Djibouti (2006) | Brunei (2002) | |
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Administrative divisions | 6 districts (cercles, singular - cercle); Ali Sabieh, Arta, Dikhil, Djibouti, Obock, Tadjourah | 4 districts (daerah-daerah, singular - daerah); Belait, Brunei and Muara, Temburong, Tutong |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 43.3% (male 105,760/female 105,068)
15-64 years: 53.3% (male 135,119/female 124,367) 65 years and over: 3.3% (male 8,183/female 8,033) (2006 est.) |
0-14 years: 30.2% (male 54,038; female 51,833)
15-64 years: 67% (male 125,051; female 110,257) 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 4,609; female 5,110) (2002 est.) |
Agriculture - products | fruits, vegetables; goats, sheep, camels, animal hides | rice, vegetables, fruits, chickens, water buffalo |
Airports | 13 (2006) | 2 (2001) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 3
over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) |
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 10
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 3 (2006) |
total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002) |
Area | total: 23,000 sq km
land: 22,980 sq km water: 20 sq km |
total: 5,770 sq km
land: 5,270 sq km water: 500 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Massachusetts | slightly smaller than Delaware |
Background | The French Territory of the Afars and the Issas became Djibouti in 1977. Hassan Gouled APTIDON installed an authoritarian one-party state and proceeded to serve as president until 1999. Unrest among the Afars minority during the 1990s led to a civil war that ended in 2001 following the conclusion of a peace accord between Afar rebels and the Issa-dominated government. In 1999, Djibouti's first multi-party presidential elections resulted in the election of Ismail Omar GUELLEH; he was re-elected to a second and final term in 2005. Djibouti occupies a strategic geographic location at the mouth of the Red Sea and serves as an important transshipment location for goods entering and leaving the east African highlands. The present leadership favors close ties to France, which maintains a significant military presence in the country, but is also developing stronger ties with the US. Djibouti hosts the only US military base in sub-Saharan Africa and is a front-line state in the global war on terrorism. | The Sultanate of Brunei's heyday occurred 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. Brunei benefits from extensive petroleum and natural gas fields, the source of one of the highest per capita GDPs in the less developed countries. The same family has ruled Brunei for over six centuries. |
Birth rate | 39.53 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 20.06 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $135 million
expenditures: $182 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.) |
revenues: $2.5 billion
expenditures: $2.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.35 billion (1997 est.) |
Capital | name: Djibouti
geographic coordinates: 11 30 N, 43 15 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Bandar Seri Begawan |
Climate | desert; torrid, dry | tropical; hot, humid, rainy |
Coastline | 314 km | 161 km |
Constitution | multiparty constitution approved by referendum 4 September 1992 | 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 Djibouti
conventional short form: Djibouti local long form: Republique de Djibouti/Jumhuriyat Jibuti local short form: Djibouti/Jibuti former: French Territory of the Afars and Issas, French Somaliland |
conventional long form: Negara Brunei Darussalam
conventional short form: Brunei |
Currency | - | Bruneian dollar (BND) |
Death rate | 19.31 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 3.38 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Debt - external | $394 million (2004 est.) | $0 |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador W. Stuart SYMINGTON
embassy: Plateau du Serpent, Boulevard Marechal Joffre, Djibouti mailing address: B. P. 185, Djibouti telephone: [253] 35 39 95 FAX: [253] 35 39 40 |
chief of mission: Ambassador Gene B. CHRISTY
embassy: Third Floor, Teck Guan Plaza, Jalan Sultan, Bandar Seri Begawan mailing address: PSC 470 (BSB), FPO AP 96507 telephone: [673] (2) 229670 FAX: [673] (2) 225293 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Roble OLHAYE Oudine
chancery: Suite 515, 1156 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005 telephone: [1] (202) 331-0270 FAX: [1] (202) 331-0302 |
chief of mission: Ambassador PUTEH ibni Mohammad Alam
chancery: 3520 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 237-1838 FAX: [1] (202) 885-0560 |
Disputes - international | Djibouti maintains economic ties and border accords with "Somaliland" leadership while maintaining some political ties to various factions in Somalia; thousands of Somali refugees await repatriation in UNHCR camps in Djibouti | Brunei established an exclusive economic fishing zone encompassing Louisa Reef in southern Spratly Islands in 1984, but makes no public territorial claim to the offshore reefs |
Economic aid - recipient | $64.1 million (2004) | $4.3 million (1995) (1995) |
Economy - overview | The economy is based on service activities connected with the country's strategic location and status as a free trade zone in northeast Africa. Two-thirds of the inhabitants live in the capital city; the remainder are mostly nomadic herders. Scanty rainfall limits crop production to fruits and vegetables, and most food must be imported. Djibouti provides services as both a transit port for the region and an international transshipment and refueling center. Djibouti has few natural resources and little industry. The nation is, therefore, heavily dependent on foreign assistance to help support its balance of payments and to finance development projects. An unemployment rate of at least 50% continues to be a major problem. While inflation is not a concern, due to the fixed tie of the Djiboutian franc to the US dollar, the artificially high value of the Djiboutian franc adversely affects Djibouti's balance of payments. Per capita consumption dropped an estimated 35% over the last seven years because of recession, civil war, and a high population growth rate (including immigrants and refugees). Faced with a multitude of economic difficulties, the government has fallen in arrears on long-term external debt and has been struggling to meet the stipulations of foreign aid donors. | This small, wealthy economy is a mixture of foreign and domestic entrepreneurship, government regulation, welfare measures, and village tradition. Crude oil and natural gas production account for nearly 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 rice and housing. Brunei's leaders are concerned that steadily increased integration in the world economy will undermine internal social cohesion although it became a more prominent player by serving as chairman for the 2000 APEC (Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation) forum. 