Main page Compare countries Index countries Index fields

Query:
Jah-Jah.pl / Index countries / Denmark (2008) - Belarus (2003) / Compare countries
##ciekawa_strona##

Compare Denmark (2008) - Belarus (2003)

Compare Denmark (2008) z Belarus (2003)

 Denmark (2008)Belarus (2003)
 DenmarkBelarus
Administrative divisions metropolitan Denmark - 5 regions (regioner, singular - region); Hovedstaden, Midtjylland, Nordjylland, Sjaelland, Syddanmark


note: an extensive local government reform merged 271 municipalities into 98 and 13 counties into five regions, effective 1 January 2007
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
Age structure 0-14 years: 18.6% (male 520,669/female 494,228)


15-64 years: 66% (male 1,817,757/female 1,792,974)


65 years and over: 15.4% (male 363,828/female 478,664) (2007 est.)
0-14 years: 16.8% (male 885,265; female 848,516)


15-64 years: 68.9% (male 3,456,769; female 3,652,766)


65 years and over: 14.3% (male 490,529; female 988,306) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products barley, wheat, potatoes, sugar beets; pork, dairy products; fish grain, potatoes, vegetables, sugar beets, flax; beef, milk
Airports 91 (2007) 124 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways total: 28


over 3,047 m: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 7


1,524 to 2,437 m: 4


914 to 1,523 m: 12


under 914 m: 3 (2007)
total: 28


over 3,047 m: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 21


1,524 to 2,437 m: 4


under 914 m: 1 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 63


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 60 (2007)
total: 96


over 3,047 m: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 11


914 to 1,523 m: 14


under 914 m: 67 (2002)
Area total: 43,094 sq km


land: 42,394 sq km


water: 700 sq km


note: includes the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea and the rest of metropolitan Denmark (the Jutland Peninsula, and the major islands of Sjaelland and Fyn), but excludes the Faroe Islands and Greenland
total: 207,600 sq km


land: 207,600 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative slightly less than twice the size of Massachusetts slightly smaller than Kansas
Background Once the seat of Viking raiders and later a major north European power, Denmark has evolved into a modern, prosperous nation that is participating in the general political and economic integration of Europe. It joined NATO in 1949 and the EEC (now the EU) in 1973. However, the country has opted out of certain elements of the European Union's Maastricht Treaty, including the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), European defense cooperation, and issues concerning certain justice and home affairs. 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.
Birth rate 10.91 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 10.18 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget revenues: $167.9 billion


expenditures: $156.1 billion (2007 est.)
revenues: $4 billion


expenditures: $4.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $180 million (1997 est.)
Capital name: Copenhagen


geographic coordinates: 55 40 N, 12 35 E


time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)


daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Minsk
Climate temperate; humid and overcast; mild, windy winters and cool summers cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between continental and maritime
Coastline 7,314 km 0 km (landlocked)
Constitution 5 June 1953 constitution allowed for a unicameral legislature and a female chief of state 30 March 1994; revised by national referendum of 24 November 1996 giving the presidency greatly expanded powers and became effective 27 November 1996
Country name conventional long form: Kingdom of Denmark


conventional short form: Denmark


local long form: Kongeriget Danmark


local short form: Danmark
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
Currency - Belarusian ruble (BYB/BYR)
Death rate 10.3 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) 14.05 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external $492.6 billion (30 June 2007) $851 million (2001 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador James P. CAIN


embassy: Dag Hammarskjolds Alle 24, 2100 Copenhagen


mailing address: PSC 73, APO AE 09716


telephone: [45] 33 41 71 00


FAX: [45] 35 43 02 23
chief of mission: Ambassador Michael G. KOZAK


embassy: 46 Starovilenskaya St., Minsk 220002


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


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


FAX: [375] (17) 234-7853
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Friis Arne PETERSEN


