Brunei (2007) | Iceland (2005) | |
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Administrative divisions | 4 districts (daerah-daerah, singular - daerah); Belait, Brunei and Muara, Temburong, Tutong | 8 regions; Austurland, Hofudhborgarsvaedhi, Nordhurland Eystra, Nordhurland Vestra, Sudhurland, Sudhurnes, Vestfirdhir, Vesturland |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 27.8% (male 53,512/female 50,529)
15-64 years: 69% (male 130,134/female 128,488) 65 years and over: 3.2% (male 5,688/female 6,226) (2007 est.) |
0-14 years: 22.1% (male 33,302/female 32,257)
15-64 years: 66.2% (male 99,513/female 96,886) 65 years and over: 11.7% (male 15,723/female 19,056) (2005 est.) |
Agriculture - products | rice, vegetables, fruits; chickens, water buffalo, cattle, goats, eggs | potatoes, green vegetables, mutton, dairy products, fish |
Airports | 2 (2007) | 98 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2007) |
total: 5
over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007) |
total: 93
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 29 under 914 m: 61 (2004 est.) |
Area | total: 5,770 sq km
land: 5,270 sq km water: 500 sq km |
total: 103,000 sq km
land: 100,250 sq km water: 2,750 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Delaware | slightly smaller than Kentucky |
Background | 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. | Settled by Norwegian and Celtic (Scottish and Irish) immigrants during the late 9th and 10th centuries A.D., Iceland boasts the world's oldest functioning legislative assembly, the Althing, established in 930. Independent for over 300 years, Iceland was subsequently ruled by Norway and Denmark. Fallout from the Askja volcano of 1875 devastated the Icelandic economy and caused widespread famine. Over the next quarter century, 20% of the island's population emigrated, mostly to Canada and the US. Limited home rule from Denmark was granted in 1874 and complete independence attained in 1944. Literacy, longevity, income, and social cohesion are first-rate by world standards. |
Birth rate | 18.56 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 13.73 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $3.765 billion
expenditures: $4.815 billion (2004 est.) |
revenues: $4.154 billion
expenditures: $4.058 billion, including capital expenditures of $467 million (2004 est.) |
Capital | 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) |
Reykjavik |
Climate | tropical; hot, humid, rainy | temperate; moderated by North Atlantic Current; mild, windy winters; damp, cool summers |
Coastline | 161 km | 4,988 km |
Constitution | 29 September 1959 (some provisions suspended under a State of Emergency since December 1962, others since independence on 1 January 1984) | 16 June 1944, effective 17 June 1944; amended many times |
Country name | conventional long form: Brunei Darussalam
conventional short form: Brunei local long form: Negara Brunei Darussalam local short form: Brunei |
conventional long form: Republic of Iceland
conventional short form: Iceland local long form: Lydhveldidh Island local short form: Island |
Death rate | 3.26 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 6.68 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Debt - external | $0 (2005) | $3.073 billion (2002) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Emil SKODON
embassy: Third Floor, Teck Guan Plaza, Jalan Sultan, Bandar Seri Begawan, BS8811 mailing address: PSC 470 (BSB), FPO AP 96507; P.O. Box 2991, Bandar Seri Begawan BS8675, Negara Brunei Darussalam telephone: [673] 222-0384 FAX: [673] 222-5293 |
chief of mission: Ambassador James I. GADSDEN
embassy: Laufasvegur 21, 101 Reykjavik mailing address: US Embassy, PSC 1003, Box 40, FPO AE 09728-0340 telephone: [354] 562-9100 FAX: [354] 562-9118 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Pengiran Anak Dato PUTEH
chancery: 3520 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 237-1838 FAX: [1] (202) 885-0560 |
chief of mission: Ambassador Helgi AGUSTSSON
chancery: Suite 1200, 1156 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005-1704 telephone: [1] (202) 265-6653 FAX: [1] (202) 265-6656 consulate(s) general: New York |
Disputes - international | 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 | Iceland disputes Denmark's alignment of the Faroe Islands' fisheries median line; Iceland, the UK, and Ireland dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm |
Economic aid - donor | - | $NA |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA (2004) | - |
Economy - overview | 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. | Iceland's Scandinavian-type economy is basically capitalistic, yet with an extensive welfare system (including generous housing subsidies), low unemployment, and remarkably even distribution of income. In the absence of other natural resources (except for abundant geothermal power), the economy depends heavily on the fishing industry, which provides 70% of export earnings and employs 8% of the work force. The economy remains sensitive to declining fish stocks as well as to fluctuations in world prices for its main exports: fish and fish products, aluminum, and ferrosilicon. Government policies include reducing the budget and current account deficits, limiting foreign borrowing, containing inflation, revising agricultural and fishing policies, diversifying the economy, and privatizing state-owned industries. The government remains opposed to EU membership, primarily because of Icelanders' concern about losing control over their fishing resources. Iceland's economy has been diversifying into manufacturing and service industries in the last decade, and new developments in software production, biotechnology, and financial services are taking place. The tourism sector is also expanding, with the recent trends in ecotourism and whale watching. Growth had been remarkably steady in 1996-2001 at 3%-5%, but could not be sustained in 2002 in an environment of global recession. Growth resumed in 2003, and estimates call for strong growth until 2007, slowly dropping until the end of the decade. |
