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Compare Belarus (2005) - Botswana (2001)

Compare Belarus (2005) z Botswana (2001)

 Belarus (2005)Botswana (2001)
 BelarusBotswana
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
10 districts and four town councils*; Central, Chobe, Francistown*, Gaborone*, Ghanzi, Kgalagadi, Kgatleng, Kweneng, Lobatse*, Ngamiland, North-East, Selebi-Pikwe*, South-East, Southern
Age structure 0-14 years: 16% (male 839,292/female 804,738)


15-64 years: 69.5% (male 3,481,432/female 3,672,991)


65 years and over: 14.6% (male 498,717/female 1,003,313) (2005 est.)
0-14 years:
40.3% (male 321,164; female 318,007)

15-64 years:
55.56% (male 423,954; female 457,227)

65 years and over:
4.14% (male 26,691; female 39,076) (2001 est.)
Agriculture - products grain, potatoes, vegetables, sugar beets, flax; beef, milk sorghum, corn, millet, pulses, groundnuts (peanuts), beans, cowpeas, sunflower seed; livestock
Airports 133 (2004 est.) 92 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 50


over 3,047 m: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 22


1,524 to 2,437 m: 4


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 21 (2004 est.)
total:
11

2,438 to 3,047 m:
2

1,524 to 2,437 m:
8

914 to 1,523 m:
1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 83


over 3,047 m: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 5


914 to 1,523 m: 11


under 914 m: 64 (2004 est.)
total:
81

1,524 to 2,437 m:
3

914 to 1,523 m:
56

under 914 m:
22 (2000 est.)
Area total: 207,600 sq km


land: 207,600 sq km


water: 0 sq km
total:
600,370 sq km

land:
585,370 sq km

water:
15,000 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Kansas slightly smaller than Texas
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 1995 as the country's first president, Alexander LUKASHENKO has steadily consolidated his power through authoritarian means. Government restrictions on freedom of speech and the press, peaceful assembly, and religion continue. Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name upon independence in 1966. The economy, one of the most robust on the continent, is dominated by diamond mining.
Birth rate 10.83 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) 28.85 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Budget revenues: $3.326 billion


expenditures: $3.564 billion, including capital expenditures of $180 million (2004 est.)
revenues:
$1.6 billion

expenditures:
$1.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $560 million (FY96)
Capital Minsk Gaborone
Climate cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between continental and maritime semiarid; warm winters and hot summers
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) 0 km (landlocked)
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 March 1965, effective 30 September 1966
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 Botswana

conventional short form:
Botswana

former:
Bechuanaland
Currency - pula (BWP)
Death rate 14.15 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) 24.18 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Debt - external $600 million (2004 est.) $455 million (2000)
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
chief of mission:
Ambassador John E. LANGE

embassy:
address NA, Gaborone

mailing address:
P. O. Box 90, Gaborone

telephone:
[267] 353982

FAX:
[267] 356947
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 Kgosi SEEPAPITSO IV

chancery:
1531-1533 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036

telephone:
[1] (202) 244-4990

FAX:
[1] (202) 244-4164
Disputes - international 1997 boundary treaty with Ukraine remains unratified over unresolved financial claims, preventing demarcation and diminishing border security; boundary with Latvia remains undemarcated but a third of the border with Lithuania was demarcated in 2004 none
Economic aid - recipient $194.3 million (1995) $73 million (1995)
Economy - overview Belarus's economy in 2003-04 posted 6.1% and 6.4% growth. Still, the economy continues 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; the Gini coefficient is among the lowest in the world. For the time being, Belarus remains self-isolated from the West and its open-market economies. Growth has been strong in recent years, despite the roadblocks in a tough, centrally directed economy and the high, but decreasing, rate of inflation. Growth has been buoyed by increased Russian demand for generally noncompetitive Belarusian goods. Botswana has maintained one of the world's highest growth rates since independence in 1966. Through fiscal discipline and sound management, Botswana has transformed itself from one of the poorest countries in the world to a middle-income country with a per capita GDP of $6,600 in 2000. Diamond mining has fueled much of Botswana's economic expansion and currently accounts for more than one-third of GDP and for three-fourths of export earnings. Tourism, subsistence farming, and cattle raising are other key sectors. The government must deal with high rates of unemployment and poverty. Unemployment officially is 19%, but unofficial estimates place it closer to 40%. HIV/AIDS infection rates are the highest in the world and threaten Botswana's impressive economic gains.
Electricity - consumption 34.3 billion kWh (2004) 1.517 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports 800 million kWh (2004) 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports 3.2 billion kWh (2003) 950 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production 30 billion kWh (2004) 610 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:
junction of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers 513 m

