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Compare Belarus (2007) - Cayman Islands (2007)

Compare Belarus (2007) z Cayman Islands (2007)

 Belarus (2007)Cayman Islands (2007)
 BelarusCayman Islands
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
8 districts; Creek, Eastern, Midland, South Town, Spot Bay, Stake Bay, West End, Western
Age structure 0-14 years: 14.7% (male 733,010/female 691,734)


15-64 years: 70.4% (male 3,327,119/female 3,520,690)


65 years and over: 14.9% (male 471,863/female 980,307) (2007 est.)
0-14 years: 20.3% (male 4,746/female 4,730)


15-64 years: 71% (male 16,135/female 16,964)


65 years and over: 8.6% (male 1,892/female 2,133) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products grain, potatoes, vegetables, sugar beets, flax; beef, milk vegetables, fruit; livestock; turtle farming
Airports 67 (2007) 3 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total: 36


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: 7 (2007)
total: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 31


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 27 (2007)
total: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)
Area total: 207,600 sq km


land: 207,600 sq km


water: 0 sq km
total: 262 sq km


land: 262 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Kansas 1.5 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. Since his election in July 1994 as the country's first president, Alexandr LUKASHENKO has steadily consolidated his power through authoritarian means. Government restrictions on freedom of speech and the press, peaceful assembly, and religion continue. The Cayman Islands were colonized from Jamaica by the British during the 18th and 19th centuries, and were administered by Jamaica after 1863. In 1959, the islands became a territory within the Federation of the West Indies, but when the Federation dissolved in 1962, the Cayman Islands chose to remain a British dependency.
Birth rate 9.5 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 12.6 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $13.24 billion


expenditures: $13.76 billion (2006 est.)
revenues: $423.8 million


expenditures: $392.6 million (2004)
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
name: George Town (on Grand Cayman)


geographic coordinates: 19 18 N, 81 23 W


time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between continental and maritime tropical marine; warm, rainy summers (May to October) and cool, relatively dry winters (November to April)
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) 160 km
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 1959; revised 1962, 1972, and 1994
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
conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Cayman Islands
Death rate 13.98 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) 4.98 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $5.929 billion (2006 est.) $70 million (1996)
Dependency status - overseas territory of the UK
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Karen B. STEWART


embassy: 46 Starovilenskaya Street, 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
none (overseas territory of the UK)
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
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international as of January 2007, ground demarcations of the boundaries with Latvia and Lithuania were complete and mapped with final ratification documentation in preparation; 1997 boundary delimitation treaty with Ukraine remains unratified over unresolved financial claims, preventing demarcation and diminishing border security none
Economic aid - recipient $53.76 million (2005) $390,000 (2004)
Economy - overview Belarus's economy in 2006 posted more than 8% growth. Trade with Russia - by far its largest single trade partner - decreased in 2006, largely as a result of a change in the way the Value Added Tax (VAT) on trade was collected. Trade with European countries increased. 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, which remains low. Growth has been strong in recent years, despite the roadblocks in a tough, centrally directed economy with a high, but decreasing, rate of inflation. Belarus receives heavily 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. This growth will be threatened in 2007, however, when Russia raises energy prices closer to world market prices for Belarus. Russia is planning to increase Belarusian gas prices from $47 per thousand cubic meters (tcm) to $100 per tcm for 2007, gradually increasing to world prices by 2011. Russia has also 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 - 70% will go to Russia in 2007, 80% in 2008, and 85% in 2009. With no direct taxation, the islands are a thriving offshore financial center. More than 68,000 companies were registered in the Cayman Islands as of 2003, including almost 500 banks, 800 insurers, and 5,000 mutual funds. A stock exchange was opened in 1997. Tourism is also a mainstay, accounting for about 70% of GDP and 75% of foreign currency earnings. The tourist industry is aimed at the luxury market and caters mainly to visitors from North America. Total tourist arrivals exceeded 2.1 million in 2003, with about half from the US. About 90% of the islands' food and consumer goods must be imported. The Caymanians enjoy one of the highest outputs per capita and one of the highest standards of living in the world.
Electricity - consumption 29.49 billion kWh (2005) 372 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports 5.053 billion kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 9.091 billion kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 29.08 billion kWh (2005) 400 million kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Nyoman River 90 m


highest point: Dzyarzhynskaya Hara 346 m
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: The Bluff (Cayman Brac) 43 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 no natural fresh water resources; drinking water supplies must be met by rainwater catchments
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
-
Ethnic groups Belarusian 81.2%, Russian 11.4%, Polish 3.9%, Ukrainian 2.4%, other 1.1% (1999 census) mixed 40%, white 20%, black 20%, expatriates of various ethnic groups 20%
Exchange rates Belarusian rubles per US dollar - 2,144.6 (2006), 2,150 (2005), 2,160.26 (2004), 2,051.27 (2003), 1,790.92 (2002) Caymanian dollars per US dollar - 0.8496 (2006)
Executive branch chief of state: President Aleksandr LUKASHENKO (since 20 July 1994)


head of government: Prime Minister Sergei SIDORSKIY (since 19 December 2003); First Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir SEMASHKO (since NA 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
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Stuart JACK (since 23 November 2005)


head of government: Leader of Government Business Kurt TIBBETTS (since 18 May 2005)


cabinet: Executive Council (three members appointed by the governor, four members elected by the Legislative Assembly)


