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Communications

Internet users (Internet Service Providers (ISPs)) [time series]

23 (2002)

Internet country code [time series]

.by

Internet users [time series]

422,000 (2002)

Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]

AM 28, FM 37, shortwave 11 (1998)

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

general assessment: 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 (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 - fixed lines (Telephones - main lines in use) [time series]

2.313 million (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]

8,167 (1997)

Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]

47 (plus 27 repeaters) (1995)

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture - products) [time series]

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

Budget [time series]

revenues: $4 billion expenditures: $4.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $180 million (1997 est.)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

Belarusian ruble (BYB/BYR)

Exchange rates (Currency code) [time series]

BYB/BYR

Debt - external [time series]

$851 million (2001 est.)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income (Distribution of family income - Gini index) [time series]

21.7 (1998)

Economic aid (Economic aid - recipient) [time series]

$194.3 million (1995)

Economic overview (Economy - overview) [time series]

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 [time series]

26.69 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports [time series]

300 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports [time series]

4.3 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production [time series]

24.4 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source [time series]

fossil fuel: 99.5% hydro: 0.1% other: 0.4% (2001) nuclear: 0%

Exchange rates [time series]

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

Exports [time series]

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

Exports - commodities [time series]

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

Exports - partners [time series]

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

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

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

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

GDP - composition, by sector of origin (GDP - composition by sector) [time series]

agriculture: 15% industry: 40% services: 45% (2002 est.)

Real GDP per capita (GDP - per capita) [time series]

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

Real GDP growth rate (GDP - real growth rate) [time series]

4.7% (2002 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]

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

Imports [time series]

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

Imports - commodities [time series]

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

Imports - partners [time series]

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

Industrial production growth rate [time series]

2.5% (2002 est.)

Industries [time series]

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

42.8% (2002 est.)

Labor force [time series]

4.8 million (2000)

Labor force - by occupation [time series]

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

Natural gas - consumption [time series]

18 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports [time series]

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports [time series]

17.8 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - production [time series]

200 million cu m (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption [time series]

230,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports [time series]

NA (2001)

Oil - imports [time series]

NA (2001)

Oil - production [time series]

37,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line [time series]

22% (1995 est.)

Unemployment rate [time series]

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

Geography

Area [time series]

total: 207,600 sq km water: 0 sq km land: 207,600 sq km

Area - comparative [time series]

slightly smaller than Kansas

Climate [time series]

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

Coastline [time series]

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation (Elevation extremes) [time series]

lowest point: Nyoman River 90 m highest point: Dzyarzhynskaya Hara 346 m

Environment - current issues [time series]

soil pollution from pesticide use; southern part of the country contaminated with fallout from 1986 nuclear reactor accident at Chornobyl' in northern Ukraine

International environmental agreements (Environment - international agreements) [time series]

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

Geographic coordinates [time series]

53 00 N, 28 00 E

Geography - note [time series]

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

Irrigated land [time series]

1,150 sq km (1998 est.)

Land boundaries [time series]

total: 2,900 km border countries: Latvia 141 km, Lithuania 502 km, Poland 407 km, Russia 959 km, Ukraine 891 km

Land use [time series]

arable land: 29.76% permanent crops: 0.69% other: 69.55% (1998 est.)

Location [time series]

Eastern Europe, east of Poland

Map references [time series]

Europe

Maritime claims [time series]

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards [time series]

Natural resources [time series]

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

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 - 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

Capital [time series]

Minsk

Constitution [time series]

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 [time series]

conventional long form: Republic of Belarus conventional short form: Belarus local short form: none former: Belorussian (Byelorussian) Soviet Socialist Republic local long form: Respublika Byelarus'

Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]

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 FAX: [375] (17) 234-7853

Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Mikhail KHVOSTOV chancery: 1619 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 consulate(s) general: New York FAX: [1] (202) 986-1805 telephone: [1] (202) 986-1604

Executive branch [time series]

chief of state: President Aleksandr LUKASHENKO (since 20 July 1994) 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) cabinet: Council of Ministers 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

Flag (Flag description) [time series]

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

Government type [time series]

republic

Independence [time series]

25 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

International organization participation [time series]

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)

Judicial branch [time series]

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 [time series]

based on civil law system

Legislative branch [time series]

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)

National holiday [time series]

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

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

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

Suffrage [time series]

18 years of age; universal

Introduction

Background [time series]

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.

Military

Military and security forces (Military branches) [time series]

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

Military expenditures - dollar figure [time series]

$176.1 million (FY02)

Military expenditures (Military expenditures - percent of GDP) [time series]

1.4% (FY02)

Military manpower - availability [time series]

males age 15-49: 2,756,572 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service [time series]

males age 15-49: 2,158,875 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - military age [time series]

18 years of age (2003 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually [time series]

males: 86,654 (2003 est.)

People

Age structure [time series]

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.)

Birth rate [time series]

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

Death rate [time series]

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

Ethnic groups [time series]

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate [time series]

0.3% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths [time series]

1,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS [time series]

15,000 (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate [time series]

total: 13.87 deaths/1,000 live births female: 12.56 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) male: 15.13 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages [time series]

Belarusian, Russian, other

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 68.43 years male: 62.54 years female: 74.6 years (2003 est.)

Literacy [time series]

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.6% male: 99.8% female: 99.5% (2003 est.)

Median age [time series]

total: 36.7 years male: 34.1 years female: 39.3 years (2002)

Nationality [time series]

noun: Belarusian(s) adjective: Belarusian

Net migration rate [time series]

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

Population [time series]

10,322,151 (July 2003 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

-0.12% (2003 est.)

Religions [time series]

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

Sex ratio [time series]

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 (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate [time series]

1.34 children born/woman (2003 est.)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international [time series]

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

Illicit drugs [time series]

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

Transportation

Airports [time series]

124 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways [time series]

total: 28 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 21 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways [time series]

total: 96 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 under 914 m: 67 (2002)

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

total: 74,385 km paved: 66,203 km unpaved: 8,182 km (2000)

Pipelines [time series]

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

Ports (Ports and harbors) [time series]

Mazyr

Railways [time series]

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

Waterways [time series]

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