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Compare Zimbabwe (2006) - Belarus (2001)

Compare Zimbabwe (2006) z Belarus (2001)

 Zimbabwe (2006)Belarus (2001)
 ZimbabweBelarus
Administrative divisions 8 provinces and 2 cities* with provincial status; Bulawayo*, Harare*, Manicaland, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East, Mashonaland West, Masvingo, Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, Midlands 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: 37.4% (male 2,307,170/female 2,265,298)


15-64 years: 59.1% (male 3,616,528/female 3,621,190)


65 years and over: 3.5% (male 199,468/female 227,151) (2006 est.)
0-14 years:
17.93% (male 947,820; female 908,210)

15-64 years:
68.21% (male 3,428,920; female 3,631,290)

65 years and over:
13.86% (male 473,992; female 959,962) (2001 est.)
Agriculture - products corn, cotton, tobacco, wheat, coffee, sugarcane, peanuts; sheep, goats, pigs grain, potatoes, vegetables, sugar beets, flax; beef, milk
Airports 403 (2006) 136 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 17


over 3,047 m: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 4


914 to 1,523 m: 8 (2006)
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 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 386


1,524 to 2,437 m: 5


914 to 1,523 m: 187


under 914 m: 194 (2006)
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 (2000 est.)
Area total: 390,580 sq km


land: 386,670 sq km


water: 3,910 sq km
total:
207,600 sq km

land:
207,600 sq km

water:
0 sq km
Area - comparative slightly larger than Montana slightly smaller than Kansas
Background The UK annexed Southern Rhodesia from the [British] South Africa Company in 1923. A 1961 constitution was formulated that favored whites in power. In 1965 the government unilaterally declared its independence, but the UK did not recognize the act and demanded more complete voting rights for the black African majority in the country (then called Rhodesia). UN sanctions and a guerrilla uprising finally led to free elections in 1979 and independence (as Zimbabwe) in 1980. Robert MUGABE, the nation's first prime minister, has been the country's only ruler (as president since 1987) and has dominated the country's political system since independence. His chaotic land redistribution campaign, which began in 2000, caused an exodus of white farmers, crippled the economy, and ushered in widespread shortages of basic commodities. Ignoring international condemnation, MUGABE rigged the 2002 presidential election to ensure his reelection. Opposition and labor strikes in 2003 were unsuccessful in pressuring MUGABE to retire early; security forces continued their brutal repression of regime opponents. The ruling ZANU-PF party used fraud and intimidation to win a two-thirds majority in the March 2005 parliamentary election, allowing it to amend the constitution at will and recreate the Senate, which had been abolished in the late 1980s. In April 2005, Harare embarked on Operation Restore Order, ostensibly an urban rationalization program, which resulted in the destruction of the homes or businesses of 700,000 mostly poor supporters of the opposition, according to UN estimates. 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 but, to date, neither side has actively sought to implement the accord.
Birth rate 28.01 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) 9.57 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Budget revenues: $1.409 billion


expenditures: $1.905 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
revenues:
$4 billion

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


geographic coordinates: 17 50 S, 31 03 E


time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Minsk
Climate tropical; moderated by altitude; rainy season (November to March) cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between continental and maritime
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) 0 km (landlocked)
Constitution 21 December 1979 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 Zimbabwe


conventional short form: Zimbabwe


former: Southern Rhodesia, Rhodesia
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 21.84 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) 13.97 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Debt - external $5.216 billion (2005 est.) $1 billion (2000 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Christopher W. DELL


embassy: 172 Herbert Chitepo Avenue, Harare


mailing address: P. O. Box 3340, Harare


telephone: [263] (4) 250-593 and 250-594


FAX: [263] (4) 796-488
chief of mission:
Ambassador Michael 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: Ambassador Dr. Machivenyika T. MAPURANGA