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the governor is appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or coalition is appointed by the governor Leader of Government Business
Exports 249,900 bbl/day (2004 est.) NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities machinery and equipment, mineral products, chemicals, metals, textiles, foodstuffs turtle products, manufactured consumer goods
Exports - partners Russia 34.7%, Netherlands 17.7%, UK 7.5%, Ukraine 6.3%, Poland 5.2% (2006) mostly US (2006)
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 ornamentation in red blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Caymanian coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms includes a pineapple and turtle above a shield with three stars (representing the three islands) and a scroll at the bottom bearing the motto HE HATH FOUNDED IT UPON THE SEAS
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 9.2%


industry: 41.7%


services: 49.1% (2006 est.)
agriculture: 1.4%


industry: 3.2%


services: 95.4% (1994 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 9.9% (2006 est.) 0.9% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates 53 00 N, 28 00 E 19 30 N, 80 30 W
Geography - note landlocked; glacial scouring accounts for the flatness of Belarusian terrain and for its 11,000 lakes important location between Cuba and Central America
Heliports 1 (2007) -
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 3.4%


highest 10%: 23.5% (2002)
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 offshore financial center; vulnerable to drug transshipment to the US and Europe
Imports 378,200 bbl/day (2004 est.) NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities mineral products, machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs, metals foodstuffs, manufactured goods
Imports - partners Russia 58.6%, Germany 7.5%, Ukraine 5.5% (2006) US, Netherlands Antilles, Japan (2006)
Independence 25 August 1991 (from Soviet Union) none (overseas territory of the UK)
Industrial production growth rate 15.6% (2005 est.) NA%
Industries metal-cutting machine tools, tractors, trucks, earthmovers, motorcycles, televisions, chemical fibers, fertilizer, textiles, radios, refrigerators tourism, banking, insurance and finance, construction, construction materials, furniture
Infant mortality rate total: 6.63 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 7.67 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 5.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
total: 7.8 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 8.94 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 6.65 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 7% (2006 est.) 4.4% (2004)
International organization participation BSEC (observer), CEI, CIS, EAEC, EAPC, EBRD, GCTU, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, 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) Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU
Irrigated land 1,310 sq km (2003) NA
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) Summary Court; Grand Court; Cayman Islands Court of Appeal
Labor force 4.3 million (31 December 2005) 23,450 (2004)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 14%


industry: 34.7%


services: 51.3% (2003 est.)
agriculture: 1.4%


industry: 12.6%


services: 86% (1995)
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: 26.77%


permanent crops: 0.6%


other: 72.63% (2005)
arable land: 3.85%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 96.15% (2005)
Languages Belarusian, Russian, other English
Legal system based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction British common law and local statutes
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: last held 17 and 31 October 2004; international observers widely denounced the 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
unicameral Legislative Assembly (18 seats; 3 appointed members from the Executive Council and 15 elected by popular vote; to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 11 May 2005 (next to be held in 2009)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PPM 9, UDP 5, independent 1
Life expectancy at birth total population: 70.05 years


male: 64.31 years


female: 76.14 years (2007 est.)
total population: 80.2 years


male: 77.57 years


female: 82.87 years (2007 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 99.6%


male: 99.8%


female: 99.4% (1999 census)
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school


total population: 98%


male: 98%


female: 98% (1970 est.)
Location Eastern Europe, east of Poland Caribbean, three island (Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, Little Cayman) group in Caribbean Sea, 240 km south of Cuba and 268 km northwest of Jamaica
Map references Europe Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims none (landlocked) territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine - total: 124 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,953,923 GRT/4,597,716 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 33, cargo 11, chemical tanker 41, liquefied gas 1, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 17, refrigerated cargo 13, roll on/roll off 3, vehicle carrier 4


foreign-owned: 122 (Denmark 3, Germany 17, Greece 23, Italy 10, Japan 6, Norway 2, Singapore 10, Sweden 1, UK 9, US 41) (2007)
Military - note - defense is the responsibility of the UK
Military branches Belarus Armed Forces: Land Force, Air and Air Defense Force (2006) no regular military forces; Royal Cayman Islands Police Force
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.4% (2005 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, first Monday in July
Nationality noun: Belarusian(s)


adjective: Belarusian
noun: Caymanian(s)