highest point:
Tsodilo Hills 1,489 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 overgrazing; desertification; limited fresh water resources
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, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups Belarusian 81.2%, Russian 11.4%, Polish 3.9%, Ukrainian 2.4%, other 1.1% (1999 census) Tswana (or Setswana) 79%, Kalanga 11%, Basarwa 3%, other, including Kgalagadi and white 7%
Exchange rates Belarusian rubles per US dollar - 2,160.26 (2004), 2,051.27 (2003), 1,790.92 (2002), 1,390 (2001), 876.75 (2000) pulas per US dollar - 5.4585 (January 2001), 5.1018 (2000), 4.6244 (1999), 4.2259 (1998), 3.6508 (1997), 3.3242 (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)


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 Festus MOGAE (since 1 April 1998) and Vice President Seretse Ian KHAMA (since 13 July 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

head of government:
President Festus MOGAE (since 1 April 1998) and Vice President Seretse Ian KHAMA (since 13 July 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

cabinet:
Cabinet appointed by the president

elections:
president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term; election last held 16 October 1999 (next to be held NA October 2004); vice president appointed by the president

election results:
Festus MOGAE elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 54.3%
Exports 14,500 bbl/day (2003 est.) $2.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities machinery and equipment, mineral products, chemicals, metals; textiles, foodstuffs diamonds 72%, vehicles, copper, nickel, meat (1998)
Exports - partners Russia 47%, UK 8.3%, Netherlands 6.7%, Poland 5.3% (2004) EU 77%, Southern African Customs Union (SACU) 18%, Zimbabwe 3% (1998)
Fiscal year calendar year 1 April - 31 March
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 light blue with a horizontal white-edged black stripe in the center
GDP - purchasing power parity - $10.4 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 11%


industry: 36.4%


services: 52.6% (2004 est.)
agriculture:
4%

industry:
46% (including 36% mining)

services:
50% (1998 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $6,800 (2004 est.) purchasing power parity - $6,600 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 6.4% (2004 est.) 6% (2000 est.)
Geographic coordinates 53 00 N, 28 00 E 22 00 S, 24 00 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 landlocked; population concentrated in eastern part of the country
Heliports 1 (2004 est.) -
Highways total: 79,990 km


paved: 69,351 km


unpaved: 10,639 km (2002)
total:
18,482 km

paved:
4,343 km

unpaved:
14,139 km (1996)
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 360,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) $2.2 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities mineral products, machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs, metals foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, textiles, petroleum products
Imports - partners Russia 68.2%, Germany 6.6%, Ukraine 3.3% (2004) Southern African Customs Union (SACU) 76%, Europe 10%, South Korea 5% (1998)
Independence 25 August 1991 (from Soviet Union) 30 September 1966 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate 4% (2004 est.) 6.2% (2000 est.)
Industries metal-cutting machine tools, tractors, trucks, earthmovers, motorcycles, televisions, chemical fibers, fertilizer, textiles, radios, refrigerators diamonds, copper, nickel, coal, salt, soda ash, potash; livestock processing
Infant mortality rate total: 13.37 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 14.3 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 12.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
63.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 17.4% (2004 est.) 8.6% (2000 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, WTO (observer) ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 3 (2000)
Irrigated land 1,150 sq km (1998 est.) 20 sq km (1993 est.)
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) High Court; Court of Appeal; Magistrates' Courts (one in each district)
Labor force 4.305 million (31 December 2003) 235,000 formal sector employees (1995)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 14%, industry 34.7%, services 51.3% (2003 est.) 100,000 public sector; 135,000 private sector, including 14,300 who are employed in various mines in South Africa; most others engaged in cattle raising and subsistence agriculture (1995 est.)
Land boundaries total: 2,900 km


border countries: Latvia 141 km, Lithuania 502 km, Poland 407 km, Russia 959 km, Ukraine 891 km
total:
4,013 km

border countries:
Namibia 1,360 km, South Africa 1,840 km, Zimbabwe 813 km
Land use arable land: 29.55%


