1995, when President LUKASHENKO launched the country on the path of
"market socialism." In keeping with this policy, LUKASHENKO re-imposed
administrative controls over prices and currency exchange rates and
expanded the state's right to intervene in the management of private
enterprise. In addition to the burdens imposed by high inflation,
businesses have been subject to pressure on the part of central and
local governments, e.g., arbitrary changes in regulations, numerous
rigorous inspections, and retroactive application of new business
regulations prohibiting practices that had been legal. Further
economic problems are two consecutive bad harvests, 1998-99, and
persistent trade deficits. Close relations with Russia, possibly
leading to reunion, color the pattern of economic developments. For
the time being, Belarus remains self-isolated from the West and its
open-market economies.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $55.2 billion (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 1.5% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $5,300 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 23%
industry: 28%
services: 49% (1998 est.)
Population below poverty line: 22% (1995 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 4.9%
highest 10%: 19.4% (1993)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 295% (1999 est.)
Labor force: 4.3 million (1998)
Labor force - by occupation: industry and construction NA%,
agriculture and forestry NA%, services NA%
Unemployment rate: 2.3% officially registered unemployed (December
1998); large number of underemployed workers
Budget:
revenues: $4 billion
expenditures: $4.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $180
million (1997 est.)
Industries: metal-cutting machine tools, tractors, trucks, earth
movers, motorcycles, TV sets, chemical fibers, fertilizer, textiles,
radios, refrigerators
Industrial production growth rate: 8% (1999 est.)
Electricity - production: 21.893 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 99.89%
hydro: 0.11%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1998)
Electricity - consumption: 28.66 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - exports: 2.3 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - imports: 10.6 billion kWh (1998)
Agriculture - products: grain, potatoes, vegetables, sugar beets,
flax; beef, milk
Exports: $6 billion (f.o.b., 1999)
Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals,
textiles, foodstuffs
Exports - partners: Russia 66%, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, Lithuania
(1998)
Imports: $6.4 billion (c.i.f., 1999)
Imports - commodities: mineral products, machinery and equipment,
metals, chemicals, foodstuffs
Imports - partners: Russia 54%, Ukraine, Germany, Poland, Lithuania
(1998)
Debt - external: $1.1 billion (1998 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $194.3 million (1995)
Currency: Belarusian rubel (BR)
Exchange rates: Belarusian rubels per US$1 - 730,000 (15 December
1999), 139,000 (25 January 1999), 46,080 (2nd qtr 1998), 25,964
(1997), 15,500 (yearend 1996), 11,500 (yearend 1995)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Belarus:Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 2.537 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 8,000 (1999)
Telephone system: the Ministry of Telecommunications controls all
telecommunications through its carrier (a joint stock company)
Beltelcom which is a monopoly
domestic: local - Minsk has a digital metropolitan network and a
cellular NMT-450 network; waiting lists for telephones are long; local
service outside Minsk is neglected and poor; intercity - Belarus has a
partly developed fiber-optic backbone system presently serving at
least 13 major cities (1998); Belarus's fiber optics form synchronous
digital hierarchy rings through other countries' systems; an
inadequate analog system remains operational
international: Belarus is a member of the Trans-European Line (TEL),
Trans-Asia-Europe Fiber-Optic Line (TAE) and has access to the
Trans-Siberia Line (TSL); three fiber-optic segments provide
connectivity to Latvia, Poland, Russia, and Ukraine; worldwide service
is available to Belarus through this infrastructure; additional analog
lines to Russia; Intelsat, Eutelsat, and Intersputnik earth stations
Radio broadcast stations: AM 28, FM 37, shortwave 11 (1998)
Radios: 3.02 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 17 (1997)
Televisions: 2.52 million (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (1999)
@Belarus:Transportation
Railways:
total: 5,563 km
broad gauge: 5,563 km 1.520-m gauge (894 km electrified)
Highways:
total: 63,355 km
paved: 60,567 km
unpaved: 2,788 km (1998 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
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: 2,714,420 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 2,126,655 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 82,720 (2000 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $156 million (FY98)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.2% (FY98)
@Belarus:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: limited cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis, mostly
for the domestic market; transshipment point for illicit drugs to and
via Russia, and to the Baltics and Western Europe
______________________________________________________________________
BELGIUM
@Belgium:Introduction
Background: Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830
and was occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II. It has
prospered in the past half century as a modern, technologically
advanced European state and member of NATO and the EU. Tensions
between the Dutch-speaking Flemings of the north and the
French-speaking Walloons of the south have led in recent years to
constitutional amendments granting these regions formal recognition
and autonomy.