adjective: Caymanian
Natural hazards NA hurricanes (July to November)
Natural resources forests, peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas, granite, dolomitic limestone, marl, chalk, sand, gravel, clay fish, climate and beaches that foster tourism
Net migration rate 0.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) 17.34 migrant(s)/1,000 population


note: major destination for Cubans trying to migrate to the US (2007 est.)
Pipelines gas 5,223 km; oil 2,321 km; refined products 1,686 km (2006) -
Political parties and leaders pro-government parties: Agrarian Party or AP [Mikhail SHIMANSKY]; Belarusian Communist Party or KPB; Belarusian Patriotic Movement (Belarusian Patriotic Party) or BPR [Nikolai ULAKHOVICH, chairman]; Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus [Sergei GAYDUKEVICH]; Party of Labor and Justice [Viktor SOKOLOV]; Social-Sports Party [Vladimir ALEXANDROVICH]


opposition parties: 10 Plus Coalition [Aleksandr MILINKEVICH], includes: Belarusian Party of Communists or PKB [Syarhey KALYAKIN]; Belarusian Party of Labor (unregistered) [Aleksandr BUKHVOSTOV, Leonid LEMESHONAK]; Belarusian Popular Front or BPF [Vintsyuk VYACHORKA]; Belarusian Social-Democratic Gramada [Stanislav SHUSHKEVICH]; Green Party [Oleg GROMYKO]; Party of Freedom and Progress (unregistered) [Vladimir NOVOSYAD]; United Civic Party or UCP [Anatol LYABEDKA]; Women's Party "Nadezhda" [Valentina MATUSEVICH, chairperson]


other opposition includes: Belarusian Social-Democratic Party (People's Assembly) or BSDP NH [Aleksandr KOZULIN]; Christian Conservative BPF [Zyanon PAZNIAK]; Ecological Party of Greens [Mikhail KARTASH]; Party of Popular Accord [Sergei YERMAKK]; Republican Party [Vladimir BELAZOR]
United Democratic Party or UDP [McKeeva BUSH]; People's Progressive Movement or PPM [Kurt TIBBETTS]; note - no national teams (loose groupings of political organizations) were formed for the 2000 elections
Political pressure groups and leaders Assembly of Pro-Democratic NGOs [Sergey MATSKEVICH]; Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions [Alyaksandr YAROSHUK]; Belarusian Helsinki Committee [Tatiana PROTKO]; Belarusian Organization of Working Women [Irina ZHIKHAR]; Charter 97 [Andrey SANNIKOV]; Lenin Communist Union of Youth (youth wing of the Belarusian Party of Communists or PKB); National Strike Committee of Entrepreneurs [Aleksandr VASILYEV, Valery LEVONEVSKY]; Partnership NGO [Nikolay ASTREYKA]; Perspektiva kiosk watchdog NGO [Anatol SHUMCHENKO]; Vyasna [Ales BYALATSKY]; Women's Independent Democratic Movement [Ludmila PETINA]; Youth Front (Malady Front) [Dzmitryy DASHKEVICH, Syarhey BAKHUN]; Zubr youth group [Vladimir KOBETS] NA
Population 9,724,723 (July 2007 est.) 46,600


note: most of the population lives on Grand Cayman (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line 27.1% (2003 est.) NA%
Population growth rate -0.41% (2007 est.) 2.496% (2007 est.)
Radio broadcast stations AM 28, FM 37, shortwave 11 (1998) AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (2004)
Railways total: 5,512 km


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


standard gauge: 15 km 1.435 m (2006)
-
Religions Eastern Orthodox 80%, other (including Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 20% (1997 est.) United Church (Presbyterian and Congregational), Anglican, Baptist, Church of God, other Protestant, Roman Catholic
Sex ratio at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.945 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.481 male(s)/female


total population: 0.873 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.003 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.951 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.887 male(s)/female


total population: 0.956 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
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 33 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone density of 58 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; 4 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 (2007)
general assessment: reasonably good system


domestic: liberalization of telecom market in 2003; introduction of competition in the mobile-cellular market in 2004


international: country code - 1-345; landing point for the MAYA-1 submarine telephone cable network that provides links to the US and parts of Central and South America; submarine cable provides connectivity to Jamaica; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)
Telephones - main lines in use 3.368 million (2006) 38,000 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 5.96 million (2006) 17,000 (2002)
Television broadcast stations 47 (plus 27 repeaters) (1995) 4 with cable system (2004)
Terrain generally flat and contains much marshland low-lying limestone base surrounded by coral reefs
Total fertility rate 1.22 children born/woman (2007 est.) 1.89 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate 1.6% officially registered unemployed; large number of underemployed workers (2005) 4.4% (2004)
Waterways 2,500 km (use limited by location on perimeter of country and by shallowness) (2003) -
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