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Compare Belarus (2004) - Seychelles (2001)

Compare Belarus (2004) z Seychelles (2001)

 Belarus (2004)Seychelles (2001)
 BelarusSeychelles
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
23 administrative districts; Anse aux Pins, Anse Boileau, Anse Etoile, Anse Louis, Anse Royale, Baie Lazare, Baie Sainte Anne, Beau Vallon, Bel Air, Bel Ombre, Cascade, Glacis, Grand' Anse (on Mahe), Grand' Anse (on Praslin), La Digue, La Riviere Anglaise, Mont Buxton, Mont Fleuri, Plaisance, Pointe La Rue, Port Glaud, Saint Louis, Takamaka
Age structure 0-14 years: 16.3% (male 859,219; female 823,839)


15-64 years: 69.2% (male 3,469,926; female 3,662,203)


65 years and over: 14.5% (male 496,204; female 999,129) (2004 est.)
0-14 years:
28.27% (male 11,367; female 11,167)

15-64 years:
65.47% (male 25,453; female 26,737)

65 years and over:
6.26% (male 1,673; female 3,318) (2001 est.)
Agriculture - products grain, potatoes, vegetables, sugar beets, flax; beef, milk coconuts, cinnamon, vanilla, sweet potatoes, cassava (tapioca), bananas; broiler chickens; tuna fish
Airports 135 (2003 est.) 14 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 50


over 3,047 m: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 21


1,524 to 2,437 m: 6


under 914 m: 21 (2003 est.)
total:
6

2,438 to 3,047 m:
1

914 to 1,523 m:
3

under 914 m:
2 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 85


over 3,047 m: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 5


914 to 1,523 m: 11


under 914 m: 64 (2003 est.)
total:
8

914 to 1,523 m:
4

under 914 m:
4 (2000 est.)
Area total: 207,600 sq km


land: 207,600 sq km


water: 0 sq km
total:
455 sq km

land:
455 sq km

water:
0 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Kansas 2.5 times 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. Although Belarus agreed to a framework to carry out the accord, serious implementation has yet to take place. A lengthy struggle between France and Great Britain for the islands ended in 1814, when they were ceded to the latter. Independence came in 1976. Socialist rule was brought to a close with a new constitution and free elections in 1993.
Birth rate 10.52 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) 17.66 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Budget revenues: $2.976 billion


expenditures: $3.211 billion, including capital expenditures of $180 million (2003 est.)
revenues:
$249 million

expenditures:
$262 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1998 est.)
Capital Minsk Victoria
Climate cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between continental and maritime tropical marine; humid; cooler season during southeast monsoon (late May to September); warmer season during northwest monsoon (March to May)
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) 491 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; revised again 17 October 2004 removing presidential term limits 18 June 1993
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 Seychelles

conventional short form:
Seychelles
Currency Belarusian ruble (BYB/BYR) Seychelles rupee (SCR)
Death rate 14.1 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) 6.65 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Debt - external $851 million (2001 est.) $240 million (1999 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador George A. KROL


embassy: 46 Starovilenskaya St., Minsk 220002


mailing address: PSC 78, Box B Minsk, APO 09723


telephone: [375] (17) 210-12-83, 217-7347, 217-7348


FAX: [375] (17) 234-7853
the US does not have an embassy in Seychelles; the ambassador to Mauritius is accredited to Seychelles
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Mikhail KHVOSTOV