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 | 223.2 million kWh (2003) | 2.065 billion kWh (2000) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2003) | 0 kWh (2000) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2003) | 0 kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production | 240 million kWh (2003) | 2.22 billion kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Lac Assal -155 m
highest point: Moussa Ali 2,028 m |
lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: Bukit Pagon 1,850 m |
Environment - current issues | inadequate supplies of potable water; limited arable land; desertification; endangered species | seasonal smoke/haze resulting from forest fires in Indonesia |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
party to: Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | Somali 60%, Afar 35%, French, Arab, Ethiopian, and Italian 5% | Malay 67%, Chinese 15%, indigenous 6%, other 12% |
Exchange rates | Djiboutian francs per US dollar - 177.72 (2005), 177.72 (2004), 177.72 (2003), 177.72 (2002), 177.72 (2001) | Bruneian dollars per US dollar - 1.8388 (January 2002), 1.8917 (2001), 1.7240 (2000), 1.6950 (1999), 1.6736 (1998), 1.4848 (1997); note - the Bruneian dollar is at par with the Singapore dollar |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Ismail Omar GUELLEH (since 8 May 1999)
head of government: Prime Minister Mohamed Dileita DILEITA (since 4 March 2001) cabinet: Council of Ministers responsible to the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 8 April 2005 (next to be held by April 2011); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Ismail Omar GUELLEH reelected president; percent of vote - Ismail Omar GUELLEH 100% |
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); 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 |
Exports | NA bbl/day | $3 billion f.o.b. (2000 est.) |
Exports - commodities | reexports, hides and skins, coffee (in transit) | crude oil, natural gas, refined products |
Exports - partners | Somalia 55.2%, Yemen 19.5%, Ethiopia 17.9% (2005) | Japan 42%, US 17%, South Korea 14%, Thailand 3% (1999) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | two equal horizontal bands of light blue (top) and light green with a white isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bearing a red five-pointed star in the center | 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 | - | purchasing power parity - $6.2 billion (2001 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 17.9%
industry: 22.5% services: 59.6% (2001 est.) |
agriculture: 5%
industry: 45% services: 50% (2001 est.) |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $18,000 (2001 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 3.2% (2005 est.) | 3% (2001 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 11 30 N, 43 00 E | 4 30 N, 114 40 E |
Geography - note | strategic location near world's busiest shipping lanes and close to Arabian oilfields; terminus of rail traffic into Ethiopia; mostly wasteland; Lac Assal (Lake Assal) is the lowest point in Africa | 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 |
Heliports | - | 3 (2002) |
Highways | - | total: 1,712 km
paved: 1,284 km unpaved: 428 km (1996) |
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 | $1.4 billion c.i.f. (2000 est.) |
Imports - commodities | foods, beverages, transport equipment, chemicals, petroleum products | machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, chemicals |
Imports - partners | Saudi Arabia 21.7%, India 18.5%, China 10%, Ethiopia 4.8%, France 4.5%, US 4.3%, Japan 4.2% (2005) | Singapore 34%, UK 15%, Malaysia 15%, US 5% (1999) |
Independence | 27 June 1977 (from France) | 1 January 1984 (from UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | 3% (1996 est.) | 4% (1997 est.) |
Industries | construction, agricultural processing, salt | petroleum, petroleum refining, liquefied natural gas, construction |
Infant mortality rate | total: 102.44 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 110.07 deaths/1,000 live births female: 94.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
13.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3% (2005 est.) | 1% (1999 est.) |
International organization participation | ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU, LAS, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO | APEC, ARF, ASEAN, C, CCC, ESCAP, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDB, IFRCS, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 2 (2000) |
Irrigated land | 10 sq km (2003) | 10 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court or Cour Supreme | Supreme Court (chief justice and judges are sworn in by the monarch for three-year terms) |
Labor force | 282,000 (2000) | 143,400 (1999 est.); note - includes foreign workers and military personnel
note: temporary residents make up 41% of labor force (1991) (1999 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: NA% |
government 48%, production of oil, natural gas, services, and construction 42%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 10% (1999 est.) |
Land boundaries | total: 516 km
border countries: Eritrea 109 km, Ethiopia 349 km, Somalia 58 km |
total: 381 km
border countries: Malaysia 381 km |
Land use | arable land: 0.04%
permanent crops: 0% other: 99.96% (2005) |
arable land: 0.57%
permanent crops: 0.76% other: 98.67% (1998 est.) |
Languages | French (official), Arabic (official), Somali, Afar | Malay (official), English, Chinese |
