Compare Congo, Republic of the (2006) - Brunei (2007)

Compare Congo, Republic of the (2006) z Brunei (2007)

	Congo, Republic of the (2006)	Brunei (2007)

Administrative divisions	10 regions (regions, singular - region) and 1 commune; Bouenza, Brazzaville, Cuvette, Cuvette-Ouest, Kouilou, Lekoumou, Likouala, Niari, Plateaux, Pool, Sangha	4 districts (daerah-daerah, singular - daerah); Belait, Brunei and Muara, Temburong, Tutong
Age structure	0-14 years: 46.4% (male 864,407/female 853,728) 15-64 years: 50.7% (male 930,390/female 945,545) 65 years and over: 2.9% (male 44,430/female 63,814) (2006 est.)	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.)
Agriculture - products	cassava (tapioca), sugar, rice, corn, peanuts, vegetables, coffee, cocoa; forest products	rice, vegetables, fruits; chickens, water buffalo, cattle, goats, eggs
Airports	32 (2006)	2 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2006)	total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 28 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 11 (2006)	total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)
Area	total: 342,000 sq km land: 341,500 sq km water: 500 sq km	total: 5,770 sq km land: 5,270 sq km water: 500 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly smaller than Montana	slightly smaller than Delaware
Background	Upon independence in 1960, the former French region of Middle Congo became the Republic of the Congo. A quarter century of experimentation with Marxism was abandoned in 1990 and a democratically elected government took office in 1992. A brief civil war in 1997 restored former Marxist President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, and ushered in a period of ethnic and political unrest. Southern-based rebel groups agreed to a final peace accord in March 2003, but the calm is tenuous and refugees continue to present a humanitarian crisis. The Republic of Congo was once one of Africa's largest petroleum producers, but with declining production it will need to hope for new offshore oil finds to sustain its oil earnings over the long term.	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.
Birth rate	42.57 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)	18.56 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget	revenues: $1.328 billion expenditures: $1.065 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)	revenues: $3.765 billion expenditures: $4.815 billion (2004 est.)
Capital	name: Brazzaville geographic coordinates: 4 16 S, 15 17 E time difference: UTC+1 (six hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)	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)
Climate	tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to October); persistent high temperatures and humidity; particularly enervating climate astride the Equator	tropical; hot, humid, rainy
Coastline	169 km	161 km
Constitution	approved by referendum 20 January 2002	29 September 1959 (some provisions suspended under a State of Emergency since December 1962, others since independence on 1 January 1984)
Country name	conventional long form: Republic of the Congo conventional short form: Congo (Brazzaville) local long form: Republique du Congo local short form: none former: Middle Congo, Congo/Brazzaville, Congo	conventional long form: Brunei Darussalam conventional short form: Brunei local long form: Negara Brunei Darussalam local short form: Brunei
Death rate	12.93 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)	3.26 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external	$5 billion (2000 est.)	$0 (2005)
Diplomatic representation from the US	chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Mark BIEDLINGMAIER embassy: NA mailing address: NA telephone: [243] (88) 43608 note: the embassy is temporarily collocated with the US Embassy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (US Embassy Kinshasa, 310 Avenue des Aviateurs, Kinshasa)	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
Diplomatic representation in the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Serge MOMBOULI chancery: 4891 Colorado Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20011 telephone: [1] (202) 726-5500 FAX: [1] (202) 726-1860	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
Disputes - international	about 7,000 Congolese refugees fleeing internal civil conflicts since the mid-1990s still reside in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; the location of the boundary in the broad Congo River with the Democratic Republic of the Congo is indefinite except in the Pool Malebo/Stanley Pool area	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
Economic aid - recipient	$159.1 million (1995)	$NA (2004)
Economy - overview	The economy is a mixture of village agriculture and handicrafts, an industrial sector based largely on oil, support services, and a government characterized by budget problems and overstaffing. Oil has supplanted forestry as the mainstay of the economy, providing a major share of government revenues and exports. In the early 1980s, rapidly rising oil revenues enabled the government to finance large-scale development projects with GDP growth averaging 5% annually, one of the highest rates in Africa. The government has mortgaged a substantial portion of its oil earnings through oil-backed loans that have contributed to a growing debt burden and chronic revenue shortfalls. Economic reform efforts have been undertaken with the support of international organizations, notably the World Bank and the IMF. However, the reform program came to a halt in June 1997 when civil war erupted. Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, who returned to power when the war ended in October 1997, publicly expressed interest in moving forward on economic reforms and privatization and in renewing cooperation with international financial institutions. Economic progress was badly hurt by slumping oil prices and the resumption of armed conflict in December 1998, which worsened the republic's budget deficit. The current administration presides over an uneasy internal peace and faces difficult economic challenges of stimulating recovery and reducing poverty. Recovery of oil prices has boosted the economy's GDP and near-term prospects. The Republic of Congo may be eligible for an IMF-World Bank heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) initiative in early 2006, provided it meets the strict fiscal and monetary targets set out for it under a new three-year Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) with the IMF.	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.
