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: 10,412,219 (July 1997 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 21% (male 1,092,760; female 1,047,992)
15-64 years : 66% (male 3,346,111; female 3,547,352)
65 years and over: 13% (male 452,267; female 925,737) (July 1997 est.)
Population growth rate: -0.01% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 9.75 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 13.23 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: 3.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 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
total population: 0.89 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 13.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 68.4 years
male: 62.48 years
female: 74.61 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.35 children born/woman (1997 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); the Belarusian
Supreme Soviet issued a proclamation of independence; on 17 July 1990
Belarus issued a declaration of sovereignty
National holiday: Independence Day, 3 July (1990); note - date set by
referendum of November 1996
Constitution: referendum of 27 November 1996 (declared illegitimate by
the international community) adopted a new constitution massing power
in the hands of the president; signed into law on 28 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 NA
November 1996, confirmed NA February 1997); First Deputy Prime
Minister Pyotr PROKOPOVICH (since NA); Deputy Prime Ministers Vladimir
GARKUN (since NA), Valeriy KOKAREV (since NA), Vladimir RUSAKEVICH
(since NA), Vasyl DALGALYOV (since NA)
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 established by the 28
November Constitution consists of the Council of the Republic (64
seats; the president appoints 8 and each oblast plus the Minsk city
government elect 8) and the Chamber of Representatives (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,
NFB 1, Social and Sports Party 1, Ecological Party 1, independents 95,
vacant 62; note - 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 60; 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
[Yefrem SOKOLOV and Viktor CHIKIN, chairmen]; 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 [Nikolai STATKEVICH, chairman]; Belarusian Patriotic
Movement (Belarusian Patriotic Party) or BPR [Anatol BARANKEVICH];
Green Party of Belarus [Nikolai KARTASH, chairman]; Republican Party
of Labor and Justice [Anatol NETYLKIN, chairman]; Belarus Peasants or
BSP [Yevgeniy LUGIN, chairman]; Belarusian Popular Front or NFB [Levon
BARSHEVSKIY, acting chairman]; Belarusian Social Sports Party
[Aleksandr ALEKSANDROVICH, chairman]; Ecological Party [Liudmila
YELIZAROVA, chairman]; National Democratic Party of Belarus or NDPB
[Viktor NAUMENKO, chairman]; United Democratic Party of Belarus or
ADPB [Aleksandr DOBROVOLSKIY]; Belarusian Socialist Party or SPB
[Vyacheslav KUZNETSOV]; Slavic Assembly or SAB [Nikolai SYARECHEV];
Liberal-Democratic Party or LDPB [Sergei GAIDUKEVICH, chairman];
Belarusian Christian-Democratic Unity or BKDZ [Petr SILKO]; Polish
Democratic Union or PDZ [Konstantin TARASEVICH]; Party of Beer Lovers
[Yuriy GONCHAR]; Party of Communists Belarusian or PKB [Sergei
KALYAKIN and Vasiliy NOVIKOV, chairmen]; Belarusian Labor Party or BPP
[Aleksandr BUKHVOSTOV]
International organization participation: BIS, CCC, CEI, CIS, EBRD,
ECE, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Inmarsat, Intelsat
(nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NACC,
OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission : Ambassador-designate Valeriy 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 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 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
Economy
Economy - 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 in December 1991, 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 exchange rate policies and suspended Minsk's $300
million standby program in November 1995. The overvalued ruble 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 rose from 5%-20% to 20%-40%. In general, as of the
beginning of 1997, Belarus has badly lagged in moving away from the
old centrally planned policies of the former USSR.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $51.9 billion (1996 estimate as
extrapolated from World Bank estimate for 1994)
GDP - real growth rate: 3% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $5,000 (1996 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 21%
industry: 49%
services: 30% (1991 est.)
Inflation rate - consumer price index: 33% (1996)
Labor force:
total: 4.731 million
by occupation: industry and construction 36%, agriculture and forestry
19%, services 45% (1995)
Unemployment rate: 3.1% officially registered unemployed (December
1996); large numbers of underemployed workers
Budget:
revenues : $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
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: 3.2% (1996 est.)
Electricity - capacity: 7.21 million kW (1994)
Electricity - production: 23.7 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity - consumption per capita: 2,553 kWh (1995 est.)
Agriculture - products: grain, potatoes, vegetables; meat, milk
Exports:
total value: $5.2 billion (f.o.b., 1996)
commodities: machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs
partners: Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Germany
Imports:
total value: $6.8 billion (c.i.f., 1996)
commodities: fuel, natural gas, industrial raw materials, textiles,
sugar
partners: Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Germany
Debt - external: $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 ruble (BR)
Exchange rates: Belarusian rubles per US$1 - 16,613 (September monthly
average 1996),15,500 (yearend 1996), 11,500 (yearend 1995), 10,600
(yearend 1994), 699 (yearend 1993), 15 (yearend 1992)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Belarus: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: 51,547 km
paved: 50,825 km
unpaved: 722 km (1995 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.)
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: 2,659,236 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males: 2,083,696 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 77,496 (1997 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: 2.4 trillion rubles (1997);
note - conversion of defense expenditures into US dollars using the
current exchange rate could produce misleading results
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: treaty with Lithuania defining the border
awaits demarcation
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
Environment - current issues: Meuse River, a major source of drinking
water, polluted from steel production wastes; other rivers polluted by
animal wastes and fertilizers; industrial air pollution contributes to
acid rain in neighboring countries
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear
Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,
Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Law of
the Sea
Geography - note: crossroads of Western Europe; majority of West
European capitals within 1,000 km of Brussels which is the seat of
both the EU and NATO
@Belgium:People
Population: 10,165,059 (July 1997 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 17% (male 911,881; female 868,361)
15-64 years: 66% (male 3,385,319; female 3,318,940)
65 years and over : 17% (male 681,432; female 999,126) (July 1997
est.)
