21.37 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 93.7% hydro: 6.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Oil - production:
6,746 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
89,940 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
1,351 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
83,220 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
28 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)
Natural gas - production:
15.7 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
15.7 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
141.6 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)
Current account balance:
$804.7 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$12.45 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
garments, jute and jute goods, leather, frozen fish and seafood
Exports - partners:
US 23%, Germany 13%, UK 9.1%, France 5.5%, Belgium 4% (2007)
Imports:
$16.67 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, foodstuffs, petroleum products, cement
Imports - partners:
China 15%, India 14.3%, Kuwait 8.3%, Singapore 6.2%, Hong Kong 4.2% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
$1.321 billion (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$5.278 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$21.23 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$4.971 billion (2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$104 million (2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$3.61 billion (2006)
Currency (code):
taka (BDT)
Currency code:
Exchange rates:
taka (BDT) per US dollar - 69.893 (2007), 69.031 (2006), 64.328 (2005), 59.513 (2004), 58.15 (2003)
CommunicationsBangladesh
Telephones - main lines in use:
1.187 million (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
34.37 million (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: inadequate for a modern country; fixed-line telephone density remains less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone subscribership has been increasing rapidly and is approaching 25 per 100 persons domestic: modernizing; introducing digital systems; trunk systems include VHF and UHF microwave radio relay links, and some fiber-optic cable in cities international: country code - 880; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-4 fiber-optic submarine cable system that provides links to Europe, the Middle East, and Asia; satellite earth stations - 6; international radiotelephone communications and landline service to neighboring countries (2007)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 15, FM 13, shortwave 2 (2006)
Radios:
6.15 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
15 (1999)
Televisions:
770,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.bd
Internet hosts:
1,440 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
10 (2000)
Internet users:
500,000 (2007)
TransportationBangladesh
Airports:
16 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 15 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 5 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)
Pipelines:
gas 2,644 km (2007)
Railways:
total: 2,768 km broad gauge: 946 km 1.676-m gauge narrow gauge: 1,822 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)
Roadways:
total: 239,226 km paved: 22,726 km unpaved: 216,500 km (2003)
Waterways:
8,370 km note: includes up to 3,060 km main cargo routes; network reduced to 5,200 km in dry season (2006)
Merchant marine:
total: 40 by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 27, container 5, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 4 foreign-owned: 1 (China 1) registered in other countries: 10 (Comoros 2, Honduras 1, Malta 2, Panama 2, Singapore 2, Togo 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Chittagong, Mongla Port
Transportation - note:
the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial waters of Bangladesh as high risk for armed robbery against ships; numerous commercial vessels have been attacked both at anchor and while underway; crews have been robbed and stores or cargoes stolen
MilitaryBangladesh
Military branches:
Bangladesh Defense Force: Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Navy,Bangladesh Air Force (Bangladesh Biman Bahini, BAF) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
16 years of age for voluntary military service; 17 years of age for officers (both with parental consent); conscription legally possible in emergency, but has never been implemented (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 41,199,340 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 31,968,168 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 1,311,850 female: 1,246,012 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.5% of GDP (2006)
Transnational IssuesBangladesh
Disputes - international:
discussions with India remain stalled to delimit a small section of river boundary, exchange territory for 51 small Bangladeshi exclaves in India and 111 small Indian exclaves in Bangladesh, allocate divided villages, and stop illegal cross-border trade, migration, violence, and transit of terrorists through the porous border; Bangladesh protests India's fencing and walling off high-traffic sections of the porous boundary; a joint Bangladesh-India boundary commission resurveyed and reconstructed 92 missing pillars in 2007; dispute with India over New Moore/South Talpatty/Purbasha Island in the Bay of Bengal deters maritime boundary delimitation; after 21 years, Bangladesh resumes talks with Burma on delimiting a maritime boundary
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 26,268 (Burma) IDPs: 65,000 (land conflicts, religious persecution) (2007)
Illicit drugs:
transit country for illegal drugs produced in neighboring countries
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Barbados
IntroductionBarbados
Background:
The island was uninhabited when first settled by the British in 1627. Slaves worked the sugar plantations established on the island until 1834 when slavery was abolished. The economy remained heavily dependent on sugar, rum, and molasses production through most of the 20th century. The gradual introduction of social and political reforms in the 1940s and 1950s led to complete independence from the UK in 1966. In the 1990s, tourism and manufacturing surpassed the sugar industry in economic importance.
