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Compare Sao Tome and Principe (2005) - Belarus (2003)

Compare Sao Tome and Principe (2005) z Belarus (2003)

 Sao Tome and Principe (2005)Belarus (2003)
 Sao Tome and PrincipeBelarus
Administrative divisions 2 provinces; Principe, Sao Tome


note: Principe has had self-government since 29 April 1995
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: 47.6% (male 45,145/female 44,007)


15-64 years: 48.6% (male 43,996/female 47,011)


65 years and over: 3.9% (male 3,333/female 3,918) (2005 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 cocoa, coconuts, palm kernels, copra, cinnamon, pepper, coffee, bananas, papayas, beans; poultry; fish grain, potatoes, vegetables, sugar beets, flax; beef, milk
Airports 2 (2004 est.) 124 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways total: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)
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: 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: 1,001 sq km


land: 1,001 sq km


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


land: 207,600 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative more than five times the size of Washington, DC slightly smaller than Kansas
Background Discovered and claimed by Portugal in the late 15th century, the islands' sugar-based economy gave way to coffee and cocoa in the 19th century - all grown with plantation slave labor, a form of which lingered into the 20th century. Although independence was achieved in 1975, democratic reforms were not instituted until the late 1980s. Though the first free elections were held in 1991, the political environment has been one of continued instability with frequent changes in leadership and coup attempts in 1995 and 2003. The recent discovery of oil in the Gulf of Guinea is likely to have a significant impact on the country's economy. 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 40.8 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) 10.18 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget revenues: $27.94 million


expenditures: $43.91 million, including capital expenditures of $54 million (2004 est.)
revenues: $4 billion


expenditures: $4.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $180 million (1997 est.)
Capital Sao Tome Minsk
Climate tropical; hot, humid; one rainy season (October to May) cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between continental and maritime
Coastline 209 km 0 km (landlocked)
Constitution approved March 1990, effective 10 September 1990 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: Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe


conventional short form: Sao Tome and Principe


local long form: Republica Democratica de Sao Tome e Principe


local short form: Sao Tome e Principe
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 6.68 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) 14.05 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external $318 million (2002) $851 million (2001 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US the US does not have an embassy in Sao Tome and Principe; the Ambassador to Gabon is accredited to Sao Tome and Principe on a nonresident basis and makes periodic visits to the islands 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 Sao Tome and Principe does not have an embassy in the US, but does have a Permanent Mission to the UN, headed by First Secretary Domingos Augusto FERREIRA, located at 400 Park Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10022, telephone [1] (212) 317-0580 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 encouraging illegal border crossing; boundaries with Latvia and Lithuania remain undemarcated despite European Union financial support
Economic aid - recipient $200 million in December 2000 under the HIPC program $194.3 million (1995)
Economy - overview This small poor island economy has become increasingly dependent on cocoa since independence in 1975. Cocoa production has substantially declined in recent years because of drought and mismanagement, but strengthening prices helped boost export earnings in 2003. Sao Tome has to import all fuels, most manufactured goods, consumer goods, and a substantial amount of food. Over the years, it has had difficulty servicing its external debt and has relied heavily on concessional aid and debt rescheduling. Sao Tome benefited from $200 million in debt relief in December 2000 under the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) program, but lacking a formal poverty reduction program with the IMF, it has not benefited from subsequent HIPC debt reductions. Sao Tome's external debt stands at over $300 million. Considerable potential exists for development of a tourist industry, and the government has taken steps to expand facilities in recent years. The government also has attempted to reduce price controls and subsidies. Sao Tome is optimistic about the development of petroleum resources in its territorial waters in the oil-rich Gulf of Guinea. The first production license was sold to a consortium led by US-based oil firms. Much of the 2005 budget is dependent upon the sale of additional production licenses. 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 15.81 million kWh (2002) 26.69 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2002) 300 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2002) 4.3 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 17 million kWh (2002) 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: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Pico de Sao Tome 2,024 m
lowest point: Nyoman River 90 m


highest point: Dzyarzhynskaya Hara 346 m
Environment - current issues deforestation; soil erosion and exhaustion 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: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution


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 mestico, angolares (descendants of Angolan slaves), forros (descendants of freed slaves), servicais (contract laborers from Angola, Mozambique, and Cape Verde), tongas (children of servicais born on the islands), Europeans (primarily Portuguese) Belarusian 81.2%, Russian 11.4%, Polish, Ukrainian, and other 7.4%
Exchange rates dobras per US dollar - 9,900.4 (2004), 9,347.6 (2003), 9,088.3 (2002), 8,842.1 (2001), 7,978.2 (2000) Belarusian rubles per US dollar - NA (2002), 1,390 (2001), 876.75 (2000), 248.8 (1999), 46.13 (1998)
Executive branch chief of state: President Fradique DE MENEZES (since 3 September 2001)


head of government: Prime Minister Maria do Carmo SILVEIRA (since 7 June 2005); Damiao Vaz DE ALMEIDA resigned 2 June 2005


cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the proposal of the prime minister


elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 29 July 2001 (next to be held July 2006); prime minister chosen by the National Assembly and approved by the president


election results: Fradique DE MENEZES elected president in Sao Tome's third multiparty presidential election; percent of vote - NA%
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 NA NA (2001)
Exports - commodities cocoa 80%, copra, coffee, palm oil machinery and equipment, mineral products, chemicals, metals; textiles, foodstuffs
Exports - partners Netherlands 35.9%, China 12.3%, Belgium 7.4%, Germany 6.3%, Poland 5.1%, France 4.8%, Thailand 4.1% (2004) Russia 50.8%, Latvia 7.3%, Ukraine 6.3%, Lithuania 4.1%, Germany 4.1% (2002)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description three horizontal bands of green (top), yellow (double width), and green with two black five-pointed stars placed side by side in the center of the yellow band and a red isosceles triangle based on the hoist side; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia 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: 16.5%


industry: 15.4%


services: 68.1% (2004 est.)
agriculture: 15%


industry: 40%


services: 45% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,200 (2003 est.) purchasing power parity - $8,700 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 6% (2004 est.) 4.7% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 1 00 N, 7 00 E 53 00 N, 28 00 E
Geography - note the smallest country in Africa; the two main islands form part of a chain of extinct volcanoes and both are fairly mountainous 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: 320 km


paved: 218 km


unpaved: 102 km (1999 est.)
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; lax money-laundering and banking regulations
Imports NA NA (2001)
Imports - commodities machinery and electrical equipment, food products, petroleum products mineral products, machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs, metals
Imports - partners Portugal 52.3%, Germany 9.5%, US 6%, Netherlands 4.8%, South Africa 4.3%, Belgium 4.1% (2004) Russia 68.2%, Germany 9.4%, Ukraine 3.2% (2002)
Independence 12 July 1975 (from Portugal) 25 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
Industrial production growth rate NA 2.5% (2002 est.)
Industries light construction, textiles, soap, beer; fish processing; timber metal-cutting machine tools, tractors, trucks, earthmovers, motorcycles, television sets, chemical fibers, fertilizer, textiles, radios, refrigerators
Infant mortality rate total: 43.11 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 45.06 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 41.11 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 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) 14% (2004 est.) 42.8% (2002 est.)
International organization participation ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) 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 100 sq km (1998 est.) 1,150 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the National Assembly) 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 population mainly engaged in subsistence agriculture and fishing


note: shortages of skilled workers
industry and construction NA%, agriculture and forestry NA%, services 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: 6.25%


permanent crops: 48.96%


other: 44.79% (2001)
arable land: 29.76%


permanent crops: 0.69%


other: 69.55% (1998 est.)
Languages Portuguese (official) Belarusian, Russian, other
Legal system based on Portuguese legal system and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction based on civil law system
Legislative branch unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (55 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 3 March 2002 (next to be held March 2006)


