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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Belarus Index
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Figure 5. Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR), 1923
Source: Based on information from Paul Robert Magocsi,
Ukraine: A Historical Atlas, Toronto, 1985,
9, 24.
The outbreak of World War I in 1914 turned Belorussia
into a
zone of strict martial law, military operations, and great
destruction. Large German and Russian armies fought
fiercely and
caused the expulsion or departure of more than 1 million
civilians from the country. The Russian government's inept
war
efforts and ineffective economic policies prompted high
food
prices, shortages of goods, and many needless deaths in
the war.
Discontent in the cities and the countryside spread,
leading to
strikes, riots, and the eventual downfall of the tsarist
government.
The two revolutions of 1917--the February Revolution
and the
Bolshevik Revolution--gave nationally conscious
Belorussians an
opportunity to advance their political cause. Bolshevism
did not
have many followers among the natives of Belorussia;
instead,
local political life was dominated by the Socialist
Revolutionary
Party, the
Mensheviks (see Glossary),
the Bund (see Glossary),
and various Christian movements in which the clergy of
both the
Russian Orthodox Church and the Polish Catholic Church
played
significant roles. The Belorussian political cause was
represented by the Belorussian Socialist Party, the
Socialist
Revolutionary Party, the Leninist Social Democratic Party,
and
various nationalist groups advocating moderate forms of
socialism.
In December 1917, more than 1,900 delegates to the AllBelorussian Congress (Rada) met in Minsk to establish a
democratic republican government in Belorussia, but
Bolshevik
soldiers disbanded the assembly before it had finished its
deliberations. The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in March 1918
put most
of Belorussia under German control, but on March 25, 1918,
the
Central Executive Committee of the Rada nullified the
treaty and
proclaimed the independence of the Belorussian National
Republic.
Later that year, the German government, which had
guaranteed the
new state's independence, collapsed, and the new republic
was
unable to resist Belorussian Bolsheviks supported by the
Bolshevik government in Moscow. The Belorussian Soviet
Socialist
Republic (Belorussian SSR) was established on January 1,
1919, by
force of arms.
For the next two years, Belorussia was a prize in the
PolishSoviet War, a conflict settled by the Treaty of Riga in
March
1921. Under the terms of the treaty, Belorussia was
divided into
three parts: the western portion, which was absorbed into
Poland;
central Belorussia, which formed the Belorussian SSR; and
the
eastern portion, which became part of Russia. The
Belorussian SSR
was incorporated into the
Soviet Union (see Glossary) when
the
Soviet Union was founded in December 1922
(see
fig. 5).
The territory of the Belorussian SSR was enlarged in
both
1924 and 1926 by the addition of Belorussian ethnographic
regions
that had become part of Russia under the Treaty of Riga.
The area
of the republic was expanded from its original post-treaty
size
of 51,800 square kilometers to 124,320 square kilometers,
and the
population increased from 1.5 million to almost 5 million
persons.
The New Economic Policy
(NEP--see Glossary),
established by
Vladimir I. Lenin in 1921 as a temporary compromise with
capitalism, stimulated economic recovery in the Soviet
Union, and
by the mid-1920s agricultural and industrial output in
Belorussia
had reached 1913 levels. Historically, Belorussia had been
a
country of landlords with large holdings, but after the
Bolshevik
Revolution, these landlords were replaced by middle-class
landholders; farm collectives were practically
nonexistent. When
forced
collectivization (see Glossary) and confiscations
began in
1928, there was strong resistance, for which the peasantry
paid a
high social price: peasants were allowed to starve in some
areas,
and so-called troublemakers were deported to Siberia.
Because
peasants slaughtered their livestock rather than turn it
over to
collective farms (see Glossary),
agriculture suffered
serious
setbacks. However, the rapid industrialization that
accompanied
forced collectivization enabled the Moscow government to
develop
new heavy industry in Belarus quickly.
During the period of the NEP, the Soviet government
relaxed
its cultural restrictions, and Belorussian language and
culture
flourished. But in the 1930s, when Stalin was fully in
power,
Moscow's attitude changed, and it became important to
Moscow to
bind both Belorussia and its economy as closely to the
Soviet
Union as possible. Once again, this meant Russification of
the
people and the culture. The Belorussian language was
reformed to
bring it closer to the Russian language, and history books
were
rewritten to show that the Belorussian people had strived
to be
united with Russia throughout their history. Political
persecutions in the 1930s reached genocidal proportions,
causing
population losses as great as would occur during World War
II--
more than 2 million persons.
Data as of June 1995
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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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