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Communications

Broadcast media (Radio) [time series]

broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave 0 radios: 3.14 million (5,615,000 with multiple speaker systems for program diffusion)

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

1,849,000 telephones (December 1991); 18 telephones/100 persons; telephone service inadequate for the purposes of either business or the population; about 70% of the telephones are in homes; over 750,000 applications from households for telephones remain unsatisfied (1992); new investment centers on international connections and business needs; the new BelCel NMT 450 cellular system (a joint venture) is now operating in Minsk local: NA intercity: NA international: international traffic is carried by the Moscow international gateway switch and also by 2 satellite earth stations near Minsk - INTELSAT (through Canada) and EUTELSAT (through the UK)

Broadcast media (Television) [time series]

broadcast stations: NA televisions: 3.538 million

Defense Forces

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

Army, Air Force, Air Defense Force, Republic Security Forces (internal and border troops)

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

56.5 billion rubles, NA% of GDP (1993 est.); note - conversion of the military budget into US dollars using the current exchange rate could produce misleading results BELGIUM

Manpower availability [time series]

males age 15-49 2,550,500; males fit for military service 1,999,138; males reach military age (18) annually 71,808 (1995 est.)

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

accounts for almost 25% of GDP and 5.7% of total agricultural output of former Soviet Union; employs 21% of the labor force; in 1988 produced the following (in percent of total Soviet production): grain (3.6%), potatoes (12.2%), vegetables (3.0%), meat (6.0%), milk (7.0%); net exporter of meat, milk, eggs, flour, potatoes

Budget [time series]

revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

Belarusian rubel (BR)

Economic aid [time series]

$NA

Electricity [time series]

capacity: 7,010,000 kW production: 31.4 billion kWh consumption per capita: 3,010 kWh (1994)

Exchange rates [time series]

Belarusian rubels per US$1 - 10,600 (end December 1994)

Exports [time series]

$968 million to outside of the FSU countries (f.o.b., 1994) commodities: machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs partners: Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Bulgaria

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$1.5 billion (July 1994 est.)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Illicit drugs [time series]

illicit cultivator of opium poppy and cannabis; mostly for the domestic market; transshipment point for illicit drugs to Western Europe

Imports [time series]

$534 million from outside the FSU countries (c.i.f., 1994) commodities: fuel, natural gas, industrial raw materials, textiles, sugar partners: Russia, Ukraine, Poland

Industrial production growth rate (Industrial production) [time series]

growth rate -19% (1994); accounts for about 40% of GDP (1992)

Industries [time series]

employ about 40% of labor force and produced a wide variety of products including (in percent share of total output of former Soviet Union): tractors (12%); metal-cutting machine tools (11%); off-highway dump trucks up to 110-metric-ton load capacity (100%); wheel-type earthmovers for construction and mining (100%); eight-wheel-drive, high-flotation trucks with cargo capacity of 25 metric tons for use in tundra and roadless areas (100%); equipment for animal husbandry and livestock feeding (25%); motorcycles (21.3%); television sets (11%); chemical fibers (28%); fertilizer (18%); linen fabric (11%); wool fabric (7%); radios; refrigerators; and other consumer goods

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

29% per month (1994)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (National product) [time series]

GDP - purchasing power parity - $53.4 billion (1994 estimate as extrapolated from World Bank estimate for 1992)

Real GDP per capita (National product per capita) [time series]

$5,130 (1994 est.)

Real GDP growth rate (National product real growth rate) [time series]

-20% (1994)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

Belarus ranks among the most developed of the former Soviet states, with a relatively modern - by Soviet standards - and diverse machine building sector and a robust agriculture sector. It also serves as a transport link for Russian oil exports to the Baltic states and Eastern and Western Europe. The breakup of the Soviet Union and its command economy has resulted in a sharp economic contraction as traditional trade ties have collapsed. The Belarusian government has lagged behind the governments of most other former Soviet states in economic reform, with privatization almost nonexistent. The system of state orders and distribution persists. In mid-1994, the Belarusian government embarked on an austerity program with IMF support to slash state credits and consumer subsidies in order to bring down the budget deficit and reduce inflation. However, despite its promising start, the regime's drive to reinvigorate the economy has fallen short, and the IMF has criticized its failure to implement the reforms that the Fund had negotiated. As a result, the IMF has suspended talks on introducing a stand-by arrangement. Economic relations with Russia, which will have an important bearing on the future course of the economy, will be strengthened if Minsk adopts the necessary legislation to implement a customs union agreed to in January 1995.

