|
Background: |
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 1994 as the country's first president,
Alexandr LUKASHENKO has steadily consolidated his power through authoritarian
means. Government restrictions on freedom of speech and the press, peaceful
assembly, and religion continue. |
|
Location: |
Eastern Europe, east of Poland
|
|
Geographic coordinates: |
53 00 N, 28 00 E |
|
Map references: |
Europe |
|
Area: |
total: 207,600 sq km
land: 207,600 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
|
Area - comparative: |
slightly smaller than Kansas
|
|
Land boundaries: |
total: 3,098 km
border
countries: Latvia 141 km, Lithuania 502 km, Poland 605 km, Russia 959 km,
Ukraine 891 km |
|
Coastline: |
0 km (landlocked) |
|
Maritime claims: |
none (landlocked) |
|
Climate: |
cold winters, cool and moist summers;
transitional between continental and maritime |
|
Terrain: |
generally flat and contains much
marshland |
|
Elevation extremes: |
lowest point: Nyoman River 90
m
highest point: Dzyarzhynskaya Hara 346 m |
|
Natural resources: |
forests, peat deposits, small
quantities of oil and natural gas, granite, dolomitic limestone, marl, chalk,
sand, gravel, clay |
|
Land use: |
arable land: 26.77%
permanent crops: 0.6%
other: 72.63% (2005) |
|
Irrigated land: |
1,310 sq km (2003) |
|
Total renewable water resources: |
58 cu km (1997) |
|
Freshwater withdrawal
(domestic/industrial/agricultural): |
total: 2.79 cu km/yr
(23%/47%/30%)
per capita: 286 cu m/yr (2000) |
|
Natural hazards: |
NA |
|
Environment - current issues: |
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: |
party to: Air Pollution, Air
Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not
ratified: none of the selected agreements |
|
Geography - note: |
landlocked; glacial scouring accounts
for the flatness of Belarusian terrain and for its 11,000 lakes
|
|
Population: |
9,685,768 (July 2008 est.) |
|
Age structure: |
0-14 years: 14.4% (male
717,885/female 677,254)
15-64 years: 70.9% (male 3,333,699/female
3,531,920)
65 years and over: 14.7% (male 459,627/female 965,383)
(2008 est.) |
|
Median age: |
total: 38.4 years
male: 35.4 years
female: 41.3 years (2008 est.) |
|
Population growth rate: |
-0.393% (2008 est.) |
|
Birth rate: |
9.62 births/1,000 population (2008
est.) |
|
Death rate: |
13.92 deaths/1,000 population (2008
est.) |
|
Net migration rate: |
0.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population
(2008 est.) |
|
Sex ratio: |
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.94
male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.48 male(s)/female
total
population: 0.87 male(s)/female (2008 est.) |
|
Infant mortality rate: |
total: 6.53 deaths/1,000 live
births
male: 7.56 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 5.44
deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.) |
|
Life expectancy at birth: |
total population: 70.34 years
male: 64.63 years
female: 76.4 years (2008 est.)
|
|
Total fertility rate: |
1.23 children born/woman (2008 est.)
|
|
Nationality: |
noun: Belarusian(s)
adjective: Belarusian |
|
Ethnic groups: |
Belarusian 81.2%, Russian 11.4%,
Polish 3.9%, Ukrainian 2.4%, other 1.1% (1999 census) |
|
Religions: |
Eastern Orthodox 80%, other
(including Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 20% (1997 est.)
