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Belarus Index
Figure 9. Transportation System of Belarus, 1995
In the former Soviet Union, the central government
owned and
operated the transportation system of the Belorussian SSR
and
used it primarily to serve the economic needs of the
entire
country as determined by the CPSU. Because of the
Belorussian
SSR's generally flat landscape and its location, building
a
transportation system there did not entail the
difficulties of
building on rugged terrain, over permafrost, or in remote
areas
far from industrial centers.
Railroads were the premier mode of transportation in
the
Belorussian SSR. Minsk is a major railroad junction,
located on
the lines connecting the Baltic states with Ukraine to the
south
and the line connecting Moscow with Warsaw to the west
(see
fig. 9). In 1993 Belarus had a total of 5,488 kilometers of
1,520-
millimeter-gauge railroads; of these, 873 kilometers were
electrified. Minsk also has an underground Metro that has
eighteen stations on two lines (totaling seventeen
kilometers).
Belarus's railroads accelerated industrial development
and,
in wartime, played a significant military role. Well
developed
compared with those in the other former Soviet republics,
the
country's railroads continued to play a major role in the
early
years of independent Belarus. They moved raw materials,
manufactured goods, and passengers over long hauls,
transporting
30 percent of the country's bulk cargo and 10 percent of
its
passengers in 1992 (see
table 5, Appendix A).
Railroad freight transport in 1994 declined 19 percent
(to
50.1 million tons) from its 1993 levels; this drop
approximated
the decline in gross industrial output over the same
period
(unlike previous years, when it had been greater). As a
result,
experts believed that gross inefficiencies of the past had
been
eliminated and that railroad transportation would not be a
bottleneck in the future when industrial output rose.
Because automotive transport is not generally used for
long
hauls, many roads outside urban areas have gravel or dirt
surfaces, especially in the more remote rural areas. The
lack of
paved roads in these rural areas seriously hampers the
movement
of agricultural products and supplies. Privately owned
automobiles are relatively few per capita, and so have
been of
limited importance in transportation, although this began
to
change slowly with the demise of communism. At the
beginning of
1994, the country had 92,200 kilometers of roads,
two-thirds of
which were paved, and many of which were deteriorating.
There
were no expressways or major national highways. Truck
transport
of freight declined in 1994 by 41 percent to 122.8 million
tons.
In 1994 Belarus received funds and promises of funds
from the
European Union (EU), Russia, Germany, and Poland to
upgrade road
and railroad links between Moscow and Berlin. A project
funded
jointly by Belarus and the European Bank for
Reconstruction and
Development (EBRD) will upgrade segments of the highway
linking
Poland to Russia through Belarus.
Belarus has extensive and widely used canal and river
systems, especially the Dnyapro River and its tributaries,
and
the Dnyaprowska-Buhski Canal, which connects the Buh (Bug,
in
Russian) and Prypyats' rivers. Homyel', Babruysk
(Bobruysk, in
Russian), Barysaw (Borisov, in Russian), and Pinsk are
major
river ports. In 1991 some 800,000 passengers and 18.6
million
tons of freight were carried on the country's inland
waterways.
Although Belarus has no direct access to the sea, it is
relatively close to Baltic Sea ports and has an agreement
with
Poland to transport Belarusian goods to the port of Gdynia
and to
use the port itself. In 1995 Lithuanian officials spoke of
giving
Belarus access to the Lithuanian port of Klaipéda.
Of Belarus's 124 airports, only fifty-five were usable
in
1993, and only thirty-one had permanent-surface runways.
Minsk
has one airport, Minsk International Airport. In 1994
Belavia,
the Belarusian state airline, planed to use US$80 million
of a
US$220 million credit from Switzerland to build an
aircraft
service center at the airport.
At the beginning of 1992, Belarus had 1.9 million
telephone
lines, or about eighteen lines per 100 persons; more than
700,000
applications for household telephones were still pending.
Only
about 15 percent of the telephone lines were switched
automatically. Connections to other former Soviet
republics are
by landline or microwave, and connections to other
countries are
by means of a leased connection through the Moscow
international
gateway switch. An NMT-450 analog cellular
telecommunications
network was under construction in Minsk in the early
1990s, and
approximately 300 kilometers of fiber-optic cable were
being
added to the city network. Progress in establishing an
International Telecommunications Satellite Organization
(Intelsat) earth station was slow.
