2005 Edition

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

Age structure

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.)

Agriculture - products

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

Airports

133 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

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

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.)

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. 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

Birth rate

10.83 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$3.564 billion, including capital expenditures of $180 million (2004 est.)

revenues

$3.326 billion

Capital

Minsk

Climate

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

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

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

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 (code)

Belarusian ruble (BYB/BYR)

Currency code

BYB/BYR

Current account balance

$-1.119 billion (2004 est.)

Death rate

14.15 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Debt - external

$600 million (2004 est.)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador George A. KROL

embassy

46 Starovilenskaya St., Minsk 220002

FAX

[375] (17) 234-7853

mailing address

PSC 78, Box B Minsk, APO 09723

telephone

[375] (17) 210-12-83, 217-7347, 217-7348

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

FAX

[1] (202) 986-1805

telephone

[1] (202) 986-1604

Disputes - international

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

Distribution of family income - Gini index

21.7 (1998)

Economic aid - recipient

$194.3 million (1995)

Economy - overview

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.

Electricity - consumption

34.3 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports

800 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports

3.2 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - production

30 billion kWh (2004)

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-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

Ethnic groups

Belarusian 81.2%, Russian 11.4%, Polish 3.9%, Ukrainian 2.4%, other 1.1% (1999 census)

Exchange rates

Belarusian rubles per US dollar - 2,160.26 (2004), 2,051.27 (2003), 1,790.92 (2002), 1,390 (2001), 876.75 (2000)

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; 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

head of government

Prime Minister Sergei SIDORSKY (since 19 December 2003); First Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir SEMASHKO (since December 2003)

Exports

$11.47 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities

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

Exports - partners

Russia 47%, UK 8.3%, Netherlands 6.7%, Poland 5.3% (2004)

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 Belarusian national ornamention in red Economy Belarus

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

11%

industry

36.4%

services

52.6% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $6,800 (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

6.4% (2004 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$70.5 billion (2004 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 in name, although in fact a dictatorship

Heliports

1 (2004 est.) Military Belarus

Highways

paved

69,351 km

total

79,990 km

unpaved

10,639 km (2002)

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

lowest 10%: 5.1% highest 10%: 20% (1998)

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; 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 ======================================================================

Imports

$13.57 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities

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

Imports - partners

Russia 68.2%, Germany 6.6%, Ukraine 3.3% (2004)

Independence

25 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

Industrial production growth rate

4% (2004 est.)

Industries

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

Infant mortality rate

female

12.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

male

14.3 deaths/1,000 live births

total

13.37 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

17.4% (2004 est.)

International organization participation

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)

Internet country code

.by

Internet hosts

5,308 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

23 (2002)

Internet users

1,391,900 (2003) Transportation Belarus

Investment (gross fixed)

21.8% of GDP (2004 est.)

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

4.305 million (31 December 2003)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 14%, industry 34.7%, services 51.3% (2003 est.)

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

29.55%

other

69.85% (2001)

permanent crops

0.6%

Languages

Belarusian, Russian, other

Legal system

based on civil law system

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 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)

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

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

Life expectancy at birth

female

74.69 years (2005 est.)

male

63.03 years

total population

68.72 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

Manpower available for military service

males age 18-49: 2,520,644 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 18-49: 1,657,984 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually

males

85,202 (2005 est.)

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Median age

female

39.7 years (2005 est.)

male

34.32 years

total

37.03 years

Military branches

Army, Air and Air Defense Force

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$176.1 million (FY02)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.4% (FY02) Transnational Issues Belarus

Military service age and obligation

18-27 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months (May 2004)

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

18.8 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - imports

18.5 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - production

250 million cu m (2004 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

2.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption

285,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports

14,500 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - imports

360,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - production

36,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Pipelines

gas 5,223 km; oil 2,443 km; refined products 1,686 km (2004)

Political parties and leaders

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

NA

Population

10,300,483 (July 2005 est.)

Population below poverty line

27.1% (2003 est.)

Population growth rate

-0.09% (2005 est.)

Ports and harbors

Mazyr

Radio broadcast stations

AM 28, FM 37, shortwave 11 (1998)

Radios

3.02 million (1997)

Railways

broad gauge

5,497 km 1.520-m gauge (874 km electrified)

standard gauge

15 km 1.435-m (2004)

total

5,512 km

Religions

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

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$770.2 million (2004 est.)

Sex ratio

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.)

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' 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

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

Telephones - main lines in use

3,071,300 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular

1.118 million (2003)

Television broadcast stations

47 (plus 27 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions

2.52 million (1997)

Terrain

generally flat and contains much marshland

Total fertility rate

1.39 children born/woman (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate

2% officially registered unemployed; large number of underemployed workers (2004)

Waterways

2,500 km (use limited by location on perimeter of country and by shallowness) (2003)