GeographyBarbados
Location:
Caribbean, island in the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela
Geographic coordinates:
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 431 sq km land: 431 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
97 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; rainy season (June to October)
Terrain:
relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Hillaby 336 m
Natural resources:
petroleum, fish, natural gas
Land use:
arable land: 37.21% permanent crops: 2.33% other: 60.46% (2005)
Irrigated land:
50 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
0.1 cu km (2003)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.09 cu km/yr (33%/44%/22%) per capita: 333 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides
Environment - current issues:
pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by ships; soil erosion; illegal solid waste disposal threatens contamination of aquifers
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
easternmost Caribbean island
PeopleBarbados
Population:
281,968 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 19.3% (male 27,270/female 27,193) 15-64 years: 71.7% (male 99,357/female 102,683) 65 years and over: 9% (male 9,856/female 15,609) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 35.4 years male: 34.2 years female: 36.4 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.36% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
12.48 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
8.58 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
-0.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.01 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 11.05 deaths/1,000 live births male: 12.4 deaths/1,000 live births female: 9.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 73.21 years male: 71.2 years female: 75.24 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.65 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.5% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
2,500 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 200 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Barbadian(s) or Bajan (colloquial) adjective: Barbadian or Bajan (colloquial)
Ethnic groups:
black 90%, white 4%, Asian and mixed 6%
Religions:
Protestant 63.4% (Anglican 28.3%, Pentecostal 18.7%, Methodist 5.1%, other 11.3%), Roman Catholic 4.2%, other Christian 7%, other 4.8%, none or unspecified 20.6% (2008 est.)
Languages:
English
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 99.7% male: 99.7% female: 99.7% (2002 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 13 years male: 13 years female: 14 years (2001)
Education expenditures:
6.9% of GDP (2005)
GovernmentBarbados
Country name:
conventional long form: none conventional short form: Barbados
Government type:
parliamentary democracy
Capital:
name: Bridgetown geographic coordinates: 13 06 N, 59 37 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
11 parishes and 1 city*; Bridgetown*, Christ Church, Saint Andrew, Saint George, Saint James, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Lucy, Saint Michael, Saint Peter, Saint Philip, Saint Thomas
Independence:
30 November 1966 (from UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 30 November (1966)
Constitution:
30 November 1966
Legal system:
English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Sir Clifford Straughn HUSBANDS (since 1 June 1996) head of government: Prime Minister David THOMPSON (since 16 January 2008) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; the prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (21 seats; members appointed by the governor general - 12 on the advice of the Prime Minister, 2 on the advice of the opposition leader, and 7 at his discretion) and the House of Assembly (30 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Assembly - last held 15 January 2008 (next to be called in 2013) election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - DLP 52.5%, BLP 47.3%; seats by party - DLP 20, BLP 10
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Judicature (judges are appointed by the ServiceCommissions for the Judicial and Legal Services); Caribbean Court ofJustice is the highest court of appeal
Political parties and leaders:
Barbados Labor Party or BLP [Mia MOTTLEY]; Democratic Labor Party orDLP [David THOMPSON]; People's Empowerment Party or PEP [DavidCOMISSIONG]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Barbados Secondary Teachers' Union or BSTU [Patrick FROST]; BarbadosUnion of Teachers or BUT [Herbert GITTENS]; Congress of Trade Unionsand Staff Associations of Barbados or CTUSAB, (includes the BWU,NUPW, BUT, and BSTU) [Leroy TROTMAN]; Barbados Workers Union or BWU[Leroy TROTMAN]; Clement Payne Labor Union [David COMISSIONG];National Union of Public Workers [Joseph GODDARD]
International organization participation:
ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA,IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITSO, ITU,ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Michael Ian KING chancery: 2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939-9200 FAX: [1] (202) 332-7467 consulate(s) general: Miami, New York consulate(s): Los Angeles
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Mary M. OURISMAN embassy: U.S. Embassy, Wildey Business Park, Wildey, St. Michael BB 14006 mailing address: P. O. Box 302, Bridgetown BB 11000; CMR 1014, APO AA 34055 telephone: [1] (246) 227-4399 FAX: [1] (246) 431-0179
Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold, and blue with the head of a black trident centered on the gold band; the trident head represents independence and a break with the past (the colonial coat of arms contained a complete trident)
EconomyBarbados
Economy - overview:
Historically, the Barbadian economy was dependent on sugarcane cultivation and related activities. However, production in recent years has diversified into light industry and tourism, with about three-quarters of GDP and 80% of exports being attributed to services. Growth has rebounded since 2003, bolstered by increases in construction projects and tourism revenues - reflecting its success in the higher-end segment. The country enjoys one of the highest per capita incomes in the region and an investment grade rating which benefits from its political stability and stable institutions. Offshore finance and information services are important foreign exchange earners and thrive from having the same time zone as eastern US financial centers and a relatively highly educated workforce. The government continues its efforts to reduce unemployment, to encourage direct foreign investment, and to privatize remaining state-owned enterprises.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$5.31 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$3.739 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
4.3% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$18,900 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 6% industry: 16% services: 78% (2000 est.)
Labor force:
128,500 (2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 10% industry: 15% services: 75% (1996 est.)
Unemployment rate:
10.7% (2003 est.)
Population below poverty line:
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $847 million (including grants) expenditures: $886 million (2000 est.)
Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5.5% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
12% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
10.8% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$1.478 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$2.717 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$3.533 billion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
sugarcane, vegetables, cotton
Industries:
tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export
Industrial production growth rate:
-3.2% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production:
1.003 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
939.9 million kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Oil - production:
1,111 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
8,674 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
1,750 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
10,710 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
2.2 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)
Natural gas - production:
29.17 million cu m (2006 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
29.17 million cu m (2006 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
141.6 million cu m (1 January 2008 est.)
Current account balance:
-$254 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$385 million (2006)
Exports - commodities:
manufactures, sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals, electrical components
Exports - partners:
Trinidad and Tobago 15.5%, Jamaica 13.5%, UK 9.4%, US 9.3%, Brazil 8.3%, Saint Lucia 7.2%, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4.5% (2007)
Imports:
$1.586 billion (2006)
Imports - commodities:
consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals, fuel, electrical components
Imports - partners:
US 30.5%, Trinidad and Tobago 27.6%, UK 6.5% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
$2.07 million (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$620 million (2007)
Debt - external:
$668 million (2003)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$5.513 billion (2005)
Currency (code):
Barbadian dollar (BBD)
Currency code:
Exchange rates:
Barbadian dollars (BBD) per US dollar - NA (2007), 2 (2006), 2 (2005), 2 (2004), 2 (2003)
CommunicationsBarbados
Telephones - main lines in use:
134,900 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
237,100 (2006)
Telephone system:
general assessment: fixed-line teledensity of roughly 50 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone density of about 85 per 100 persons domestic: island-wide automatic telephone system international: country code - 1-246; landing point for the East Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS) submarine cable with links to 13 other islands in the eastern Caribbean extending from the British Virgin Islands to Trinidad; satellite earth stations - 1 (Intelsat -Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Trinidad and Saint Lucia (2007)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 6, shortwave 0 (2004)
Radios:
237,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (plus 2 cable channels) (2004)
Televisions:
76,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.bb
Internet hosts:
104 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
19 (2000)
Internet users:
160,000 (2005)
TransportationBarbados
Airports:
1 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)
Roadways:
total: 1,600 km paved: 1,600 km (2004)
Merchant marine:
total: 85 by type: bulk carrier 15, cargo 50, chemical tanker 7, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 6, roll on/roll off 2 foreign-owned: 80 (Canada 9, Greece 12, India 1, Iran 2, Lebanon 1, Norway 38, Sweden 7, Syria 1, UK 9) registered in other countries: 1 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Bridgetown
MilitaryBarbados
Military branches:
Royal Barbados Defense Force: Troops Command, Barbados Coast Guard (2007)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary military service (younger requires parental consent); no conscription (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 75,265 females age 16-49: 75,389 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 58,556 females age 16-49: 58,143 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 2,157 female: 2,155 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
0.5% of GDP (2006 est.)