Legal system | based on French civil law system, traditional practices, and Islamic law | based on English common law; for Muslims, Islamic Shari'a law supersedes civil law in a number of areas |
Legislative branch | unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des Deputes (65 seats; members elected by popular vote for five-year terms)
elections: last held 10 January 2003 (next to be held January 2008) election results: percent of vote - RPP 62.2%, FRUD 36.9%; seats - RPP 65, FRUD 0; note - RPP (the ruling party) dominated the election |
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 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 43.17 years
male: 41.86 years female: 44.52 years (2006 est.) |
total population: 74.06 years
male: 71.68 years female: 76.56 years (2002 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 67.9% male: 78% female: 58.4% (2003 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 88.2% male: 92.6% female: 83.4% (1995 est.) |
Location | Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, between Eritrea and Somalia | Southeastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and Malaysia |
Map references | Africa | Southeast Asia |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM or to median line
territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 1,369 GRT/3,030 DWT
by type: cargo 1 (2006) |
total: 7 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 348,476 GRT/340,635 DWT
ships by type: liquefied gas 7 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: United Kingdom 7 (2002 est.) |
Military branches | Djibouti National Army (includes Navy and Air Force) | Land Forces, Navy, Air Force, Royal Brunei Police |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $29.05 million (2005 est.) | $343 million (FY98) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 4.3% (2005 est.) | 5.1% (FY98) |
Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49: 108,921 (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49: 62,864 (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | - | 18 years of age (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males: 3,005 (2002 est.) |
National holiday | Independence Day, 27 June (1977) | 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: Djiboutian(s)
adjective: Djiboutian |
noun: Bruneian(s)
adjective: Bruneian |
Natural hazards | earthquakes; droughts; occasional cyclonic disturbances from the Indian Ocean bring heavy rains and flash floods | typhoons, earthquakes, and severe flooding are very rare |
Natural resources | geothermal areas, gold, clay, granite, limestone, marble, salt, diatomite, gypsum, pumice, petroleum | petroleum, natural gas, timber |
Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 3.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Pipelines | - | crude oil 135 km; petroleum products 418 km; natural gas 920 km |
Political parties and leaders | Democratic National Party or PND [ADEN Robleh Awaleh]; Democratic Renewal Party or PRD [Abdillahi HAMARITEH]; Djibouti Development Party or PDD [Mohamed Daoud CHEHEM]; Front pour la Restauration de l'Unite Democratique or FRUD [Ali Mohamed DAOUD]; People's Progress Assembly or RPP [Ismail Omar GUELLEH] (governing party); Peoples Social Democratic Party or PPSD [Moumin Bahdon FARAH]; Republican Alliance for Democracy or ARD [Ahmed Dini AHMED]; Union for Democracy and Justice or UDJ | Brunei Solidarity National Party or PPKB in Malay [Haji Mohd HATTA bin Haji Zainal Abidin, president]; 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) |
Political pressure groups and leaders | Union for Presidential Majority UMP (coalition includes RPP, FRUD, PPSD and PND); Union for Democratic Changeover or UAD (opposition coalition includes ARD, MRDD, UDJ, and PDD) [Ahmed Dini AHMED] | NA |
Population | 486,530 (July 2006 est.) | 350,898 (July 2002 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 50% (2001 est.) | NA% |
Population growth rate | 2.02% (2006 est.) | 2.06% (2002 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | Bandar Seri Begawan, Kuala Belait, Muara, Seria, Tutong |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2001) | AM 3, FM 10, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | - | 329,000 (1998) |
Railways | total: 100 km (Djibouti segment of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway)
narrow gauge: 100 km 1.000-m gauge note: railway under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia (2005) |
total: 13 km (private line)
narrow gauge: 13 km 0.610-m gauge (2001 est.) |
Religions | Muslim 94%, Christian 6% | Muslim (official) 67%, Buddhist 13%, Christian 10%, indigenous beliefs and other 10% |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.09 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.) |
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.13 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal adult | none |
Telephone system | general assessment: telephone facilities in the city of Djibouti are adequate, as are the microwave radio relay connections to outlying areas of the country
domestic: microwave radio relay network international: country code - 253; submarine cable to Jiddah, Suez, Sicily, Marseille, Colombo, and Singapore; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; Medarabtel regional microwave radio relay telephone network |
general assessment: service throughout country is excellent; international service good to Europe, US, and East Asia
domestic: every service available international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean); digital submarine cable links to Malaysia, Singapore, and Philippines (2001) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 11,100 (2004) | 79,000 (1996) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 34,500 (2004) | 43,524 (1996) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (2002) | 2 (1997) |
Terrain | coastal plain and plateau separated by central mountains | flat coastal plain rises to mountains in east; hilly lowland in west |
Total fertility rate | 5.31 children born/woman (2006 est.) | 2.4 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 50% (2004 est.) | 10% (2001 est.) |
Waterways | - | 209 km; navigable by craft drawing less than 1.2 m |