|
|
Languages: |
Belarusian, Russian, other |
|
Literacy: |
definition: age 15 and over
can read and write
total population: 99.6%
male: 99.8%
female: 99.4% (1999 census) |
|
Country name: |
conventional long form:
Republic of Belarus
conventional short form: Belarus
local
long form: Respublika Byelarus'
local short form: Byelarus'
former: Belorussian (Byelorussian) Soviet Socialist Republic
|
|
Government type: |
republic in name, although in fact a
dictatorship |
|
Capital: |
name: Minsk
geographic
coordinates: 53 54 N, 27 34 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours
ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time:
+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
|
Administrative divisions: |
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: |
25 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
|
|
National holiday: |
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: |
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: |
based on civil law system; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
|
Suffrage: |
18 years of age; universal |
|
Executive branch: |
chief of state: President
Aleksandr LUKASHENKO (since 20 July 1994)
head of government: Prime
Minister Sergey SIDORSKIY (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,
Aleksandr LUKASHENKO extended his term to 2001 via a November 1996 referendum;
subsequent election held 9 September 2001; an October 2004 referendum ended
presidential term limits and allowed the president to run in a third election,
which was held on 19 March 2006; prime minister and deputy prime ministers
appointed by the president
election results: Aleksandr LUKASHENKO
reelected president; percent of vote - Aleksandr LUKASHENKO 82.6%, Aleksandr
MILINKEVICH 6%, Aleksandr KOZULIN 2.3%; note - election marred by electoral
fraud |
|
Legislative branch: |
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 eight members
appointed by the president, to serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of
Representatives or Palata Predstaviteley (110 seats; members elected by popular
vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 17 and 31 October
2004; international observers widely denounced the 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: |
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: |
pro-government parties:
Agrarian Party or AP [Mikhail SHIMANSKY]; Belarusian Communist Party or KPB;
Belarusian Patriotic Movement (Belarusian Patriotic Party) or BPR [Nikolay
ULAKHOVICH, chairman]; Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus [Sergey GAYDUKEVICH];
Party of Labor and Justice [Viktor SOKOLOV]; Social-Sports Party [Vladimir
ALEXANDROVICH]
opposition parties: Belarusian Christian Democracy
Party (unregistered) [Pavel SEVERINETS]; Belarusian Party of Communists or PKB
[Sergey KALYAKIN]; Belarusian Party of Labor (unregistered) [Aleksandr
BUKHVOSTOV, Leonid LEMESHONAK]; Belarusian Popular Front or BPF [Vintsyuk
VYACHORKA]; Belarusian Social-Democratic Gramada [Stanislav SHUSHKEVICH];
Belarusian Social Democratic Party Hramada (People's Assembly) or BSDPH
[Aleksandr KOZULIN; Anatoliy LEVKOVICH, acting]; Green Party [Oleg GROMYKO];
Party of Freedom and Progress (unregistered) [Vladimir NOVOSYAD]; United Civic
Party or UCP [Anatoliy LEBEDKO]; Women's Party "Nadezhda" [Valentina MATUSEVICH,
chairperson]
other opposition includes: Christian Conservative BPF
[Zyanon PAZNIAK]; Ecological Party of Greens [Mikhail KARTASH]; Party of Popular
Accord [Sergey YERMAKK]; Republican Party [Vladimir BELAZOR] |
|
Political pressure groups and leaders: |
Assembly of Pro-Democratic NGOs
[Sergey MATSKEVICH]; Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions [Aleksandr
YAROSHUK]; Belarusian Helsinki Committee [Tatiana PROTKO]; Belarusian
Organization of Working Women [Irina ZHIKHAR]; Charter 97 [Andrey SANNIKOV]; For
Freedom (unregistered) [Aleksandr MILINKEVICH]; Lenin Communist Union of Youth
(youth wing of the Belarusian Party of Communists or PKB); National Strike
Committee of Entrepreneurs [Aleksandr VASILYEV, Valery LEVONEVSKY]; Partnership
NGO [Nikolay ASTREYKA]; Perspektiva kiosk watchdog NGO [Anatol SHUMCHENKO];
Vyasna [Ales BYALATSKY]; Women's Independent Democratic Movement [Ludmila
PETINA]; Youth Front (Malady Front) [Dmitriy DASHKEVICH, Sergey BAKHUN]; Zubr
youth group [Vladimir KOBETS] |
|
International organization participation: |
BSEC (observer), CEI, CIS, EAEC,
EAPC, EBRD, GCTU, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMSO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, NSG, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
|
|
Diplomatic representation in the US: |
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: |
chief of mission: Ambassador
Karen B. STEWART
embassy: 46 Starovilenskaya Street, 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: |
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 ornamentation in red
|
|
Economy - overview: |
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. Since 2005,
the government has re-nationalized a number of private companies. In addition,
businesses have been subject to pressure by 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.
Because of these restrictive economic policies, Belarus has had trouble
attracting foreign investment. Nevertheless, GDP growth has been strong in
recent years, reaching nearly 7% in 2007, despite the roadblocks of a tough,
centrally directed economy with a high, but decreasing, rate of inflation.
Belarus receives heavily discounted oil and natural gas from Russia and much of
Belarus' growth can be attributed to the re-export of Russian oil at market
prices. Trade with Russia - by far its largest single trade partner - decreased
in 2007, largely as a result of a change in the way the Value Added Tax (VAT) on
trade was collected. Russia has introduced an export duty on oil shipped to
Belarus, which will increase gradually through 2009, and a requirement that
Belarusian duties on re-exported Russian oil be shared with Russia - 80% will go
to Russia in 2008, and 85% in 2009. Russia also increased Belarusian natural gas
prices from $47 per thousand cubic meters (tcm) to $100 per tcm in 2007, and
plans to increase prices gradually to world levels by 2011. Russia's recent
policy of bringing energy prices for Belarus to world market levels may result
in a slowdown in economic growth in Belarus over the next few years. Some policy
measures, including tightening of fiscal and monetary policies, improving energy
efficiency, and diversifying exports, have been introduced, but external
borrowing has been the main mechanism used to manage the growing pressures on
the economy. |
|
GDP (purchasing power parity): |
$105.2 billion (2007 est.) |
|
GDP (official exchange rate): |
$44.77 billion (2007 est.) |
|
GDP - real growth rate: |
8.2% (2007 est.) |
|
GDP - per capita (PPP): |
$10,900 (2007 est.) |
|
GDP - composition by sector: |
agriculture: 8.7%
industry: 40.6%
services: 50.6% (2007 est.) |
|
Labor force: |
4.3 million (31 December 2005)
|
|
Labor force - by occupation: |
agriculture: 14%
industry: 34.7%
services: 51.3% (2003 est.) |
|
Unemployment rate: |
1.6% officially registered
unemployed; large number of underemployed workers (2005) |
|
Population below poverty line: |
27.1% (2003 est.) |
|
Household income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: 3.4%
highest 10%: 23.5% (2002) |
|
Distribution of family income - Gini index: |
29.7 (2002) |
|
Inflation rate (consumer prices): |
8.4% (2007 est.) |
|
Investment (gross fixed): |
29.9% of GDP (2007 est.) |
|
Budget: |
revenues: $20.76 billion
expenditures: $21.18 billion (2007 est.) |
|
Agriculture - products: |
grain, potatoes, vegetables, sugar
beets, flax; beef, milk |
|
Industries: |
metal-cutting machine tools,
tractors, trucks, earthmovers, motorcycles, televisions, synthetic fibers,
fertilizer, textiles, radios, refrigerators |
|
Industrial production growth rate: |
5% (2007 est.) |
|
Electricity - production: |
29.08 billion kWh (2005) |
|
Electricity - production by source: |
fossil fuel: 99.5%
hydro: 0.1%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0.4% (2001)
|
|
Electricity - consumption: |
29.49 billion kWh (2005) |
|
Electricity - exports: |
5.053 billion kWh (2005) |
|
Electricity - imports: |
9.091 billion kWh (2005) |
|
Oil - production: |
33,700 bbl/day (2005 est.) |
|
Oil - consumption: |
156,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
|
|
Oil - exports: |
249,900 bbl/day (2004 est.)
|
|
Oil - imports: |
378,200 bbl/day (2004 est.)
|
|
Oil - proved reserves: |
198 million bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
|
|
Natural gas - production: |
165 million cu m (2005 est.)
|
|
Natural gas - consumption: |
19.47 billion cu m (2005 est.)
|
|
Natural gas - exports: |
0 cu m (2005 est.) |
|
Natural gas - imports: |
19.31 billion cu m (2005) |
|
Natural gas - proved reserves: |
2.716 billion cu m (1 January 2006
est.) |
|
Current account balance: |
-$2.944 billion (2007 est.)
|
|
Exports: |
$23.04 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
|
|
Exports - commodities: |
machinery and equipment, mineral
products, chemicals, metals, textiles, foodstuffs |
|
Exports - partners: |
Russia 34.7%, Netherlands 17.7%, UK
7.5%, Ukraine 6.3%, Poland 5.2% (2006) |
|
Imports: |
$27.57 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
|
|
Imports - commodities: |
mineral products, machinery and
equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs, metals |
|
Imports - partners: |
Russia 58.6%, Germany 7.5%, Ukraine
5.5% (2006) |
|
Economic aid - recipient: |
$53.76 million (2005) |
|
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: |
$2.469 billion (31 December 2007
est.) |
|
Debt - external: |
$6.889 billion (31 December 2007)
|
|
Market value of publicly traded shares: |
$NA |
|
Currency (code): |
Belarusian ruble (BYB/BYR) |
|
Currency code: |
BYB/BYR |
|
Exchange rates: |
Belarusian rubles per US dollar -
2,145 (2007), 2,144.6 (2006), 2,150 (2005), 2,160.26 (2004), 2,051.27 (2003)
|
|
Fiscal year: |
calendar year |
|
Telephones - main lines in use: |
3.368 million (2006) |
|
Telephones - mobile cellular: |
5.96 million (2006) |
|
Telephone system: |
general assessment: Belarus
lags behind its neighbors in upgrading telecommunications infrastructure;
state-owned Beltelcom is the sole provider of fixed-line local and long distance
service; fixed-line teledensity of 33 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone
density of 58 per 100 persons; modernization of the network progressing with
roughly two-thirds of switching equipment now digital
domestic:
fixed-line penetration is improving although rural areas continue to be
underserved; 4 GSM wireless networks are experiencing rapid growth; strict
government controls on telecommunications technologies
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); 3 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 (2007) |
|
Radio broadcast stations: |
AM 28, FM 37, shortwave 11 (1998)
|
|
Radios: |
3.02 million (1997) |
|
Television broadcast stations: |
47 (plus 27 repeaters) (1995)
|
|
Televisions: |
2.52 million (1997) |
|
Internet country code: |
.by |
|
Internet hosts: |
20,685 (2007) |
|
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): |
23 (2002) |
|
Internet users: |
5.478 million (2006)
|
|
Airports: |
67 (2007) |
|
Airports - with paved runways: |
total: 36
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: 7 (2007) |
|
Airports - with unpaved runways: |
total: 31
2,438 to
3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 27 (2007) |
|
Heliports: |
1 (2007) |
|
Pipelines: |
gas 5,250 km; oil 1,528 km; refined
products 1,730 km (2007) |
|
Railways: |
total: 5,512 km
broad
gauge: 5,497 km 1.520-m gauge (874 km electrified)
standard
gauge: 15 km 1.435 m (2006) |
|
Roadways: |
total: 94,797 km
paved: 84,028 km
unpaved: 10,769 km (2005) |
|
Waterways: |
2,500 km (use limited by location on
perimeter of country and by shallowness) (2003) |
|
Ports and terminals: |
Mazyr |
|
Military branches: |
Belarus Armed Forces: Land Force, Air
and Air Defense Force (2008) |
|
Military service age and obligation: |
18-27 years of age for compulsory
military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months (2005) |
|
Manpower available for military service: |
males age 16-49: 2,491,643
females age 16-49: 2,528,779 (2008 est.) |
|
Manpower fit for military service: |
males age 16-49: 1,727,974
females age 16-49: 2,093,106 (2008 est.) |
|
Manpower reaching militarily significant age
annually: |
males age 16-49: 64,232
females age 16-49: 60,788 (2008 est.) |
|
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: |
1.4% (2005 est.)
|
| Transnational Issues |
Belarus |
|
Disputes - international: |
as of January 2007, ground
demarcations of the boundaries with Latvia and Lithuania were complete and
mapped with final ratification documentation in preparation; 1997 boundary
delimitation treaty with Ukraine remains unratified over unresolved financial
claims, preventing demarcation and diminishing border security |
|
This page was last updated on 10 June, 2008 | |