In 1993 four television channels were available in
Belarus:
Belarus's single state-run television station
(Byelaruskaye
telebachannye) and three Russian television stations--
Televideniye Ostankino (Ostankino Television, Channel 1),
Rossiyskoye televideniye (Russian Television), and SanktPeterburg TV (St. Petersburg TV). By 1994 there was one
private
television station; its license was suspended during the
parliamentary elections of 1994. No cable television
service was
available. In 1992 an estimated 3.5 million televisions
were in
use in Belarus.
In 1994 Belarus's state-run radio (Byelaruskaye Radyyo)
broadcast two national programs, four Russian programs and
various regional programs over thirty-five AM radio
stations in
seventeen cities and over eighteen FM radio stations in
eighteen
cities. There was also a shared relay with Voice of
Russia.
International shortwave radio service broadcasts were in
Belarusian, English, German and Polish. In 1992 an
estimated 3.1
million radios were in use in Belarus.
In 1995 the government continued to control both
television
and radio in Belarus. In April 1995, when opposition
deputies to
the Supreme Soviet clashed with President Lukashyenka over
questions on the upcoming referendum, Lukashyenka cordoned
off
the national television and radio building (because of an
alleged
bomb threat). Before voting began both on the referendum
and on
parliamentary elections, discussion of the issues simply
disappeared from the media.
Data as of June 1995
Background | | After seven decades as a constituent republic of the USSR, Belarus attained its independence in 1991. It has retained closer political and economic ties to Russia than any of the other former Soviet republics. Belarus and Russia signed a treaty on a two-state union on 8 December 1999 envisioning greater political and economic integration. Although Belarus agreed to a framework to carry out the accord, serious implementation has yet to take place. Since his election in July 1994 as the country's first president, Aleksandr LUKASHENKO has steadily consolidated his power through authoritarian means. Government restrictions on freedom of speech and the press, peaceful assembly, and religion remain in place.
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Location | | Eastern Europe, east of Poland
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Area(sq km) | | total: 207,600 sq km land: 202,900 sq km water: 4,700 sq km
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Geographic coordinates | | 53 00 N, 28 00 E
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Land boundaries(km) | | total: 3,306 km border countries: Latvia 171 km, Lithuania 680 km, Poland 605 km, Russia 959 km, Ukraine 891 km
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Coastline(km) | | 0 km (landlocked)
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Climate | | cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between continental and maritime
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Elevation extremes(m) | | lowest point: Nyoman River 90 m highest point: Dzyarzhynskaya Hara 346 m
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Natural resources | | forests, peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas, granite, dolomitic limestone, marl, chalk, sand, gravel, clay
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Land use(%) | | arable land: 26.77% permanent crops: 0.6% other: 72.63% (2005)
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Irrigated land(sq km) | | 1,310 sq km (2003)
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Total renewable water resources(cu km) | | 58 cu km (1997)
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Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural) | | total: 2.79 cu km/yr (23%/47%/30%) per capita: 286 cu m/yr (2000)
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Natural hazards | | NA
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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
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Environment - international agreements | | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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Geography - note | | landlocked; glacial scouring accounts for the flatness of Belarusian terrain and for its 11,000 lakes
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Population | | 9,648,533 (July 2009 est.)
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Age structure(%) | | 0-14 years: 14.3% (male 707,550/female 667,560) 15-64 years: 71.3% (male 3,337,253/female 3,540,916) 65 years and over: 14.5% (male 446,746/female 948,508) (2009 est.)
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Median age(years) | | total: 38.6 years male: 35.6 years female: 41.6 years (2009 est.)
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Population growth rate(%) | | -0.378% (2009 est.)
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Birth rate(births/1,000 population) | | 9.71 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
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Death rate(deaths/1,000 population) | | 13.86 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
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Net migration rate(migrant(s)/1,000 population) | | 0.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
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Urbanization(%) | | urban population: 73% of total population (2008) rate of urbanization: 0% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
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Sex ratio(male(s)/female) | | at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.47 male(s)/female total population: 0.87 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
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Infant mortality rate(deaths/1,000 live births) | | total: 6.43 deaths/1,000 live births male: 7.45 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth(years) | | total population: 70.63 years male: 64.95 years female: 76.67 years (2009 est.)
