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Compare Holy See (Vatican City) (2001) - Belarus (2002)

Compare Holy See (Vatican City) (2001) z Belarus (2002)

 Holy See (Vatican City) (2001)Belarus (2002)
 Holy See (Vatican City)Belarus
Administrative divisions - 6 voblastsi (singular - voblasts') and one municipality* (harady, singular - horad); Brestskaya (Brest), Homyel'skaya (Homyel'), Horad Minsk*, Hrodzyenskaya (Hrodna), Mahilyowskaya (Mahilyow), Minskaya, Vitsyebskaya (Vitsyebsk); note - when using a place name with the adjectival ending 'skaya' the word voblasts' should be added to the place name


note: voblasti have the administrative center name following in parentheses
Age structure - 0-14 years: 17.3% (male 914,579; female 876,346)


15-64 years: 68.6% (male 3,443,859; female 3,643,628)


65 years and over: 14.1% (male 482,624; female 974,346) (2002 est.)
Agriculture - products - grain, potatoes, vegetables, sugar beets, flax; beef, milk
Airports none 136 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways - total: 33


over 3,047 m: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 19


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


under 914 m: 11 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways - total: 103


over 3,047 m: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 10


1,524 to 2,437 m: 11


914 to 1,523 m: 14


under 914 m: 65 (2002)
Area total:
0.44 sq km

land:
0.44 sq km

water:
0 sq km
total: 207,600 sq km


land: 207,600 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative about 0.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC slightly smaller than Kansas
Background Popes in their secular role ruled much of the Italian peninsula for more than a thousand years until the mid 19th century, when many of the Papal States were seized by the newly united Kingdom of Italy. In 1870, the pope's holdings were further circumscribed when Rome itself was annexed. Disputes between a series of "prisoner" popes and Italy were resolved in 1929 by three Lateran Treaties, which established the independent state of Vatican City and granted Roman Catholicism special status in Italy. In 1984, a concordat between the Vatican and Italy modified certain of the earlier treaty provisions, including the primacy of Roman Catholicism as the Italian state religion. Present concerns of the Holy See include the failing health of Pope John Paul II, interreligious dialogue and reconciliation, and the adjustment of church doctrine in an era of rapid change and globalization. About 1 billion people worldwide profess the Catholic faith. 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 - 9.86 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Budget revenues:
$209.6 million

expenditures:
$198.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997)
revenues: $4 billion


expenditures: $4.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $180 million (1997 est.)
Capital Vatican City Minsk
Climate temperate; mild, rainy winters (September to mid-May) with hot, dry summers (May to September) cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between continental and maritime
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) 0 km (landlocked)
Constitution Apostolic Constitution of 1967 (effective 1 March 1968) 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:
The Holy See (State of the Vatican City)

conventional short form:
Holy See (Vatican City)

local long form:
Santa Sede (Stato della Citta del Vaticano)

local short form:
Santa Sede (Citta del Vaticano)
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 Italian lira (ITL); euro (EUR) Belarusian ruble (BYB/BYR)
Death rate - 13.99 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Debt - external - $770 million (2001 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission:
Ambassador (vacant)

embassy:
Villa Domiziana, Via delle Terme Deciane 26, 00162 Rome

mailing address:
PSC 59, Box F, APO AE 09624

telephone:
[39] (06) 4674-3428

FAX:
[39] (06) 5758346
chief of mission: Ambassador Michael G. KOZAK


embassy: 46 Starovilenskaya St., Minsk 220002


mailing address: use embassy street address


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


FAX: [375] (17) 234-7853
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission:
Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Gabriele MONTALVO

chancery:
3339 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:
[1] (202) 333-7121
chief of mission: Ambassador Valeriy V. TSEPAKLO