chancery: 3200 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 234-4300


FAX: [1] (202) 328-1470


consulate(s) general: Chicago, New York
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
Disputes - international Iceland, the UK, and Ireland dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm; Faroese continue to study proposals for full independence; sovereignty dispute with Canada over Hans Island in the Kennedy Channel between Ellesmere Island and Greenland 1997 boundary treaty with Ukraine remains unratified over unresolved financial claims, preventing demarcation and encouraging illegal border crossing; boundaries with Latvia and Lithuania remain undemarcated despite European Union financial support
Economic aid - donor ODA, $2.13 billion (2005) -
Economic aid - recipient - $194.3 million (1995)
Economy - overview The Danish economy has in recent years undergone strong expansion fueled primarily by private consumption growth, but also supported by exports and investments. This thoroughly modern market economy features high-tech agriculture, up-to-date small-scale and corporate industry, extensive government welfare measures, comfortable living standards, a stable currency, and high dependence on foreign trade. Unemployment is low and capacity constraints are limiting growth potential. Denmark is a net exporter of food and energy and enjoys a comfortable balance of payments surplus. Government objectives include streamlining the bureaucracy and further privatization of state assets. The government has been successful in meeting, and even exceeding, the economic convergence criteria for participating in the third phase (a common European currency) of the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), but so far Denmark has decided not to join 15 other EU members in the euro. Nonetheless, the Danish krone remains pegged to the euro. Economic growth gained momentum in 2004 and the upturn continued through 2007. The controversy over caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad printed in a Danish newspaper in September 2005 led to boycotts of some Danish exports to the Muslim world, especially exports of dairy products, but the boycotts did not have a significant impact on the overall Danish economy. Because of high GDP per capita, welfare benefits, a low Gini index, and political stability, the Danish living standards are among the highest in the world. A major long-term issue will be the sharp decline in the ratio of workers to retirees. 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 high inflation and persistent trade deficits, 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. 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.
Electricity - consumption 34.02 billion kWh (2005) 26.69 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 13.72 billion kWh (2006) 300 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 6.77 billion kWh (2006) 4.3 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 43.35 billion kWh (2006) 24.4 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel: 99.5%


hydro: 0.1%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0.4% (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Lammefjord -7 m


highest point: Yding Skovhoej 173 m
lowest point: Nyoman River 90 m


highest point: Dzyarzhynskaya Hara 346 m
Environment - current issues air pollution, principally from vehicle and power plant emissions; nitrogen and phosphorus pollution of the North Sea; drinking and surface water becoming polluted from animal wastes and pesticides soil pollution from pesticide use; southern part of the country contaminated with fallout from 1986 nuclear reactor accident at Chornobyl' in northern Ukraine
Environment - international agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 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
Ethnic groups Scandinavian, Inuit, Faroese, German, Turkish, Iranian, Somali Belarusian 81.2%, Russian 11.4%, Polish, Ukrainian, and other 7.4%
Exchange rates Danish kroner per US dollar - 5.4797 (2007), 5.9468 (2006), 5.9969 (2005), 5.9911 (2004), 6.5877 (2003) Belarusian rubles per US dollar - NA (2002), 1,390 (2001), 876.75 (2000), 248.8 (1999), 46.13 (1998)
Executive branch chief of state: Queen MARGRETHE II (since 14 January 1972); Heir Apparent Crown Prince FREDERIK, elder son of the monarch (born 26 May 1968)


head of government: Prime Minister Anders Fogh RASMUSSEN (since 27 November 2001)


cabinet: Council of State appointed by the monarch


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch
chief of state: President Aleksandr LUKASHENKO (since 20 July 1994)


head of government: Prime Minister Sergei SIDORSKY (acting; since 10 July 2003); Deputy Prime Ministers Andrei KOBYAKOV (since 13 March 2000), Sergei SIDORSKY (since 24 September 2001), Vladimir DRAZHIN (since 24 September 2001), Roman VNUCHKO (since 10 July 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 (next election to be held by 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%
Exports 320,000 bbl/day (2006) NA (2001)
Exports - commodities machinery and instruments, meat and meat products, dairy products, fish, pharmaceuticals, furniture, windmills machinery and equipment, mineral products, chemicals, metals; textiles, foodstuffs
Exports - partners Germany 17.3%, Sweden 14.1%, UK 8.7%, US 6.2%, Netherlands 5.4%, Norway 5.4%, France 4.9% (2006) Russia 50.8%, Latvia 7.3%, Ukraine 6.3%, Lithuania 4.1%, Germany 4.1% (2002)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description red with a white cross that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side; the banner is referred to as the Dannebrog (Danish flag)


note: the shifted design element was subsequently adopted by the other Nordic countries of Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden
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 a Belarusian national ornament in red
GDP - purchasing power parity - $90.19 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 1.6%


industry: 26.3%


services: 72.1% (2007 est.)
agriculture: 15%


industry: 40%


services: 45% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $8,700 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 1.7% (2007 est.) 4.7% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 56 00 N, 10 00 E 53 00 N, 28 00 E
Geography - note controls Danish Straits (Skagerrak and Kattegat) linking Baltic and North Seas; about one-quarter of the population lives in greater Copenhagen 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
Highways - total: 74,385 km