election results: percent of vote by party - MLSTP 39.6%, Force for Change Democratic Movement 39.4%, Ue-Kedadji coalition 16.2%; seats by party - MLSTP 24, Force for Change Democratic Movement 23, Ue-Kedadji coalition 8
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: 66.99 years


male: 65.43 years


female: 68.59 years (2005 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: 79.3%


male: 85%


female: 62% (1991 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 99.6%


male: 99.8%


female: 99.5% (2003 est.)
Location Western Africa, islands in the Gulf of Guinea, straddling the Equator, west of Gabon Eastern Europe, east of Poland
Map references Africa Europe
Maritime claims measured from claimed archipelagic baselines


territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
none (landlocked)
Merchant marine total: 15 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 79,490 GRT/97,077 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 11, chemical tanker 2


foreign-owned: 2 (Egypt 1, Greece 1) (2005)
-
Military - note Sao Tome and Principe's army is a tiny force with almost no resouces at its disposal and would be wholly ineffective operating unilaterally; infantry equipment is considered simple to operate and maintain but may require refurbishment or replacement after 25 years in tropical climates; poor pay and conditions have been a problem in the past, as has alleged nepotism in the promotion of officers, as reflected in the 1995 and 2003 coups; these issues are being addressed with foreign assistance as intial steps towards the improvement of the army and its focus on realistic security concerns; command is excersized from the president, through the Minister of Defense, to the Chief of the Armed Forces staff (2005) -
Military branches Armed Forces of Sao Tome and Principe (FASTP): Army, Coast Guard, Presidential Guard (2004) Army, Air Force (including air defense), Interior Ministry Troops, Border Guards
Military expenditures - dollar figure $700,000 (2004) $176.1 million (FY02)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 0.8% (2004) 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 Independence Day, 12 July (1975) 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: Sao Tomean(s)


adjective: Sao Tomean
noun: Belarusian(s)


adjective: Belarusian
Natural hazards NA NA
Natural resources fish, hydropower forests, peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas, granite, dolomitic limestone, marl, chalk, sand, gravel, clay
Net migration rate -2.51 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) 2.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Pipelines - gas 4,519 km; oil 1,811 km; refined products 1,686 km (2003)
Political parties and leaders Democratic Renovation Party [Armindo GRACA]; Force for Change Democratic Movement [leader NA]; Independent Democratic Action or ADI [Carlos NEVES]; Movement for the Liberation of Sao Tome and Principe-Social Democratic Party or MLSTP-PSD [Manuel Pinto Da COSTA]; Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Aldo BANDEIRA]; Ue-Kedadji coalition [leader NA]; other small parties 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 187,410 (July 2005 est.) 10,322,151 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line 54% (2004 est.) 22% (1995 est.)
Population growth rate 3.16% (2005 est.) -0.12% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors Sao Tome Mazyr
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 1 (2002) AM 28, FM 37, shortwave 11 (1998)
Railways - total: 5,523 km


broad gauge: 5,523 km 1.520-m gauge (875 km electrified) (2002)
Religions Catholic 70.3%, Evangelical 3.4%, New Apostolic 2%, Adventist 1.8%, other 3.1%, none 19.4% (2001 census) Eastern Orthodox 80%, other (including Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 20% (1997 est.)
Sex ratio at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female


total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2005 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: adequate facilities


domestic: minimal system


international: country code - 239; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
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 7,000 (2003) 2.313 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular 4,800 (2003) 8,167 (1997)
Television broadcast stations 2 (2002) 47 (plus 27 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain volcanic, mountainous generally flat and contains much marshland
Total fertility rate 5.71 children born/woman (2005 est.) 1.34 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate NA 2.1% officially registered unemployed (December 2000); large number of underemployed workers
Waterways - NA km; note - Belarus has extensive and widely used canal and river systems
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