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


telephone: [1] (202) 986-1604


FAX: [1] (202) 986-1805


consulate(s) general: New York
Disputes - international none boundary demarcation with Latvia and Lithuania is pending European Union funding
Economic aid - recipient none $194.3 million (1995) (1995)
Economy - overview This unique, noncommercial economy is supported financially by contributions (known as Peter's Pence) from Roman Catholics throughout the world, the sale of postage stamps and tourist mementos, fees for admission to museums, and the sale of publications. The incomes and living standards of lay workers are comparable to, or somewhat better than, those of counterparts who work in the city of Rome. 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. 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 NA kWh 26.78 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports - 300 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by Italy 4.15 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production - 24.66 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
NA%

hydro:
NA%

nuclear:
NA%

other:
NA%
fossil fuel: 100%


hydro: 0%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2000)
Elevation extremes lowest point:
unnamed location 19 m

highest point:
unnamed location 75 m
lowest point: Nyoman River 90 m


highest point: Dzyarzhynskaya Hara 346 m
Environment - current issues NA 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:
none of the selected agreements

signed, but not ratified:
Air Pollution, Environmental Modification
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 Italians, Swiss, other Belarusian 81.2%, Russian 11.4%, Polish, Ukrainian, and other 7.4%
Exchange rates euros per US dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); Vatican lire per US dollar - 2,099 (2000), 1817.2 (1999), 1,736.2 (1998), 1,703.1 (1997), 1,542.9 (1996); note - the Vatican lira is at par with the Italian lira; the Vatican will start using euros in 2002 in conjunction with Italy at a fixed rate of 1,936.17 lire per euro Belarusian rubles per US dollar - 1,590 (yearend 2001), 1,531.000 (November 2001), 876.750 (2000), 248.795 (1999), 46.127 (1998), 26.020 (1997); note - on 1 January 2000, the national currency was redenominated at one new ruble to 2,000 old rubles
Executive branch chief of state:
Pope JOHN PAUL II (since 16 October 1978)

head of government:
Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo SODANO (since 2 December 1990)

cabinet:
Pontifical Commission appointed by the pope

elections:
pope elected for life by the College of Cardinals; election last held 16 October 1978 (next to be held after the death of the current pope); secretary of state appointed by the pope

election results:
Karol WOJTYLA elected pope
chief of state: President Aleksandr LUKASHENKO (since 20 July 1994)


head of government: Prime Minister Gennadiy NOVITSKIY (since 1 October 2001); Deputy Prime Ministers Andrei KOBYAKOV (since 13 March 2000), Aleksandr POPKOV (since 10 November 1998), Sergei SIDORSKY (since NA September 2001), Vladimir DRAZHIN (since NA September 2001)


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 - $7.5 billion f.o.b. (2001)
Exports - commodities - machinery and equipment, mineral products, chemicals, textiles, foodstuffs, metals
Exports - partners - Russia 51%, Ukraine 8%, Poland 4%, Germany 3% (2000)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description two vertical bands of yellow (hoist side) and white with the crossed keys of Saint Peter and the papal miter centered in the white band red horizontal band (top) and green horizontal band one-half the width of the red band; a white vertical stripe on the hoist side bears the Belarusian national ornament in red
GDP - purchasing power parity - $84.8 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector - agriculture: 13%


industry: 42%


services: 45% (2000)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $8,200 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate - 4.1% (2001 est.)
Geographic coordinates 41 54 N, 12 27 E 53 00 N, 28 00 E
Geography - note urban; landlocked; enclave of Rome, Italy; world's smallest state; outside the Vatican City, 13 buildings in Rome and Castel Gandolfo (the pope's summer residence) enjoy extraterritorial rights 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
Heliports 1 (2000 est.) -
Highways none; all city streets total: 98,200 km


paved: 66,100 km (includes some all-weather gravel-surfaced roads)


unpaved: 32,100 km (these roads are made of unstabilized earth and are difficult to negotiate in wet weather) (1990)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%:
NA%

highest 10%:
NA%
lowest 10%: 5%


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 NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by Italy $8.1 billion f.o.b. (2001)
Imports - commodities - mineral products, machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs, metals
Imports - partners - Russia 65%, Germany 7%, Poland 3% (2000)
Independence 11 February 1929 (from Italy) 25 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
Industrial production growth rate - 5.4% (2001 est.)
Industries printing and production of a small amount of mosaics and staff uniforms; worldwide banking and financial activities metal-cutting machine tools, tractors, trucks, earthmovers, motorcycles, television sets, chemical fibers, fertilizer, textiles, radios, refrigerators
Infant mortality rate - 14.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) - 46.1% (2001 est.)
International organization participation CE (observer), IAEA, ICFTU, Intelsat, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM (guest), OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNHCR, UPU, WHO (observer), WIPO, WToO (observer), WTrO (observer) CCC, CEI, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NAM, NSG, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 93 (Holy See and Italy) (2000) 23 (2002)
Irrigated land 0 sq km (1993) 1,150 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch none; normally handled by Italy 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 NA 4.8 million (2000)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%; note - dignitaries, priests, nuns, guards, and 3,000 lay workers live outside the Vatican industry and construction NA%, agriculture and forestry NA%, services NA%
Land boundaries total:
3.2 km