Electricity - consumption	619 million kWh (2003)	2.625 billion kWh (2005 est.)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2003)	0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports	300 million kWh (2003)	0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production	343 million kWh (2003)	2.735 billion kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Berongou 903 m	lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: Bukit Pagon 1,850 m
Environment - current issues	air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from the dumping of raw sewage; tap water is not potable; deforestation	seasonal smoke/haze resulting from forest fires in Indonesia
Environment - international agreements	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea	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
Ethnic groups	Kongo 48%, Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%, Europeans and other 3%	Malay 67%, Chinese 15%, indigenous 6%, other 12%
Exchange rates	Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001)	Bruneian dollars per US dollar - 1.5886 (2006), 1.6644 (2005), 1.6902 (2004), 1.7422 (2003), 1.7906 (2002)
Executive branch	chief of state: President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO (since 25 October 1997, following the civil war in which he toppled elected president Pascal LISSOUBA); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO (since 25 October 1997, following the civil war in which he toppled elected president Pascal LISSOUBA); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 10 March 2002 (next to be held in 2009) election results: Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO reelected president; percent of vote - Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO 89.4%, Joseph Kignoumbi Kia MBOUNGOU 2.7%	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
Exports	NA bbl/day	205,600 bbl/day (2006)
Exports - commodities	petroleum, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa, coffee, diamonds	crude oil, natural gas, refined products, clothing
Exports - partners	China 38.9%, US 29%, Taiwan 11.8%, South Korea 7.2% (2005)	Japan 30.5%, Indonesia 19.9%, South Korea 14.9%, Australia 11.5%, US 7.7% (2006)
Fiscal year	calendar year	1 April - 31 March
Flag description	divided diagonally from the lower hoist side by a yellow band; the upper triangle (hoist side) is green and the lower triangle is red; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia	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
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 6.2% industry: 57% services: 36.9% (2005 est.)	agriculture: 0.9% industry: 71.6% services: 27.5% (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	8.2% (2005 est.)	0.4% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates	1 00 S, 15 00 E	4 30 N, 114 40 E
Geography - note	about 70% of the population lives in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, or along the railroad between them	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
Heliports	-	3 (2007)
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	NA bbl/day	660.1 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities	capital equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs	machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, chemicals
Imports - partners	France 25.6%, China 11.3%, US 8.1%, India 8%, Italy 7.5%, Belgium 5.1%, Netherlands 4.2% (2005)	Singapore 31.6%, Malaysia 19%, UK 8.1%, Japan 5.6%, China 5.5%, Thailand 4.6% (2006)
Independence	15 August 1960 (from France)	1 January 1984 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate	0% (2002 est.)	1.8% (2005 est.)
Industries	petroleum extraction, cement, lumber, brewing, sugar, palm oil, soap, flour, cigarettes	petroleum, petroleum refining, liquefied natural gas, construction
Infant mortality rate	total: 85.29 deaths/1,000 live births male: 91 deaths/1,000 live births female: 79.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)	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.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	2.2% (2005 est.)	1.1% (2005)
International organization participation	ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW (signatory), UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO	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
Irrigated land	20 sq km (2003)	10 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch	Supreme Court or Cour Supreme	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)
Labor force	NA	180,400 (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	-	agriculture: 2.9% industry: 61.1% services: 36% (2003 est.)