paved: 66,203 km


unpaved: 8,182 km (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 2%


highest 10%: 24% (2000 est.)
lowest 10%: 5.1%


highest 10%: 20% (1998)
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; lax money-laundering and banking regulations
Imports 164,000 bbl/day (2006 est.) NA (2001)
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, raw materials and semimanufactures for industry, chemicals, grain and foodstuffs, consumer goods mineral products, machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs, metals
Imports - partners Germany 21.4%, Sweden 14.2%, Norway 6.5%, Netherlands 6.3%, UK 5.7%, China 5%, France 4.4% (2006) Russia 68.2%, Germany 9.4%, Ukraine 3.2% (2002)
Independence first organized as a unified state in 10th century; in 1849 became a constitutional monarchy 25 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
Industrial production growth rate 1.5% (2007 est.) 2.5% (2002 est.)
Industries iron, steel, nonferrous metals, chemicals, food processing, machinery and transportation equipment, textiles and clothing, electronics, construction, furniture and other wood products, shipbuilding and refurbishment, windmills, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment metal-cutting machine tools, tractors, trucks, earthmovers, motorcycles, television sets, chemical fibers, fertilizer, textiles, radios, refrigerators
Infant mortality rate total: 4.45 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 4.49 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 4.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
total: 13.87 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 15.13 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 12.56 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 1.5% (2007 est.) 42.8% (2002 est.)
International organization participation ADB (nonregional members), AfDB, Arctic Council, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, Schengen Convention, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMOGIP, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (observer), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC CEI, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NAM, NAM (observer), NSG, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 23 (2002)
Irrigated land 4,490 sq km (2003) 1,150 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the monarch for life) 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)
Labor force 2.9 million (2007 est.) 4.8 million (2000)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 3%


industry: 21%


services: 76% (2004 est.)
industry and construction NA%, agriculture and forestry NA%, services NA%
Land boundaries total: 68 km


border countries: Germany 68 km
total: 2,900 km


border countries: Latvia 141 km, Lithuania 502 km, Poland 407 km, Russia 959 km, Ukraine 891 km
Land use arable land: 52.59%


permanent crops: 0.19%


other: 47.22% (2005)
arable land: 29.76%


permanent crops: 0.69%


other: 69.55% (1998 est.)
Languages Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic (an Inuit dialect), German (small minority)


note: English is the predominant second language
Belarusian, Russian, other
Legal system civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations based on civil law system
Legislative branch unicameral People's Assembly or Folketinget (179 seats, including 2 from Greenland and 2 from the Faroe Islands; members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 13 November 2007 (next to be held in 2011)


election results: percent of vote by party - Liberal Party 26.2%, Social Democrats 25.5%, Danish People's Party 13.9%, Socialist People's Party 13.0%, Conservative People's Party 10.4%, Social Liberal Party 5.1%, New Alliance 2.8%, Red-Green Alliance 2.2%, other 0.9%; seats by party - Liberal Party 46, Social Democrats 45, Danish People's Party 25, Socialist People's Party 23, Conservative People's Party 18, Social Liberal Party 9, New Alliance 5, Red-Green Alliance 4; note - does not include the two seats from Greenland and the two seats from the Faroe Islands
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 Pretsaviteley (110 seats; members elected by universal adult suffrage to serve 4-year terms)


elections: last held October 2000 (next to be held NA 2004)


election results: party affiliation data unavailable; under present political conditions party designations are meaningless
Life expectancy at birth total population: 77.96 years


male: 75.65 years


female: 80.41 years (2007 est.)
total population: 68.43 years


male: 62.54 years


female: 74.6 years (2003 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 99%


male: 99%


female: 99% (2003 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 99.6%


male: 99.8%


female: 99.5% (2003 est.)
Location Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, on a peninsula north of Germany (Jutland); also includes two major islands (Sjaelland and Fyn) Eastern Europe, east of Poland
Map references Europe Europe
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
none (landlocked)
Merchant marine total: 299 ships (1000 GRT or over) 8,767,265 GRT/10,604,081 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 7, cargo 64, chemical tanker 57, container 84, liquefied gas 2, livestock carrier 2, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 41, petroleum tanker 22, refrigerated cargo 7, roll on/roll off 8, specialized tanker 4


foreign-owned: 25 (Canada 1, Germany 13, Greece 4, Greenland 1, Norway 1, Sweden 4, UK 1)


