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Compare Norfolk Island (2005) - Belarus (2004)

Compare Norfolk Island (2005) z Belarus (2004)

 Norfolk Island (2005)Belarus (2004)
 Norfolk IslandBelarus
Administrative divisions none (territory of Australia) 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
Age structure 0-14 years: 20.2%


15-64 years: 63.9%


65 years and over: 15.9% (2005 est.)
0-14 years: 16.3% (male 859,219; female 823,839)


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


65 years and over: 14.5% (male 496,204; female 999,129) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products Norfolk Island pine seed, Kentia palm seed, cereals, vegetables, fruit; cattle, poultry grain, potatoes, vegetables, sugar beets, flax; beef, milk
Airports 1 (2004 est.) 135 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.)
total: 50


over 3,047 m: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 21


1,524 to 2,437 m: 6


under 914 m: 21 (2003 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways - total: 85


over 3,047 m: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 5


914 to 1,523 m: 11


under 914 m: 64 (2003 est.)
Area total: 34.6 sq km


land: 34.6 sq km


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


land: 207,600 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative about 0.2 times the size of Washington, DC slightly smaller than Kansas
Background Two British attempts at establishing the island as a penal colony (1788-1814 and 1825-55) were ultimately abandoned. In 1856, the island was resettled by Pitcairn Islanders, descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian companions. 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 NA 10.52 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget revenues: $20 million


expenditures: $20 million, including capital expenditures of $2 million (FY99/00)
revenues: $2.976 billion


expenditures: $3.211 billion, including capital expenditures of $180 million (2003 est.)
Capital Kingston Minsk
Climate subtropical; mild, little seasonal temperature variation cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between continental and maritime
Coastline 32 km 0 km (landlocked)
Constitution Norfolk Island Act of 1979 30 March 1994; revised by national referendum of 24 November 1996 giving the presidency greatly expanded powers and became effective 27 November 1996; revised again 17 October 2004 removing presidential term limits
Country name conventional long form: Territory of Norfolk Island


conventional short form: Norfolk Island
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 NA 14.1 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external NA $851 million (2001 est.)
Dependency status territory of Australia; Canberra administers Commonwealth responsibilities on Norfolk Island through the Department of Environment, Sport, and Territories -
Diplomatic representation from the US none (territory of Australia) 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
Diplomatic representation in the US none (territory of Australia) 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 none 1997 boundary treaty with Ukraine remains unratified over unresolved financial claims, preventing demarcation and diminishing border security; boundaries with Latvia and Lithuania remain undemarcated despite European Union financial support
Economic aid - recipient NA $194.3 million (1995)
Economy - overview Tourism, the primary economic activity, has steadily increased over the years and has brought a level of prosperity unusual among inhabitants of the Pacific islands. The agricultural sector has become self-sufficient in the production of beef, poultry, and eggs. Belarus' economy in 2003 posted 6.1 percent growth and is likely to continue expanding through 2004, albeit at a slower growth rate. The Belarusian economy in 2004 is likely to be hampered by high inflation, persistent trade deficits, and ongoing rocky relations with Russia, Belarus' largest trading partner and energy supplier. Belarus has seen little structural reform since 1995, when President LUKASHENKO launched the country on the path of "market socialism." In keeping with this policy, LUKASHENKO reimposed administrative controls over prices and currency exchange rates and expanded the state's right to intervene in the management of private enterprises. In addition, businesses have been subject to pressure on the part of central and local governments, e.g., arbitrary changes in regulations, numerous rigorous inspections, retroactive application of new business regulations, and arrests of "disruptive" businessmen and factory owners. A wide range of redistributive policies has helped those at the bottom of the ladder. For the time being, Belarus remains self-isolated from the West and its open-market economies.
Electricity - consumption NA kWh 26.69 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports - 300 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports - 4.3 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production NA kWh 24.4 billion kWh (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mount Bates 319 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: 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
Ethnic groups descendants of the Bounty mutineers, Australian, New Zealander, Polynesians Belarusian 81.2%, Russian 11.4%, Polish, Ukrainian, and other 7.4%
Exchange rates Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001), 1.7248 (2000) Belarusian rubles per US dollar - 1,790.92 (2003), 1,920 (2002), 1,390 (2001), 876.75 (2000), 248.795 (1999)
Executive branch chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); the UK and Australia are represented by Administrator Grant TAMBLING (since 1 November 2003)


