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Compare Sudan (2003) - Belarus (2003)

Compare Sudan (2003) z Belarus (2003)

 Sudan (2003)Belarus (2003)
 SudanBelarus
Administrative divisions 26 states (wilayat, singular - wilayah); A'ali an Nil, Al Bahr al Ahmar, Al Buhayrat, Al Jazirah, Al Khartum, Al Qadarif, Al Wahdah, An Nil al Abyad, An Nil al Azraq, Ash Shamaliyah, Bahr al Jabal, Gharb al Istiwa'iyah, Gharb Bahr al Ghazal, Gharb Darfur, Gharb Kurdufan, Janub Darfur, Janub Kurdufan, Junqali, Kassala, Nahr an Nil, Shamal Bahr al Ghazal, Shamal Darfur, Shamal Kurdufan, Sharq al Istiwa'iyah, Sinnar, Warab 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: 44% (male 8,562,412; female 8,195,201)


15-64 years: 53.8% (male 10,260,581; female 10,246,045)


65 years and over: 2.2% (male 468,898; female 381,023) (2003 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 cotton, groundnuts (peanuts), sorghum, millet, wheat, gum arabic, sugarcane, cassava (tapioca), mangos, papaya, bananas, sweet potatoes, sesame; sheep, livestock grain, potatoes, vegetables, sugar beets, flax; beef, milk
Airports 63 (2002) 124 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways total: 12


over 3,047 m: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 8


1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2002)
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: 51


1,524 to 2,437 m: 17


914 to 1,523 m: 24


under 914 m: 10 (2002)
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: 2,505,810 sq km


land: 2.376 million sq km


water: 129,810 sq km
total: 207,600 sq km


land: 207,600 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative slightly more than one-quarter the size of the US slightly smaller than Kansas
Background Military regimes favoring Islamic-oriented governments have dominated national politics since independence from the UK in 1956. Sudan has been embroiled in a civil war for all but 10 years of this period (1972-82). The wars are rooted in northern economic, political, and social domination of non-Muslim, non-Arab southern Sudanese. Since 1983, the war and war- and famine-related effects have led to more than 2 million deaths and over 4 million people displaced. The ruling regime is a mixture of military elite and an Islamist party that came to power in a 1989 coup. Some northern opposition parties have made common cause with the southern rebels and entered the war as a part of an anti-government alliance. Peace talks gained momentum in 2002-03 with the signing of several accords, including a cease-fire agreement. 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 36.48 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) 10.18 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget revenues: $1.6 billion


expenditures: $1.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)
revenues: $4 billion


expenditures: $4.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $180 million (1997 est.)
Capital Khartoum Minsk
Climate tropical in south; arid desert in north; rainy season varies by region (April to November) cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between continental and maritime
Coastline 853 km 0 km (landlocked)
Constitution 12 April 1973, suspended following coup of 6 April 1985; interim constitution of 10 October 1985 suspended following coup of 30 June 1989; new constitution implemented on 30 June 1998 partially suspended 12 December 1999 by President BASHIR 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: Republic of the Sudan


conventional short form: Sudan


local long form: Jumhuriyat as-Sudan


local short form: As-Sudan


former: Anglo-Egyptian Sudan
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 Sudanese dinar (SDD) Belarusian ruble (BYB/BYR)
Death rate 9.59 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) 14.05 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external $15.8 billion (2002 est.) $851 million (2001 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US US Embassy in Khartoum is located on Sharia Abdul Latif Avenue; mailing address - P. O. Box 699, Khartoum; APO AE 09829; telephone - [249] (11) 774611 or 774700; FAX - [249] (11) 774137 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 (vacant); Charge D'Affairs, Ad Interim Khidir Haroun AHMED (since April 2001)


chancery: 2210 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 338-8565


FAX: [1] (202) 667-2406
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 the north-south civil war has drawn Sudan's neighbors into the fighting, sheltering refugees, and infiltration by rebel groups - Kenya and Uganda have acted as mediators; Sudan accuses Eritrea of supporting Sudanese rebel groups; efforts to demarcate the porous boundary with Ethiopia have been delayed by fighting in Sudan; Kenya's administrative boundary still extends into the Sudan, creating the "Ilemi triangle"; Egypt and Sudan retain claims to administer the triangular areas that extend north and south of the 1899 Treaty boundary along the 22nd Parallel, but have withdrawn their military presence; Egypt is economically developing the "Hala'ib triangle" 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 $187 million (1997) $194.3 million (1995)
Economy - overview Sudan has turned around a struggling economy with sound economic policies and infrastructure investments, but it still faces formidable economic problems, notably the low level of per capita output. From 1997 to date, Sudan has been implementing IMF macroeconomic reforms. In 1999 Sudan began exporting crude oil and in the last quarter of 1999 recorded its first trade surplus, which, along with monetary policy, has stabilized the exchange rate. Increased oil production, revived light industry, and expanded export processing zones helped maintain GDP growth at 5.1% in 2002. Agriculture production remains Sudan's most important sector, employing 80% of the work force and contributing 43% of GDP, but most farms remain rain-fed and susceptible to drought. Chronic domestic instability, lagging reforms, adverse weather, and weak world agricultural prices - but, above all, the low starting point - ensure that much of the population will remain at or below the poverty line for years. 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 2.222 billion kWh (2001) 26.69 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2001) 300 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2001) 4.3 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 2.389 billion kWh (2001) 24.4 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 52.1%