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Total fertility rate(children born/woman) | | 1.24 children born/woman (2009 est.)
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Nationality | | noun: Belarusian(s) adjective: Belarusian
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Ethnic groups(%) | | Belarusian 81.2%, Russian 11.4%, Polish 3.9%, Ukrainian 2.4%, other 1.1% (1999 census)
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Religions(%) | | Eastern Orthodox 80%, other (including Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 20% (1997 est.)
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Languages(%) | | Belarusian, Russian, other
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Country name | | conventional long form: Republic of Belarus conventional short form: Belarus local long form: Respublika Byelarus' local short form: Byelarus' former: Belorussian (Byelorussian) Soviet Socialist Republic
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Government type | | republic in name, although in fact a dictatorship
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Capital | | name: Minsk geographic coordinates: 53 54 N, 27 34 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
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Administrative divisions | | 6 provinces (voblastsi, singular - voblasts') and 1 municipality* (horad); Brest, Homyel', Horad Minsk*, Hrodna, Mahilyow, Minsk, Vitsyebsk note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers
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Constitution | | 15 March 1994; revised by national referendum of 24 November 1996 giving the presidency greatly expanded powers and became effective 27 November 1996; revised again 17 October 2004 removing presidential term limits
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Legal system | | based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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Suffrage | | 18 years of age; universal
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Executive branch | | chief of state: President Aleksandr LUKASHENKO (since 20 July 1994) head of government: Prime Minister Sergey SIDORSKIY (since 19 December 2003); First Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir SEMASHKO (since December 2003) cabinet: Council of Ministers elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; first election took place 23 June and 10 July 1994; according to the 1994 constitution, the next election should have been held in 1999, however, Aleksandr LUKASHENKO extended his term to 2001 via a November 1996 referendum; subsequent election held 9 September 2001; an October 2004 referendum ended presidential term limits and allowed the president to run in a third election, which was held on 19 March 2006; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president election results: Aleksandr LUKASHENKO reelected president; percent of vote - Aleksandr LUKASHENKO 82.6%, Aleksandr MILINKEVICH 6%, Aleksandr KOZULIN 2.3%; note - election marred by electoral fraud
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Legislative branch | | bicameral National Assembly or Natsionalnoye Sobranie consists of the Council of the Republic or Soviet Respubliki (64 seats; 56 members elected by regional councils and eight members appointed by the president, to serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of Representatives or Palata Predstaviteley (110 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: Palata Predstaviteley - last held 28 September and 3 October 2008 (next to be held fall of 2012); international observers determined that despite minor improvements the election ultimately fell short of democratic standards; pro-LUKASHENKO candidates won every seat election results: Soviet Respubliki - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; Palata Predstaviteley - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA
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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)
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Political pressure groups and leaders | | Assembly of Pro-Democratic NGOs [Sergey MATSKEVICH]; Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions [Aleksandr YAROSHUK]; Belarusian Helsinki Committee [Aleh HULAK]; Belarusian Organization of Working Women [Irina ZHIKHAR]; BPF-Youth [Franak VYACHORKA]; Charter 97 [Andrey SANNIKOV]; For Freedom [Aleksandr MILINKEVICH]; National Strike Committee of Entrepreneurs [Aleksandr VASILYEV, Valery LEVONEVSKY]; Perspektiva kiosk watchdog NGO [Anatol SHUMCHENKO]; Vyasna ("Spring") human rights center; Women's Independent Democratic Movement [Ludmila PETINA]; Young Belarus (Malady Belarus); Youth Front (Malady Front) [Dmitriy DASHKEVICH]
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International organization participation | | BSEC (observer), CBSS (observer), CEI, CIS, CSTO, EAEC, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, GCTU, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, NSG, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
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Flag description | | red horizontal band (top) and green horizontal band one-half the width of the red band; a white vertical stripe on the hoist side bears Belarusian national ornamentation in red; the red band color recalls past struggles from oppression, the green band represents hope and the many forests of the country