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 Claude Sylvestre MOREL

chancery:
800 Second Avenue, Suite 400C, New York, NY 10017

telephone:
[1] (212) 972-1785

FAX:
[1] (212) 972-1786
Disputes - international 1997 boundary treaty with Ukraine remains unratified over unresolved financial claims, preventing demarcation and diminishing border security; boundaries with Latvia and Lithuania remain undemarcated despite European Union financial support claims the Chagos Archipelago (UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory)
Economic aid - recipient $194.3 million (1995) $16.4 million (1995)
Economy - overview Belarus' economy in 2003 posted 6.1 percent growth and is likely to continue expanding through 2004, albeit at a slower growth rate. The Belarusian economy in 2004 is likely to be hampered by high inflation, persistent trade deficits, and ongoing rocky relations with Russia, Belarus' largest trading partner and energy supplier. 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. In addition, businesses have been subject to pressure on the part of 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. For the time being, Belarus remains self-isolated from the West and its open-market economies. Since independence in 1976, per capita output in this Indian Ocean archipelago has expanded to roughly seven times the old near-subsistence level. Growth has been led by the tourist sector, which employs about 30% of the labor force and provides more than 70% of hard currency earnings, and by tuna fishing. In recent years the government has encouraged foreign investment in order to upgrade hotels and other services. At the same time, the government has moved to reduce the dependence on tourism by promoting the development of farming, fishing, and small-scale manufacturing. The vulnerability of the tourist sector was illustrated by the sharp drop in 1991-92 due largely to the Gulf war. Although the industry has rebounded, the government recognizes the continuing need for upgrading the sector in the face of stiff international competition. Other issues facing the government are the curbing of the budget deficit and further privatization of public enterprises. Growth slowed in 1998-2000, due to sluggish tourist and tuna sectors. Tight controls on exchange rates and the scarcity of foreign exchange have hindered short-term economic prospects. The black market value of the Seychelles ruppee is half the official exchange rate; without a devaluation of the currency the tourist sector should remain sluggish as vacationers seek cheaper destinations such as Comoros, Mauritius, and Madagascar.
Electricity - consumption 26.69 billion kWh (2001) 148.8 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports 300 million kWh (2001) 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports 4.3 billion kWh (2001) 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - production 24.4 billion kWh (2001) 160 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel:
100%

hydro:
0%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Nyoman River 90 m


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

highest point:
Morne Seychellois 905 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 water supply depends on catchments to collect rainwater
Environment - international agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, 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, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution

signed, but not ratified:
Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Ethnic groups Belarusian 81.2%, Russian 11.4%, Polish, Ukrainian, and other 7.4% Seychellois (mixture of Asians, Africans, Europeans)
Exchange rates Belarusian rubles per US dollar - 1,790.92 (2003), 1,920 (2002), 1,390 (2001), 876.75 (2000), 248.795 (1999) Seychelles rupees per US dollar - 6.0397 (November 2000), 5.6009 (2000), 5,3426 (1999), 5.2622 (1998), 5.0263 (1997), 4.9700 (1996)
Executive branch chief of state: President Aleksandr LUKASHENKO (since 20 July 1994)


head of government: Prime Minister Sergei SIDORSKY (since 19 December 2003); First Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir SEMASHKO (since December 2003); Deputy Prime Ministers Andrei KOBYAKOV (since December 2003), Vladimir DRAZHIN (since 24 September 2001), Ivan BAMBIZA (since 25 May 2004), Anatoly TYUTYUNOV (since July 2002)


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 LUKASHENKO extended his term to 2001 via a November 1996 referendum; new election held 9 September 2001; October 2004 referendum ended presidential term limits allowing president to run for a third term in September 2006; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president


election results: Aleksandr LUKASHENKO reelected president; percent of vote - Aleksandr LUKASHENKO 75.6%, Vladimir GONCHARIK 15.4%
chief of state:
President France Albert RENE (since 5 June 1977); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

head of government:
President France Albert RENE (since 5 June 1977); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

cabinet:
Council of Ministers appointed by the president

elections:
president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 20-22 March 1998 (next to be held by NA 2003)

election results:
France Albert RENE reelected president; percent of vote - France Albert RENE (SPPF) 66.7%, Wavel RAMKALAWAN (UO) 19.5%, Sir James MANCHAM (DP) 13.8%
Exports NA (2001) $111 million (f.o.b., 1999)
Exports - commodities machinery and equipment, mineral products, chemicals, metals; textiles, foodstuffs fish, cinnamon bark, copra, petroleum products (reexports)
Exports - partners Russia 49.1%, UK 9.4%, Poland 4.4%, Germany 4.2%, Netherlands 4.2% (2003) France, UK, Netherlands, Italy, China, Germany, Japan
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
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 ornamention in red five oblique bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, red, white, and green (bottom) radiating from the bottom of the hoist side
GDP purchasing power parity - $62.56 billion (2003 est.) purchasing power parity - $610 million (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 11.1%