hydro: 47.9%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2001)
fossil fuel: 99.5%


hydro: 0.1%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0.4% (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Red Sea 0 m


highest point: Kinyeti 3,187 m
lowest point: Nyoman River 90 m


highest point: Dzyarzhynskaya Hara 346 m
Environment - current issues inadequate supplies of potable water; wildlife populations threatened by excessive hunting; soil erosion; desertification; periodic drought 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, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection


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 black 52%, Arab 39%, Beja 6%, foreigners 2%, other 1% Belarusian 81.2%, Russian 11.4%, Polish, Ukrainian, and other 7.4%
Exchange rates Sudanese dinars per US dollar - 263.31 (2002), 258.7 (2001), 257.12 (2000), 252.55 (1999), 200.8 (1998) 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 Lt. Gen. Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993); First Vice President Ali Uthman Muhammad TAHA (since 17 February 1998), Second Vice President Moses MACHAR (since 12 February 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Lt. Gen. Umar Hasan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993); First Vice President Ali Uthman Muhammad TAHA (since 17 February 1998), Second Vice President Moses MACHAR (since 12 February 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president; note - the National Congress Party or NCP (formerly the National Islamic Front or NIF) dominates al-BASHIR's cabinet


elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 13-23 December 2000 (next to be held NA 2005)


election results: Lt. Gen. Umar Hasan Ahmad al-BASHIR reelected president; percent of vote - Umar Hasan Ahmad al-BASHIR 86.5%, Ja'afar Muhammed NUMAYRI 9.6%, three other candidates received a combined vote of 3.9%; election widely viewed as rigged; all popular opposition parties boycotted elections because of a lack of guarantees for a free and fair election


note: Lt. Gen. al-BASHIR assumed supreme executive power in 1989 and retained it through several transitional governments in the early and mid-1990s before being popularly elected for the first time in March 1996
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 (2001) NA (2001)
Exports - commodities oil and petroleum products; cotton, sesame, livestock, groundnuts, gum arabic, sugar machinery and equipment, mineral products, chemicals, metals; textiles, foodstuffs
Exports - partners China 55.7%, Japan 14%, Saudi Arabia 4.9% (2002) 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 equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with a green isosceles triangle based on the hoist side 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 - $52.9 billion (2002 est.) purchasing power parity - $90.19 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 43%


industry: 17%


services: 40% (1999 est.)
agriculture: 15%


industry: 40%


services: 45% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,400 (2002 est.) purchasing power parity - $8,700 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 5.1% (2002 est.) 4.7% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 15 00 N, 30 00 E 53 00 N, 28 00 E
Geography - note largest country in Africa; dominated by the Nile and its tributaries 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 2 (2002) -
Highways total: 11,900 km


paved: 4,320 km


unpaved: 7,580 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 (2001) NA (2001)
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, manufactured goods, refinery and transport equipment, medicines and chemicals, textiles, wheat mineral products, machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs, metals
Imports - partners China 19.7%, Saudi Arabia 7.4%, Germany 5.5%, India 5.5%, UK 5.4%, Indonesia 4.7%, Australia 4% (2002) Russia 68.2%, Germany 9.4%, Ukraine 3.2% (2002)
Independence 1 January 1956 (from Egypt and UK) 25 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
Industrial production growth rate 8.5% (1999 est.) 2.5% (2002 est.)
Industries oil, cotton ginning, textiles, cement, edible oils, sugar, soap distilling, shoes, petroleum refining, pharmaceuticals, armaments, automobile/light truck assembly metal-cutting machine tools, tractors, trucks, earthmovers, motorcycles, television sets, chemical fibers, fertilizer, textiles, radios, refrigerators
Infant mortality rate total: 65.59 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 66.3 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 64.85 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 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) 9.2% (2002 est.) 42.8% (2002 est.)
International organization participation ABEDA, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (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) 2 (2002) 23 (2002)
Irrigated land 19,500 sq km (1998 est.) 1,150 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court; Special Revolutionary Courts 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 11 million (1996 est.) 4.8 million (2000)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 80%, industry and commerce 7%, government 13% (1998 est.) industry and construction NA%, agriculture and forestry NA%, services NA%
Land boundaries total: 7,687 km


border countries: Central African Republic 1,165 km, Chad 1,360 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 628 km, Egypt 1,273 km, Eritrea 605 km, Ethiopia 1,606 km, Kenya 232 km, Libya 383 km, Uganda 435 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: 7.03%


