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This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005


Map of Belarus



Legend: DefinitionDefinition Field ListingField Listing Rank OrderRank Order
   Introduction    Belarus Top of Page
Background:
Definition Field Listing
After seven decades as a constituent republic of the USSR, Belarus attained its independence in 1991. It has retained closer political and economic ties to Russia than any of the other former Soviet republics. Belarus and Russia signed a treaty on a two-state union on 8 December 1999 envisioning greater political and economic integration. Although Belarus agreed to a framework to carry out the accord, serious implementation has yet to take place. Since his election in July 1995 as the country's first president, Alexander LUKASHENKO has steadily consolidated his power through authoritarian means. Government restrictions on freedom of speech and the press, peaceful assembly, and religion continue.
   Geography    Belarus Top of Page
Location:
Definition Field Listing
Eastern Europe, east of Poland
Geographic coordinates:
Definition Field Listing
53 00 N, 28 00 E
Map references:
Definition Field Listing
Europe
Area:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 207,600 sq km
land: 207,600 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
Definition Field Listing
slightly smaller than Kansas
Land boundaries:
Definition Field Listing
total: 2,900 km
border countries: Latvia 141 km, Lithuania 502 km, Poland 407 km, Russia 959 km, Ukraine 891 km
Coastline:
Definition Field Listing
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
Definition Field Listing
none (landlocked)
Climate:
Definition Field Listing
cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between continental and maritime
Terrain:
Definition Field Listing
generally flat and contains much marshland
Elevation extremes:
Definition Field Listing
lowest point: Nyoman River 90 m
highest point: Dzyarzhynskaya Hara 346 m
Natural resources:
Definition Field Listing
forests, peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas, granite, dolomitic limestone, marl, chalk, sand, gravel, clay
Land use:
Definition Field Listing
arable land: 29.55%
permanent crops: 0.6%
other: 69.85% (2001)
Irrigated land:
Definition Field Listing
1,150 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
Definition Field Listing
NA
Environment - current issues:
Definition Field Listing
soil pollution from pesticide use; southern part of the country contaminated with fallout from 1986 nuclear reactor accident at Chornobyl' in northern Ukraine
Environment - international agreements:
Definition Field Listing
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note:
Definition Field Listing
landlocked; glacial scouring accounts for the flatness of Belarusian terrain and for its 11,000 lakes; the country is geologically well endowed with extensive deposits of granite, dolomitic limestone, marl, chalk, sand, gravel, and clay
   People    Belarus Top of Page
Population:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
10,300,483 (July 2005 est.)
Age structure:
Definition Field Listing
0-14 years: 16% (male 839,292/female 804,738)
15-64 years: 69.5% (male 3,481,432/female 3,672,991)
65 years and over: 14.6% (male 498,717/female 1,003,313) (2005 est.)
Median age:
Definition Field Listing
total: 37.03 years
male: 34.32 years
female: 39.7 years (2005 est.)
Population growth rate:
Definition Field Listing
-0.09% (2005 est.)
Birth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
10.83 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Death rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
14.15 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Net migration rate:
Definition Field Listing
2.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Sex ratio:
Definition Field Listing
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.5 male(s)/female
total population: 0.88 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 13.37 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 14.3 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 12.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total population: 68.72 years
male: 63.03 years
female: 74.69 years (2005 est.)
Total fertility rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.39 children born/woman (2005 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0.3% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
15,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1,000 (2001 est.)
Nationality:
Definition Field Listing
noun: Belarusian(s)
adjective: Belarusian
Ethnic groups:
Definition Field Listing
Belarusian 81.2%, Russian 11.4%, Polish 3.9%, Ukrainian 2.4%, other 1.1% (1999 census)
Religions:
Definition Field Listing
Eastern Orthodox 80%, other (including Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 20% (1997 est.)
Languages:
Definition Field Listing
Belarusian, Russian, other
Literacy:
Definition Field Listing
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.6%
male: 99.8%
female: 99.5% (2003 est.)