industry: 36.4%


services: 52.5% (2003 est.)
agriculture:
3.1%

industry:
26.3%

services:
70.6% (1999)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $6,100 (2003 est.) purchasing power parity - $7,700 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 6.8% (2003 est.) 1.5% (2000 est.)
Geographic coordinates 53 00 N, 28 00 E 4 35 S, 55 40 E
Geography - note landlocked; glacial scouring accounts for the flatness of Belarusian terrain and for its 11,000 lakes; the country is geologically well endowed with extensive deposits of granite, dolomitic limestone, marl, chalk, sand, gravel, and clay 40 granitic and about 50 coralline islands
Heliports 1 (2003 est.) -
Highways total: 74,385 km


paved: 66,203 km


unpaved: 8,182 km (2000)
total:
373 km

paved:
315 km

unpaved:
58 km (1997)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 5.1%


highest 10%: 20% (1998)
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; a small and lightly regulated financial center; new anti-money-laundering legislation does not meet international standards; few investigations or prosecutions of money-laundering activities -
Imports NA (2001) $440 million (c.i.f., 1999)
Imports - commodities mineral products, machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs, metals machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals
Imports - partners Russia 65.8%, Germany 7.1%, Ukraine 3.1% (2003) South Africa, UK, China, Singapore, France, Italy
Independence 25 August 1991 (from Soviet Union) 29 June 1976 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate 5% (2003 est.) NA%
Industries metal-cutting machine tools, tractors, trucks, earthmovers, motorcycles, television sets, chemical fibers, fertilizer, textiles, radios, refrigerators fishing; tourism; processing of coconuts and vanilla, coir (coconut fiber) rope, boat building, printing, furniture; beverages
Infant mortality rate total: 13.62 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 14.71 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 12.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
17.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 28.2% (2003 est.) 6% (1999 est.)
International organization participation CEI, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, NSG, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer) ACCT, ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 1 (2000)
Irrigated land 1,150 sq km (1998 est.) NA 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) Court of Appeal; Supreme Court; judges for both courts are appointed by the president
Labor force 4.8 million (2000 est.) 30,900 (1996)
Labor force - by occupation NA industry 19%, services 71%, agriculture 10% (1989)
Land boundaries total: 2,900 km


border countries: Latvia 141 km, Lithuania 502 km, Poland 407 km, Russia 959 km, Ukraine 891 km
0 km
Land use arable land: 29.55%


permanent crops: 0.6%


other: 69.85% (2001)
arable land:
2%

permanent crops:
13%

permanent pastures:
0%

forests and woodland:
11%

other:
74% (1993 est.)
Languages Belarusian, Russian, other English (official), French (official), Creole
Legal system based on civil law system based on English common law, French civil law, and customary law
Legislative branch bicameral Parliament or Natsionalnoye Sobranie consists of the Council of the Republic or Soviet Respubliki (64 seats; 56 members elected by regional councils and 8 members appointed by the president, all for 4-year terms) and the Chamber of Representatives or Palata Predstaviteliy (110 seats; members elected by universal adult suffrage to serve 4-year terms)


elections: last held 18 March and 1 April 2001 and 17 and 31 October 2004 (bi-election will be held March 2005 to fill one unfilled seat in the Palata Predstaviteliy); international observers widely denounced the October 2004 elections as flawed and undemocratic, based on massive government falsification; pro-Lukashenko candidates won every seat, after many opposition candidates were disqualified for technical reasons


election results: Soviet Respubliki - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; Palata Pretsaviteley - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (34 seats - 25 elected by popular vote, 9 allocated on a proportional basis to parties winning at least ten percent of the vote; members serve five-year terms)

elections:
last held 20-22 March 1998 (next to be held by NA 2003)

election results:
percent of vote by party - SPPF 61.7%, UO 26.1%, DP 12.1%; seats by party - SPPF 30, UO 3, DP 1

note:
the 9 awarded seats are apportioned according to the share of each party in the total vote
Life expectancy at birth total population: 68.57 years


male: 62.79 years


female: 74.65 years (2004 est.)
total population:
70.69 years

male:
65.17 years

female:
76.37 years (2001 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 99.6%


male: 99.8%


female: 99.5% (2003 est.)
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
58%