chancery: 1608 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009


telephone: [1] (202) 332-7100


FAX: [1] (202) 483-9326
chief of mission:
Ambassador Valeriy 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 Botswana has built electric fences and South Africa has placed military along the border to stem the flow of thousands of Zimbabweans fleeing to find work and escape political persecution; Namibia has supported and in 2004 Zimbabwe dropped objections to plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi River, thereby de facto recognizing a short, but not clearly delimited Botswana-Zambia boundary in the river none
Economic aid - recipient $178 million; note - the EU and the US provide food aid on humanitarian grounds (2000 est.) $194.3 million (1995)
Economy - overview The government of Zimbabwe faces a wide variety of difficult economic problems as it struggles with an unsustainable fiscal deficit, an overvalued exchange rate, soaring inflation, and bare shelves. Its 1998-2002 involvement in the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for example, drained hundreds of millions of dollars from the economy. Badly needed support from the IMF has been suspended because of the government's arrears on past loans, which it began repaying in 2005. The official annual inflation rate rose from 32% in 1998, to 133% at the end of 2004, and 585% at the end of 2005, although private sector estimates put the figure much higher. Meanwhile, the official exchange rate fell from 24 Zimbabwean dollars per US dollar in 1998 to 96,000 in mid-January 2006. The government's land reform program, characterized by chaos and violence, has badly damaged the commercial farming sector, the traditional source of exports and foreign exchange and the provider of 400,000 jobs, turning Zimbabwe into a net importer of food products. 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 extremely high inflation, businesses have been subject to pressure on the part of central and local governments, e.g., arbitrary changes in regulations, numerous rigorous inspections, and retroactive application of new business regulations prohibiting practices that had been legal. Further economic problems are two consecutive bad harvests, 1998-99, and persistent trade deficits. 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 11.22 billion kWh (2003) 27.647 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2003) 2.62 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports 3.3 billion kWh (2003) 7.1 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production 8.877 billion kWh (2003) 24.911 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel:
99.9%

hydro:
0.1%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
Elevation extremes lowest point: junction of the Runde and Save rivers 162 m


highest point: Inyangani 2,592 m
lowest point:
Nyoman River 90 m

highest point:
Dzyarzhynskaya Hara 346 m
Environment - current issues deforestation; soil erosion; land degradation; air and water pollution; the black rhinoceros herd - once the largest concentration of the species in the world - has been significantly reduced by poaching; poor mining practices have led to toxic waste and heavy metal pollution 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, 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, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:
Law of the Sea
Ethnic groups African 98% (Shona 82%, Ndebele 14%, other 2%), mixed and Asian 1%, white less than 1% Byelorussian 81.2%, Russian 11.4%, Polish, Ukrainian, and other 7.4%
Exchange rates Zimbabwean dollars per US dollar - 4,303.28 (2005), 5,068.66 (2004), 697.424 (2003), 55.036 (2002), 55.052 (2001)


note: these are official exchange rates; non-official rates vary significantly
Belarusian rubles per US dollar - 1,180 (yearend 2000), 730,000 (15 December 1999), 139,000 (25 January 1999), 46,080 (second quarter 1998), 25,964 (1997), 15,500 (yearend 1996); note - on 1 January 2000, the national currency was redenominated at one new ruble to 2,000 old rubles
Executive branch chief of state: Executive President Robert Gabriel MUGABE (since 31 December 1987); Vice President Joseph MSIKA (since December 1999) and Vice President Joyce MUJURU (since 6 December 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: Executive President Robert Gabriel MUGABE (since 31 December 1987); Vice President Joseph MSIKA (since December 1999) and Vice President Joyce MUJURU (since 6 December 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president; responsible to the House of Assembly


elections: presidential candidates nominated with a nomination paper signed by at least 10 registered voters (at least one from each province) and elected by popular vote for a six-year term (no term limits); election last held 9-11 March 2002 (next to be held March 2008); co-vice presidents appointed by the president


election results: Robert Gabriel MUGABE reelected president; percent of vote - Robert Gabriel MUGABE 56.2%, Morgan TSVANGIRAI 41.9%
chief of state:
President Aleksandr LUKASHENKO (since 20 July 1994)

head of government:
Prime Minister Vladimir YERMOSHIN (since 18 February 2000); First Deputy Prime Minister Andrey KOBYAKOV (since 13 March 2000); Deputy Prime Ministers Mikhail DEMCHUK (since 14 July 2000), Mikhail KHORSTOV (since 27 November 2000), Valeriy KOKOREV (since 23 August 1994), Leonid KOZIK (since 4 February 1997), Gennadiy NOVITSKIY (since 11 February 1997), Aleksandr POPKOV (since 10 November 1998)

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 (next to be held NA; according to the 1994 constitution, the next election should have been held in 1999, however LUKASHENKO extended his term to 2001 via the November 1996 referendum); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president

election results:
Aleksandr LUKASHENKO elected president; percent of vote - Aleksandr LUKASHENKO 85%, Vyacheslav KEBICH 15%
Exports 0 bbl/day $7.4 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities cotton, tobacco, gold, ferroalloys, textiles/clothing machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals, textiles, foodstuffs
Exports - partners South Africa 32.8%, China 7.4%, Japan 6.3%, Zambia 5.2%, Netherlands 5%, US 4.6%, Italy 4.2%, Germany 4.1% (2005) Russia 66%, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, Lithuania (1998)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description seven equal horizontal bands of green, yellow, red, black, red, yellow, and green with a white isosceles triangle edged in black with its base on the hoist side; a yellow Zimbabwe bird representing the long history of the country is superimposed on a red five-pointed star in the center of the triangle, which symbolizes peace; green symbolizes agriculture, yellow - mineral wealth, red - blood shed to achieve independence, and black stands for the native people 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 - $78.8 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 17.9%