   Government    Belarus Top of Page
Country name:
Definition Field Listing
conventional long form: Republic of Belarus
conventional short form: Belarus
local long form: Respublika Byelarus'
local short form: none
former: Belorussian (Byelorussian) Soviet Socialist Republic
Government type:
Definition Field Listing
republic in name, although in fact a dictatorship
Capital:
Definition Field Listing
Minsk
Administrative divisions:
Definition Field Listing
6 provinces (voblastsi, singular - voblasts') and 1 municipality* (horad); Brest, Homyel', Horad Minsk*, Hrodna, Mahilyow, Minsk, Vitsyebsk
note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers
Independence:
Definition Field Listing
25 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday:
Definition Field Listing
Independence Day, 3 July (1944); note - 3 July 1944 was the date Minsk was liberated from German troops, 25 August 1991 was the date of independence from the Soviet Union
Constitution:
Definition Field Listing
15 March 1994; revised by national referendum of 24 November 1996 giving the presidency greatly expanded powers and became effective 27 November 1996; revised again 17 October 2004 removing presidential term limits
Legal system:
Definition Field Listing
based on civil law system
Suffrage:
Definition Field Listing
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
Definition Field Listing
chief of state: President Aleksandr LUKASHENKO (since 20 July 1994)
head of government: Prime Minister Sergei SIDORSKY (since 19 December 2003); First Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir SEMASHKO (since December 2003)
cabinet: Council of Ministers
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; first election took place 23 June and 10 July 1994; according to the 1994 constitution, the next election should have been held in 1999, however LUKASHENKO extended his term to 2001 via a November 1996 referendum; new election held 9 September 2001; October 2004 referendum ended presidential term limits allowing president to run for a third term in September 2006; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president
election results: Aleksandr LUKASHENKO reelected president; percent of vote - Aleksandr LUKASHENKO 75.6%, Vladimir GONCHARIK 15.4%
Legislative branch:
Definition Field Listing
bicameral National Assembly or Natsionalnoye Sobranie consists of the Council of the Republic or Soviet Respubliki (64 seats; 56 members elected by regional councils and 8 members appointed by the president, all for 4-year terms) and the Chamber of Representatives or Palata Predstaviteley (110 seats; members elected by universal adult suffrage to serve 4-year terms)
elections: last held 18 March and 1 April 2001 and 17 and 31 October 2004; international observers widely denounced the October 2004 elections as flawed and undemocratic, based on massive government falsification; pro-Lukashenko candidates won every seat, after many opposition candidates were disqualified for technical reasons
election results: Soviet Respubliki - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; Palata Predstaviteley - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA
Judicial branch:
Definition Field Listing
Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president); Constitutional Court (half of the judges appointed by the president and half appointed by the Chamber of Representatives)
Political parties and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
Pro-government parties: Agrarian Party or AP [leader NA]; Belarusian Communist Party or KPB [leader NA]; Belarusian Patriotic Movement (Belarusian Patriotic Party) or BPR [Anatoliy BARANKEVICH, chairman]; Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus [Sergei GAYDUKEVICH]; Social-Sports Party [leader NA]; Opposition parties: Belarusian Popular Front or BNF [Vintsuk VYACHORKA]; Belarusian Social-Democrat Party Narodnaya Gromada or BSDP NG [Nikolay STATKEVICH, chairman]; Belarusian Social-Democratic Party Hromada [Stanislav SHUSHKEVICH, chairman]; United Civic Party or UCP [Anatol LEBEDKO]; Party of Communists Belarusian or PKB [Sergei KALYAKIN, chairman]; Women's Party "Nadezhda" [Valentina MATUSEVICH, chairperson]
note: the opposition Belarusian Party of Labor [Aleksandr BUKHVOSTOV] was liquidated in August 2004, but remains active
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
NA
International organization participation:
Definition Field Listing
CEI, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, NSG, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Definition Field Listing
chief of mission: Ambassador Mikhail KHVOSTOV
chancery: 1619 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 986-1604
FAX: [1] (202) 986-1805
consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
Definition Field Listing
chief of mission: Ambassador George A. KROL
embassy: 46 Starovilenskaya St., Minsk 220002
mailing address: PSC 78, Box B Minsk, APO 09723
telephone: [375] (17) 210-12-83, 217-7347, 217-7348
FAX: [375] (17) 234-7853
Flag description:
Definition Field Listing
red horizontal band (top) and green horizontal band one-half the width of the red band; a white vertical stripe on the hoist side bears Belarusian national ornamention in red
   Economy    Belarus Top of Page
Economy - overview:
Definition Field Listing
Belarus's economy in 2003-04 posted 6.1% and 6.4% growth. Still, the economy continues to be hampered by high inflation, persistent trade deficits, and ongoing rocky relations with Russia, Belarus' largest trading partner and energy supplier. Belarus has seen little structural reform since 1995, when President LUKASHENKO launched the country on the path of "market socialism." In keeping with this policy, LUKASHENKO reimposed administrative controls over prices and currency exchange rates and expanded the state's right to intervene in the management of private enterprises. In addition, businesses have been subject to pressure on the part of central and local governments, e.g., arbitrary changes in regulations, numerous rigorous inspections, retroactive application of new business regulations, and arrests of "disruptive" businessmen and factory owners. A wide range of redistributive policies has helped those at the bottom of the ladder; the Gini coefficient is among the lowest in the world. For the time being, Belarus remains self-isolated from the West and its open-market economies. Growth has been strong in recent years, despite the roadblocks in a tough, centrally directed economy and the high, but decreasing, rate of inflation. Growth has been buoyed by increased Russian demand for generally noncompetitive Belarusian goods.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$70.5 billion (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
6.4% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
purchasing power parity - $6,800 (2004 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: 11%
industry: 36.4%
services: 52.6% (2004 est.)
