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Compare Belarus (2001) - Marshall Islands (2003)

Compare Belarus (2001) z Marshall Islands (2003)

 Belarus (2001)Marshall Islands (2003)
 BelarusMarshall Islands
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 - when using a place name with the adjectival ending 'skaya' the word voblasts' should be added to the place name

note:
voblasti have the administrative center name following in parentheses
33 municipalities; Ailinginae, Ailinglaplap, Ailuk, Arno, Aur, Bikar, Bikini, Bokak, Ebon, Enewetak, Erikub, Jabat, Jaluit, Jemo, Kili, Kwajalein, Lae, Lib, Likiep, Majuro, Maloelap, Mejit, Mili, Namorik, Namu, Rongelap, Rongrik, Toke, Ujae, Ujelang, Utirik, Wotho, Wotje
Age structure 0-14 years:
17.93% (male 947,820; female 908,210)

15-64 years:
68.21% (male 3,428,920; female 3,631,290)

65 years and over:
13.86% (male 473,992; female 959,962) (2001 est.)
0-14 years: 39.1% (male 11,233; female 10,819)


15-64 years: 58.2% (male 16,857; female 16,003)


65 years and over: 2.7% (male 726; female 791) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products grain, potatoes, vegetables, sugar beets, flax; beef, milk coconuts, tomatoes, melons, taro, breadfruit, fruits; pigs, chickens
Airports 136 (2000 est.) 15 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways total:
33

over 3,047 m:
2

2,438 to 3,047 m:
19

1,524 to 2,437 m:
1

under 914 m:
11 (2000 est.)
total: 4


1,524 to 2,437 m: 3


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways total:
103

over 3,047 m:
3

2,438 to 3,047 m:
10

1,524 to 2,437 m:
11

914 to 1,523 m:
14

under 914 m:
65 (2000 est.)
total: 11


914 to 1,523 m: 10


under 914 m: 1 (2002)
Area total:
207,600 sq km

land:
207,600 sq km

water:
0 sq km
total: 181.3 sq km


land: 181.3 sq km


water: 0 sq km


note: includes the atolls of Bikini, Enewetak, Kwajalein, Majuro, Rongelap, and Utirik
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Kansas about the size of Washington, DC
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 but, to date, neither side has actively sought to implement the accord. After almost four decades under US administration as the easternmost part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the Marshall Islands attained independence in 1986 under a Compact of Free Association. Compensation claims continue as a result of US nuclear testing on some of the atolls between 1947 and 1962. The Marshall Islands have been home to the US Army Base Kwajalein (USAKA) since 1964.
Birth rate 9.57 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 34.18 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget revenues:
$4 billion

expenditures:
$4.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $180 million (1997 est.)
revenues: $42 million


expenditures: $40 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999)
Capital Minsk Majuro
Climate cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between continental and maritime wet season from May to November; hot and humid; islands border typhoon belt
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) 370.4 km
Constitution 30 March 1994; revised by national referendum of 24 November 1996 giving the presidency greatly expanded powers and became effective 27 November 1996 1 May 1979
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
conventional long form: Republic of the Marshall Islands


conventional short form: Marshall Islands


former: Marshall Islands District (Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands)
Currency Belarusian ruble (BYB/BYR) US dollar (USD)
Death rate 13.97 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 5.03 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external $1 billion (2000 est.) $86.5 million (FY 99/00 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission:
Ambassador Michael KOZAK

embassy:
46 Starovilenskaya St., Minsk 220002

mailing address:
use embassy street address

telephone:
[375] (17) 210-12-83

FAX:
[375] (17) 234-7853
chief of mission: Ambassador Michael J. SENKO


embassy: Oceanside, Mejen Weto, Long Island, Majuro


mailing address: P. O. Box 1379, Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands 96960-1379


telephone: [692] 247-4011


FAX: [692] 247-4012
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission:
Ambassador Valeriy TSEPAKLO

chancery:
1619 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone:
[1] (202) 986-1604