permanent crops: 0.08%


other: 92.89% (1998 est.)
arable land: 29.76%


permanent crops: 0.69%


other: 69.55% (1998 est.)
Languages Arabic (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, diverse dialects of Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, Sudanic languages, English


note: program of "Arabization" in process
Belarusian, Russian, other
Legal system based on English common law and Islamic law; as of 20 January 1991, the now defunct Revolutionary Command Council imposed Islamic law in the northern states; Islamic law applies to all residents of the northern states regardless of their religion; some separate religious courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations based on civil law system
Legislative branch unicameral National Assembly (360 seats; 270 popularly elected, 90 elected by supra assembly of interest groups known as National Congress; members serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 13-22 December 2000 (next to be held NA December 2004)


election results: NCP 355, others 5


note: on 12 December 1999, BASHIR dismissed the National Assembly during an internal power struggle between the president and the speaker of the National Assembly Hassan al-TURABI
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: 57.73 years


male: 56.59 years


female: 58.93 years (2003 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: 61.1%


male: 71.8%


female: 50.5% (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 Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Egypt and Eritrea Eastern Europe, east of Poland
Map references Africa Europe
Maritime claims contiguous zone: 18 NM


continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation


territorial sea: 12 NM
none (landlocked)
Merchant marine total: 4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 29,854 GRT/39,084 DWT


ships by type: cargo 1, livestock carrier 1, roll on/roll off 2 (2002 est.)
-
Military branches Army, Navy, Air Force, Popular Defense Force Militia Army, Air Force (including air defense), Interior Ministry Troops, Border Guards
Military expenditures - dollar figure $581 million (2001 est.) $176.1 million (FY02)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 2.5% (1999) 1.4% (FY02)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 9,032,834 (2003 est.) males age 15-49: 2,756,572 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 5,558,462 (2003 est.) males age 15-49: 2,158,875 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - military age 18 years of age (2003 est.) 18 years of age (2003 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 429,334 (2003 est.) males: 86,654 (2003 est.)
National holiday Independence Day, 1 January (1956) 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: Sudanese (singular and plural)


adjective: Sudanese
noun: Belarusian(s)


adjective: Belarusian
Natural hazards dust storms and periodic persistent droughts NA
Natural resources petroleum; small reserves of iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, gold, hydropower forests, peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas, granite, dolomitic limestone, marl, chalk, sand, gravel, clay
Net migration rate 0.24 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) 2.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Pipelines gas 156 km; oil 2,297 km; refined products 810 km (2003) gas 4,519 km; oil 1,811 km; refined products 1,686 km (2003)
Political parties and leaders the government allows political "associations" under a 1998 law revised in 2000; to obtain government approval parties must accept the constitution and refrain from advocating or using violence against the regime; approved parties include the National Congress Party or NCP [Ibrahim Ahmed UMAR], Popular National Congress or PNC [Hassan al-TURABI], and over 20 minor, pro-government 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 Democratic Unionist Party [Muhammed Uthman AL-MIRGHANI]; National Congress Party [Ibrahim Ahmed UMAR]; National Democratic Alliance [Muhammed Uthman AL-MIRGHANI, chairman]; Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army [Dr. John GARANG]; Umma [Sadiq al-MAHDI] NA
Population 38,114,160 (July 2003 est.) 10,322,151 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 22% (1995 est.)
Population growth rate 2.71% (2003 est.) -0.12% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors Juba, Khartoum, Kusti, Malakal, Nimule, Port Sudan, Sawakin Mazyr
Radio broadcast stations AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998) AM 28, FM 37, shortwave 11 (1998)
Railways total: 5,978 km


narrow gauge: 4,578 km 1.067-m gauge; 1,400 km 0.600-m gauge plantation line (2002)
total: 5,523 km


broad gauge: 5,523 km 1.520-m gauge (875 km electrified) (2002)
Religions Sunni Muslim 70% (in north), indigenous beliefs 25%, Christian 5% (mostly in south and Khartoum) 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: 1 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 1.23 male(s)/female


total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2003 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 17 years of age; universal, but noncompulsory 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: large, well-equipped system by regional standards and being upgraded; cellular communications started in 1996 and have expanded substantially


domestic: consists of microwave radio relay, cable, radiotelephone communications, tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations


international: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat (2000)
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 400,000 (2000) 2.313 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular 20,000 (2000) 8,167 (1997)
Television broadcast stations 3 (1997) 47 (plus 27 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain generally flat, featureless plain; mountains in far south, northeast and west; desert dominates the north generally flat and contains much marshland
Total fertility rate 5.1 children born/woman (2003 est.) 1.34 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate 18.7% (2002 est.) 2.1% officially registered unemployed (December 2000); large number of underemployed workers
Waterways 5,310 km NA km; note - Belarus has extensive and widely used canal and river systems
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