@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: 66 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: NA sq km
Natural hazards: flooding is a threat in areas of reclaimed coastal
land, protected from the sea by concrete dikes
Environment - current issues: the environment is exposed to intense
pressures from human activities: urbanization, dense transportation
network, industry, intense animal breeding and crop cultivation; air
and water pollution also have repercussions for neighboring countries;
uncertainties regarding federal and regional responsibilities (now
resolved) have impeded progress in tackling environmental challenges
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, 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-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air
Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
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: 10,241,506 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 18% (male 919,445; female 877,896)
15-64 years: 66% (male 3,386,193; female 3,334,081)
65 years and over: 16% (male 701,842; female 1,022,049) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.18% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 10.91 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 10.13 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.98 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 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: 0.69 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 4.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.8 years
male: 74.47 years
female: 81.3 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.61 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Belgian(s)
adjective: Belgian
Ethnic groups: Fleming 58%, Walloon 31%, mixed or other 11%
Religions: Roman Catholic 75%, Protestant or other 25%
Languages: Dutch 58%, French 32%, German 10%, legally bilingual
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
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
Capital: Brussels
Administrative divisions: 10 provinces (French: provinces, singular -
province; Flemish: provincien, singular - provincie); Antwerpen,
Brabant Wallon, Hainaut, Liege, Limburg, Luxembourg, Namur,
Oost-Vlaanderen, Vlaams Brabant, West-Vlaanderen
note: the Brussels Capital Region is not included within the 10
provinces
Independence: 4 October 1830 (from the Netherlands)
National holiday: National Day, 21 July (ascension of King LEOPOLD I
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); Heir Apparent
Prince PHILIPPE, son of the monarch
head of government: Prime Minister Guy VERHOFSTADT (since 13 July
1999)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch and approved by
Parliament
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed
by the monarch and then approved by Parliament
note: government coalition - VLD, PRL, PS, SP, AGALEV, and ECOLO
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of a Senate or
Senaat in Dutch, Senat in French (71 seats; 40 members are directly
elected by popular vote, 31 are indirectly elected; members serve
four-year terms) and a Chamber of Deputies or Kamer van
Volksvertegenwoordigers in Dutch, Chambre des Representants in French
(150 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote on the basis
of proportional representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate and Chamber of Deputies - last held 13 June 1999
(next to be held in NA 2003)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - VLD 15.4%, CVP
14.7%, PRL 10.6%, PS 9.7%, VB 9.4%, SP 8.9%, ECOLO 7.4%, AGALEV 7.1%,
PSC 6.0%, VU 5.1%; seats by party - VLD 11, CVP 10, PS 10, PRL 9, VB
6, SP 6, ECOLO 6, AGALEV 5, PSC 5, VU 3; Chamber of Deputies - percent
of vote by party - VLD 14.3%, CVP 14.1%, PS 10.2%, PRL 10.1%, VB 9.9%,
SP 9.5%, ECOLO 7.4%, AGALEV 7.0%, PSC 5.9%, VU 5.6%; seats by party -
VLD 23, CVP 22, PS 19, PRL 18, VB 15, SP 14, ECOLO 11, PSC 10, AGALEV
9, VU 8, FN 1
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
Dutch, Cour de Cassation in French, judges are appointed for life by
the Belgian monarch
Political parties and leaders: AGALEV (Flemish Greens) [Wilfried
BERVOETS]; ECOLO (Francophone Greens) ; Flemish
Christian Democrats or CVP (Christian People's Party) [Stefaan DE
CLERCK, president]; Flemish Liberal Democrats or VLD [Karel DE GUCHT,
president]; Flemish Socialist Party or SP [Patrick JANSSENS,
president]; Francophone Christian Democrats or PSC (Social Christian
Party) ; Francophone Democratic Front or
FDF ; Francophone Liberal Reformation
Party or PRL ; Francophone Socialist Party
or PS ; National Front or FN ;
Vlaams Blok or VB ; Volksunie or VU [Geert BOURGEOIS,
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, AsDB, Australia
Group, Benelux, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU, 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, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD,
OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNMOGIP,
UNMOP, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WADB (nonregional), WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Alexis REYN
chancery: 3330 Garfield Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: (202) 333-6900
FAX: (202) 333-3079
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Paul CEJAS
embassy: 27 Boulevard du Regent, B-1000 Brussels
mailing address: PSC 82, Box 002, APO AE 09710
telephone: (2) 508-2111
FAX: (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
@Belgium:Economy
Economy - overview: This modern private enterprise economy has
capitalized on its central geographic location, highly developed
transport network, and diversified industrial and commercial base.
Industry is concentrated mainly in the populous Flemish area in the
north, although the government is encouraging investment in the
southern region of Wallonia. With few natural resources, Belgium must
import substantial quantities of raw materials and export a large
volume of manufactures, making its economy unusually dependent on the
state of world markets. About three-quarters of its trade is with
other EU countries. Belgium's public debt fell from 127% of GDP in
1996 to 122% of GDP in 1998 and the government is trying to control
its expenditures to bring the figure more into line with other
industrialized countries. Belgium became a charter member of the
European Monetary Union (EMU) in January 1999. The dioxin crisis -
beginning in June 1999 with the discovery of a cancer-causing
substance in animal feed - constituted a serious blow to the
food-processing industry, both domestically and internationally. This
crisis slowed down GDP growth with recovery expected in the year 2000.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $243.4 billion (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 1.8% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $23,900 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1.4%
industry: 27%
services: 71.6% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: 4%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.7%
highest 10%: 20.2% (1992)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1% (1999 est.)