FAX:
[1] (202) 986-1805

consulate(s) general:
New York
chief of mission: Ambassador Banny DE BRUM


chancery: 2433 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 234-5414


FAX: [1] (202) 232-3236


consulate(s) general: Honolulu
Disputes - international none claims US territory of Wake Island
Economic aid - recipient $194.3 million (1995) more than $1 billion from the US, 1986-2002
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 enterprise. In addition to the burdens imposed by extremely 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. US Government assistance is the mainstay of this tiny island economy. Agricultural production is primarily subsistence and is concentrated on small farms; the most important commercial crops are coconuts and breadfruit. Small-scale industry is limited to handicrafts, tuna processing, and copra. The tourist industry, now a small source of foreign exchange employing less than 10% of the labor force, remains the best hope for future added income. The islands have few natural resources, and imports far exceed exports. Under the terms of the Compact of Free Association, the US has provided more than $1 billion in aid since 1986. Negotiations have continued for an extended agreement. Government downsizing, drought, a drop in construction, the decline in tourism and foreign investment due to the Asian financial difficulties, and less income from the renewal of fishing vessel licenses have held GDP growth to an average of 1% over the past decade.
Electricity - consumption 27.647 billion kWh (1999) -
Electricity - exports 2.62 billion kWh (1999) -
Electricity - imports 7.1 billion kWh (1999) -
Electricity - production 24.911 billion kWh (1999) -
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
99.9%

hydro:
0.1%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
fossil fuel: 99%


hydro: 0%


nuclear: 0%


other: 1% (solar)
Elevation extremes lowest point:
Nyoman River 90 m

highest point:
Dzyarzhynskaya Hara 346 m
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m


highest point: unnamed location on Likiep 10 m
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 inadequate supplies of potable water; pollution of Majuro lagoon from household waste and discharges from fishing vessels
Environment - international agreements party to:
Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:
Law of the Sea
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution


signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Ethnic groups Byelorussian 81.2%, Russian 11.4%, Polish, Ukrainian, and other 7.4% Micronesian
Exchange rates Belarusian rubles per US dollar - 1,180 (yearend 2000), 730,000 (15 December 1999), 139,000 (25 January 1999), 46,080 (second quarter 1998), 25,964 (1997), 15,500 (yearend 1996); note - on 1 January 2000, the national currency was redenominated at one new ruble to 2,000 old rubles the US dollar is the legal tender
Executive branch chief of state:
President Aleksandr LUKASHENKO (since 20 July 1994)

head of government:
Prime Minister Vladimir YERMOSHIN (since 18 February 2000); First Deputy Prime Minister Andrey KOBYAKOV (since 13 March 2000); Deputy Prime Ministers Mikhail DEMCHUK (since 14 July 2000), Mikhail KHORSTOV (since 27 November 2000), Valeriy KOKOREV (since 23 August 1994), Leonid KOZIK (since 4 February 1997), Gennadiy NOVITSKIY (since 11 February 1997), Aleksandr POPKOV (since 10 November 1998)

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 (next to be held NA; according to the 1994 constitution, the next election should have been held in 1999, however LUKASHENKO extended his term to 2001 via the November 1996 referendum); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president

election results:
Aleksandr LUKASHENKO elected president; percent of vote - Aleksandr LUKASHENKO 85%, Vyacheslav KEBICH 15%
chief of state: President Kessai Hesa NOTE (since 3 January 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Kessai Hesa NOTE (since 3 January 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: Cabinet selected by the president from among the members of Parliament


elections: president elected by Parliament from among its own members for a four-year term; election last held 15 November 1999 (next to be held NA November 2003)


election results: Kessai Hesa NOTE elected president; percent of Parliament vote - 100%
Exports $7.4 billion (f.o.b., 2000) $9 million f.o.b. (2000)
Exports - commodities machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals, textiles, foodstuffs copra cake, coconut oil, handicrafts, fish
Exports - partners Russia 66%, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, Lithuania (1998) US, Japan, Australia, China (2000)
Fiscal year calendar year 1 October - 30 September
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 the Belarusian national ornament in red blue with two stripes radiating from the lower hoist-side corner - orange (top) and white; there is a white star with four large rays and 20 small rays on the hoist side above the two stripes
GDP purchasing power parity - $78.8 billion (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $115 million (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
13%

industry:
46%

services:
41% (1999 est.)
agriculture: 14%


industry: 16%


services: 70% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $7,500 (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $1,600 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 4% (2000 est.) 1% (2001 est.)
Geographic coordinates 53 00 N, 28 00 E 9 00 N, 168 00 E
Geography - note landlocked two archipelagic island chains of 30 atolls and 1,152 islands; Bikini and Enewetak are former US nuclear test sites; Kwajalein, the famous World War II battleground, is now used as a US missile test range
Highways total:
63,355 km

