sea lanes through South China Sea linking Indian and Pacific Oceans;
• two parts physically separated by Malaysia;
• the eastern part, the Temburong district, is an exclave and is almost an enclave within Malaysia

noun:

Bruneian(s)

adjective:

Bruneian

0-14 years:

22.82% (male 52,995 /female 49,836)

15-24 years:

16.8% (male 37,707 /female 37,985)

25-54 years:

46.9% (male 100,740 /female 110,596)

55-64 years:

8.3% (male 18,859 /female 18,551)

65 years and over:

5.17% (male 11,336 /female 11,960) (2018 est.)

total dependency ratio:

38.4 (2015 est.)

youth dependency ratio:

32.8 (2015 est.)

elderly dependency ratio:

5.7 (2015 est.)

potential support ratio:

17.6 (2015 est.)

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

0-14 years:

1.06 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

15-24 years:

0.99 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

25-54 years:

0.92 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

55-64 years:

1.04 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

65 years and over:

0.95 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

total population:

0.98 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

conventional long form:

Brunei Darussalam

conventional short form:

Brunei

local long form:

Negara Brunei Darussalam

local short form:

Brunei

etymology:

derivation of the name is unclear; according to legend, MUHAMMAD SHAH, who would become the first sultan of Brunei, upon discovering what would become Brunei exclaimed "Baru nah," which roughly translates as "there" or "that's it"

name:

Bandar Seri Begawan

geographic coordinates:

4 53 N, 114 56 E

time difference:

UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

history:

• drafted 1954 to 1959, signed 29 September 1959;
• note - some constitutional provisions suspended since 1962 under a State of Emergency, others suspended since independence in 1984 (2017)

amendments:

• proposed by the monarch;
• passage requires submission to the Privy Council for Legislative Council review and finalization takes place by proclamation;
• the monarch can accept or reject changes to the original proposal provided by the Legislative Council;
• amended 1984, 2004, 2011 (2017)

• mixed legal system based on English common law and Islamic law;
• note - in May 2014, the first of three phases of sharia-based penal codes was instituted, which applies to Muslims and non-Muslims and exists in parallel to the existing common law-based code

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

the father must be a citizen of Brunei

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

12 years

highest courts:

• Supreme Court (consists of Court of Appeal and High Court, each with a chief justice and 2 judges);
• Sharia Court of Appeal (consists of judges appointed by the monarch);
• note - Brunei has a dual judicial system of secular and sharia (religious) courts;
• the Judicial Committee of Privy Council in London serves as the final appellate court for civil cases only

judge selection and term of office:

• Supreme Court judges appointed by the monarch to serve until age 65, and older if approved by the monarch;
• Sharia Court of Appeal judges appointed by the monarch for life

subordinate courts:

• Intermediate Court;
• Magistrate's Courts;
• Juvenile Court;
• small claims courts;
• lower sharia courts

chief of state:

Sultan and Prime Minister Sir HASSANAL Bolkiah (since 5 October 1967); note - the monarch is both chief of state and head of government

head of government:

Sultan and Prime Minister Sir HASSANAL Bolkiah (since 5 October 1967)

cabinet:

• Council of Ministers appointed and presided over by the monarch;
• note - 4 additional advisory councils appointed by the monarch are the Religious Council, Privy Council for constitutional issues, Council of Succession, and Legislative Council

elections/appointments:

none; the monarchy is hereditary

description:

unicameral Legislative Council or Majlis Mesyuarat Negara Brunei (36 seats; members appointed by the sultan including 3 ex-officio members - the speaker and first and second secretaries; members appointed for 5-year terms)

elections:

appointed by the sultan

election results:

NA; composition - men 33, women 3, percent of women 8.3%

chief of mission:

Ambassador Serbini ALI (since 28 January 2016)

chancery:

3520 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 237-1838

FAX:

[1] (202) 885-0560

consulate(s):

New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador Craig B. ALLEN (since 9 March 2015)

embassy:

Simpang 336-52-16-9, Jalan Datu, Bandar Seri Begawan, BC4115

mailing address:

Unit 4280, Box 40, FPO AP 96507; P.O. Box 2991, Bandar Seri Begawan BS8675, Negara Brunei Darussalam

telephone:

[673] 238-4616

FAX:

[673] 238-4604

• 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;
• yellow is the color of royalty and symbolizes the sultanate;
• the white and black bands denote Brunei's chief ministers;
• the emblem includes five main components: a swallow-tailed flag, the royal umbrella representing the monarchy, the wings of four feathers symbolizing justice, tranquility, prosperity, and peace, the two upraised hands signifying the government's pledge to preserve and promote the welfare of the people, and the crescent moon denoting Islam, the state religion;
• the state motto "Always render service with God's guidance" appears in yellow Arabic script on the crescent;
• a ribbon below the crescent reads "Brunei, the Abode of Peace"

name:

"Allah Peliharakan Sultan" (God Bless His Majesty)

lyrics/music:

Pengiran Haji Mohamed YUSUF bin Pengiran Abdul Rahim/Awang Haji BESAR bin Sagap

note: adopted 1951

agriculture:

4.2%

industry:

62.8%

services:

33% (2008 est.)

lowest 10%:

NA

highest 10%:

NA

general assessment:

• service throughout the country is good;
• international service is good to Southeast Asia, Middle East, Western Europe, and the US;
• while fixed-line is slowing down, mobile broadband has taken over in the advancement in the telecoms access market;
• broadband penetration slow to moderate growth predicted over the next five years to 2023 (2017)

domestic:

every service available; 17 per 100 fixed-line, 123 per 100 mobile-cellular (2017)

international:

• country code - 673;
• landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3 optical telecommunications submarine cable that provides links to Asia, the Middle East, and Europe;
• the Asia-America Gateway submarine cable network provides new links to Asia and the US;
• the South-East Asia Japan Cable System linking Brunei, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Philipines and Thailand;
• satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean) (2017)

• state-controlled Radio Television Brunei (RTB) operates 5 channels;
• 3 Malaysian TV stations are available;
• foreign TV broadcasts are available via satellite systems;
• RTB operates 5 radio networks and broadcasts on multiple frequencies;
• British Forces Broadcast Service (BFBS) provides radio broadcasts on 2 FM stations;
• some radio broadcast stations from Malaysia are available via repeaters (2017)

number of registered air carriers:

1 (2015)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 10 (2015)

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

1,150,003 (2015)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

115.147 million mt-km (2015)

total:

2,976 km (2014)

paved:

2,559 km (2014)

unpaved:

417 km (2014)

major seaport(s):

Muara

oil terminal(s):

Lumut, Seria

LNG terminal(s) (export):

Lumut

• 17 years of age for voluntary military service;
• non-Malays are ineligible to serve;
• recruits from the army, navy, and air force all undergo 43-week initial training (2013)

stateless persons:

• 20,524 (2017);
• note - thousands of stateless persons, often ethnic Chinese, are permanent residents and their families have lived in Brunei for generations;
• obtaining citizenship is difficult and requires individuals to pass rigorous tests on Malay culture, customs, and language;
• stateless residents receive an International Certificate of Identity, which enables them to travel overseas;
• the government is considering changing the law prohibiting non-Bruneians, including stateless permanent residents, from owning land