head of government: Assembly President and Chief Minister Geoffrey Robert GARDNER (since 5 December 2001)


cabinet: Executive Council is made up of four of the nine members of the Legislative Assembly; the council devises government policy and acts as an advisor to the administrator


elections: the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia; chief minister elected by the Legislative Assembly for a term of not more than three years; election last held 20 Ocotber 2004 (next to be held by December 2007)


election results: Geoffrey Robert GARDNER elected chief minister; percent of Legislative Assembly vote - 17.2%
chief of state: President Aleksandr LUKASHENKO (since 20 July 1994)


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


cabinet: Council of Ministers


elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; first election took place 23 June and 10 July 1994; according to the 1994 constitution, the next election should have been held in 1999, however LUKASHENKO extended his term to 2001 via a November 1996 referendum; new election held 9 September 2001; October 2004 referendum ended presidential term limits allowing president to run for a third term in September 2006; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president


election results: Aleksandr LUKASHENKO reelected president; percent of vote - Aleksandr LUKASHENKO 75.6%, Vladimir GONCHARIK 15.4%
Exports $1.5 million f.o.b. (FY99/00) NA (2001)
Exports - commodities postage stamps, seeds of the Norfolk Island pine and Kentia palm, small quantities of avocados machinery and equipment, mineral products, chemicals, metals; textiles, foodstuffs
Exports - partners Australia, other Pacific island countries, NZ, Asia, Europe Russia 49.1%, UK 9.4%, Poland 4.4%, Germany 4.2%, Netherlands 4.2% (2003)
Fiscal year 1 July - 30 June calendar year
Flag description three vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and green with a large green Norfolk Island pine tree centered in the slightly wider 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 Belarusian national ornamention in red
GDP - purchasing power parity - $62.56 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: NA


industry: NA


services: NA
agriculture: 11.1%


industry: 36.4%


services: 52.5% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - NA purchasing power parity - $6,100 (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate NA 6.8% (2003 est.)
Geographic coordinates 29 02 S, 167 57 E 53 00 N, 28 00 E
Geography - note most of the 32-km coastline consists of almost inaccessible cliffs, but the land slopes down to the sea in one small southern area on Sydney Bay, where the capital of Kingston is situated 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 (2003 est.)
Highways total: 80 km


paved: 53 km


unpaved: 27 km (2001)
total: 74,385 km


paved: 66,203 km


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


highest 10%: NA
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; 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 $17.9 million c.i.f. (FY91/92) NA (2001)
Imports - commodities NA mineral products, machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs, metals
Imports - partners Australia, other Pacific island countries, NZ, Asia, Europe Russia 65.8%, Germany 7.1%, Ukraine 3.1% (2003)
Independence none (territory of Australia) 25 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
Industrial production growth rate NA 5% (2003 est.)
Industries tourism, light industry, ready mixed concrete metal-cutting machine tools, tractors, trucks, earthmovers, motorcycles, television sets, chemical fibers, fertilizer, textiles, radios, refrigerators
Infant mortality rate total: NA


male: NA


female: NA
total: 13.62 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 14.71 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 12.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) NA 28.2% (2003 est.)
International organization participation UPU CEI, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, NSG, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer)
Irrigated land NA 1,150 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court; Court of Petty Sessions 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 1,345 4.8 million (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation tourism 90%, subsistence agriculture 10% NA
Land boundaries 0 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%


other: 100% (2001)
arable land: 29.55%


permanent crops: 0.6%


other: 69.85% (2001)
Languages English (official), Norfolk a mixture of 18th century English and ancient Tahitian Belarusian, Russian, other
Legal system based on the laws of Australia, local ordinances and acts; English common law applies in matters not covered by either Australian or Norfolk Island law based on civil law system
Legislative branch unicameral Legislative Assembly (9 seats; members elected by electors who have nine equal votes each but only four votes can be given to any one candidate; members serve three-year terms)


elections: last held 20 October 2004 (next to be held by December 2007)


election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 9 (note - no political parties)
bicameral Parliament or Natsionalnoye Sobranie consists of the Council of the Republic or Soviet Respubliki (64 seats; 56 members elected by regional councils and 8 members appointed by the president, all for 4-year terms) and the Chamber of Representatives or Palata Predstaviteliy (110 seats; members elected by universal adult suffrage to serve 4-year terms)