industry: 24.3%


services: 57.9% (2005 est.)
agriculture:
13%

industry:
46%

services:
41% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $7,500 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate -7.7% (2005 est.) 4% (2000 est.)
Geographic coordinates 20 00 S, 30 00 E 53 00 N, 28 00 E
Geography - note landlocked; the Zambezi forms a natural riverine boundary with Zambia; in full flood (February-April) the massive Victoria Falls on the river forms the world's largest curtain of falling water landlocked
Highways - total:
63,355 km

paved:
60,567 km (these roads are said to be hard-surfaced, and include, in addition to conventionally paved roads, some that are surfaced with gravel or other coarse aggregate, making them trafficable in all weather)

unpaved:
2,788 km (these roads are made of unstabilized earth and are difficult to negotiate in wet weather) (1998)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 2%


highest 10%: 40.4% (1995)
lowest 10%:
4.9%

highest 10%:
19.4% (1993)
Illicit drugs transit point for African cannabis and South Asian heroin, mandrax, and methamphetamines destined for the South African and European markets 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
Imports 23,000 bbl/day $8.3 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Imports - commodities machinery and transport equipment, other manufactures, chemicals, fuels mineral products, machinery and equipment, metals, chemicals, foodstuffs
Imports - partners South Africa 42.9%, China 4.6%, Botswana 3.3% (2005) Russia 54%, Ukraine, Germany, Poland, Lithuania (1998)
Independence 18 April 1980 (from UK) 25 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
Industrial production growth rate 3.6% (2005 est.) 5% (2000 est.)
Industries mining (coal, gold, platinum, copper, nickel, tin, clay, numerous metallic and nonmetallic ores), steel; wood products, cement, chemicals, fertilizer, clothing and footwear, foodstuffs, beverages metal-cutting machine tools, tractors, trucks, earth movers, motorcycles, television sets, chemical fibers, fertilizer, textiles, radios, refrigerators
Infant mortality rate total: 51.71 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 54.5 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 48.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
14.38 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 266.8% official data; private sector estimates are much higher (2005 est.) 200% (2000 est.)
International organization participation ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO CCC, CEI, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Inmarsat, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), 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) - 4 (2000)
Irrigated land 1,740 sq km (2003) 1,000 sq km (1993 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court; High Court 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 3.94 million (2005 est.) 4.8 million (2000)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 66%


industry: 10%


services: 24% (1996)
industry and construction NA%, agriculture and forestry NA%, services NA%
Land boundaries total: 3,066 km


border countries: Botswana 813 km, Mozambique 1,231 km, South Africa 225 km, Zambia 797 km
total:
3,098 km

border countries:
Latvia 141 km, Lithuania 502 km, Poland 605 km, Russia 959 km, Ukraine 891 km
Land use arable land: 8.24%


permanent crops: 0.33%


other: 91.43% (2005)
arable land:
29%

permanent crops:
1%

permanent pastures:
15%

forests and woodland:
34%

other:
21% (1993 est.)
Languages English (official), Shona, Sindebele (the language of the Ndebele, sometimes called Ndebele), numerous but minor tribal dialects Byelorussian, Russian, other
Legal system mixture of Roman-Dutch and English common law based on civil law system
Legislative branch bicameral Parliament consists of a House of Assembly (150 seats - 120 elected by popular vote for five-year terms, 12 nominated by the president, 10 occupied by traditional chiefs chosen by their peers, and eight occupied by provincial governors appointed by the president) and a Senate (66 seats - 50 elected by popular vote for a five-year term, six nominated by the president, 10 nominated by the Council of Chiefs)


elections: House of Assembly last held 31 March 2005 (next to be held in 2010), Senate last held 26 November 2005 (next to be held in 2010)


election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - ZANU-PF 59.6%, MDC 39.5%, other 0.9%; seats by party - ZANU-PF 78, MDC 41, independents 1; Senate - percent of vote by party - ZANU-PF 73.7%, MDC 20.3%, other 4.4%, independents 1.6%; seats by party - ZANU-PF 43, MDC 7
bicameral Parliament or Natsionalnoye Sobranie consists of the Council of the Republic or Soviet Respubliki (64 seats) and the Chamber of Representatives or Palata Pretsaviteley (110 seats)