Electricity - consumption | 2.625 billion kWh (2005 est.) | 7.692 billion kWh (2002) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2005) | 0 kWh (2002) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2005) | 0 kWh (2002) |
Electricity - production | 2.735 billion kWh (2005) | 8.271 billion kWh (2002) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: Bukit Pagon 1,850 m |
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Hvannadalshnukur 2,119 m (at Vatnajokull glacier) |
Environment - current issues | seasonal smoke/haze resulting from forest fires in Indonesia | water pollution from fertilizer runoff; inadequate wastewater treatment |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Transboundary Air Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation |
Ethnic groups | Malay 67%, Chinese 15%, indigenous 6%, other 12% | homogeneous mixture of descendants of Norse and Celts 94%, population of foreign origin 6% |
Exchange rates | Bruneian dollars per US dollar - 1.5886 (2006), 1.6644 (2005), 1.6902 (2004), 1.7422 (2003), 1.7906 (2002) | Icelandic kronur per US dollar - 70.192 (2004), 76.709 (2003), 91.662 (2002), 97.425 (2001), 78.616 (2000) |
Executive branch | chief of state: Sultan and Prime Minister Sir HASSANAL Bolkiah (since 5 October 1967); note - the monarch is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: Sultan and Prime Minister Sir HASSANAL Bolkiah (since 5 October 1967) 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 |
chief of state: President Olafur Ragnar GRIMSSON (since 1 August 1996)
head of government: Prime Minister Halldor ASGRIMSSON (since 15 September 2004); note - Former Prime Minister David ODDSSON switched positions with former Foreign Minister Halldor ASGRIMMSON cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister and approved by parliament elections: president, which is largely a ceremonial post, elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 26 June 2004 (next to be held June 2008); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually the prime minister election results: Olafur Ragnar GRIMSSON wins with 85.6% of the vote, Baldur AGUSTSSON 12.5%, Astthor MAGNUSSON 1.9% |
Exports | 205,600 bbl/day (2006) | 0 bbl/day (2001) |
Exports - commodities | crude oil, natural gas, refined products, clothing | fish and fish products 70%, aluminum, animal products, ferrosilicon, diatomite |
Exports - partners | Japan 30.5%, Indonesia 19.9%, South Korea 14.9%, Australia 11.5%, US 7.7% (2006) | UK 19.1%, Germany 17.2%, Netherlands 11.5%, US 9.8%, Spain 6.8%, Denmark 4.6% (2004) |
Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | calendar year |
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 | blue with a red cross outlined in white extending to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 0.9%
industry: 71.6% services: 27.5% (2005 est.) |
agriculture: 11.2%
industry: 9.6% services: 79.2% (2004 est.) |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $31,900 (2004 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 0.4% (2005 est.) | 1.8% (2004 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 4 30 N, 114 40 E | 65 00 N, 18 00 W |
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 within Malaysia | strategic location between Greenland and Europe; westernmost European country; Reykjavik is the northernmost national capital in the world; more land covered by glaciers than in all of continental Europe |
Heliports | 3 (2007) | - |
Highways | - | total: 13,004 km
paved/oiled gravel: 4,331 km unpaved: 8,673 km (2004) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | drug trafficking and illegally importing controlled substances are serious offenses in Brunei and carry a mandatory death penalty | - |
Imports | 660.1 bbl/day (2004) | 15,470 bbl/day (2001) |
Imports - commodities | machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, chemicals | machinery and equipment, petroleum products; foodstuffs, textiles |
Imports - partners | Singapore 31.6%, Malaysia 19%, UK 8.1%, Japan 5.6%, China 5.5%, Thailand 4.6% (2006) | Germany 12.3%, US 9.9%, Norway 9.7%, Denmark 7.9%, UK 7.2%, Sweden 6.7%, Netherlands 6% (2004) |
Independence | 1 January 1984 (from UK) | 1 December 1918 (became a sovereign state under the Danish Crown); 17 June 1944 (from Denmark) |
Industrial production growth rate | 1.8% (2005 est.) | 8.8% (2004 est.) |
Industries | petroleum, petroleum refining, liquefied natural gas, construction | fish processing; aluminum smelting, ferrosilicon production, geothermal power; tourism |
Infant mortality rate | total: 13.12 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 15.72 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
total: 3.31 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 3.45 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 1.1% (2005) | 4% (2004 est.) |
International organization participation | APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, C, EAS, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDB, IFRCS, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO | Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EFTA, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
Irrigated land | 10 sq km (2003) | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | 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) | Supreme Court or Haestirettur (justices are appointed for life by the Minister of Justice); eight district courts (justices are appointed for life by the Minister of Justice) |
Labor force | 180,400 (2006 est.) | 158,100 (2004 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 2.9%
industry: 61.1% services: 36% (2003 est.) |
agriculture, fishing and fish processing 10.3%, industry 18.3%, services 71.4% (2003) |
Land boundaries | total: 381 km
border countries: Malaysia 381 km |
0 km |