registered in other countries: 468 (Antigua and Barbuda 15, Bahamas 66, Belgium 3, Brazil 2, Cayman Islands 3, Cyprus 1, Egypt 1, Estonia 2, France 3, Gibraltar 9, Hong Kong 12, Isle of Man 41, Italy 2, Jamaica 1, Liberia 12, Lithuania 9, Malta 10, Marshall Islands 9, Mexico 2, Netherlands 19, Netherlands Antilles 1, Norway 26, Panama 32, Portugal 3, Singapore 68, South Africa 1, Spain 2, St Vincent and The Grenadines 16, Sweden 4, UK 61, US 29, Venezuela 3) (2007)
-
Military branches Defense Command: Army Operational Command, Admiral Danish Fleet, Island Command Greenland, Tactical Air Command (2006) Army, Air Force (including air defense), Interior Ministry Troops, Border Guards
Military expenditures - dollar figure - $176.1 million (FY02)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.5% (2006; 1.28% 2007 est.; 1.24% 2008 projected) 1.4% (FY02)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49: 2,756,572 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49: 2,158,875 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - military age - 18 years of age (2003 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males: 86,654 (2003 est.)
National holiday none designated; Constitution Day, 5 June (1849) is generally viewed as the National Day 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
Nationality noun: Dane(s)


adjective: Danish
noun: Belarusian(s)


adjective: Belarusian
Natural hazards flooding is a threat in some areas of the country (e.g., parts of Jutland, along the southern coast of the island of Lolland) that are protected from the sea by a system of dikes NA
Natural resources petroleum, natural gas, fish, salt, limestone, chalk, stone, gravel and sand forests, peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas, granite, dolomitic limestone, marl, chalk, sand, gravel, clay
Net migration rate 2.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) 2.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Pipelines condensate 11 km; gas 4,073 km; oil 617 km; oil/gas/water 2 km (2007) gas 4,519 km; oil 1,811 km; refined products 1,686 km (2003)
Political parties and leaders Christian Democrats [Bodil KORNBEK] (was Christian People's Party); Conservative Party [Bendt BENDTSEN] (sometimes known as Conservative People's Party); Danish People's Party [Pia KJAERSGAARD]; Liberal Party [Anders Fogh RASMUSSEN]; New Alliance [Naser KHADER]; Red-Green Unity List (Alliance) [collective leadership] (bloc includes Left Socialist Party, Communist Party of Denmark, Socialist Workers' Party); Social Democratic Party [Helle THORNING-SCHMIDT]; Social Liberal Party [Margrethe VESTAGER]; Socialist People's Party [Villy SOEVNDAL] Agrarian Party or AP [Mikhail SHIMANSKY]; 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 Party or SDBP [Nikolay STATKEVICH, chairman]; Belarusian Social-Democratic Party or Hromada [Stanislav SHUSHKEVICH, chairman]; Belarusian Socialist Party [Vyacheslav KUZNETSOV]; Civic Accord Bloc (United Civic Party) or CAB [Anatol LIABEDZKA]; 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 or "Nadezhda" [Valentina POLEVIKOVA, chairperson]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA NA
Population 5,468,120 (July 2007 est.) 10,322,151 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 22% (1995 est.)
Population growth rate 0.311% (2007 est.) -0.12% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors - Mazyr
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 355, shortwave 0 (1998) AM 28, FM 37, shortwave 11 (1998)
Railways total: 2,644 km


standard gauge: 2,644 km 1.435-m gauge (636 km electrified) (2007)
total: 5,523 km


broad gauge: 5,523 km 1.520-m gauge (875 km electrified) (2002)
Religions Evangelical Lutheran 95%, other Christian (includes Protestant and Roman Catholic) 3%, Muslim 2% Eastern Orthodox 80%, other (including Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 20% (1997 est.)
Sex ratio at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.053 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.014 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female


total population: 0.977 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
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 (2003 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: excellent telephone and telegraph services


domestic: buried and submarine cables and microwave radio relay form trunk network, 4 cellular mobile communications systems


international: country code - 45; a series of fiber-optic submarine cables link Denmark with Canada, Faroe Islands, Germany, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and UK; satellite earth stations - 6 Intelsat, 10 Eutelsat, 1 Orion, 1 Inmarsat (Blaavand-Atlantic-East); note - the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) share the Danish earth station and the Eik, Norway, station for worldwide Inmarsat access
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
Telephones - main lines in use 3.098 million (2006) 2.313 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular 5.841 million (2006) 8,167 (1997)
Television broadcast stations 26 (plus 51 repeaters) (1998) 47 (plus 27 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain low and flat to gently rolling plains generally flat and contains much marshland
Total fertility rate 1.74 children born/woman (2007 est.) 1.34 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate 3.5% (2007 est.) 2.1% officially registered unemployed (December 2000); large number of underemployed workers
Waterways 400 km (2007) NA km; note - Belarus has extensive and widely used canal and river systems
Sitemap: Compare countries listing (map site) | Country listing (map site)
Links: Add to favorites | Information about this website | Stats | Polityka prywatnosci
This page was generated in ##czas## s. Size this page: ##rozmiar_strony## kB.