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

election results:
party affiliation data unavailable; under present political conditions party designations are meaningless
Life expectancy at birth total population: 39.29 years


male: 40.39 years


female: 38.16 years (2006 est.)
total population:
68.14 years

male:
62.06 years

female:
74.52 years (2001 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write English


total population: 90.7%


male: 94.2%


female: 87.2% (2003 est.)
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
98%

male:
99%

female:
97% (1989 est.)
Location Southern Africa, between South Africa and Zambia Eastern Europe, east of Poland
Map references Africa Commonwealth of Independent States
Maritime claims none (landlocked) none (landlocked)
Military branches Zimbabwe Defense Forces (ZDF): Zimbabwe National Army, Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ), Zimbabwe Republic Police (2005) Army, Air Force, Air Defense Force, Interior Ministry Troops, Border Guards
Military expenditures - dollar figure $124.7 million (2005 est.) $156 million (FY98)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 4% (2005 est.) 1.2% (FY98)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49:
2,729,956 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49:
2,138,743 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - military age - 18 years of age
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males:
86,396 (2001 est.)
National holiday Independence Day, 18 April (1980) 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: Zimbabwean(s)


adjective: Zimbabwean
noun:
Belarusian(s)

adjective:
Belarusian
Natural hazards recurring droughts; floods and severe storms are rare NA
Natural resources coal, chromium ore, asbestos, gold, nickel, copper, iron ore, vanadium, lithium, tin, platinum group metals forests, peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population


note: there is an increasing flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities (2006 est.)
2.89 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Pipelines refined products 261 km (2006) crude oil 1,470 km; refined products 1,100 km; natural gas 1,980 km (1992)
Political parties and leaders African National Party or ANP; Movement for Democratic Change or MDC [Morgan TSVANGIRAI]; Peace Action is Freedom for All or PAFA; United Parties [Abel MUZOREWA]; United People's Party [Daniel SHUMBA]; Zimbabwe African National Union-Ndonga or ZANU-Ndonga [Wilson KUMBULA]; Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front or ZANU-PF [Robert Gabriel MUGABE]; Zimbabwe African Peoples Union or ZAPU [Agrippa MADLELA]; Zimbabwe Youth in Alliance or ZIYA Agrarian Party or AP [Semyon SHARETSKY, chairman]; 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 or SDBP [Nikolay STATKEVICH, chairman]; Belarusian Social-Democratic Party Hromada [Stanislav SHUSHKEVICH, chairman]; Belarusian Socialist Party [Vyacheslav KUZNETSOV]; Civic Accord Bloc (United Civic Party) or CAB [Stanislav BOGDANKEVICH, chairman]; 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 Nadezhda [Valentina POLEVIKOVA, chairperson]
Political pressure groups and leaders Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition [Wellington CHIBEBE]; National Constitutional Assembly or NCA [Lovemore MADHUKU]; Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions or ZCTU [Lovemore MATOMBO] NA
Population 12,236,805


note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.)
10,350,194 (July 2001 est.)
Population below poverty line 80% (2004 est.) 22% (1995 est.)
Population growth rate 0.62% (2006 est.) -0.15% (2001 est.)
Ports and harbors - Mazyr
Radio broadcast stations AM 7, FM 20 (plus 17 repeater stations), shortwave 1 (1998) AM 28, FM 37, shortwave 11 (1998)
Radios - 3.02 million (1997)
Railways total: 3,077 km


narrow gauge: 3,077 km 1.067-m gauge (313 km electrified) (2005)
total:
5,523 km

broad gauge:
5,523 km 1.520-m gauge (875 km electrified) (2000)
Religions syncretic (part Christian, part indigenous beliefs) 50%, Christian 25%, indigenous beliefs 24%, Muslim and other 1% 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: 1.02 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female


total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1.04 male(s)/female

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

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

total population:
0.88 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: system was once one of the best in Africa, but now suffers from poor maintenance; more than 100,000 outstanding requests for connection despite an equally large number of installed but unused main lines


domestic: consists of microwave radio relay links, open-wire lines, radiotelephone communication stations, fixed wireless local loop installations, and a substantial mobile cellular network; Internet connection is available in Harare and planned for all major towns and for some of the smaller ones


international: country code - 263; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat; two international digital gateway exchanges (in Harare and Gweru)
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 328,000 (2005) 2.313 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular 699,000 (2005) 8,167 (1997)
Television broadcast stations 16 (1997) 47 (plus 27 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain mostly high plateau with higher central plateau (high veld); mountains in east generally flat and contains much marshland
Total fertility rate 3.13 children born/woman (2006 est.) 1.28 children born/woman (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate 80% (2005 est.) 2.1% officially registered unemployed (December 2000); large number of underemployed workers
Waterways on Lake Kariba, length small (2005) NA km; note - Belarus has extensive and widely used canal and river systems
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