Belarus

Republic of BelarusRespublika Byelarus'

republicIndependence 25 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

Belarus as the 1996 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 88 fields, one of 34 editions from 1992 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalMinsk

Position53 00 N, 28 00 E

Area207,600 sq km

LocationEastern Europe, east of Poland

Populationas each edition published it

10.42 million July 1996 est. · 10.37m in 1992

Population growth% a year

0.2% 1996 est. · 0.34% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 36.7 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

68.57 years 1996 est. · 70.73 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

1.69 children per woman 1996 est. · 2.1 in 1992

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

13.4 deaths per 1,000 live births 1996 est. · 20 in 1992

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$4,700 1995 est. · $5,890 in 1994

GDP real growth% a year

-10% 1995 est. · -13% in 1993

Geography

Eastern Europe, east of Poland

15 fields

Land useshare of 207,600 sq km

arable land 29%permanent crops 1%meadows and pastures 15%forest and woodland 0%other 55%irrigated 1,490 sq km (1990)

Area

207,600sq km

land area: 207,600 sq kmcomparative area: slightly smaller than Kansas

Coastline

0km

(landlocked)Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Land boundaries

3,098km

border countries: Latvia 141 km, Lithuania 502 km, Poland 605 km, Russia 959 km, Ukraine 891 km

Climate

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

Terrain

generally flat and contains much marshland

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

Natural resources

forests, peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas

Environment

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

People

15 fields

Population

10,415,973

(July 1996 est.)growth rate: 0.2% (1996 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1996 est.)

Birth

12.15Death

13.64Net migration

3.51

Male · female(1996 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years68.57

63.2 · 74.21

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy98%

99% · 97%

MaleFemaleLiteracy age 15 and over can read and write (1989 est.)

Ethnic divisions

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

Age structure

0-14 years:: 21% (male 1,136,499; female 1,090,101)
15-64 years:: 66% (male 3,334,077; female 3,536,982)
65 years and over:: 13% (male 429,574; female 888,740) (July 1996 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years:: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over:: 0.48 male(s)/female
all ages:: 0.89 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate

13.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Belarusian(s)
adjective:: Belarusian

Religions

Eastern Orthodox 60%, other (including Roman Catholic and Muslim) 40% (early 1990's)

Government

Republic; President Aleksandr LUKASHENKO (since 20 July 1994) was elected for a five-year term by popular vote; Prime Minister Mikhail CHIGIR (since NA July 1994) was appointed by the president

21 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

85%

Aleksandr LUKASHENKO 85%Vyacheslav KEBICH 15%

Legislature, 260 seatsone dot, one seat

KPB 42Agrarian 33CAB 9Party of People's Concord 8UPNAZ 2SDPB 2BPR 1Green Party 1Republican Party of Labor and Justice 1BSP 1NFB 1Social and Sports Party 1Ecological Party 1independents 95vacant 62

Name of country

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

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: the administrative centers of the voblastsi are included in parentheses

Independence

25 August 1991 (from Soviet Union);
the Belarussian Supreme Soviet issued a proclamation of independence;
on 17 July 1990 Belarus issued a declaration of sovereignty

Constitution

adopted 15 March 1994; replaces constitution of April 1978

Executive branch

chief of state:: President Aleksandr LUKASHENKO (since 20 July 1994) was elected for a five-year term by popular vote;
election last held 24 June and 10 July 1994 (next to be held NA 1999);
results - Aleksandr LUKASHENKO 85%, Vyacheslav KEBICH 15%
head of government:: Prime Minister Mikhail CHIGIR (since NA July 1994) was appointed by the president;
Deputy Prime Ministers Vladimir GARKUN (since NA), Sergey LING (since NA), Leonid SINITSYN (since NA), Valeriy KOKAREV (since NA), Vladimir RUSAKEVICH (since NA)
cabinet:: Council of Ministers

note: first presidential elections took place in June-July 1994

Supreme Soviet

elections last held May, Nov-Dec 1995 (two rounds, each with a run-off; next to be held NA 2000);
results - percent of vote by party NA;
seats - (260 total) KPB 42, Agrarian 33, CAB 9, Party of People's Concord 8, UPNAZ 2, SDPB 2, BPR 1, Green Party 1, Republican Party of Labor and Justice 1, BSP 1, NFB 1, Social and Sports Party 1, Ecological Party 1, independents 95, vacant 62

Judicial branch

Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the president; Constitutional Court

Political parties and leaders

Belarusian Communist Party (KPB), Vasiliy NOVIKOV, Viktor CHIKIN, chairmen;
Agrarian Party, Semen SHARETSKIY;
Civic Accord Bloc (CAB);
Party of People's Concord, Gennadiy KARPENKO;
Party of All-Belarusian Unity and Concord (UPNAZ), Dmitriy BULAKOV;
Belarusian Social-Democrat Hramada (SDBP), Alex TRUSOV;
Belarusian Patriotic Movement (BPR), Anatol BARANKEVICH;
Green Party of Belarus, Mikalay KARTASH;
Republican Party of Labor and Justice, Anatol NETSILKIN;
Belarus Peasants (BSP), Yevgeniy LUGIN, chairman;
Belarusian Popular Front (NFB), Zenon POZNYAK, chairman;
Belarusian Social Sports Party, Vladimir ALEKSANDROVICH;
Ecological Party, Aleksiy MIKULICH;
National Democratic Party of Belarus (NDPB), Victor NAVUMENKA;
United Democratic Party of Belarus (ADPB), Aleksandr DOBROVOLSKIY;
Belarusian Socialist Party (SPB), Vyacheslav KUZNETSOV;
Slavic Assembly (SAB), Nikolai SYARECHEV;
Liberal-Democratic Party (LDPB), Vasil KRIVENKA;
Belarusian Christian-Democratic Unity (BKDZ), Petr SILKO;
Polish Democratic Union (PDZ), Konstantin TARASEVICH;
Party of Beer Lovers, Yuriy GONCHAR;
Belarusian Labor Party (BPP), Aleksandr BUKHVOSTOV

International organization participation

CCC, CE (guest), CIS, EBRD, ECE, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NACC, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (applicant)

Diplomatic representation in US

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

FAX

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

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission:: Ambassador Kenneth Spencer YALOWITZ
embassy:: Starovilenskaya #46-220002, Minsk
mailing address:: use embassy street address
telephone:: [375] (172) 31-50-00

FAX

[375] (172) 34-78-53

Flag

red horizontal band (top) and green horizontal band one-half the width of the red band;
a white vertical stripe of white on the hoist side bears in red the Belarusian national ornament

Economy

At the time of independence in late 1991, | Belarus was one of the most developed of the former Soviet states, | inheriting a modern - by Soviet standards - machine building sector | and robust agricultural sector.

21 fields

GDP per capita, PPP

$4,700

(1995 est.)

Real growth rate

-10%

(1995 est.)industrial production growth: -11% (1995 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

244%

(1995 est.)

Unemployment rate

2.6%

officially registered unemployed (December 1994); large numbers of underemployed workers

GDP composition by sector(1991 est.)

agriculture 21%industry 49%services 30% (1991 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$4.95 billionExpenditures

$5.47 billion (1996 est.)

expenditures including capital expenditures of $NA

Installed generating capacity, 7,010,000 kW

Electricity production

24.9 billionElectricity consumption per capita

2,300 (1995 est.)

Economic overview

At the time of independence in late 1991, Belarus was one of the most developed of the former Soviet states, inheriting a modern - by Soviet standards - machine building sector and robust agricultural sector. However, the breakup of the Soviet Union and its traditional trade ties, as well as the government's failure to embrace market reforms, has resulted in a sharp economic decline.

Privatization is virtually nonexistent and the system of state orders and distribution persists. Although President LUKASHENKO pronounces his 1995 macro stabilization policies a success - annual inflation dropped from 2,220% in 1994 to 244% in 1995 - the IMF has criticized his insistence on maintaining the steady exchange rate for Belarusian rubel, which has traded at 11,500 to the dollar since late 1994.

The IMF suspended Minsk's $300 million standby program in November 1995 until the government would agree to a devaluation of the rubel. The overvalued rubel has especially hurt Belarusian exporters, most of which now operate at a loss. In addition, the January 1995 Customs Union agreement with Russia - which required Minsk to adjust its foreign trade practices to mirror Moscow's - has resulted in higher import tariffs for Belarusian consumers; tariffs have risen from 5%-20% to 20%-40%.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $49.2 billion (1995 estimate as extrapolated from World Bank estimate for 1994)

Labor force

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

Industries

tractors, metal-cutting machine tools, off-highway dump trucks up to 110-metric-ton load capacity, wheel-type earth movers for construction and mining, eight-wheel-drive, high-flotation trucks with cargo capacity of 25 metric tons for use in tundra and roadless areas, equipment for animal husbandry and livestock feeding, motorcycles, television sets, chemical fibers, fertilizer, linen fabric, wool fabric, radios, refrigerators, other consumer goods

Agriculture

grain, potatoes, vegetables; meat, milk

Illicit drugs

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

Exports

$4.2 billion (f.o.b., 1995)

commodities:: machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs
partners:: Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Germany

Imports

$4.6 billion (c.i.f., 1995)

commodities:: fuel, natural gas, industrial raw materials, textiles, sugar
partners:: Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Germany

External debt

$2 billion (September 1995 est.)

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $186 million (1993) note: commitments, $3,930 million ($1,845 million disbursements), 1992-95

Currency

Belarusian rubel (BR)

Exchange rates

Belarusian rubels per US$1 - 11,500 (yearend 1995), 10,600 (yearend 1994)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Transportation

7 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right · 118 in all

over 3 047 m

2 438 to 3 047 m

1 524 to 2 437 m

under 914 m

914 to 1 523 m

PavedUnpaved

Networkskm

Highways

92,200Railways

5,488

Highways: paved: 61,000 km (including graveled) · unpaved: 31,200 km (1994 est.) · Railways: broad gauge: 5,488 km 1.520-m gauge (873 km electrified) (1993)

Railways

total:: 5,488 km
broad gauge:: 5,488 km 1.520-m gauge (873 km electrified) (1993)

Highways

total:: 92,200 km
paved:: 61,000 km (including graveled)
unpaved:: 31,200 km (1994 est.)

Waterways

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

Pipelines

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

Ports

Mazyr

Merchant marine

note: claims 5% of former Soviet fleet (1995 est.)

Communications

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

9 fields

Fixed lines

1.849 million

(1991 est.)

Defense expenditures

892billion rubels

1% of GDP (1995); note - conversion of defense expenditures into US dollars using the current exchange rate could produce misleading results

Telephone system

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 est.);
new investment centers on international connections and business needs

domestic:: the new NMT-450 analog cellular system is now operating in Minsk
international:: international traffic is carried by the Moscow international gateway switch and also by satellite;
satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (through Canada) and 1 Eutelsat (through the UK)

males age 15-49:: 2,635,570
males fit for military service:: 2,067,676
males reach military age (18) annually:: 76,006 (1996 est.)

Central Intelligence Agency. “Belarus.” The World Factbook 1996. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/belarus/1996.

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