Population growth rate: 0.11% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 10.43 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 10.41 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: 1.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth : 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 6.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.19 years
male : 73.95 years
female: 80.59 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.5 children born/woman (1997 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Belgian(s)
adjective: Belgian
Ethnic groups: Fleming 55%, Walloon 33%, mixed or other 12%
Religions: Roman Catholic 75%, Protestant or other 25%
Languages: Flemish 56%, French 32%, German 1%, legally bilingual 11%
Literacy:
definition : age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99% (1980 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%
@Belgium:Government
Country name:
conventional long form : Kingdom of Belgium
conventional short form: Belgium
local long form: Royaume de Belgique/Koninkrijk Belgie
local short form: Belgique/Belgie
Data code: BE
Government type: federal parliamentary democracy under a
constitutional monarch
National capital: Brussels
Administrative divisions: 9 provinces (French: provinces, singular -
province; Flemish: provincien, singular - provincie); Antwerpen,
Brabant, Hainaut, Liege, Limburg, Luxembourg, Namur, Oost-Vlaanderen,
West-Vlaanderen
note: constitutional reforms passed by Parliament in 1993
theoretically increased the number of provinces to 10 by splitting the
province of Brabant into two new provinces, Flemish Brabant and
Walloon Brabant, but this has not been confirmed by the US Government
Independence: 4 October 1830 (from the Netherlands)
National holiday: National Day, 21 July (ascension of King LEOPOLD to
the throne in 1831)
Constitution: 7 February 1831, last revised 14 July 1993; parliament
approved a constitutional package creating a federal state
Legal system: civil law system influenced by English constitutional
theory; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state : King ALBERT II (since 9 August 1993)
head of government: Prime Minister Jean-Luc DEHAENE (since 6 March
1992)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the king and approved by
Parliament
elections: none; the king is a constitutional monarch; prime minister
appointed by the king and then approved by Parliament
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of a Senate or
Senaat in Flemish, Senat in French (71 seats; 40 members are directly
elected, 31 will be indirectly elected at a later date; members serve
four-year terms) and a Chamber of Deputies or Kamer van
Volksvertegenwoordigers in Flemish, Chambre des Representants in
French (150 seats; members are directly elected by proportional
representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate and Chamber of Deputies - last held 21 May 1995
(next to be held by the end of 1999)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - CVP 7, SP 6, VLD 6, VU 2, AGALEV 1, VB 3, PS 5, PRL 5, PSC 3,
ECOLO 2; note - before the 1995 elections, there were 184 seats;
Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - CVP 17.2%, PS 11.9%,
SP 12.6%, VLD 13.1%, PRL 10.3%, PSC 7.7%, VB 7.8%, VU 4.7%, ECOLO
4.0%, AGALEV 4.4%, FN 2.3%; seats by party - CVP 29, PS 21, SP 20, VLD
21, PRL 18, PSC 12, VB 11, VU 5, ECOLO 6, AGALEV 5, FN 2; note -
before the 1995 elections, there were 212 seats
note: as a result of the 1993 constitutional revision that furthered
devolution into a federal state, there are now three levels of
government (federal, regional, and linguistic community) with a
complex division of responsibilities; this reality leaves six
governments each with its own legislative assembly; for other acronyms
of the listed parties see Political parties and leaders
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice or Hof van Cassatie in
Flemish, Cour de Cassation in French, judges are appointed for life by
the Belgian monarch
Political parties and leaders: Flemish Christian Democrats or CVP
(Christian People's Party) [Marc VAN PEEL, president]; Francophone
Christian Democrats or PSC (Social Christian Party) [Gerard DEPREZ,
president]; Flemish Socialist Party or SP [Louis TOBBACK, president];
Francophone Socialist Party or PS [Philippe BUSQUIN, president];
Flemish Liberal Democrats or VLD [Herman DE CROO, president];
Francophone Liberal Reformation Party or PRL [Louis MICHEL,
president]; Francophone Democratic Front or FDF [Olivier MAINGAIN,
president]; Volksunie or VU [Bert ANCIAUX, president]; Vlaams Blok or
VB; National Front or FN [Frank VANHECKE, president]; AGALEV (Flemish
Greens) [no president]; ECOLO (Francophone Greens) [no president];
other minor parties
Political pressure groups and leaders: Christian and Socialist Trade
Unions; Federation of Belgian Industries; numerous other associations
representing bankers, manufacturers, middle-class artisans, and the
legal and medical professions; various organizations represent the
cultural interests of Flanders and Wallonia; various peace groups such
as the Flemish Action Committee Against Nuclear Weapons and Pax
Christi
International organization participation: ACCT, AfDB, AG (observer),
AsDB, Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EBRD, ECE, EIB,
ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM,
IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MTCR, NACC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS
(observer), OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UNMOGIP, UNMOP, UNPREDEP, UNRWA, UNTAES, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Andre ADAM
chancery: 3330 Garfield Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 333-6900
FAX: [1] (202) 333-3079
consulate(s) general : Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Alan J. BLINKEN
embassy: 27 Boulevard du Regent, B-1000 Brussels
mailing address: APO AE 09724, PSC 82, Box 002, Brussels
telephone : [32] (2) 508-2111
FAX: [32] (2) 511-2725
Flag description: three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side),
yellow, and red; the design was based on the flag of France
Economy