Unemployment rate [time series]

1.4% officially registered unemployed (December 1993); large numbers of underemployed workers

Geography

Area [time series]

total area: 207,600 sq km land area: 207,600 sq km comparative area: slightly smaller than Kansas

Climate [time series]

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

Coastline [time series]

0 km (landlocked)

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

current issues: soil pollution from pesticide use; southern part of the country contaminated with fallout from 1986 nuclear reactor accident at Chornobyl' natural hazards: NA international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Biodiversity, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified - Climate Change, Law of the Sea

Disputes - international (International disputes) [time series]

none

Irrigated land [time series]

1,490 sq km (1990)

Land boundaries [time series]

total 3,098 km, Latvia 141 km, Lithuania 502 km, Poland 605 km, Russia 959 km, Ukraine 891 km

Land use [time series]

arable land: 29% permanent crops: 1% meadows and pastures: 15% forest and woodland: 0% other: 55%

Location [time series]

Eastern Europe, east of Poland

Map references [time series]

Commonwealth of Independent States - European States

Maritime claims [time series]

none; landlocked

Natural resources [time series]

forest land, peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas

Note [time series]

landlocked

Terrain [time series]

generally flat and contains much marshland

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

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: the administrative centers of the voblastsi are included in parentheses

Capital [time series]

Minsk

Constitution [time series]

adopted 15 March 1994; replaces constitution of April 1978

Digraph [time series]

Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation in US) [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Sergey Nikolayevich MARTYNOV chancery: 1619 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 986-1604

Executive branch [time series]

chief of state: President Aleksandr LUKASHENKO (since 20 July 1994); election held June 24 and 10 July 1994 (next to be held NA 1999); Aleksandr LUKASHENKO 80%, Vyacheslav KEBICH 14% head of government: Prime Minister Mikhail CHIGIR (since July 1994); Deputy Prime Ministers Vladimir GARKUN, Viktor GONCHAR, Sergey LING, Mikhail MYASNIKOVICH, Valeriy KOKAREV (since NA) cabinet: Council of Ministers note: first presidential elections took place in June-July 1994

Diplomatic representation in the US (FAX) [time series]

[1] (202) 986-1805 consulate(s) general: New York

Flag [time series]

three horizontal bands of white (top), red, and white

Independence [time series]

25 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court

Legal system [time series]

based on civil law system

Legislative branch [time series]

unicameral

International organization participation (Member of) [time series]

CCC, CE (guest), CEI (associate members), CIS, EBRD, ECE, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IFC, ILO, IMF, INMARSAT, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, NACC, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

Country name (Names) [time series]

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

National holiday [time series]

Independence Day, 27 July (1990)

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

Belarusian Popular Front (BPF), Zenon POZNYAK, chairman; Party of Popular Accord, Gennadiy KARPENKO; Union of Belarusian Entreprenuers, V. N. KARYAGIN; Belarusian Party of Communists, Vasiliy NOVIKOV, Viktor CHIKIN, chairmen; Belarus Peasant Party, Yevgeniy LUGIN, chairman; Belarusian Socialist Party, Vyacheslav KUZNETSOV, chairman; Belarusian Social Democrat Party (SDBP), Oleg TRUSOV, Stanislav SHUSHKEVICH, chairmen; Agrarian Party of Belarus, Aleksandr DUBKO; United Democratic Party of Belarus (UDPB), Aleksandr DOBROVOLSKIY, chairman; Independent Trade Unions, Sergey ANTONCHIK, chairman

Suffrage [time series]

18 years of age; universal

Legislative branch (Supreme Soviet) [time series]

elections last held 4 April 1990 (next to be held 14 May 1995); results - Communists 87%; seats - (360 total) number of seats by party NA; note - 50 seats are for public bodies; the Communist Party obtained an overwhelming majority

Government type (Type) [time series]

republic

Diplomatic representation from the US (US diplomatic representation) [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Kenneth Spencer YALOWITZ embassy: Starovilenskaya #46, Minsk mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [7] (0172) 34-65-37

People

Age structure [time series]

0-14 years: 22% (female 1,126,062; male 1,166,439) 15-64 years: 65% (female 3,494,891; male 3,293,196) 65 years and over: 13% (female 913,508; male 443,322) (July 1995 est.)

Birth rate [time series]

12.98 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate [time series]

11.23 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

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

Infant mortality rate [time series]

18.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Labor force [time series]

4.887 million by occupation: industry and construction 40%, agriculture and forestry 21%, other 39% (1992)

Languages [time series]

Byelorussian, Russian, other

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 71.03 years male: 66.36 years female: 75.93 years (1995 est.)

Literacy [time series]

age 15 and over can read and write (1989) total population: 97% male: 99% female: 96%

Nationality [time series]

noun: Belarusian(s) adjective: Belarusian

Net migration rate [time series]

1.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Population [time series]

10,437,418 (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

0.3% (1995 est.)

Religions [time series]

Eastern Orthodox, other

Total fertility rate [time series]

1.87 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Transportation

Airports [time series]

total: 118 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 2 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 18 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 with paved runways under 914 m: 11 with unpaved runways over 3,047 m: 1 with unpaved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 4 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 9 with unpaved runways under 914 m: 62

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

total: 98,200 km paved: 66,100 km unpaved: earth 32,100 km (1990)

Waterways (Inland waterways) [time series]

NA km

Merchant marine [time series]

note: claims 5% of former Soviet fleet

Pipelines [time series]

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

Ports [time series]

Mazyr

Railways (Railroads) [time series]

total: 5,570 km in common carrier service; does not include industrial lines broad gauge: 5,570 km 1.520-m gauge (1990)