Land boundaries	total: 5,504 km border countries: Angola 201 km, Cameroon 523 km, Central African Republic 467 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 2,410 km, Gabon 1,903 km	total: 381 km border countries: Malaysia 381 km
Land use	arable land: 1.45% permanent crops: 0.15% other: 98.4% (2005)	arable land: 2.08% permanent crops: 0.87% other: 97.05% (2005)
Languages	French (official), Lingala and Monokutuba (lingua franca trade languages), many local languages and dialects (of which Kikongo is the most widespread)	Malay (official), English, Chinese
Legal system	based on French civil law system and customary law	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
Legislative branch	bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (66 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the National Assembly (137 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 11 July 2002 (next to be held July 2007); National Assembly - last held 27 May and 26 June 2002 (next to be held by May 2007) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FDP 56, other 10; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FDP 83, UDR 6, UPADS 3, other 45	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)
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 52.8 years male: 51.65 years female: 53.98 years (2006 est.)	total population: 75.3 years male: 73.12 years female: 77.59 years (2007 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 83.8% male: 89.6% female: 78.4% (2003 est.)	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 92.7% male: 95.2% female: 90.2% (2001 census)
Location	Western Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and Gabon	Southeastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and Malaysia
Map references	Africa	Southeast Asia
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 200 nm	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm or to median line
Merchant marine	registered in other countries: 1 (Congo, Democratic Republic of the 1) (2006)	total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 465,937 GRT/413,393 DWT by type: liquefied gas 8 foreign-owned: 8 (UK 8) (2007)
Military branches	Congolese Armed Forces (FAC): Army, Congolese Air Force (Armee de l'Air Congolaise), Navy, Gendarmerie, Republican Guard (2005)	Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF): Royal Brunei Land Forces, Royal Brunei Navy, Royal Brunei Air Force (Tentera Udara Diraja Brunei) (2005)
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$85.22 million (2005 est.)	-
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	1.4% (2005 est.)	4.5% (2006)
National holiday	Independence Day, 15 August (1960)	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
Nationality	noun: Congolese (singular and plural) adjective: Congolese or Congo	noun: Bruneian(s) adjective: Bruneian
Natural hazards	seasonal flooding	typhoons, earthquakes, and severe flooding are rare
Natural resources	petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates, gold, magnesium, natural gas, hydropower	petroleum, natural gas, timber
Net migration rate	-3.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)	2.79 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Pipelines	gas 89 km; liquid petroleum gas 4 km; oil 744 km (2006)	gas 672 km; oil 463 km (2006)
Political parties and leaders	the most important of the many parties are the Democratic and Patriotic Forces or FDP [Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, president] (an alliance of Convention for Alternative Democracy, Congolese Labor Party or PCT, Liberal Republican Party, National Union for Democracy and Progress, Patriotic Union for the National Reconstruction, and Union for the National Renewal); Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development or MCDDI [Michel MAMPOUYA]; Pan-African Union for Social Development or UPADS [Martin MBERI]; Rally for Democracy and Social Progress or RDPS [Jean-Pierre Thystere TCHICAYA, president]; Rally for Democracy and the Republic or RDR [Raymond Damasge NGOLLO]; Union for Democracy and Republic or UDR; Union of Democratic Forces or UFD [Sebastian EBAO]	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
Political pressure groups and leaders	Congolese Trade Union Congress or CSC; General Union of Congolese Pupils and Students or UGEEC; Revolutionary Union of Congolese Women or URFC; Union of Congolese Socialist Youth or UJSC	NA
Population	3,702,314 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.)	374,577 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	NA%
Population growth rate	2.6% (2006 est.)	1.81% (2007 est.)
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 3 (2001)	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)
Railways	total: 894 km narrow gauge: 894 km 1.067-m gauge (2005)	-
Religions	Christian 50%, animist 48%, Muslim 2%	Muslim (official) 67%, Buddhist 13%, Christian 10%, other (includes indigenous beliefs) 10%
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.)	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.)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	none
Telephone system	general assessment: services barely adequate for government use; key exchanges are in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, and Loubomo; intercity lines frequently out of order domestic: primary network consists of microwave radio relay and coaxial cable international: country code - 242; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)	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)
Telephones - main lines in use	13,800 (2004)	80,200 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular	490,000 (2005)	254,000 (2006)
Television broadcast stations	1 (2002)	4 (includes 2 UHF stations broadcasting a subscription service) (2006)
Terrain	coastal plain, southern basin, central plateau, northern basin	flat coastal plain rises to mountains in east; hilly lowland in west
Total fertility rate	6.07 children born/woman (2006 est.)	1.97 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate	NA%	4% (2006)
Waterways	4,385 km (on Congo and Oubanqui rivers) (2005)	209 km (navigable by craft drawing less than 1.2 m) (2007)

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