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Economy - overview | | Belarus has seen little structural reform since 1995, when President LUKASHENKO launched the country on the path of "market socialism." In keeping with this policy, LUKASHENKO reimposed administrative controls over prices and currency exchange rates and expanded the state's right to intervene in the management of private enterprises. Since 2005, the government has re-nationalized a number of private companies. In addition, businesses have been subject to pressure by central and local governments, e.g., arbitrary changes in regulations, numerous rigorous inspections, retroactive application of new business regulations, and arrests of "disruptive" businessmen and factory owners. A wide range of redistributive policies has helped those at the bottom of the ladder; the Gini coefficient is among the lowest in the world. Because of these restrictive economic policies, Belarus has had trouble attracting foreign investment. Nevertheless, government statistics indicate GDP growth has been strong in recent years, reaching 10% in 2008, despite the roadblocks of a tough, centrally directed economy with a high rate of inflation. Belarus receives discounted oil and natural gas from Russia and much of Belarus' growth can be attributed to the re-export of Russian oil at market prices. Trade with Russia - by far its largest single trade partner - decreased in 2007-08, largely as a result of a change in the way the Value Added Tax (VAT) on trade was collected. Russia has introduced an export duty on oil shipped to Belarus, which will increase gradually through 2009, and a requirement that Belarusian duties on re-exported Russian oil be shared with Russia - 80% was slated to go to Russia in 2008, and 85% in 2009. Russia also increased Belarusian natural gas prices from $47 per thousand cubic meters (tcm)in 2006 to $100 per tcm in 2007, and to $128 per tcm in 2008, and plans to increase prices gradually to world levels by 2011. Russia's recent policy of bringing energy prices for Belarus to world market levels may result in a slowdown in economic growth in Belarus over the next few years. Some policy measures, including improving energy efficiency and diversifying exports, have been introduced, but external borrowing has been the main mechanism used to manage the growing pressures on the economy. Belarus felt the effects of the global financial crisis in late 2008 and reached agreement with Russia in November for a $2 billion stabilization loan and with the IMF for a $2.5 billion stand-by agreement in January 2009. In line with IMF conditionality, Belarus devalued the ruble approximately 20% in January 2009 and has tightened some fiscal and monetary policies. Belarus's economic growth is likely to slow in 2009 as it faces decreasing demand for its exports, and will find it difficult to increase external borrowing if the credit markets continue to tighten.
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GDP (purchasing power parity) | | $114.3 billion (2008 est.) $103.9 billion (2007 est.) $96.06 billion (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars
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GDP (official exchange rate) | | $60.3 billion (2008 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate(%) | | 10% (2008 est.) 8.2% (2007 est.) 9.9% (2006 est.)
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GDP - per capita (PPP) | | $11,800 (2008 est.) $10,700 (2007 est.) $9,800 (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars
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GDP - composition by sector(%) | | agriculture: 8.5% industry: 41.2% services: 50.3% (2008 est.)
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Labor force | | 4.869 million (2007)
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Labor force - by occupation(%) | | agriculture: 14% industry: 34.7% services: 51.3% (2003 est.)
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Unemployment rate(%) | | 1.6% (2005) note: officially registered unemployed; large number of underemployed workers
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Population below poverty line(%) | | 27.1% (2003 est.)
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Household income or consumption by percentage share(%) | | lowest 10%: 3.6% highest 10%: 22% (2005)
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Distribution of family income - Gini index | | 27.9 (2005) 21.7 (1998)
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Investment (gross fixed)(% of GDP) | | 31.9% of GDP (2008 est.)
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Budget | | revenues: $25.15 billion expenditures: $25.97 billion (2008 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices)(%) | | 14.8% (2008 est.) 8.4% (2007 est.)
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Stock of money | | $4.872 billion (31 December 2008) $4.065 billion (31 December 2007)
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Stock of quasi money | | $8.784 billion (31 December 2008) $6.823 billion (31 December 2007)
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Stock of domestic credit | | $18.42 billion (31 December 2008) $12.16 billion (31 December 2007)
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Market value of publicly traded shares | | $NA
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Economic aid - recipient | | $53.76 million (2005)
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Agriculture - products | | grain, potatoes, vegetables, sugar beets, flax; beef, milk
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Industries | | metal-cutting machine tools, tractors, trucks, earthmovers, motorcycles, televisions, synthetic fibers, fertilizer, textiles, radios, refrigerators
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Industrial production growth rate(%) | | 12% (2008 est.)
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Current account balance | | -$5.063 billion (2008 est.) -$3.042 billion (2007 est.)
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Exports | | $33.04 billion (2008 est.) $24.33 billion (2007 est.)
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Exports - commodities(%) | | machinery and equipment, mineral products, chemicals, metals, textiles, foodstuffs
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Exports - partners(%) | | Russia 32.2%, Netherlands 16.9%, Ukraine 8.5%, Latvia 6.6%, Poland 5.5%, UK 4.4% (2008)
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Imports | | $39.16 billion (2008 est.) $28.4 billion (2007 est.)
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Imports - commodities(%) | | mineral products, machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs, metals
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Imports - partners(%) | | Russia 59.8%, Germany 7.1%, Ukraine 5.4% (2008)
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | | $2.687 billion (31 December 2008 est.) $3.952 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
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Debt - external | | $15.15 billion (31 December 2008) $12.49 billion (31 December 2007)
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Exchange rates | | Belarusian rubles (BYB/BYR) per US dollar - 2,130 (2008 est.), 2,145 (2007), 2,144.6 (2006), 2,150 (2005), 2,160.26 (2004)
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Currency (code) | | Belarusian ruble (BYB/BYR)
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Telephones - main lines in use | | 3.718 million (2008)
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Telephones - mobile cellular | | 8.693 million (2008)
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Telephone system | | general assessment: Belarus lags behind its neighbors in upgrading telecommunications infrastructure; state-owned Beltelcom is the sole provider of fixed-line local and long distance service; fixed-line teledensity of roughly 35 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone density of about 90 per 100 persons; modernization of the network progressing with roughly two-thirds of switching equipment now digital domestic: fixed-line penetration is improving although rural areas continue to be underserved; 3 GSM wireless networks are experiencing rapid growth; strict government controls on telecommunications technologies international: country code - 375; Belarus is a member of the Trans-European Line (TEL), Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line, and has access to the Trans-Siberia Line (TSL); 3 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 (2008)
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Internet country code | | .by
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Internet users | | 3.107 million (2008)
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Airports | | 65 (2009)
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Pipelines(km) | | gas 5,250 km; oil 1,528 km; refined products 1,730 km (2008)
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Roadways(km) | | total: 94,797 km paved: 84,028 km unpaved: 10,769 km (2005)
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Ports and terminals | | Mazyr
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Military branches | | Belarus Armed Forces: Land Force, Air and Air Defense Force (2009)
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Military service age and obligation(years of age) | | 18-27 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months (2005)
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Manpower available for military service | | males age 16-49: 2,491,643 females age 16-49: 2,528,779 (2008 est.)
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Manpower fit for military service | | males age 16-49: 1,720,049 females age 16-49: 2,069,898 (2009 est.)
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Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually | | male: 60,009 female: 56,834 (2009 est.)
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Military expenditures(% of GDP) | | 1.4% of GDP (2005 est.)
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Disputes - international | | Boundary demarcated with Latvia and Lithuania in 2006; 1997 boundary delimitation treaty with Ukraine remains unratified over unresolved financial claims, preventing demarcation and diminishing border security
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Electricity - production(kWh) | | 29.92 billion kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity - production by source(%) | | fossil fuel: 99.5% hydro: 0.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0.4% (2001)
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Electricity - consumption(kWh) | | 30.54 billion kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity - exports(kWh) | | 5.062 billion kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity - imports(kWh) | | 9.406 billion kWh (2007 est.)
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Oil - production(bbl/day) | | 32,950 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Oil - consumption(bbl/day) | | 184,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Oil - exports(bbl/day) | | 303,900 bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Oil - imports(bbl/day) | | 444,800 bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Oil - proved reserves(bbl) | | 198 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
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Natural gas - production(cu m) | | 152 million cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural gas - consumption(cu m) | | 21.75 billion cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural gas - exports(cu m) | | 0 cu m (2008)
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Natural gas - proved reserves(cu m) | | 2.832 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate(%) | | 0.2% (2007 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | | 13,000 (2007 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - deaths | | 1,100 (2007 est.)
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Literacy(%) | | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.6% male: 99.8% female: 99.4% (1999 census)
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School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)(years) | | total: 15 years male: 14 years female: 15 years (2006)
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Education expenditures(% of GDP) | | 6.1% of GDP (2006)
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