Caribbean, is highly dependent on tourism, which generates an
estimated 45% of the national income. An estimated 350,000 tourists,
mainly from the US, visited the islands in 1997. In the mid-1980s, the
government began offering offshore registration to companies wishing
to incorporate in the islands, and incorporation fees now generate
substantial revenues. An estimated 250,000 companies were on the
offshore registry by yearend 1997. The adoption of a comprehensive
insurance law in late 1994, which provides a blanket of
confidentiality with regulated statutory gateways for investigation of
criminal offenses, is expected to make the British Virgin Islands even
more attractive to international business. Livestock raising is the
most important agricultural activity; poor soils limit the islands'
ability to meet domestic food requirements. Because of traditionally
close links with the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands has
used the dollar as its currency since 1959.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $287 million (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 6.8% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $15,000 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1.8%
industry: 6.2%
services: 92% (1996 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.3% (1998)
Labor force: 4,911 (1980)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services
NA%
Unemployment rate: 3% (1995)
Budget:
revenues: $121.5 million
expenditures: $115.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1997)
Industries: tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete
block, offshore financial center
Industrial production growth rate: 4% (1985)
Electricity - production: 42 million kWh (1998)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1998)
Electricity - consumption: 39 million kWh (1998)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1998)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1998)
Agriculture - products: fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish
Exports: $6 million (1998)
Exports - commodities: rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand
Exports - partners: Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US
Imports: $175 million (1998)
Imports - commodities: building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs,
machinery
Imports - partners: Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US
Debt - external: $36.1 million (1997)
Economic aid - recipient: $2.6 million (1995)
Currency: 1 United States dollar (US$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: US currency is used
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
@British Virgin Islands:Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 9,000 (1994)
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
Telephone system: worldwide telephone service
domestic: NA
international: submarine cable to Bermuda
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 9,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (plus one cable company) (1997)
Televisions: 4,000 (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (1999)
@British Virgin Islands:Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total: 113 km (1995 est.)
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km
Ports and harbors: Road Town
Merchant marine: none (1999 est.)
Airports: 3 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1999 est.)
@British Virgin Islands:Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK
@British Virgin Islands:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
______________________________________________________________________
BRUNEI
@Brunei:Introduction
Background: Although greatly reduced in size since its heyday of the
16th century, the Sultanate of Brunei sits atop extensive petroleum
and natural gas fields, the source of one of the highest per capita
GDPs in the less developed countries.
@Brunei:Geography
Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and
Malaysia
Geographic coordinates: 4 30 N, 114 40 E
Map references: Southeast Asia
Area:
total: 5,770 sq km
land: 5,270 sq km
water: 500 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Delaware
Land boundaries:
total: 381 km
border countries: Malaysia 381 km
Coastline: 161 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm or to median line
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; hot, humid, rainy
Terrain: flat coastal plain rises to mountains in east; hilly lowland
in west
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: Bukit Pagon 1,850 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, timber
Land use:
arable land: 1%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 1%
forests and woodland: 85%
other: 12% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 10 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: typhoons, earthquakes, and severe flooding are very
rare
Environment - current issues: seasonal smoke/haze resulting from
forest fires in Indonesia
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - 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
@Brunei:People
Population: 336,376 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 31% (male 53,812; female 51,628)
15-64 years: 66% (male 118,207; female 103,819)
65 years and over: 3% (male 4,317; female 4,593) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.17% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 20.81 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 3.39 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: 4.25 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.14 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female
total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 14.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 73.58 years
male: 71.23 years
female: 76.06 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.47 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Bruneian(s)
adjective: Bruneian
Ethnic groups: Malay 62%, Chinese 15%, indigenous 6%, other 17%
Religions: Muslim (official) 67%, Buddhist 13%, Christian 10%,
indigenous beliefs and other 10%
Languages: Malay (official), English, Chinese
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 88.2%
male: 92.6%
female: 83.4% (1995 est.)
@Brunei:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Negara Brunei Darussalam
conventional short form: Brunei
Data code: BX
Government 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)
National holiday: National Day, 23 February (1984)
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 English common law; for Muslims, Islamic
Shari'a law supersedes civil law in a number of areas
Suffrage: none
Executive branch:
chief of state: Sultan and Prime Minister His Majesty Paduka Seri
Baginda Sultan Haji HASSANAL Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah (since 5
October 1967); note - the monarch is both the chief of state and head
of government
head of government: Sultan and Prime Minister His Majesty Paduka Seri
Baginda Sultan Haji HASSANAL Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah (since 5
October 1967); note - the monarch is both the chief of state and head
of government
cabinet: 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
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Council or Majlis Masyuarat
Megeri (a privy council that serves only in a consultative capacity;
NA seats; members appointed by the monarch)
elections: last held in March 1962
note: in 1970 the Council was changed to an appointive body by decree
of the monarch; an elected Legislative Council is being considered as
part of constitutional reform, but elections are unlikely for several
years
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, chief justice and judges are sworn in
by the monarch for three-year terms
Political parties and leaders: Brunei Solidarity National Party or
PPKB in Malay ; the
PPKB is the only legal political party in Brunei; it was registered in
1985, but became largely inactive after 1988, it was revived in 1995
and again in 1998; it has less than 200 registered party members;
other parties include Brunei People's Party or PRB (banned in 1962)
and Brunei National Democratic Party (registered in May 1965,
deregistered by the Brunei Government in 1988)
International organization participation: APEC, ASEAN, C, CCC, ESCAP,
G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDB, IFRCS, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat,
Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD,
UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Pengiran Anak Dato Haji PUTEH Ibni
Mohammad Alam
chancery: 3520 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: (202) 342-0159
FAX: (202) 342-0158
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Sylvia Gaye STANFIELD
embassy: Third Floor, Teck Guan Plaza, Jalan Sultan, Bandar Seri
Begawan
mailing address: PSC 470 (BSB), FPO AP 96507
telephone: (2) 229670
FAX: (2) 225293
Flag description: 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
@Brunei:Economy
Economy - overview: This small, wealthy 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 over half of GDP. Per capita GDP
is far above most other Third World countries, and substantial income
from overseas investment supplements income from domestic production.
