TROTMAN]; People's Progressive Movement [Eric SEALY]; Workers' Party
of Barbados [Dr. George BELLE]; Clement Payne Labor Union [David
COMMISSIONG]
International organization participation: ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC,
FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, NAM,
OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Courtney N. BLACKMAN
chancery: 2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 939-9200
consulate(s) general: Coral Gables and New York
consulate(s): Los Angeles
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Deputy Chief of Mission Donald
K. HOLM
embassy: Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Building, Broad Street,
Bridgetown
mailing address: P. O. Box 302, Bridgetown; FPO AA 34055
telephone: [1] (246) 436-4950
FAX: [1] (246) 429-5246
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)
@Barbados:Economy
Economy-overview: Historically, the Barbadian economy had been
dependent on sugarcane cultivation and related activities, but
production in recent years has diversified into manufacturing and
tourism. The start of the Port Charles Marina project in Speightstown
helped the tourism industry continue to expand in 1996-97. The
government continues its efforts to reduce the unacceptably high
unemployment rate, encourage direct foreign investment, and privatize
remaining state-owned enterprises.
GDP: purchasing power parity-$2.8 billion (1997 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: 3% (1997 est.)
GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$10,900 (1997 est.)
GDP-composition by sector:
agriculture: 7%
industry: 17%
services: 76% (1996 est.)
Inflation rate-consumer price index: 2.4% (1996)
Labor force:
total: 68,900 (1996)
by occupation: services 75%, industry 15%, agriculture 10% (1996 est.)
Unemployment rate: 16.2% (1996)
Budget:
revenues: $600 million
expenditures: $645 million, including capital expenditures of $80
million (FY96/97 est.)
Industries: tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly
for export
Industrial production growth rate: 0.8% (1996)
Electricity-capacity: 140,000 kW (1995)
Electricity-production: 591.5 million kWh (1996)
Electricity-consumption per capita: 2,145 kWh (1995)
Agriculture-products: sugarcane, vegetables, cotton
Exports:
total value: $235 million (f.o.b., 1995)
commodities: sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and beverages,
chemicals, electrical components, clothing
partners: US 15%, UK 15%, Trinidad and Tobago 9%, Windward Islands 8%
Imports:
total value: $763 million (c.i.f., 1995)
commodities: consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, construction
materials, chemicals, fuel, electrical components
partners: US 37%, Trinidad and Tobago 11%, UK 10%, Japan 7%
Debt-external: $359 million (December 1996)
Economic aid: $NA
Currency: 1 Barbadian dollar (Bds$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Barbadian dollars (Bds$) per US$1-2.0000 (fixed rate
pegged to the dollar)
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
Communications
Telephones: 87,343 (1991 est.)
Telephone system:
domestic: island wide automatic telephone system
international: satellite earth station-1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean);
tropospheric scatter to Trinidad and Saint Lucia
Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 2, shortwave 0
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 2 (1 pay)
Televisions: 69,350 (1993 est.)
@Barbados:Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total: 1,640 km
paved: 1,573 km
unpaved: 67 km (1996 est.)
Ports and harbors: Bridgetown
Merchant marine:
total: 57 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 869,363 GRT/1,365,640 DWT
ships by type: bulk 15, cargo 30, container 1, combination bulk 4,
multifunction large-load carrier 1, oil tanker 4, refrigerated cargo
1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1
note: a flag of convenience registry; includes ships of 2 countries:
Canada owns 2 ships, Hong Kong 1 (1997 est.)
Airports: 1 (1997 est.)
Airports-with paved runways:
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (1997 est.)
@Barbados:Military
Military branches: Royal Barbados Defense Force (includes Ground
Forces and Coast Guard), Royal Barbados Police Force
Military manpower-availability:
males age 15-49: 71,891 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-fit for military service:
males: 49,562 (1998 est.)
Military expenditures-dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures-percent of GDP: NA%
@Barbados:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: none
Illicit drugs: one of many Caribbean transshipment points for
narcotics bound for the US and Europe
______________________________________________________________________
BASSAS DA INDIA
(possession of France)
@Bassas da India:Geography
Location: Southern Africa, islands in the southern Mozambique Channel,
about one-half of the way from Madagascar to Mozambique
Geographic coordinates: 21 30 S, 39 50 E
Map references: Africa
Area:
total: 0.2 sq km
land: 0.2 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area-comparative: about one-third the size of The Mall in Washington,
DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 35.2 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical
Terrain: a volcanic rock 2.4 meters high
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 2.4 m
Natural resources: none
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100% (all rock)
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)
Natural hazards: maritime hazard since it is usually under water
during high tide and surrounded by reefs; subject to periodic cyclones
Environment-current issues: NA
Environment-international agreements:
party to: NA
signed, but not ratified: NA
@Bassas da India:People
Population: uninhabited
@Bassas da India:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Bassas da India
Data code: BS
Dependency status: possession of France; administered by a high
commissioner of the Republic, resident in Reunion
Legal system: NA
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (possession of France)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (possession of France)
Flag description: the flag of France is used
@Bassas da India:Economy
Economy-overview: no economic activity
@Bassas da India:Transportation
Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only
@Bassas da India:Military
Military-note: defense is the responsibility of France
@Bassas da India:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: claimed by Madagascar
______________________________________________________________________
BELARUS
@Belarus:Geography
Location: Eastern Europe, east of Poland
Geographic coordinates: 53 00 N, 28 00 E
Map references: Commonwealth of Independent States
Area:
total: 207,600 sq km
land: 207,600 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area-comparative: slightly smaller than Kansas
Land boundaries:
total: 3,098 km
border countries: Latvia 141 km, Lithuania 502 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
Land use:
arable land: 29%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 15%
forests and woodland: 34%
other: 21% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 1,000 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
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-Sulphur 85, Biodiversity, Environmental Modification, Marine
Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change, Law of the Sea
Geography-note: landlocked
@Belarus:People
Population: 10,409,050 (July 1998 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 20% (male 1,062,012; female 1,018,154)
15-64 years: 67% (male 3,365,065; female 3,564,078)
65 years and over: 13% (male 460,633; female 939,108) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: -0.05% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 9.71 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 13.47 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: 3.25 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 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: 0.49 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 14.16 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 68.26 years
male: 62.26 years
female: 74.56 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.34 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Belarusian(s)
adjective: Belarusian
Ethnic groups: Byelorussian 77.9%, Russian 13.2%, Polish 4.1%,
Ukrainian 2.9%, other 1.9%
Religions: Eastern Orthodox 80%, other (including Roman Catholic,
Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 20% (1997 est.)
Languages: Byelorussian, Russian, other
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
male: 99%
female: 97% (1989 est.)
@Belarus:Government
Country name:
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
Data code: BO
Government type: republic
National capital: Minsk
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: administrative divisions have the same names as their
administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name
following in parentheses)
Independence: 25 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday: Independence Day, 3 July (1990); note-date set by
referendum of November 1996
Constitution: referendum of 24 November 1996; became effective on 17
November 1996
Legal system: based on civil law system
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Aleksandr LUKASHENKO (since 20 July 1994)
head of government: Prime Minister Sergey LING (acting since 18
November 1996, confirmed 19 February 1997); First Deputy Prime
Minister Petr PRAKAPOVICH (since 23 December 1996); Deputy Prime
Ministers Vladimir GARKUN (since 21 July 1994), Valeriy KOKAREV (since
23 August 1994), Vasiliy DOLGOLEV (since 30 October 1995), Vladimir
ZAMETALIN (since 15 July 1997)
cabinet: Council of Ministers
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 24 June and 10 July 1994 (next to be held NA 2001
because of the additional two years provided by the November 1996
referendum); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Aleksandr LUKASHENKO elected president; percent of
vote-Aleksandr LUKASHENKO 85%, Vyacheslav KEBICH 15%
note: first presidential elections took place in June-July 1994
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Natsionalnoye Sobranie
established by the 27 November Constitution consists of the Council of
the Republic or Soviet Republiki (64 seats; 8 appointed by the
president and 56 indirectly elected by deputies of local councils for
four-year terms) and the Chamber of Representatives or Palata
Pretsaviteley (110 seats; note-present members came from the defunct
Supreme Soviet)
elections: last held May and November-December 1995 (two rounds, each
with a run-off; next to be held NA 2000)
election results: percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-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, BNF
1, Social and Sports Party 1, Ecological Party 1, independents 95,
vacant 62; note-the last election took place to fill seats in the
former Supreme Soviet (260 seats); after the November 1996 referendum,
seats for the Chamber of Representatives were filled by former Supreme
Soviet members as follows: PKB 24, Agrarian 14, Party of Peoples
Concord 5, LDPB 1, UPNAZ 1, Green World Party 1, Belarusian Social
Sports Party 1, Ecological Party 1, Republican Party of Labor and
Justice 1, independents 61; 58 of the 64 seats in the Council of the
Republic have been appointed/elected
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: Belarusian Communist Party or KPB
[Viktor CHIKIN]; Agrarian Party [Aleksandr PAVLOV, chairman]; Civic
Accord Bloc (United Civic Party) or CAB [Stanislav BOGDANKEVICH,
chairman]; Party of People's Concord [Leonid SECHKO, chairman]; Party
of All-Belarusian Unity and Concord or UPNAZ [Dmitriy BULAKOV,
chairman]; Belarusian Social-Democrat Hramada or SDBP [Nikolay
STATKEVICH, chairman]; Belarusian Patriotic Movement (Belarusian
Patriotic Party) or BPR [Anatoliy BARANKEVICH]; Green Party of Belarus
or BPZ [Nikolay KARTASH, chairman]; Republican Party of Labor and
Justice or RPPS [Anatol NETYLKIN, chairman]; Belarusian Popular Front
or BNF [Levon BARSHEVSKIY, chairman]; Belarusian Social Sports Party
or BSSP [Aleksandr ALEKSANDROVICH, chairman]; Ecological Party or BEP
[Liudmila YELIZAROVA, chairman]; United Democratic Party of Belarus or
ADPB [Aleksandr DOBROVOLSKIY]; Slavic Assembly or SAB [Andrey
TSEGALKA]; Liberal-Democratic Party or LDPB [Sergei GAYDUKEVICH,
chairman]; Belarusian Christian-Democratic Unity or BKDZ [Petr SILKO];
Polish Democratic Union or PDZ [Eduard AKHREM]; Party of Beer Lovers
[Yuriy GONCHAR]; Party of Communists Belarusian or KPB [Sergei
KALYAKIN and Vasiliy NOVIKOV, chairmen]; Belarusian Labor Party or BPP
[Aleksandr BUKHVOSTOV]
International organization participation: BIS, CCC, CEI, CIS, EAPC,
EBRD, ECE, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Inmarsat, Intelsat
(nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, OSCE,
PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
(applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Valeriy V. TSEPKALO
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 Daniel SPECKHARD
embassy: Starovilenskaya #46-220002, Minsk
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [375] (172) 31-50-00
FAX: [375] (172) 34-78-53
Flag description: 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
@Belarus:Economy
Economy-overview: The Belarusian government has revived economic
output since mid-1996 by pursuing a policy of rapid credit expansion,
ending years of cumulative decline. Real GDP increased by 2.6% in 1996
and the growth rate tripled in 1997. Lack of profitability and
resurgent inflation-which increased from an average monthly rate of
2.8% in 1996 to 4.4% in 1997-however, have kept enterprises from
making much needed capital investments. As a result, infrastructure
and equipment stocks have continued to deteriorate. Belarus has seen
little structural reform since 1995, when LUKASHENKO launched the
country on the path of "market socialism." Privatization of
enterprises controlled by the central government virtually ceased in
1996. As of May 1997, only about 10% of all enterprises under central
government control had been privatized. In addition, LUKASHENKO has
re-imposed administrative control over prices and the national
currency's exchange rate, and expanded the state's right to intervene
arbitrarily in the management of private enterprise. Lack of
structural reform, and a climate hostile to business, have inhibited
foreign investment in Belarus in 1995-97. In 1995 Belarus ranked
second to last among the 15 former Soviet republics in terms of the
average amount of foreign investment it attracted per capita. Although
it moved up to 11th place in 1996, this was largely due to inflows
from Russia related to the construction of the Yamal natural gas
pipeline. Belarus's trade deficit has grown steadily over the past
three years - from 8% of total trade turnover in 1995 to 14% in the
first quarter of 1997 - despite the government's efforts to promote
exports and limit imports. Given Belarus's limited fiscal reserve, a
continued growth in the trade deficit will increase vulnerability to a
balance of payments crisis.
GDP: purchasing power parity-$50.4 billion (1997 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: 8.5% (1997 est.)
GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$4,800 (1997 est.)
GDP-composition by sector:
agriculture: 20%
industry: 43%
services: 37% (1997 est.)
Inflation rate-consumer price index: 65% (1997 est.)
Labor force:
total: 4.3 million
by occupation: industry and construction 40%, agriculture and forestry
19%, services 41% (1997 est.)
Unemployment rate: 3.3% officially registered unemployed (July 1997);
large numbers of underemployed workers
Budget:
revenues: $4 billion
expenditures: $4.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $180
million (1997 est.)
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
Industrial production growth rate: 17% (1997 est.)
Electricity-capacity: 7.21 million kW (1997)
Electricity-production: 23.7 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity-consumption per capita: 3,144 kWh (1996)
Agriculture-products: grain, potatoes, vegetables; meat, milk
Exports:
total value: $5.4 billion (f.o.b., 1996)
commodities: machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs
partners: Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Germany
Imports:
total value: $6.7 billion (c.i.f., 1996)
commodities: fuel, natural gas, industrial raw materials, textiles,
sugar
partners: Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Germany
Debt-external: $970 million (December 1997 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$1-31,030 (19 January 1998
official Belarusian exchange rate), 28,800 (October 1997 end of
period),15,500 (yearend 1996), 11,500 (yearend 1995), 10,600 (yearend
1994), 699 (yearend 1993)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 1.849 million (1991 est.)
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)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 35, FM 18, shortwave 0
Radios: 3.17 million (1991 est.) (5,615,000 with multiple speaker
systems for program diffusion)
Television broadcast stations: 2 (one national and one private; the
license of the private station was suspended during the parliamentary
elections of 1994)
Televisions: 3.5 million (1992 est.)
@Belarus:Transportation
Railways:
total: 5,488 km
broad gauge: 5,488 km 1.520-m gauge (873 km electrified) (1993)
Highways:
total: 52,131 km
paved: 36,544 km
unpaved: 15,587 km (1996 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 and harbors: Mazyr
Merchant marine:
note: claims 5% of former Soviet fleet (1995 est.)
Airports: 118 (1996 est.)
Airports-with paved runways:
total: 36
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 18
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
under 914 m: 11 (1996 est.)
Airports-with unpaved runways:
total: 82
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 9
under 914 m: 62 (1996 est.)
@Belarus:Military
Military branches: Army, Air Force, Air Defense Force, Interior
Ministry Troops, Border Guards
Military manpower-military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower-availability:
males age 15-49: 2,681,014 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-fit for military service:
males: 2,099,860 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-reaching military age annually:
males: 78,780 (1998 est.)
Military expenditures-dollar figure: 4.5 trillion rubles (1997 est.);
note-conversion of defense expenditures into US dollars using the
current exchange rate could produce misleading results
Military expenditures-percent of GDP: 1.3% (1997 est.)
@Belarus:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: demarcation has begun on border with Lithuania
Illicit drugs: limited cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis, mostly
for the domestic market; transshipment point for illicit drugs to
Russia and Western Europe
______________________________________________________________________
BELGIUM
@Belgium:Geography
Location: Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and
the Netherlands
Geographic coordinates: 50 50 N, 4 00 E
Map references: Europe
Area:
total: 30,510 sq km
land: 30,230 sq km
water: 280 sq km
Area-comparative: about the size of Maryland
Land boundaries:
total: 1,385 km
border countries: France 620 km, Germany 167 km, Luxembourg 148 km,
Netherlands 450 km
Coastline: 64 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: median line with neighbors
exclusive fishing zone: median line with neighbors (extends about 68
km from coast)
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy
Terrain: flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills,
rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: North Sea 0 m
highest point: Signal de Botrange 694 m
Natural resources: coal, natural gas
Land use:
arable land: 24%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 20%
forests and woodland: 21%
other: 34%
Irrigated land: 10 sq km including Luxembourg (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: flooding is a threat in areas of reclaimed coastal
land, protected from the sea by concrete dikes