2003 Edition

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 - when using a place name with the adjectival ending 'skaya,' the word voblasts' should be added to the place name

note

voblasti have the administrative center name following in parentheses

Age structure

0-14 years: 16.8% (male 885,265; female 848,516) 15-64 years: 68.9% (male 3,456,769; female 3,652,766) 65 years and over: 14.3% (male 490,529; female 988,306) (2003 est.)

Agriculture - products

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

Airports

124 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways

over 3,047 m

2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 21 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4

total

28

under 914 m

1 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways

over 3,047 m

3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 14

total

96

under 914 m

67 (2002) Military Belarus

Area

land

207,600 sq km

total

207,600 sq km

water

0 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Kansas

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. Geography Belarus

Birth rate

10.18 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Budget

expenditures

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

revenues

$4 billion

Capital

Minsk

Climate

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

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

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

Currency

Belarusian ruble (BYB/BYR)

Currency code

BYB/BYR

Death rate

14.05 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Debt - external

$851 million (2001 est.)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Michael G. KOZAK

embassy

46 Starovilenskaya St., Minsk 220002

mailing address

PSC 78, Box B Minsk, APO 09723

telephone

[375] (17) 210-12-83

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

1619 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009

chief of mission

Ambassador Mikhail KHVOSTOV

consulate(s) general

New York

Disputes - international

1997 boundary treaty with Ukraine remains unratified over unresolved financial claims, preventing demarcation and encouraging illegal border crossing; boundaries with Latvia and Lithuania remain undemarcated despite European Union financial support

Distribution of family income - Gini index

21.7 (1998)

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 reimposed 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 and persistent trade deficits, 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. 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

26.69 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports

300 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports

4.3 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production

24.4 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

99.5%

hydro

0.1%

nuclear

0%

other

0.4% (2001)

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, 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

Ethnic groups

Belarusian 81.2%, Russian 11.4%, Polish, Ukrainian, and other 7.4%

Exchange rates

Belarusian rubles per US dollar - NA (2002), 1,390 (2001), 876.75 (2000), 248.8 (1999), 46.13 (1998)

Executive branch

cabinet

Council of Ministers

chief of state

President Aleksandr LUKASHENKO (since 20 July 1994)

election results

Aleksandr LUKASHENKO reelected president; percent of vote - Aleksandr LUKASHENKO 75.6%, Vladimir GONCHARIK 15.4%

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 (next election to be held by September 2006); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president

head of government

Prime Minister Sergei SIDORSKY (acting; since 10 July 2003); Deputy Prime Ministers Andrei KOBYAKOV (since 13 March 2000), Sergei SIDORSKY (since 24 September 2001), Vladimir DRAZHIN (since 24 September 2001), Roman VNUCHKO (since 10 July 2003)

Exports

$7.7 billion f.o.b. (2002)

Exports - commodities

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

Exports - partners

Russia 50.8%, Latvia 7.3%, Ukraine 6.3%, Lithuania 4.1%, Germany 4.1% (2002)

FAX

[1] (202) 986-1805

[375] (17) 234-7853

telephone

[1] (202) 986-1604

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications Belarus

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 a Belarusian national ornament in red Economy Belarus

GDP

purchasing power parity - $90.19 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

15%

industry

40%

services

45% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $8,700 (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

4.7% (2002 est.)

Geographic coordinates

53 00 N, 28 00 E

Geography - note

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

Government type

republic

Highways

paved

66,203 km

total

74,385 km

unpaved

8,182 km (2000)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.3% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

1,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

15,000 (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

20% (1998)

lowest 10%

5.1%

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; lax money-laundering and banking regulations This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

Imports

$8.8 billion f.o.b. (2002)

Imports - commodities

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

Imports - partners

Russia 68.2%, Germany 9.4%, Ukraine 3.2% (2002)

Independence

25 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

Industrial production growth rate

2.5% (2002 est.)

Industries

metal-cutting machine tools, tractors, trucks, earthmovers, motorcycles, television sets, chemical fibers, fertilizer, textiles, radios, refrigerators

Infant mortality rate

female

12.56 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)

male

15.13 deaths/1,000 live births

total

13.87 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

42.8% (2002 est.)