Labor force: 4.341 million (1999)
Labor force - by occupation: services 73%, industry 25%, agriculture
2% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate: 9% (1999 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $116.5 billion
expenditures: $119 billion, including capital expenditures of $10.7
billion (1998 est.)
Industries: engineering and metal products, motor vehicle assembly,
processed food and beverages, chemicals, basic metals, textiles,
glass, petroleum, coal
Industrial production growth rate: -1% (1999 est.)
Electricity - production: 78.702 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 42.48%
hydro: 0.49%
nuclear: 55.72%
other: 1.31% (1998)
Electricity - consumption: 74.543 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - exports: 6.4 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - imports: 7.75 billion kWh (1998)
Agriculture - products: sugar beets, fresh vegetables, fruits, grain,
tobacco; beef, veal, pork, milk
Exports: $187.3 billion (f.o.b., 1999)
Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, diamonds,
metals and metal products
Exports - partners: EU 76% (Germany 19%, France 18%, Netherlands 12%,
UK 10%) (1998)
Imports: $172.8 billion (f.o.b., 1999)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals and
metal products
Imports - partners: EU 71% (Germany 18%, Netherlands 17%, France 14%,
UK 9%) (1998)
Debt - external: $28.3 billion (1999 est.)
Economic aid - donor: ODA, $764 million (1997)
Currency: 1 Belgian franc (BF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: euros per US$1 - 0.9867 (January 2000), 0.9386 (1999);
Belgian francs (BF) per US$1 - 34.77 (January 1999), 36.229 (1998),
35.774 (1997), 30.962 (1996), 29.480 (1995)
note: on 1 January 1999, the EU introduced a common currency that is
now being used by financial institutions in some member countries at a
fixed rate of 40.3399 Belgian francs per euro; the euro will replace
the local currency in consenting countries for all transactions in
2002
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Belgium:Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 4.632 million (1995)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 664,000 (1999)
Telephone system: highly developed, technologically advanced, and
completely automated domestic and international telephone and
telegraph facilities
domestic: nationwide cellular telephone system; extensive cable
network; limited microwave radio relay network
international: 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Eutelsat
Radio broadcast stations: FM 79, AM 7, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: 8.075 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 24 (1997)
Televisions: 4.72 million (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 51 (1999)
@Belgium:Transportation
Railways:
total: 3,437 km (2,446 km electrified; 2,563 km double track)
standard gauge: 3,437 km 1.435-m gauge (1998)
Highways:
total: 145,850 km
paved: 117,701 km (including 1,682 km of expressways)
unpaved: 28,149 km (1998)
Waterways: 2,043 km (1,528 km in regular commercial use)
Pipelines: crude oil 161 km; petroleum products 1,167 km; natural gas
3,300 km
Ports and harbors: Antwerp (one of the world's busiest ports), Brugge,
Gent, Hasselt, Liege, Mons, Namur, Oostende, Zeebrugge
Merchant marine:
total: 22 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 35,075 GRT/57,347 DWT
ships by type: cargo 7, chemical tanker 8, petroleum tanker 7 (1999
est.)
Airports: 42 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 24
over 3,047 m: 6
2,438 to 3,047 m: 8
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 6 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 18
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 16 (1999 est.)
Heliports: 1 (1999 est.)
@Belgium:Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie
Military manpower - military age: 19 years of age
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 2,527,752 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 2,090,800 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 64,165 (2000 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $2.8 billion (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.2% (FY99)
@Belgium:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: source of precursor chemicals for South American
cocaine processors; transshipment point for cocaine, heroin, hashish,
and marijuana entering Western Europe
______________________________________________________________________
BELIZE
@Belize:Introduction
Background: Territorial disputes between the UK and Guatemala delayed
the independence of Belize (formerly British Honduras) until 1981.
Guatemala refused to recognize the new nation until 1992. Tourism has
become the mainstay of the economy. The country remains plagued by
high unemployment, growing involvement in the South American drug
trade, and increased urban crime.
@Belize:Geography
Location: Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between
Guatemala and Mexico
Geographic coordinates: 17 15 N, 88 45 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 22,960 sq km
land: 22,800 sq km
water: 160 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Massachusetts
Land boundaries:
total: 516 km
border countries: Guatemala 266 km, Mexico 250 km
Coastline: 386 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm in the north, 3 nm in the south; note - from
the mouth of the Sarstoon River to Ranguana Cay, Belize's territorial
sea is 3 nm; according to Belize's Maritime Areas Act, 1992, the
purpose of this limitation is to provide a framework for the
negotiation of a definitive agreement on territorial differences with
Guatemala
Climate: tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to February)
Terrain: flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Victoria Peak 1,160 m
Natural resources: arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 2%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 2%
forests and woodland: 92%
other: 3% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 20 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: frequent, devastating hurricanes (September to
December) and coastal flooding (especially in south)
Environment - current issues: deforestation; water pollution from
sewage, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff; solid waste
disposal
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection,
Marine Dumping, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: only country in Central America without a coastline
on the North Pacific Ocean
@Belize:People
Population: 249,183 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 43% (male 54,009; female 51,945)
15-64 years: 54% (male 68,052; female 66,366)
65 years and over: 3% (male 4,298; female 4,513) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.75% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 32.29 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)