permanent crops: 0.6%


other: 69.85% (2001)
arable land:
1%

permanent crops:
0%

permanent pastures:
46%

forests and woodland:
47%

other:
6% (1993 est.)
Languages Belarusian, Russian, other English (official), Setswana
Legal system based on civil law system based on Roman-Dutch law and local customary law; judicial review limited to matters of interpretation; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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 8 members appointed by the president, all for 4-year terms) and the Chamber of Representatives or Palata Predstaviteley (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; 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 Predstaviteley - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA
bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Chiefs (a largely advisory 15-member body consisting of the chiefs of the eight principal tribes, four elected subchiefs, and three members selected by the other 12) and the National Assembly (44 seats, 40 members are directly elected by popular vote and 4 appointed by the majority party; members serve five-year terms)

elections:
National Assembly elections last held 16 October 1999 (next to be held NA October 2004)

election results:
percent of vote by party - BDP 57.2%, BNF 26%, other 16.8%; seats by party - BDP 33, BNF 6, other 1
Life expectancy at birth total population: 68.72 years


male: 63.03 years


female: 74.69 years (2005 est.)
total population:
37.13 years

male:
36.77 years

female:
37.51 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:
69.8%

male:
80.5%

female:
59.9% (1995 est.)
Location Eastern Europe, east of Poland Southern Africa, north of South Africa
Map references Europe Africa
Maritime claims none (landlocked) none (landlocked)
Military branches Army, Air and Air Defense Force Botswana Defense Force (includes Army and Air Wing), Botswana National Police
Military expenditures - dollar figure $176.1 million (FY02) $61 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.4% (FY02) 1.2% (FY99)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49:
380,152 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49:
199,995 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - military age - 18 years of age
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males:
19,479 (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 Independence Day, 30 September (1966)
Nationality noun: Belarusian(s)


adjective: Belarusian
noun:
Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural)

adjective:
Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural)
Natural hazards NA periodic droughts; seasonal August winds blow from the west, carrying sand and dust across the country, which can obscure visibility
Natural resources forests, peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas, granite, dolomitic limestone, marl, chalk, sand, gravel, clay diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, coal, iron ore, silver
Net migration rate 2.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) 0 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 [leader NA]; Belarusian Communist Party or KPB [leader NA]; Belarusian Patriotic Movement (Belarusian Patriotic Party) or BPR [Anatoliy BARANKEVICH, chairman]; Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus [Sergei GAYDUKEVICH]; Social-Sports Party [leader NA]; 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
Botswana Democratic Party or BDP [Festus MOGAE]; Botswana National Front or BNF [Kenneth KOMA]; Botswana Congress Party or BCP [Michael DINGAKE]; Botswana Alliance Movement or BAM [Ephraim Lepetu SETSHWAELO]

note:
main parties are: BDP, BNF, BCP; other minor parties joined forces in 1999 to form the Botswana Alliance Movement or BAM [Ephraim SETSHWAELO, chairman] but did not capture any parliamentary seats; the BAM parties are: the United Action Party [Ephraim Lepetu SETSHWAELO], the Botswana Peoples Party, the Independence Freedom Party [Motsamai MPHO], and the Botswana Progressive Union [D. K. KWELE]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA NA
Population 10,300,483 (July 2005 est.) 1,586,119

note:
estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2001 est.)
Population below poverty line 27.1% (2003 est.) 47% (2000 est.)
Population growth rate -0.09% (2005 est.) 0.47% (2001 est.)
Ports and harbors Mazyr none
Radio broadcast stations AM 28, FM 37, shortwave 11 (1998) AM 7, FM 15, shortwave 5 (1998)
Radios - 237,000 (1997)
Railways total: 5,512 km


broad gauge: 5,497 km 1.520-m gauge (874 km electrified)


standard gauge: 15 km 1.435-m (2004)
total:
888 km

narrow gauge:
888 km 1.067-m gauge (2000)
Religions Eastern Orthodox 80%, other (including Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 20% (1997 est.) indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 50%
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 (2005 est.)
at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1.01 male(s)/female

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

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

total population:
0.95 male(s)/female (2001 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' 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:
sparse system

domestic:
small system of open-wire lines, microwave radio relay links, and a few radiotelephone communication stations

international:
two international exchanges; digital microwave radio relay links to Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 3,071,300 (2003) 86,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular 1.118 million (2003) NA
Television broadcast stations 47 (plus 27 repeaters) (1995) 0 (1997)
Terrain generally flat and contains much marshland predominantly flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari Desert in southwest
Total fertility rate 1.39 children born/woman (2005 est.) 3.7 children born/woman (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate 2% officially registered unemployed; large number of underemployed workers (2004) 40% (2000 est.)
Waterways 2,500 km (use limited by location on perimeter of country and by shallowness) (2003) none
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