International organization participation

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

Internet country code

.by

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

23 (2002)

Internet users

422,000 (2002) Transportation Belarus

Irrigated land

1,150 sq km (1998 est.)

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)

Labor force

4.8 million (2000)

Labor force - by occupation

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

Land boundaries

border countries

Latvia 141 km, Lithuania 502 km, Poland 407 km, Russia 959 km, Ukraine 891 km

total

2,900 km

Land use

arable land

29.76%

other

69.55% (1998 est.)

permanent crops

0.69%

Languages

Belarusian, Russian, other

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; 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 Pretsaviteley (110 seats; members elected by universal adult suffrage to serve 4-year terms)

election results

party affiliation data unavailable; under present political conditions party designations are meaningless

elections

last held October 2000 (next to be held NA 2004)

Life expectancy at birth

female

74.6 years (2003 est.)

male

62.54 years

total population

68.43 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

99.5% (2003 est.) Government Belarus

male

99.8%

total population

99.6%

Location

Eastern Europe, east of Poland

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Median age

female

39.3 years (2002)

male

34.1 years

total

36.7 years

Military branches

Army, Air Force (including air defense), Interior Ministry Troops, Border Guards

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$176.1 million (FY02)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.4% (FY02) Transnational Issues Belarus

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49

2,756,572 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49

2,158,875 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - military age

18 years of age (2003 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males

86,654 (2003 est.)

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

Nationality

adjective

Belarusian

noun

Belarusian(s)

Natural gas - consumption

18 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports

17.8 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - production

200 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural hazards

NA

Natural resources

forests, peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas, granite, dolomitic limestone, marl, chalk, sand, gravel, clay

Net migration rate

2.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption

230,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

NA (2001)

Oil - imports

NA (2001)

Oil - production

37,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Pipelines

gas 4,519 km; oil 1,811 km; refined products 1,686 km (2003)

Political parties and leaders

Agrarian Party or AP [Mikhail SHIMANSKY]; Belarusian Communist Party or KPB [Viktor CHIKIN, chairman]; Belarusian Ecological Green Party (merger of Belarusian Ecological Party and Green Party of Belarus) [leader NA]; Belarusian Patriotic Movement (Belarusian Patriotic Party) or BPR [Anatoliy BARANKEVICH, chairman]; Belarusian Popular Front or BNF [Vintsuk VYACHORKA]; Belarusian Social-Democrat Party or SDBP [Nikolay STATKEVICH, chairman]; Belarusian Social-Democratic Party or Hromada [Stanislav SHUSHKEVICH, chairman]; Belarusian Socialist Party [Vyacheslav KUZNETSOV]; Civic Accord Bloc (United Civic Party) or CAB [Anatol LIABEDZKA]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDPB [Sergei GAYDUKEVICH, chairman]; Party of Communists Belarusian or PKB [Sergei KALYAKIN, chairman]; Republican Party of Labor and Justice or RPPS [Anatoliy NETYLKIN, chairman]; Social-Democrat Party of Popular Accord or PPA [Leanid SECHKA]; Women's Party or "Nadezhda" [Valentina POLEVIKOVA, chairperson]

Political pressure groups and leaders

NA

Population

10,322,151 (July 2003 est.)

Population below poverty line

22% (1995 est.)

Population growth rate

-0.12% (2003 est.)

Ports and harbors

Mazyr

Radio broadcast stations

AM 28, FM 37, shortwave 11 (1998)

Radios

3.02 million (1997)

Railways

broad gauge

5,523 km 1.520-m gauge (875 km electrified) (2002)

total

5,523 km

Religions

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

Sex ratio

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

total population

0.88 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Telephone system

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

general assessment

the Ministry of Telecommunications controls all telecommunications through its carrier (a joint stock company) Beltelcom which is a monopoly

international

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

Telephones - main lines in use

2.313 million (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular

8,167 (1997)

Television broadcast stations

47 (plus 27 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions

2.52 million (1997)

Terrain

generally flat and contains much marshland

Total fertility rate

1.34 children born/woman (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate

2.1% officially registered unemployed (December 2000); large number of underemployed workers

Waterways

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