Military - note:
the Royal Barbados Defense Force includes a land-based Troop Command and a small Coast Guard; the primary role of the land element is to defend the island against external aggression; the Command consists of a single, part-time battalion with a small regular cadre that is deployed throughout the island; it increasingly supports the police in patrolling the coastline to prevent smuggling and other illicit activities (2007)
Transnational IssuesBarbados
Disputes - international:
Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago abide by the April 2006 Permanent Court of Arbitration decision delimiting a maritime boundary and limiting catches of flying fish in Trinidad and Tobago's exclusive economic zone; joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea
Illicit drugs:
one of many Caribbean transshipment points for narcotics bound for Europe and the US; offshore financial center
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Belarus
IntroductionBelarus
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 1994 as the country's first president, Alexandr LUKASHENKO has steadily consolidated his power through authoritarian means. Government restrictions on freedom of speech and the press, peaceful assembly, and religion continue.
GeographyBelarus
Location:
Eastern Europe, east of Poland
Geographic coordinates:
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 207,600 sq km land: 207,600 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Kansas
Land boundaries:
total: 3,306 km border countries: Latvia 171 km, Lithuania 680 km, Poland 605 km, Russia 959 km, Ukraine 891 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between continental and maritime
Terrain:
generally flat and contains much marshland
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Nyoman River 90 m highest point: Dzyarzhynskaya Hara 346 m
Natural resources:
forests, peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas, granite, dolomitic limestone, marl, chalk, sand, gravel, clay
Land use:
arable land: 26.77% permanent crops: 0.6% other: 72.63% (2005)
Irrigated land:
1,310 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
58 cu km (1997)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 2.79 cu km/yr (23%/47%/30%) per capita: 286 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
landlocked; glacial scouring accounts for the flatness of Belarusian terrain and for its 11,000 lakes
PeopleBelarus
Population:
9,685,768 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 14.4% (male 717,885/female 677,254) 15-64 years: 70.9% (male 3,333,699/female 3,531,920) 65 years and over: 14.7% (male 459,627/female 965,383) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 38.4 years male: 35.4 years female: 41.3 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
-0.393% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
9.62 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
13.92 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
0.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.48 male(s)/female total population: 0.87 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 6.53 deaths/1,000 live births male: 7.56 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.44 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.34 years male: 64.63 years female: 76.4 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.23 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.3% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
15,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
1,000 (2001 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Belarusian(s) adjective: Belarusian
Ethnic groups:
Belarusian 81.2%, Russian 11.4%, Polish 3.9%, Ukrainian 2.4%, other 1.1% (1999 census)
Religions:
Eastern Orthodox 80%, other (including Roman Catholic, Protestant,Jewish, and Muslim) 20% (1997 est.)
Languages:
Belarusian, Russian, other
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.6% male: 99.8% female: 99.4% (1999 census)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 15 years male: 14 years female: 15 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
6.1% of GDP (2006)
GovernmentBelarus
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Belarus conventional short form: Belarus local long form: Respublika Byelarus' local short form: Byelarus' former: Belorussian (Byelorussian) Soviet Socialist Republic
Government type:
republic in name, although in fact a dictatorship
Capital:
name: Minsk geographic coordinates: 53 54 N, 27 34 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
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
Independence:
25 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
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
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
Legal system:
based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Aleksandr LUKASHENKO (since 20 July 1994) head of government: Prime Minister Sergey SIDORSKIY (since 19 December 2003); First Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir SEMASHKO (since December 2003) cabinet: Council of Ministers 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, Aleksandr LUKASHENKO extended his term to 2001 via a November 1996 referendum; subsequent election held 9 September 2001; an October 2004 referendum ended presidential term limits and allowed the president to run in a third election, which was held on 19 March 2006; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president election results: Aleksandr LUKASHENKO reelected president; percent of vote - Aleksandr LUKASHENKO 82.6%, Aleksandr MILINKEVICH 6%, Aleksandr KOZULIN 2.3%; note - election marred by electoral fraud
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 eight members appointed by the president, to serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of Representatives or Palata Predstaviteley (110 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: Palata Predstaviteley - last held 28 September 2008 (next to be held fall of 2012); international observers widely denounced the elections as flawed and undemocratic based on massive government falsification; pro-LUKASHENKO candidates won all 110 seats 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
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)
Political parties and leaders:
pro-government parties: Agrarian Party or AP [Mikhail SHIMANSKY]; Belarusian Communist Party or KPB; Belarusian Patriotic Movement (Belarusian Patriotic Party) or BPR [Nikolay ULAKHOVICH, chairman]; Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus [Sergey GAYDUKEVICH]; Party of Labor and Justice [Viktor SOKOLOV]; Social-Sports Party [Vladimir ALEXANDROVICH] opposition parties: Belarusian Christian Democracy Party (unregistered) [Pavel SEVERINETS]; Belarusian Party of Communists or PKB [Sergey KALYAKIN]; Belarusian Party of Labor (unregistered) [Aleksandr BUKHVOSTOV, Leonid LEMESHONAK]; Belarusian Popular Front or BPF [Vintsyuk VYACHORKA]; Belarusian Social-Democratic Gramada [Stanislav SHUSHKEVICH]; Belarusian Social Democratic Party Hramada (People's Assembly) or BSDPH [Aleksandr KOZULIN; Anatoliy LEVKOVICH, acting]; Green Party [Oleg GROMYKO]; Party of Freedom and Progress (unregistered) [Vladimir NOVOSYAD]; United Civic Party or UCP [Anatoliy LEBEDKO]; Women's Party "Nadezhda" [Valentina MATUSEVICH, chairperson] other opposition includes: Christian Conservative BPF [Zyanon PAZNIAK]; Ecological Party of Greens [Mikhail KARTASH]; Party of Popular Accord [Sergey YERMAKK]; Republican Party [Vladimir BELAZOR]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Assembly of Pro-Democratic NGOs [Sergey MATSKEVICH]; BelarusianCongress of Democratic Trade Unions [Aleksandr YAROSHUK]; BelarusianHelsinki Committee [Tatiana PROTKO]; Belarusian Organization ofWorking Women [Irina ZHIKHAR]; Charter 97 [Andrey SANNIKOV]; ForFreedom (unregistered) [Aleksandr MILINKEVICH]; Lenin CommunistUnion of Youth (youth wing of the Belarusian Party of Communists orPKB); National Strike Committee of Entrepreneurs [AleksandrVASILYEV, Valery LEVONEVSKY]; Partnership NGO [Nikolay ASTREYKA];Perspektiva kiosk watchdog NGO [Anatol SHUMCHENKO]; Vyasna [AlesBYALATSKY]; Women's Independent Democratic Movement [LudmilaPETINA]; Youth Front (Malady Front) [Dmitriy DASHKEVICH, SergeyBAKHUN]; Zubr youth group [Vladimir KOBETS]
International organization participation:
BSEC (observer), CEI, CIS, CSTO, EAEC, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, GCTU, IAEA,IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMSO, Interpol, IOC,IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, NSG, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN,UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO(observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Mikhail KHVOSTOV chancery: 1619 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 986-1604 FAX: [1] (202) 986-1805 consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Jonathan MOORE embassy: 46 Starovilenskaya Street, Minsk 220002 mailing address: PSC 78, Box B Minsk, APO 09723 telephone: [375] (17) 210-12-83, 217-7347, 217-7348 FAX: [375] (17) 234-7853
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 ornamentation in red
EconomyBelarus
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 enterprises. Since 2005, the government has re-nationalized a number of private companies. In addition, businesses have been subject to pressure by 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. Because of these restrictive economic policies, Belarus has had trouble attracting foreign investment. Nevertheless, GDP growth has been strong in recent years, reaching nearly 7% in 2007, despite the roadblocks of a tough, centrally directed economy with a high, but decreasing, rate of inflation. Belarus receives heavily discounted oil and natural gas from Russia and much of Belarus' growth can be attributed to the re-export of Russian oil at market prices. Trade with Russia - by far its largest single trade partner - decreased in 2007, largely as a result of a change in the way the Value Added Tax (VAT) on trade was collected. Russia has introduced an export duty on oil shipped to Belarus, which will increase gradually through 2009, and a requirement that Belarusian duties on re-exported Russian oil be shared with Russia - 80% will go to Russia in 2008, and 85% in 2009. Russia also increased Belarusian natural gas prices from $47 per thousand cubic meters (tcm) to $100 per tcm in 2007, and plans to increase prices gradually to world levels by 2011. Russia's recent policy of bringing energy prices for Belarus to world market levels may result in a slowdown in economic growth in Belarus over the next few years. Some policy measures, including tightening of fiscal and monetary policies, improving energy efficiency, and diversifying exports, have been introduced, but external borrowing has been the main mechanism used to manage the growing pressures on the economy.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$103.5 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$44.77 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
8.2% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$10,600 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 8.7% industry: 40.6% services: 50.6% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
4.3 million (31 December 2005)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 14% industry: 34.7% services: 51.3% (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate:
1.6% officially registered unemployed; large number of underemployed workers (2005)
Population below poverty line:
27.1% (2003 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.4% highest 10%: 23.5% (2002)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
29.7 (2002)
Investment (gross fixed):
30.8% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $20.75 billion expenditures: $20.87 billion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
8.4% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
10% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
8.58% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$4.065 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$6.823 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$12.16 billion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
grain, potatoes, vegetables, sugar beets, flax; beef, milk
Industries:
metal-cutting machine tools, tractors, trucks, earthmovers, motorcycles, televisions, synthetic fibers, fertilizer, textiles, radios, refrigerators
Industrial production growth rate:
5% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
29.91 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
30.43 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
5.789 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - imports:
10.15 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 99.5% hydro: 0.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0.4% (2001)
Oil - production:
33,700 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
179,700 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
256,400 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - imports:
394,100 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - proved reserves:
198 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)
Natural gas - production:
164 million cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
21.76 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
21.6 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
2.832 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)
Current account balance:
-$2.876 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$24.47 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, mineral products, chemicals, metals, textiles, foodstuffs
Exports - partners:
Russia 36.5%, Netherlands 17.8%, UK 6.3%, Ukraine 6.1%, Poland 5%,Latvia 4.1% (2007)
Imports:
$28.32 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
mineral products, machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs, metals
Imports - partners:
Russia 59.9%, Germany 7.6%, Ukraine 5.4% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
$53.76 million (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$4.266 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$7.347 billion (31 December 2007)