male:
56%

female:
60% (1971 est.)
Location Eastern Europe, east of Poland Eastern Africa, group of islands in the Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar
Map references Europe Africa
Maritime claims none (landlocked) contiguous zone:
24 NM

continental shelf:
200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin

exclusive economic zone:
200 NM

territorial sea:
12 NM
Merchant marine - total:
1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,353 GRT/7,638 DWT

ships by type:
cargo 1 (2000 est.)
Military branches Army, Air and Air Defense Force Army, Coast Guard, air wing, National Guard, Presidential Protection Unit, Police Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure $176.1 million (FY02) $13 million (FY93)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.4% (FY02) 2.8% (FY93)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 2,764,856 (2004 est.) males age 15-49:
22,951 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 2,164,923 (2004 est.) males age 15-49:
11,452 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 86,716 (2004 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, 18 June (1993)
Nationality noun: Belarusian(s)


adjective: Belarusian
noun:
Seychellois (singular and plural)

adjective:
Seychelles
Natural hazards NA lies outside the cyclone belt, so severe storms are rare; short droughts possible
Natural resources forests, peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas, granite, dolomitic limestone, marl, chalk, sand, gravel, clay fish, copra, cinnamon trees
Net migration rate 2.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) -6.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Pipelines gas 5,223 km; oil 2,443 km; refined products 1,686 km (2004) -
Political parties and leaders Pro-government parties: Agrarian Party or AP; Belarusian Communist Party or KPB; Belarusian Patriotic Movement (Belarusian Patriotic Party) or BPR [Anatoliy BARANKEVICH, chairman]; Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus [Sergei GAYDUKEVICH]; Social-Sports Party; Opposition parties: Belarusian Popular Front or BNF [Vintsuk VYACHORKA]; Belarusian Social-Democrat Party Narodnaya Gromada or BSDP NG [Nikolay STATKEVICH, chairman]; Belarusian Social-Democratic Party Hromada [Stanislav SHUSHKEVICH, chairman]; United Civic Party or UCP [Anatol LEBEDKO]; Party of Communists Belarusian or PKB [Sergei KALYAKIN, chairman]; Women's Party "Nadezhda" [Valentina MATUSEVICH, chairperson]


note: the opposition Belarusian Party of Labor [Aleksandr BUKHVOSTOV] was liquidated in August 2004, but remains active
Democratic Party or DP [James MANCHAM]; Seychelles National Party or SNP (formerly the United Opposition or UO) [Wavel RAMKALAWAN]; Seychelles People's Progressive Front or SPPF [France Albert RENE] - the governing party
Political pressure groups and leaders NA Roman Catholic Church; trade unions
Population 10,310,520 (July 2004 est.) 79,715 (July 2001 est.)
Population below poverty line 22% (1995 est.) NA%
Population growth rate -0.11% (2004 est.) 0.49% (2001 est.)
Ports and harbors Mazyr Victoria
Radio broadcast stations AM 28, FM 37, shortwave 11 (1998) AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios - 42,000 (1997)
Railways total: 5,523 km


broad gauge: 5,523 km 1.520-m gauge (875 km electrified) (2003)
0 km
Religions Eastern Orthodox 80%, other (including Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 20% (1997 est.) Roman Catholic 90%, Anglican 8%, other 2%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.5 male(s)/female


total population: 0.88 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1.02 male(s)/female

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

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

total population:
0.93 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 17 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' fiber optics form synchronous digital hierarchy rings through other countries' systems; an inadequate analog system remains operational


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); 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:
effective system

domestic:
radiotelephone communications between islands in the archipelago

international:
direct radiotelephone communications with adjacent island countries and African coastal countries; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 3,071,300 (2003) 19,635 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular 1.118 million (2003) 16,316 (1999)
Television broadcast stations 47 (plus 27 repeaters) (1995) 2 (plus 9 repeaters) (1997)
Terrain generally flat and contains much marshland Mahe Group is granitic, narrow coastal strip, rocky, hilly; others are coral, flat, elevated reefs
Total fertility rate 1.36 children born/woman (2004 est.) 1.83 children born/woman (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate 2.1% officially registered unemployed (December 2000); large number of underemployed workers (2003 est.) NA%
Waterways 2,500 km (use limited by location on perimeter of country and by shallowness) (2003) none
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