Land use | arable land: 2.08%
permanent crops: 0.87% other: 97.05% (2005) |
arable land: 0.07%
permanent crops: 0% other: 99.93% (2001) |
Languages | Malay (official), English, Chinese | Icelandic, English, Nordic languages, German widely spoken |
Legal system | based on English common law; for Muslims, Islamic Shari'a law supersedes civil law in a number of areas; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | civil law system based on Danish law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
Legislative branch | 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
elections: last held in March 1962 (date of next election NA) |
unicameral Parliament or Althing (63 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 10 May 2003 (next to be held by May 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - Independence Party 33.7%, Social Democratic Alliance 31.0%, Progressive Party 17.7%, Left-Green Alliance 8.8%, Liberal Party 7.4%; seats by party - Independence Party 22, Social Democratic Alliance 20, Progressive Party 12, Left-Green Alliance 5, Liberal Party 4 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 75.3 years
male: 73.12 years female: 77.59 years (2007 est.) |
total population: 80.19 years
male: 78.13 years female: 82.34 years (2005 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 92.7% male: 95.2% female: 90.2% (2001 census) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.9% (1997 est.) male: NA% female: NA% |
Location | Southeastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and Malaysia | Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northwest of the UK |
Map references | Southeast Asia | Arctic Region |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm or to median line |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin |
Merchant marine | total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 465,937 GRT/413,393 DWT
by type: liquefied gas 8 foreign-owned: 8 (UK 8) (2007) |
total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 4,341 GRT/6,019 DWT
by type: cargo 2, passenger/cargo 1 registered in other countries: 30 (2005) |
Military - note | - | defense is provided by the US-manned Icelandic Defense Force (IDF) headquartered at Keflavik |
Military branches | Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF): Royal Brunei Land Forces, Royal Brunei Navy, Royal Brunei Air Force (Tentera Udara Diraja Brunei) (2005) | no regular armed forces; Icelandic National Police, Icelandic Coast Guard (Islenska Landhelgisgaeslan) |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | 0 |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 4.5% (2006) | - |
National holiday | 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 | Independence Day, 17 June (1944) |
Nationality | noun: Bruneian(s)
adjective: Bruneian |
noun: Icelander(s)
adjective: Icelandic |
Natural hazards | typhoons, earthquakes, and severe flooding are rare | earthquakes and volcanic activity |
Natural resources | petroleum, natural gas, timber | fish, hydropower, geothermal power, diatomite |
Net migration rate | 2.79 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 2.06 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Pipelines | gas 672 km; oil 463 km (2006) | - |
Political parties and leaders | Brunei National Solidarity Party or PPKB [Abdul LATIF bin Chuchu]; National Development Party or NDP [YASSIN Affendi]
note: People's Awareness Party or PAKAR [Awang Haji MAIDIN bin Haji Ahmad] was deregistered in 2007; parties are small and have limited activity |
Independence Party or IP [David ODDSSON]; Left-Green Alliance or LGP [Steingrimur SIGFUSSON]; Liberal Party or LP [Gudjon KRISTJANSSON]; Progressive Party or PP [Halldor ASGRIMSSON]; Social Democratic Alliance (includes People's Alliance or PA, Social Democratic Party or SDP, Women's List) or SDA [Ingibjorg Solrun GISLADOTTIR] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | NA |
Population | 374,577 (July 2007 est.) | 296,737 (July 2005 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 1.81% (2007 est.) | 0.91% (2005 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | Grundartangi, Hafnarfjordur, Hornafjordhur, Reykjavik, Seydhisfjordhur |
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) | AM 3, FM about 70 (including repeaters), shortwave 1 (1998) |
Religions | Muslim (official) 67%, Buddhist 13%, Christian 10%, other (includes indigenous beliefs) 10% | Lutheran Church of Iceland 85.5%, Reykjavik Free Church 2.1%, Roman Catholic Church 2%, Hafnarfjorour Free Church 1.5%, other Christian 2.7%, other or unspecified 3.8%, unaffiliated 2.4% (2004) |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.059 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.013 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.914 male(s)/female total population: 1.022 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
Suffrage | none | 18 years of age; universal |
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) |
general assessment: extensive domestic service
domestic: the trunk network consists of coaxial and fiber-optic cables and microwave radio relay links international: country code - 354; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Iceland shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 80,200 (2006) | 190,700 (2003) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 254,000 (2006) | 279,100 (2003) |
Television broadcast stations | 4 (includes 2 UHF stations broadcasting a subscription service) (2006) | 14 (plus 156 low-power repeaters) (1997) |
Terrain | flat coastal plain rises to mountains in east; hilly lowland in west | mostly plateau interspersed with mountain peaks, icefields; coast deeply indented by bays and fiords |
Total fertility rate | 1.97 children born/woman (2007 est.) | 1.92 children born/woman (2005 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 4% (2006) | 3.1% (2004 est.) |
Waterways | 209 km (navigable by craft drawing less than 1.2 m) (2007) | - |