The government provides for all medical services and subsidizes food
and housing. The government has shown progress in its basic policy of
diversifying the economy away from oil and gas. Brunei's leaders are
concerned that steadily increased integration in the world economy
will undermine internal social cohesion although it has taken steps to
become a more prominent player by serving as chairman for the 2000
APEC (Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation) forum. Growth in 1999 is
estimated at 2.5% due to higher oil prices in the second half.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $5.6 billion (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 2.5% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $17,400 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 5%
industry: 46%
services: 49% (1996 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1% (1999 est.)
Labor force: 144,000 (1995 est.); note - includes foreign workers and
military personnel
note: temporary residents make up 41% of labor force (1991)
Labor force - by occupation: government 48%, production of oil,
natural gas, services, and construction 42%, agriculture, forestry,
and fishing 10% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate: 4.9% (1995 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $2.5 billion
expenditures: $2.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $768
million (1995 est.)
Industries: petroleum, petroleum refining, liquefied natural gas,
construction
Industrial production growth rate: 4% (1997 est.)
Electricity - production: 2.56 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1998)
Electricity - consumption: 2.381 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1998)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1998)
Agriculture - products: rice, cassava (tapioca), bananas; water
buffalo
Exports: $2.04 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Exports - commodities: crude oil, liquefied natural gas, petroleum
products
Exports - partners: Japan 51%, UK 14%, US 10%, Singapore 8%, Thailand
3% (1998)
Imports: $1.38 billion (c.i.f., 1998 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment, manufactured
goods, food, chemicals
Imports - partners: Singapore 32%, UK 17%, Malaysia 12%, France 12%,
US 5% (1998)
Debt - external: $0
Economic aid - recipient: $4.3 million (1995)
Currency: 1 Bruneian dollar (B$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Bruneian dollars (B$) per US$1 - 1.6733 (January
2000), 1.6950 (1999), 1.6736 (1998), 1.4848 (1997), 1.4100 (1996),
1.4174 (1995); note - the Bruneian dollar is at par with the Singapore
dollar
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Brunei:Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 68,000 (1995)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 57,000 (1998)
Telephone system: service throughout country is excellent;
international service good to Europe, US, and East Asia
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean
and 1 Pacific Ocean); digital submarine cable links to Malaysia,
Singapore, and Philippines
Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 10, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 319,408 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 2 (1997)
Televisions: 196,009 (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (1999)
@Brunei:Transportation
Railways:
total: 13 km (private line)
narrow gauge: 13 km 0.610-m gauge
Highways:
total: 1,150 km
paved: 399 km
unpaved: 751 km (1996 est.)
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 and harbors: Bandar Seri Begawan, Kuala Belait, Muara, Seria,
Tutong
Merchant marine:
total: 7 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 348,476 GRT/340,635 DWT
ships by type: liquified gas 7 (1999 est.)
Airports: 2 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1999 est.)
Heliports: 3 (1999 est.)
@Brunei:Military
Military branches: Land Forces, Navy, Air Force, Royal Brunei Police
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 104,447 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 60,395 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 2,957 (2000 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $343 million (FY98)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 5.1% (FY98)
@Brunei:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: possibly involved in a complex dispute over
the Spratly Islands with China, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, and
Vietnam; in 1984, Brunei established an exclusive fishing zone that
encompasses Louisa Reef in the southern Spratly Islands, but has not
publicly claimed the island
______________________________________________________________________
BULGARIA
@Bulgaria:Introduction
Background: Having fought on the losing side in both World Wars,
Bulgaria fell within the Soviet sphere of influence and became a
People's Republic in 1946. Communist domination ended in 1991 with the
dissolution of the USSR, and Bulgaria began the contentious process of
moving toward political democracy and a market economy while combating
inflation, unemployment, corruption, and crime. Today, reforms and
democratization keep Bulgaria on a path toward eventual integration
into the EU and NATO.