paved:
60,567 km (these roads are said to be hard-surfaced, and include, in addition to conventionally paved roads, some that are surfaced with gravel or other coarse aggregate, making them trafficable in all weather)

unpaved:
2,788 km (these roads are made of unstabilized earth and are difficult to negotiate in wet weather) (1998)
total: NA km


paved: 64.5 km


unpaved: NA km


note: paved roads on major islands (Majuro, Kwajalein), otherwise stone-, coral-, or laterite-surfaced roads and tracks (2002)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%:
4.9%

highest 10%:
19.4% (1993)
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
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 -
Imports $8.3 billion (f.o.b., 2000) $54 million f.o.b. (2000)
Imports - commodities mineral products, machinery and equipment, metals, chemicals, foodstuffs foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels, beverages and tobacco
Imports - partners Russia 54%, Ukraine, Germany, Poland, Lithuania (1998) US, Japan, Australia, NZ, Singapore, Fiji, China, Philippines (2000)
Independence 25 August 1991 (from Soviet Union) 21 October 1986 (from the US-administered UN trusteeship)
Industrial production growth rate 5% (2000 est.) NA%
Industries metal-cutting machine tools, tractors, trucks, earth movers, motorcycles, television sets, chemical fibers, fertilizer, textiles, radios, refrigerators copra, fish, tourism, craft items from shell, wood, and pearls
Infant mortality rate 14.38 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) total: 31.58 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 35.38 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 27.59 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 200% (2000 est.) 2% (2001 est.)
International organization participation CCC, CEI, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Inmarsat, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NAM, NSG, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer) ACP, AsDB, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, IDA, IFC, IMF, IMO, Interpol, ITU, OPCW (signatory), Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 4 (2000) 1 (2002)
Irrigated land 1,000 sq km (1993 est.) 0 sq km
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) Supreme Court; High Court
Labor force 4.8 million (2000) 28,698
Labor force - by occupation industry and construction NA%, agriculture and forestry NA%, services NA% agriculture 21.4%, industry 20.9%, services 57.7%
Land boundaries total:
3,098 km

border countries:
Latvia 141 km, Lithuania 502 km, Poland 605 km, Russia 959 km, Ukraine 891 km
0 km
Land use arable land:
29%

permanent crops:
1%

permanent pastures:
15%

forests and woodland:
34%

other:
21% (1993 est.)
arable land: 16.67%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 83.33% (1998 est.)
Languages Byelorussian, Russian, other English (widely spoken as a second language, both English and Marshallese are official languages), two major Marshallese dialects from the Malayo-Polynesian family, Japanese
Legal system based on civil law system based on adapted Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws
Legislative branch bicameral Parliament or Natsionalnoye Sobranie consists of the Council of the Republic or Soviet Respubliki (64 seats) and the Chamber of Representatives or Palata Pretsaviteley (110 seats)

elections:
last held October 2000 (next to be held NA)

election results:
party affiliation data unavailable; under present political conditions party designations are meaningless
unicameral Parliament or Nitijela (33 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 17 November 2003 (next to be held not later than November 2007)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA


note: the Council of Chiefs is a 12-member body that advises on matters affecting customary law and practice
Life expectancy at birth total population:
68.14 years

male:
62.06 years

female:
74.52 years (2001 est.)
total population: 69.39 years


male: 67.49 years


female: 71.4 years (2003 est.)
Literacy definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
98%

male:
99%

female:
97% (1989 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 93.7%


male: 93.6%


female: 93.7% (1999)
Location Eastern Europe, east of Poland Oceania, group of atolls and reefs in the North Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia
Map references Commonwealth of Independent States Oceania
Maritime claims none (landlocked) contiguous zone: 24 NM


exclusive economic zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine - total: 342 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 14,471,690 GRT/23,802,896 DWT


ships by type: bulk 86, cargo 18, chemical tanker 31, combination bulk 4, combination ore/oil 7, container 69, liquefied gas 8, multi-functional large-load carrier 1, passenger 6, petroleum tanker 106, roll on/roll off 1, short-sea passenger 1, vehicle carrier 4


note: the ship's register of the Marshall Islands is a flag of convenience register since essentially none of the vessels on it is owned domestically; includes the following foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: China 1, Cyprus 1, Denmark 9, Germany 70, Greece 54, Hong Kong 2, Japan 4, Monaco 8, Netherlands 8, UK 3, US 87, Uruguay 1 (2002 est.)
Military - note - defense is the responsibility of the US
Military branches Army, Air Force, Air Defense Force, Interior Ministry Troops, Border Guards no regular military forces; Police Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure $156 million (FY98) $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.2% (FY98) NA%
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49:
2,729,956 (2001 est.)
-
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49:
2,138,743 (2001 est.)
-
Military manpower - military age 18 years of age -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males:
86,396 (2001 est.)
-
National holiday Independence Day, 3 July (1944); note - 3 July 1944 was the date Minsk was liberated from German troops, 25 August 1991 was the date of independence from the Soviet Union Constitution Day, 1 May (1979)
Nationality noun:
Belarusian(s)

adjective:
Belarusian
noun: Marshallese (singular and plural)


adjective: Marshallese
Natural hazards NA infrequent typhoons
Natural resources forests, peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas coconut products, marine products, deep seabed minerals
Net migration rate 2.89 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) -6.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Pipelines crude oil 1,470 km; refined products 1,100 km; natural gas 1,980 km (1992) -
Political parties and leaders Agrarian Party or AP [Semyon SHARETSKY, chairman]; Belarusian Communist Party or KPB [Viktor CHIKIN, chairman]; Belarusian Ecological Green Party (merger of Belarusian Ecological Party and Green Party of Belarus) [leader NA]; Belarusian Patriotic Movement (Belarusian Patriotic Party) or BPR [Anatoliy BARANKEVICH, chairman]; Belarusian Popular Front or BNF [Vintsuk VYACHORKA]; Belarusian Social-Democrat or SDBP [Nikolay STATKEVICH, chairman]; Belarusian Social-Democratic Party Hromada [Stanislav SHUSHKEVICH, chairman]; Belarusian Socialist Party [Vyacheslav KUZNETSOV]; Civic Accord Bloc (United Civic Party) or CAB [Stanislav BOGDANKEVICH, chairman]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDPB [Sergei GAYDUKEVICH, chairman]; Party of Communists Belarusian or PKB [Sergei KALYAKIN, chairman]; Republican Party of Labor and Justice or RPPS [Anatoliy NETYLKIN, chairman]; Social-Democrat Party of Popular Accord or PPA [Leanid SECHKA]; Women's Party Nadezhda [Valentina POLEVIKOVA, chairperson] traditionally there have been no formally organized political parties; what has existed more closely resembles factions or interest groups because they do not have party headquarters, formal platforms, or party structures; the following two "groupings" have competed in legislative balloting in recent years - Kabua Party [Imata KABUA] and United Democratic Party or UDP [Litokwa TOMEING]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA NA
Population 10,350,194 (July 2001 est.) 56,429 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line 22% (1995 est.) NA%
Population growth rate -0.15% (2001 est.) 2.3% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors Mazyr Majuro
Radio broadcast stations AM 28, FM 37, shortwave 11 (1998) AM 2, FM 1, shortwave 0


note: additionally, the US Armed Forces Radio and Television Services (Central Pacific Network) operate one FM and one AM station on Kwajalein (2002)
Radios 3.02 million (1997) -
Railways total:
5,523 km

broad gauge:
5,523 km 1.520-m gauge (875 km electrified) (2000)
0 km
Religions Eastern Orthodox 80%, other (including Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 20% (1997 est.) Christian (mostly Protestant)
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:
0.88 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.92 male(s)/female


total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment:
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 (TAE) fiber-optic line, 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
general assessment: digital switching equipment; modern services include telex, cellular, internet, international calling, caller ID, and leased data circuits


domestic: Majuro Atoll and Ebeye and Kwajalein islands have regular, seven-digit, direct-dial telephones; other islands interconnected by shortwave radiotelephone (used mostly for government purposes)


international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); US Government satellite communications system on Kwajalein (2001)
Telephones - main lines in use 2.313 million (1997) 4,186 (2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular 8,167 (1997) 489 (2001)
Television broadcast stations 47 (plus 27 repeaters) (1995) 2 (both are US military stations) (2002)
Terrain generally flat and contains much marshland low coral limestone and sand islands
Total fertility rate 1.28 children born/woman (2001 est.) 4.12 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate 2.1% officially registered unemployed (December 2000); large number of underemployed workers 30.9% (1999 est.)
Waterways NA km; note - Belarus has extensive and widely used canal and river systems none
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