(2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males: 3,478 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$290.7 million (2004)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
5.1% (2004)

Transnational Issues Brunei

Disputes - international:
in 2003 Brunei and Malaysia ceased gas and oil exploration in their
disputed offshore and deepwater seabeds and negotiations have
stalemated prompting consideration of 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 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

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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@Bulgaria

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 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. Today,
reforms and democratization keep Bulgaria on a path toward eventual
integration into the EU. The country joined NATO in 2004.

Geography Bulgaria

Location:
Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Romania and
Turkey

Geographic coordinates:
43 00 N, 25 00 E

Map references: