2000 Edition

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 but, to date, neither side has actively sought to implement the accord.

Area

land

207,600 sq km

total

207,600 sq km

water

0 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Kansas

Climate

cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between continental and maritime

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation extremes

highest point

Dzyarzhynskaya Hara 346 m

lowest point

Nyoman River 90 m

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-Sulphur 85, Biodiversity, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Climate Change, Law of the Sea

Geographic coordinates

53 00 N, 28 00 E

Geography - note

landlocked

Irrigated land

1,000 sq km (1993 est.)

Land boundaries

border countries

Latvia 141 km, Lithuania 502 km, Poland 605 km, Russia 959 km, Ukraine 891 km

total

3,098 km

Land use

arable land

29%

forests and woodland

34%

other

21% (1993 est.)

permanent crops

1%

permanent pastures

15%

Location

Eastern Europe, east of Poland

Map references

Commonwealth of Independent States

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards

NA

Natural resources

forests, peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas

Terrain

generally flat and contains much marshland

Age structure

0-14 years: 19% (male 982,959; female 942,062) 15-64 years: 68% (male 3,411,684; female 3,614,453) 65 years and over: 13% (male 466,929; female 948,632) (2000 est.)

Birth rate

9.27 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate

13.96 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Ethnic groups

Byelorussian 77.9%, Russian 13.2%, Polish 4.1%, Ukrainian 2.9%, other 1.9%

Infant mortality rate

14.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Languages

Byelorussian, Russian, other

Life expectancy at birth

female

74.48 years (2000 est.)

male

61.83 years

total population

68 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

97% (1989 est.)

male

99%

total population

98%

Nationality

adjective

Belarusian

noun

Belarusian(s)

Net migration rate

3.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Population

10,366,719 (July 2000 est.)

Population growth rate

-0.17% (2000 est.)

Religions

Eastern Orthodox 80%, other (including Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 20% (1997 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.49 male(s)/female

total population

0.88 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.25 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Administrative divisions

6 voblastsi (singular - voblasts') and one municipality* (harady, singular - horad); Brestskaya (Brest), Homyel'skaya (Homyel'), Horad Minsk*, Hrodzyenskaya (Hrodna), Mahilyowskaya (Mahilyow), Minskaya, Vitsyebskaya (Vitsyebsk)

note

voblasti have the administrative center name following in parentheses

Capital

Minsk

Constitution

30 March 1994; revised by national referendum of 24 November 1996 giving the presidency greatly expanded powers and became effective 27 November 1996

Country name

conventional long form

Republic of Belarus

conventional short form

Belarus

former

Belorussian (Byelorussian) Soviet Socialist Republic

local long form

Respublika Byelarus'

local short form

none

Data code

BO

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Daniel V. SPECKHARD

embassy

Starovilenskaya #46-220002, Minsk

mailing address

use embassy street address

telephone

(17) 231-5000

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

1619 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009

chief of mission

Ambassador Valery TSEPAKO

telephone

(202) 986-1604

Executive branch

cabinet

Council of Ministers

chief of state

President Aleksandr LUKASHENKO (since 20 July 1994)

election results

Aleksandr LUKASHENKO elected president; percent of vote - Aleksandr LUKASHENKO 85%, Vyacheslav KEBICH 15%

elections

president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 24 June and 10 July 1994 (next to be held NA; according to the 1994 constitution, the next election should have been held in 1999, however LUKASHENKO extended his term to 2001 via the November 1996 referendum); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president

head of government

Prime Minister Sergey LING (acting since 18 November 1996, confirmed 19 February 1997); First Deputy Prime Minister Vasiliy DOLGOLEV (since 2 December 1998); Deputy Prime Ministers Vladimir ZAMETALIN (since 15 July 1997), Ural LATYPOV (since 30 December 1997), Gennadiy NOVITSKIY (since 11 February 1997), Leonid KOZIK (since 4 February 1997), Aleksandr POPKOV (since 10 November 1998)

note

first presidential elections took place in June-July 1994

FAX

(202) 986-1805

(17) 234-7853

consulate(s) general

New York

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 the Belarusian national ornament in red

Government type

republic

Independence

25 August 1991 (Belarusian Supreme Soviet declaration of independence from the Soviet Union)

International organization participation

CCC, CEI, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Inmarsat, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NAM, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (applicant)

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

Legal system

based on civil law system

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament or Natsionalnoye Sobranie consists of the Council of the Republic or Soviet Respubliki (64 seats; eight appointed by the president and 56 indirectly elected by deputies of local councils for four-year terms) and the Chamber of Representatives or Palata Pretsaviteley (110 seats; note - present members came from the former Supreme Soviet which LUKASHENKO disbanded in November 1996)

election results

after the November 1996 referendum, seats for the Chamber of Representatives were filled by former Supreme Soviet

elections

last held May and November-December 1995 (two rounds, each with a run-off; disbanded after the November 1996 referendum; next to be held NA)

members as follows

PKB 24, Agrarian 14, Party of Peoples Concord 5, LDPB 1, UPNAZ 1, Green World Party 1, Belarusian Social Sports Party 1, Ecological Party 1, Republican Party of Labor and Justice 1, independents 61; 58 of the 64 seats in the Council of the Republic have been appointed/elected

National holiday

Independence Day, 3 July (1944); note - represents Minsk liberation from German occupation

Political parties and leaders

Agrarian Party [Aleksandr PAVLOV, acting chairman]; Belarusian Communist Party or KPB [Viktor CHIKIN, chairman]; Belarusian Green Party or BPZ ; Belarusian Labor Party or BPP ; Belarusian Patriotic Movement (Belarusian Patriotic Party) or BPR ; Belarusian Popular Front or BNF ; Belarusian Social-Democrat or SDBP ; Belarusian Social-Democratic Party Hramada ; Belarusian Social Sports Party or BSSP ; Belarusian Socialist Party ; Civic Accord Bloc (United Civic Party) or CAB ; Ecological Party or BEP ; Liberal-Democratic Party or LDPB ; Party of All-Belarusian Unity and Concord or UPNAZ ; Party of Communists Belarusian or PKB ; Party of Popular Accord or PPA ; Republican Party of Labor and Justice or RPPS ; Women's Party Nadezhda

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

grain, potatoes, vegetables, sugar beets, flax; beef, milk

Budget

expenditures

$4.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $180 million (1997 est.)

revenues

$4 billion

Currency

Belarusian rubel (BR)

Debt - external

$1.1 billion (1998 est.)

Economic aid - recipient

$194.3 million (1995)

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 re-imposed administrative controls over prices and currency exchange rates and expanded the state's right to intervene in the management of private enterprise. In addition to the burdens imposed by high inflation, businesses have been subject to pressure on the part of central and local governments, e.g., arbitrary changes in regulations, numerous rigorous inspections, and retroactive application of new business regulations prohibiting practices that had been legal. Further economic problems are two consecutive bad harvests, 1998-99, and persistent trade deficits. Close relations with Russia, possibly leading to reunion, color the pattern of economic developments. For the time being, Belarus remains self-isolated from the West and its open-market economies.

Electricity - consumption

28.66 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - exports

2.3 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - imports

10.6 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - production

21.893 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

99.89%

hydro

0.11%

nuclear

0%

other

0% (1998)

Exchange rates

Belarusian rubels per US$1 - 730,000 (15 December 1999), 139,000 (25 January 1999), 46,080 (2nd qtr 1998), 25,964 (1997), 15,500 (yearend 1996), 11,500 (yearend 1995)

Exports

$6 billion (f.o.b., 1999)

Exports - commodities

machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals, textiles, foodstuffs

Exports - partners

Russia 66%, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, Lithuania (1998)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $55.2 billion (1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

23%

industry

28%

services

49% (1998 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $5,300 (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

1.5% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 4.9% highest 10%: 19.4% (1993)

Imports

$6.4 billion (c.i.f., 1999)

Imports - commodities

mineral products, machinery and equipment, metals, chemicals, foodstuffs

Imports - partners

Russia 54%, Ukraine, Germany, Poland, Lithuania (1998)

Industrial production growth rate

8% (1999 est.)

Industries

metal-cutting machine tools, tractors, trucks, earth movers, motorcycles, TV sets, chemical fibers, fertilizer, textiles, radios, refrigerators

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

295% (1999 est.)

Labor force

4.3 million (1998)

Labor force - by occupation

industry and construction NA%, agriculture and forestry NA%, services NA%

Population below poverty line

22% (1995 est.)

Unemployment rate

2.3% officially registered unemployed (December 1998); large number of underemployed workers

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

1 (1999)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 28, FM 37, shortwave 11 (1998)

Radios

3.02 million (1997)

Telephone system

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's fiber optics form synchronous digital hierarchy rings through other countries' systems; an inadequate analog system remains operational

international

Belarus is a member of the Trans-European Line (TEL), Trans-Asia-Europe Fiber-Optic Line (TAE) 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

Telephones - main lines in use

2.537 million (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular

8,000 (1999)

Television broadcast stations

17 (1997)

Televisions

2.52 million (1997)

Airports

118 (1996 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total

36 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 18 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 under 914 m: 11 (1996 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

82 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 62 (1996 est.)

Highways

paved

60,567 km

total

63,355 km

unpaved

2,788 km (1998 est.)

Pipelines

crude oil 1,470 km; refined products 1,100 km; natural gas 1,980 km (1992)

Ports and harbors

Mazyr

Railways

broad gauge

5,563 km 1.520-m gauge (894 km electrified)

total

5,563 km

Waterways

NA km; note - Belarus has extensive and widely used canal and river systems

Military branches

Army, Air Force, Air Defense Force, Interior Ministry Troops, Border Guards

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$156 million (FY98)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.2% (FY98)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 2,714,420 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 2,126,655 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - military age

18 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males

82,720 (2000 est.)

Disputes - international

none

Illicit drugs

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

BELGIUM