Labor force:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
4.305 million (31 December 2003)
Labor force - by occupation:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture 14%, industry 34.7%, services 51.3% (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2% officially registered unemployed; large number of underemployed workers (2004)
Population below poverty line:
Definition Field Listing
27.1% (2003 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Definition Field Listing
lowest 10%: 5.1%
highest 10%: 20% (1998)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
Definition Field Listing
21.7 (1998)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
17.4% (2004 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
21.8% of GDP (2004 est.)
Budget:
Definition Field Listing
revenues: $3.326 billion
expenditures: $3.564 billion, including capital expenditures of $180 million (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products:
Definition Field Listing
grain, potatoes, vegetables, sugar beets, flax; beef, milk
Industries:
Definition Field Listing
metal-cutting machine tools, tractors, trucks, earthmovers, motorcycles, televisions, chemical fibers, fertilizer, textiles, radios, refrigerators
Industrial production growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
4% (2004 est.)
Electricity - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
30 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
34.3 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports:
Definition Field Listing
800 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports:
Definition Field Listing
3.2 billion kWh (2003)
Oil - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
36,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
285,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
14,500 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
360,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Natural gas - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
250 million cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
18.8 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
18.5 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Current account balance:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$-1.119 billion (2004 est.)
Exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$11.47 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
machinery and equipment, mineral products, chemicals, metals; textiles, foodstuffs
Exports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
Russia 47%, UK 8.3%, Netherlands 6.7%, Poland 5.3% (2004)
Imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$13.57 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
mineral products, machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs, metals
Imports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
Russia 68.2%, Germany 6.6%, Ukraine 3.3% (2004)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$770.2 million (2004 est.)
Debt - external:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$600 million (2004 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
Definition Field Listing
$194.3 million (1995)
Currency (code):
Definition Field Listing
Belarusian ruble (BYB/BYR)
Exchange rates:
Definition Field Listing
Belarusian rubles per US dollar - 2,160.26 (2004), 2,051.27 (2003), 1,790.92 (2002), 1,390 (2001), 876.75 (2000)
Fiscal year:
Definition Field Listing
calendar year
   Communications    Belarus Top of Page
Telephones - main lines in use:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3,071,300 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.118 million (2003)
Telephone system:
Definition Field Listing
general assessment: the Ministry of Telecommunications controls all telecommunications through its carrier (a joint stock company) Beltelcom which is a monopoly
domestic: local - Minsk has a digital metropolitan network and a cellular NMT-450 network; waiting lists for telephones are long; local service outside Minsk is neglected and poor; intercity - Belarus has a partly developed fiber-optic backbone system presently serving at least 13 major cities (1998); Belarus' fiber optics form synchronous digital hierarchy rings through other countries' systems; an inadequate analog system remains operational
international: country code - 375; Belarus is a member of the Trans-European Line (TEL), Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line, and has access to the Trans-Siberia Line (TSL); three fiber-optic segments provide connectivity to Latvia, Poland, Russia, and Ukraine; worldwide service is available to Belarus through this infrastructure; additional analog lines to Russia; Intelsat, Eutelsat, and Intersputnik earth stations
Radio broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
AM 28, FM 37, shortwave 11 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
47 (plus 27 repeaters) (1995)
Internet country code:
Definition Field Listing
.by
Internet hosts:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
5,308 (2004)
Internet users:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1,391,900 (2003)
   Transportation    Belarus Top of Page
Railways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 5,512 km
broad gauge: 5,497 km 1.520-m gauge (874 km electrified)
standard gauge: 15 km 1.435-m (2004)
Highways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 79,990 km
paved: 69,351 km
unpaved: 10,639 km (2002)
Waterways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2,500 km (use limited by location on perimeter of country and by shallowness) (2003)
Pipelines:
Definition Field Listing
gas 5,223 km; oil 2,443 km; refined products 1,686 km (2004)
Ports and harbors:
Definition Field Listing
Mazyr
Airports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
133 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 50
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 22
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 21 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 83
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 11
under 914 m: 64 (2004 est.)
Heliports:
Definition Field Listing
1 (2004 est.)
   Military    Belarus Top of Page
Military branches:
Definition Field Listing
Army, Air and Air Defense Force
Military service age and obligation:
Definition Field Listing
18-27 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months (May 2004)
Manpower available for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 18-49: 2,520,644 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 18-49: 1,657,984 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
Definition Field Listing
males: 85,202 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$176.1 million (FY02)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.4% (FY02)
   Transnational Issues    Belarus Top of Page
Disputes - international:
Definition Field Listing
1997 boundary treaty with Ukraine remains unratified over unresolved financial claims, preventing demarcation and diminishing border security; boundary with Latvia remains undemarcated but a third of the border with Lithuania was demarcated in 2004
Illicit drugs:
Definition Field Listing
limited cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis, mostly for the domestic market; transshipment point for illicit drugs to and via Russia, and to the Baltics and Western Europe; a small and lightly regulated financial center; new anti-money-laundering legislation does not meet international standards; few investigations or prosecutions of money-laundering activities

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005


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