@Bulgaria:Geography
Location: Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between
Romania and Turkey
Geographic coordinates: 43 00 N, 25 00 E
Map references: Europe
Area:
total: 110,910 sq km
land: 110,550 sq km
water: 360 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Tennessee
Land boundaries:
total: 1,808 km
border countries: Greece 494 km, The Former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia 148 km, Romania 608 km, Serbia and Montenegro 318 km (all
with Serbia), Turkey 240 km
Coastline: 354 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers
Terrain: mostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Black Sea 0 m
highest point: Musala 2,925 m
Natural resources: bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber, arable
land
Land use:
arable land: 43%
permanent crops: 2%
permanent pastures: 14%
forests and woodland: 38%
other: 3% (1999 est.)
Irrigated land: 12,370 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: earthquakes, landslides
Environment - current issues: air pollution from industrial emissions;
rivers polluted from raw sewage, heavy metals, detergents;
deforestation; forest damage from air pollution and resulting acid
rain; soil contamination from heavy metals from metallurgical plants
and industrial wastes
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants,
Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note: strategic location near Turkish Straits; controls
key land routes from Europe to Middle East and Asia
@Bulgaria:People
Population: 7,796,694 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 16% (male 623,285; female 591,655)
15-64 years: 68% (male 2,610,573; female 2,685,190)
65 years and over: 16% (male 546,029; female 739,962) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: -1.16% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 8.06 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 14.63 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: -5.06 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 15.13 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.91 years
male: 67.45 years
female: 74.56 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.13 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Bulgarian(s)
adjective: Bulgarian
Ethnic groups: Bulgarian 83%, Turk 8.5%, Roma 2.6%, Macedonia,
Armenian, Tatar, Gagauz, Circassian, others (1998)
Religions: Bulgarian Orthodox 83.5%, Muslim 13%, Roman Catholic 1.5%,
Jewish 0.8%, Uniate Catholic 0.2%, Protestant, Gregorian-Armenian, and
other 1% (1998)
Languages: Bulgarian, secondary languages closely correspond to ethnic
breakdown
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
male: 99%
female: 98% (1999)
@Bulgaria:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Bulgaria
conventional short form: Bulgaria
Data code: BU
Government type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Sofia
Administrative divisions: 9 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast);
Burgas, Grad Sofiya, Khaskovo, Lovech, Montana, Plovdiv, Ruse, Sofiya,
Varna
Independence: 22 September 1908 (from Ottoman Empire)
National holiday: Independence Day, 3 March (1878)
Constitution: adopted 12 July 1991
Legal system: civil law and criminal law based on Roman law; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Petar STOYANOV (since 22 January 1997); Vice
President Todor KAVALDZHIEV (since 22 January 1997)
head of government: Chairman of the Council of Ministers (Prime
Minister) Ivan KOSTOV (since 19 May 1997); Deputy Prime Minister Petur
ZHOTEV (since 21 December 1999)
cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the National Assembly
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by
popular vote for five-year terms; election last held 27 October and 3
November 1996 (next to be held NA 2001); chairman of the Council of
Ministers (prime minister) nominated by the president; deputy prime
ministers nominated by the prime minister
election results: Petar STOYANOV elected president; percent of vote -
Petar STOYANOV 59.73%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Narodno Sobranie
(240 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 19 April 1997 (next to be held NA 2001)
election results: percent of vote by party - UtdDF 52%, BSP 22%, ANS
7%, Euro-left 5.5%, BBB 4.95%; seats by party - UtdDF 137, BSP 58, ANS
19, Euro-left 14, BBB 12; note - seating as of May 1997: UtdDF 126, DL
58, ANS 19, Euro-left 17, PU 11, independents 9
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, chairman appointed for a seven-year
term by the president; Constitutional Court, 12 justices appointed or
elected for nine-year terms
Political parties and leaders: Alliance for National Salvation or ANS
(coalition led mainly by Movement for Rights and Freedoms or DPS)
; Bulgarian Business Bloc or BBB ;
Bulgarian Socialist Party or BSP ;
Democratic Left of DL ; Euro-left ;
Movement for Rights and Freedoms or DPS (member of LDU) ;
People's Union or PU ; Union of Democratic Forces or
UtdDF (an alliance of pro-democratic parties)
Political pressure groups and leaders: agrarian movement; Bulgarian
Agrarian National Union - United or BZNS; Bulgarian Democratic Center;
Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria or CITUB;
Democratic Alliance for the Republic or DAR; Gergiov Den; Internal
Macedonian Revolutionary Organization or IMRO; New Union for Democracy
or NUD; "Nikola Petkov" Bulgarian Agrarian National Union; Podkrepa
Labor Confederation; numerous regional, ethnic, and national interest
groups with various agendas
International organization participation: ACCT, BIS, BSEC, CCC, CE,
CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, G- 9, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO,
Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NSG,
OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UPU, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Philip DIMITROV
chancery: 1621 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: (202) 387-0174, 387-0365, 483-1386
FAX: (202) 234-7973
consulate(s): New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Richard MILES
embassy: 1 Saborna Street, Sofia
mailing address: American Embassy Sofia, Department of State,
Washington, DC 20521-5740
telephone: (2) 980-52-41 through 48
FAX: (2) 981-89-77
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)
@Bulgaria:Economy