Читать книгу The 2009 CIA World Factbook - United States. Central Intelligence Agency - Страница 253

Debt - external:

$0 (2005) country comparison to the world: 202

Exchange rates:

Bruneian dollars (BND) per US dollar - NA (2007), 1.5886 (2006), 1.6644 (2005), 1.6902 (2004), 1.7422 (2003)

Communications ::Brunei

Telephones - main lines in use:

76,600 (2008) country comparison to the world: 151

Telephones - mobile cellular:

376,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 162

Telephone system:

general assessment: service throughout the country is excellent; international service is good to Southeast Asia, Middle East, Western Europe, and the US

domestic: every service available

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, scheduled for completion by late 2008, will provide new links to Asia and the US; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

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)

Television broadcast stations:

4 (includes 2 UHF stations broadcasting a subscription service) (2006)

Internet country code:

.bn

Internet hosts:

14,978 (2009) country comparison to the world: 108

Internet users:

217,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 133

Transportation ::Brunei

Airports:

2 (2009) country comparison to the world: 210

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 2

over 3,047 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2009)

Heliports:

3 (2009)

Pipelines:

gas 37 km; oil 18 km (2008)

Roadways:

total: 3,650 km country comparison to the world: 159 paved: 2,819 km

unpaved: 831 km (2005)

Waterways:

209 km (navigable by craft drawing less than 1.2 m) (2008) country comparison to the world: 97

Merchant marine:

total: 8 country comparison to the world: 119 by type: liquefied gas 8

foreign-owned: 1 (UK 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Lumut, Muara, Seria

Military ::Brunei

Military branches:

Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF): Royal Brunei Land Forces, Royal Brunei Navy, Royal Brunei Air Force (Tentera Udara Diraja Brunei) (2009)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age (est.) for voluntary military service; non-Malays are ineligible to serve (2007)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16–49: 108,356

females age 16–49: 110,153 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16–49: 92,543

females age 16–49: 95,301 (2009 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 3,460

female: 3,399 (2009 est.)

Military expenditures:

4.5% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 24

Transnational Issues ::Brunei

Disputes - international:

Brunei and Malaysia agreed in September 2008 to resolve their offshore and deepwater seabed dispute, resume hydrocarbon exploration, and renounce any territorial claims on land; 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

Illicit drugs:

drug trafficking and illegally importing controlled substances are serious offenses in Brunei and carry a mandatory death penalty

page last updated on November 11, 2009

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@Bulgaria (Europe)

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 from the Ottoman Empire in 1908. 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 1990, when Bulgaria held its first multiparty election since World War II and began the contentious process of moving toward political democracy and a market economy while combating inflation, unemployment, corruption, and crime. The country joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007.

Geography ::Bulgaria

Location:

Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Romania and

Turkey

Geographic coordinates: