Bangladesh is one of the world's poorest, most densely populated, and
least developed nations. Its economy is overwhelmingly agricultural,
with the cultivation of rice the single most important activity in the
economy. Major impediments to growth include frequent cyclones and
floods, government interference with the economy, a rapidly growing
labor force that cannot be absorbed by agriculture, a low level of
industrialization, failure to fully exploit energy resources (natural
gas), and inefficient and inadequate power supplies. Excellent rice
crops and expansion of the export garment industry helped growth in
FY92 and FY93. Policy reforms intended to reduce government regulation
of private industry and promote public-sector efficiency have been
announced but are being implemented only slowly.
National product:
GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $122 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
4.3% (FY93)
National product per capita:
$1,000 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.4% (FY93)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Budget:
revenues:
$2.5 billion
expenditures:
$3.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY92)
Exports:
$2.1 billion (FY93)
commodities:
garments, jute and jute goods, leather, shrimp
partners:
US 33%, Western Europe 39% (Germany 8.4%, Italy 6%) (FY92 est.)
Imports:
$3.5 billion (FY93)
commodities:
capital goods, petroleum, food, textiles
partners:
Hong Kong 7.5%, Singapore 7.4%, China 7.4%, Japan 7.1% (FY92 est.)
External debt:
$13.5 billion (June 1993)
Industrial production:
growth rate 6.9% (FY93 est.); accounts for 9.4% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
2,400,000 kW
production:
9 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
75 kWh (1992)
Industries:
jute manufacturing, cotton textiles, food processing, steel,
fertilizer
Agriculture:
accounts for 33% of GDP, 65% of employment, and one-fifth of exports;
world's largest exporter of jute; commercial products - jute, rice,
wheat, tea, sugarcane, potatoes, beef, milk, poultry; shortages
include wheat, vegetable oils, cotton
Illicit drugs:
transit country for illegal drugs produced in neighboring countries
Economic aid:
recipient:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $3.4 billion; Western
(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-89),
$11.65 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $6.52 million; Communist
countries (1970-89), $1.5 billion
Currency:
1 taka (Tk) = 100 poiska
Exchange rates:
taka (Tk) per US$1 - 40.064 (January 1994), 39.567 (1993), 38.951
(1992), 36.596 (1991), 34.569 (1990), 32.270 (1989)
Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June
@Bangladesh, Communications
Railroads:
2,892 km total (1986); 1,914 km 1.000 meter gauge, 978 km 1.676 meter
broad gauge
Highways:
total:
7,240 km
paved:
3,840 km
unpaved:
3,400 km (1985)
Inland waterways:
5,150-8,046 km navigable waterways (includes 2,575-3,058 km main cargo
routes)
Pipelines:
natural gas 1,220 km
Ports:
Chittagong, Chalna
Merchant marine:
41 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 312,172 GRT/458,131 DWT, bulk 3,
cargo 33, oil tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 3
Airports:
total:
16
usable:
12
with permanent-surface runways:
12
with runways over 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
4
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
6
Telecommunications:
adequate international radio communications and landline service; poor
domestic telephone service; 241.250 telephones - only one telephone
for each 522 persons; fair broadcast service; broadcast stations - 9
AM, 6 FM, 11 TV; 2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT satellite earth stations
@Bangladesh, Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force
paramilitary forces:
Bangladesh Rifles, Bangladesh Ansars, Armed Police Reserve, Defense
Parties, National Cadet Corps
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 31,955,948; fit for military service 18,967,602
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $355 million, 1.5% of GDP (FY92/93)
@Barbados, Geography
Location:
Caribbean, in the extreme eastern Caribbean Sea, about 375 km
northeast of Venezuela
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean, South America, Standard Time Zones
of the World
Area:
total area:
430 sq km
land area:
430 sq km
comparative area:
slightly less than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
97 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
none
Climate:
tropical; rainy season (June to October)
Terrain:
relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region
Natural resources:
petroleum, fishing, natural gas
Land use:
arable land:
77%
permanent crops:
0%
meadows and pastures:
9%
forest and woodland:
0%
other:
14%
Irrigated land:
NA sq km
Environment:
current issues:
pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by ships; soil
erosion; illegal solid waste disposal threatens contamination of
aquifers
natural hazards:
subject to hurricanes (especially June to October); periodic
landslides
international agreements:
party to - Climate Change, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection;
signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity
Note:
easternmost Caribbean island
@Barbados, People
Population:
255,827 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.21% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
15.63 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
8.4 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
-5.16 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
3 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
73.83 years
male:
71.11 years
female:
76.76 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.78 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Barbadian(s)
adjective:
Barbadian
Ethnic divisions:
African 80%, European 4%, other 16%
Religions:
Protestant 67% (Anglican 40%, Pentecostal 8%, Methodist 7%, other
12%), Roman Catholic 4%, none 17%, unknown 3%, other 9% (1980)
Languages:
English
Literacy:
age 15 and over having ever attended school (1970)
total population:
99%
male:
99%
female:
99%
Labor force:
120,900 (1991)
by occupation:
services and government 37%, commerce 22%, manufacturing and
construction 22%, transportation, storage, communications, and
financial institutions 9%, agriculture 8%, utilities 2% (1985 est.)
@Barbados, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
none
conventional short form:
Barbados
Digraph:
BB
Type:
parliamentary democracy
Capital:
Bridgetown
Administrative divisions:
11 parishes; Christ Church, Saint Andrew, Saint George, Saint James,
Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Lucy, Saint Michael, Saint Peter,
Saint Philip, Saint Thomas
note:
the new city of Bridgetown may be given parish status
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
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor
General Dame Nita BARROW (since 6 June 1990)
head of government:
Prime Minister Lloyd Erskine SANDIFORD (since 2 June 1987); Deputy
Prime Minister Philip Marlowe GREAVES (since 2 June 1987)
cabinet:
Cabinet; appointed by the governor general on advice of the prime
minister
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament
Senate:
consists of a 21-member body appointed by the governor general
House of Assembly:
election last held 22 January 1991 (next to be held by January 1996);
results - DLP 49.8%; seats - (28 total) DLP 18, BLP 10
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Judicature
Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Labor Party (DLP), Erskine SANDIFORD; Barbados Labor Party
(BLP), Owen ARTHUR; National Democratic Party (NDP), Richie HAYNES
Other political or pressure groups:
Barbados Workers Union, Leroy TROTMAN; People's Progressive Movement,
Eric SEALY; Workers' Party of Barbados, Dr. George BELLE; Clement
Payne Labor Union, David COMMISSIONG
Member of:
ACP, C, CARICOM, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU,
IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO
(correspondent), ITU, LAES, LORCS, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Dr. Rudi Valentine WEBSTER
chancery:
2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
(202) 939-9200 through 9202
consulate(s) general:
New York
consulate(s):
Los Angeles
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Jeanette W. HYDE
embassy:
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Building, Broad Street, Bridgetown
mailing address:
P. O. Box 302, Bridgetown; FPO AA 34055
telephone:
(809) 436-4950
FAX:
(809) 429-5246
Flag:
three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, 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
Overview:
A per capita income of $8,700 gives Barbados one of the highest
standards of living of all the small island states of the eastern
Caribbean. Historically, the economy was based on the cultivation of
sugar cane and related activities. In recent years, however, the
economy has diversified into manufacturing and tourism. The tourist
industry is now a major employer of the labor force and a primary
source of foreign exchange. The economy slowed in 1990-92 as
Bridgetown's difficulty in financing its deficits caused it to exert
control over domestic demands
National product:
GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $2.2 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
-3% (1992)
National product per capita:
$8,700 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
6.1% (1992)
Unemployment rate:
23% (1992)
Budget:
revenues:
$547 million
expenditures:
$620 million, including capital expenditures of $60 million (FY92-93)
Exports:
$158 million (f.o.b., 1992)
commodities:
sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals,
electrical components, clothing
partners:
US 13%, UK 13%, Trinidad and Tobago 9%, Windward Islands 7.8%
Imports:
$465 million (f.o.b., 1992)
commodities:
machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals, fuel,
electrical components
partners:
US 33%, UK 11%, Trinidad and Tobago 11%, Japan 5%
External debt:
$652 million (1991 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate -1.3% (1991); accounts for 10% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
152,100 kW
production:
540 million kWh
consumption per capita:
2,118 kWh (1992)
Industries:
tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export,
petroleum
Agriculture:
accounts for 6% of GDP; major cash crop is sugarcane; other crops -
vegetables, cotton; not self-sufficient in food
Economic aid:
recipient:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $15 million; Western
(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $171
million
Currency:
1 Barbadian dollar (Bds$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
Barbadian dollars (Bds$) per US$1 - 2.0113 (fixed rate)
Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March
@Barbados, Communications
Highways:
total:
1,570 km
paved:
1,475 km
unpaved:
gravel, earth 95 km
Ports:
Bridgetown
Merchant marine:
2 oil tankers (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 44,466 GRT/76,219 DWT
Airports:
total:
1
usable:
1
with permanent-surface runways:
1
with runways over 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
1
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
0
Telecommunications:
island wide automatic telephone system with 89,000 telephones;
tropospheric scatter link to Trinidad and Saint Lucia; broadcast
stations - 3 AM, 2 FM, 2 (1 is pay) TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT
earth station
@Barbados, Defense Forces
Branches:
Royal Barbados Defense Force, including the Ground Forces and Coast
Guard, Royal Barbados Police Force
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 70,751; fit for military service 49,330
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $10 million, 0.7% of GDP (1989)
@Bassas da India
Header
Affiliation:
(possession of France)
@Bassas da India, Geography
Location:
Southern Africa, in the southern Mozambique Channel about halfway
between Madagascar and Mozambique
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total area:
NA km2
land area:
NA km2
comparative area:
NA
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
35.2 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
24 nm
continental shelf:
200-m depth or to depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
claimed by Madagascar
Climate:
tropical
Terrain:
a volcanic rock 2.4 meters high
Natural resources:
none
Land use:
arable land:
0%
permanent crops:
0%
meadows and pastures:
0%
forest and woodland:
0%
other:
100% (all rock)
Irrigated land:
0 sq km
Environment:
current issues:
NA
natural hazards:
surrounded by reefs; subject to periodic cyclones
international agreements:
NA
Note:
navigational hazard since it is usually under water during high tide
@Bassas da India, People
Population:
uninhabited
@Bassas da India, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
none
conventional short form:
Bassas da India
Digraph:
BS
Type:
French possession administered by a Commissioner of the Republic,
resident in Reunion
Capital:
none; administered by France from Reunion
Independence:
none (possession of France)
@Bassas da India, Economy
Overview:
no economic activity
@Bassas da India, Communications
Ports:
none; offshore anchorage only
@Bassas da India, Defense Forces
Note:
defense is the responsibility of France
@Belarus, Geography
Location:
Eastern Europe, between Poland and Russia
Map references:
Asia, Commonwealth of Independent States - European States, Europe,
Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
207,600 sq km
land area:
207,600 sq km
comparative area:
slightly smaller than Kansas
Land boundaries:
total 3,098 km, Latvia 141 km, Lithuania 502 km, Poland 605 km, Russia
959 km, Ukraine 891 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none; landlocked
International disputes:
none
Climate:
cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between continental
and maritime
Terrain:
generally flat and contains much marshland
Natural resources:
forest land, peat deposits
Land use:
arable land:
29%
permanent crops:
1%
meadows and pastures:
15%
forest and woodland:
0%
other:
55%
Irrigated land:
1,490 sq km (1990)
Environment:
current issues:
soil pollution from pesticide use; southern part of Belarus
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, Biodiversity, Environmental Modification, Marine
Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified - Climate
Change, Law of the Sea
Note:
landlocked
@Belarus, People
Population:
10,404,862 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.32% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
13.12 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
11.16 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
1.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
18.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
70.88 years
male:
66.2 years
female:
75.79 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.88 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Belarusian(s)
adjective:
Belarusian
Ethnic divisions:
Byelorussian 77.9%, Russian 13.2%, Polish 4.1%, Ukrainian 2.9%, other
1.9%
Religions:
Eastern Orthodox, other
Languages:
Byelorussian, Russian, other
Literacy:
age 9-49 can read and write (1979)
total population:
100%
male:
100%
female:
100%
Labor force:
4.887 million
by occupation:
industry and construction 40%, agriculture and forestry 21%, other 39%
(1992)
@Belarus, Government
Names:
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
Digraph:
BO
Type:
republic
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:
the administrative centers of the voblastsi are included in
parentheses
Independence:
25 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 27 July (1990)
Constitution:
adopted 15 March 1994; replaces constitution of April 1978
Legal system:
based on civil law system
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
President-elect Aleksandr LUKASHENKO (elected 10 July 1994, but not
yet inaugurated) election held June 24 and 10 July 1994 (next to be
held NA); Aleksandr LUKASHENKO 80%, Vyacheslav KEBICH 14%
head of government:
Prime Minister Vyacheslav F. KEBICH (since NA April 1990; offered his
resignation on the election of LUCHASHENKO), First Deputy Prime
Minister Mikhail MYASNIKOVICH (since NA 1991)
cabinet:
Council of Ministers
note:
first presidential elections took place in June-July 1994
Legislative branch:
unicameral
Supreme Soviet:
elections last held 4 April 1990 (next to be held NA); 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
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
Belarusian Popular Front (BPF), Zenon PAZNYAK, chairman; United
Democratic Party of Belarus (UDPB), Aleksandr DOBROVOLSKIY, chairman;
Social Democratic Party of Belarus (SDBP), Mikhail TKACHEV, chairman;
Belarus Workers Union, Mikhail SOBOL, Chairman; Belarus Peasants
Party; Party of People's Unity, Gennadiy KARPENKO; Movement for
Democracy, Social Progress, and Justice (DSPS; includes the Communist
Party), Viktor CHIKIN, chairman
Member of:
CBSS (observer), CE (guest), CEI (participating), CIS, CSCE, ECE,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IFC, ILO, IMF, INMARSAT, INTELSAT (nonsignatory
user), IOC, ITU, NACC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Sergey Nikolayevich MARTYNOV
chancery:
1619 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone:
(202) 986-1604
FAX:
(202) 986-1805)
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
(vacant); Charge d'Affaires George KROL
embassy:
Starovilenskaya #46, Minsk
mailing address:
use embassy street address
telephone:
7-0172-34-65-37
Flag:
three horizontal bands of white (top), red, and white
@Belarus, Economy
Overview:
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. At the same time, the
Belarusian Government has lagged behind most other former Soviet
states in economic reform; privatization has barely begun; the
agriculture sector remains highly subsidized; the state retains
control over many prices; and the system of state orders and
distribution persists. Meanwhile, the national bank continues to pour
credits into inefficient enterprises, fueling inflation and weakening
incentives to improve performance. The government is pinning its hopes
on reintegration with the Russian economy, but such a path would only
partially restore traditional trade ties. Until economic reform is
embraced, Belarus will continue in its economic morass.
National product:
GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $61 billion (1993 estimate from
the UN International Comparison Program, as extended to 1991 and
published in the World Bank's World Development Report 1993; and as
extrapolated to 1993 using official Belarusian statistics, which are
very uncertain because of major economic changes since 1990)
National product real growth rate:
-9% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
$5,890 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
30% per month (1993)
Unemployment rate:
1.4% officially registered unemployed (December 1993); large numbers
of underemployed workers
Budget:
revenues:
$NA
expenditures:
$NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Exports:
$710 million to outside of the FSU countries (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs
partners:
Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Bulgaria
Imports:
$743 million from outside the FSU countries (c.i.f., 1993)
commodities:
fuel, industrial raw materials, textiles, sugar
partners:
Russia, Ukraine, Poland
External debt:
$NA
Industrial production:
growth rate -11% (1993); accounts for about 40% of GDP (1992)
Electricity:
capacity:
8,025,000 kW
production:
37.6 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
3,626 kWh (1992)
Industries:
employ about 40% of labor force and produce 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
Agriculture:
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
Illicit drugs:
illicit cultivator of opium poppy and cannabis; mostly for the
domestic market; transshipment point for illicit drugs to Western
Europe
Economic aid:
$NA
Currency:
Belarusian rubel
note:
the government signed a framework agreement with Russia for a monetary
union in January 1994, but a schedule and mechanism for merging the
two monetary systems and replacing Belarusian rubels with Russian
rubles have not been worked out
Exchange rates:
NA
Fiscal year:
calendar year
@Belarus, Communications
Railroads:
5,570 km; does not include industrial lines (1990)
Highways:
total:
98,200 km
paved:
66,100 km
unpaved:
earth 32,100 km (1990)
Inland waterways:
NA km
Pipelines:
crude oil 1,470 km; refined products 1,100 km; natural gas 1,980 km
(1992)
Ports:
none; landlocked
Merchant marine:
claims 5% of former Soviet fleet
Airports:
total:
124
usable:
55
with permanent-surface runways:
31
with runways over 3,659 m:
1
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
28
with runways 1,060-2,439 m:
20
note:
a C-130 can land on a 1,060-m airstrip
Telecommunications:
telephone service in Belarus is inadequate for the purposes of either
business or the population; total number of telephones 1,849,000 (31
December 1991); telephone density - 18 for each 100 persons; 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 but progress has been slower in establishing an INTELSAT earth
station; international traffic still relies on the Moscow
international gateway switch; broadcast receivers - television
3,538,000, radio 3,140,000, radio receivers with multiple speaker
systems for program diffusion 5,615,000
@Belarus, Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, Air Forces, Air Defense Forces, Security Forces (internal and
border troops)
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 2,520,487; fit for military service 1,981,749; reach
military age (18) annually 71,922 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
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, Geography