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


election results: Soviet Respubliki - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; Palata Pretsaviteley - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA
Life expectancy at birth total population: NA


male: NA


female: NA
total population: 68.57 years


male: 62.79 years


female: 74.65 years (2004 est.)
Literacy NA definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 99.6%


male: 99.8%


female: 99.5% (2003 est.)
Location Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Australia Eastern Europe, east of Poland
Map references Oceania Europe
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
none (landlocked)
Military - note defense is the responsibility of Australia -
Military branches - Army, Air and Air Defense Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure - $176.1 million (FY02)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP - 1.4% (FY02)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49: 2,764,856 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49: 2,164,923 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males: 86,716 (2004 est.)
National holiday Bounty Day (commemorates the arrival of Pitcairn Islanders), 8 June (1856) 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: Norfolk Islander(s)


adjective: Norfolk Islander(s)
noun: Belarusian(s)


adjective: Belarusian
Natural hazards typhoons (especially May to July) NA
Natural resources fish forests, peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas, granite, dolomitic limestone, marl, chalk, sand, gravel, clay
Net migration rate NA 2.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Pipelines - gas 5,223 km; oil 2,443 km; refined products 1,686 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders none Pro-government parties: Agrarian Party or AP; Belarusian Communist Party or KPB; Belarusian Patriotic Movement (Belarusian Patriotic Party) or BPR [Anatoliy BARANKEVICH, chairman]; Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus [Sergei GAYDUKEVICH]; Social-Sports Party; Opposition parties: Belarusian Popular Front or BNF [Vintsuk VYACHORKA]; Belarusian Social-Democrat Party Narodnaya Gromada or BSDP NG [Nikolay STATKEVICH, chairman]; Belarusian Social-Democratic Party Hromada [Stanislav SHUSHKEVICH, chairman]; United Civic Party or UCP [Anatol LEBEDKO]; Party of Communists Belarusian or PKB [Sergei KALYAKIN, chairman]; Women's Party "Nadezhda" [Valentina MATUSEVICH, chairperson]


note: the opposition Belarusian Party of Labor [Aleksandr BUKHVOSTOV] was liquidated in August 2004, but remains active
Political pressure groups and leaders none NA
Population 1,828 (July 2005 est.) 10,310,520 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line NA 22% (1995 est.)
Population growth rate -0.01% (2005 est.) -0.11% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors none; loading jetties at Kingston and Cascade Mazyr
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 3, shortwave 0 (2005) AM 28, FM 37, shortwave 11 (1998)
Railways - total: 5,523 km


broad gauge: 5,523 km 1.520-m gauge (875 km electrified) (2003)
Religions Anglican 34.9%, Roman Catholic 11.7%, Uniting Church in Australia 11.2%, Seventh-Day Adventist 2.8%, Australian Christian 2.4%, Jehovah's Witness 0.9%, other 2.7%, unspecified 15.3%, none 18.1% (2001 census) Eastern Orthodox 80%, other (including Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 20% (1997 est.)
Sex ratio NA at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


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


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


total population: 0.88 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: adequate


domestic: free local calls


international: country code - 672; undersea coaxial cable links with Australia, New Zealand, and Canada; satellite earth station
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
Telephones - main lines in use 2,532; note - a mix of analog (2500) and digital (32) circuits (2004) 3,071,300 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular 0 (proposed cellular service disallowed in August 2002 island referendum) (2002) 1.118 million (2003)
Television broadcast stations 1 (local programming station plus two repeaters that bring in Australian programs by satellite) (2005) 47 (plus 27 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain volcanic formation with mostly rolling plains generally flat and contains much marshland
Total fertility rate NA 1.36 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate 0% 2.1% officially registered unemployed (December 2000); large number of underemployed workers (2003 est.)
Waterways - 2,500 km (use limited by location on perimeter of country and by shallowness) (2003)
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