border countries:
Italy 3.2 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:
0%

permanent crops:
0%

permanent pastures:
0%

forests and woodland:
0%

other:
100% (urban area)
arable land: 29.76%


permanent crops: 0.69%


other: 69.55% (1998 est.)
Languages Italian, Latin, French, various other languages Belarusian, Russian, other
Legal system NA based on civil law system
Legislative branch unicameral Pontifical Commission 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: 68.28 years


male: 62.3 years


female: 74.56 years (2002 est.)
Literacy definition:
NA

total population:
100%

male:
NA%

female:
NA%
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 98%


male: 99%


female: 97% (1989 est.)
Location Southern Europe, an enclave of Rome (Italy) Eastern Europe, east of Poland
Map references Europe Europe
Maritime claims none (landlocked) none (landlocked)
Military - note defense is the responsibility of Italy; Swiss Papal Guards are posted at entrances to the Vatican City to provide security and protect the Pope -
Military branches - Army, Air Force (including air defense), Interior Ministry Troops, Border Guards
Military expenditures - dollar figure - $156 million (FY98)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP - 1% (FY01)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49: 2,744,267 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49: 2,149,873 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - military age - 18 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males: 86,396 (2002 est.)
National holiday Coronation Day of Pope JOHN PAUL II, 22 October (1978) 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:
none

adjective:
none
noun: Belarusian(s)


adjective: Belarusian
Natural hazards NA NA
Natural resources none forests, peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas, granite, dolomitic limestone, marl, chalk, sand, gravel, clay
Net migration rate - 2.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Pipelines - crude oil 1,470 km; refined products 1,100 km; natural gas 1,980 km (1992)
Political parties and leaders none 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 none (exclusive of influence exercised by church officers) NA
Population 890 (July 2001 est.) 10,335,382 (July 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 22% (1995 est.)
Population growth rate 1.15% (2001 est.) -0.14% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors none Mazyr
Radio broadcast stations AM 3, FM 4, shortwave 2 (1998) AM 28, FM 37, shortwave 11 (1998)
Radios NA 3.02 million (1997)
Railways total:
862 m; note - a spur of the Italian Railways system, serving Rome's Saint Peter's station

standard gauge:
862 m 1.435-m gauge (1999)
total: 5,523 km


broad gauge: 5,523 km 1.520-m gauge (875 km electrified) (2000 est.)
Religions Roman Catholic Eastern Orthodox 80%, other (including Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 20% (1997 est.)
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 (2002 est.)
Suffrage limited to cardinals less than 80 years old 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment:
automatic exchange

domestic:
tied into Italian system

international:
uses Italian system
general assessment: the Ministry of Telecommunications controls all telecommunications through its carrier (a joint stock company) Beltelcom which is a monopoly


domestic: local - Minsk has a digital metropolitan network and a cellular NMT-450 network; waiting lists for telephones are long; local service outside Minsk is neglected and poor; intercity - Belarus has a partly developed fiber-optic backbone system presently serving at least 13 major cities (1998); Belarus's fiber optics form synchronous digital hierarchy rings through other countries' systems; an inadequate analog system remains operational


international: Belarus is a member of the Trans-European Line (TEL), Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line, and has access to the Trans-Siberia Line (TSL); three fiber-optic segments provide connectivity to Latvia, Poland, Russia, and Ukraine; worldwide service is available to Belarus through this infrastructure; additional analog lines to Russia; Intelsat, Eutelsat, and Intersputnik earth stations
Telephones - main lines in use NA 2.313 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular NA 8,167 (1997)
Television broadcast stations 1 (1996) 47 (plus 27 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain low hill generally flat and contains much marshland
Total fertility rate - 1.31 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate - 2.1% officially registered unemployed (December 2000); large number of underemployed workers
Waterways none NA km; note - Belarus has extensive and widely used canal and river systems
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