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Belarus Country Guide
Explore Belarus in Europe
The landscape offers generally flat and contains much marshland. The average density of population is approximately 47 per km². The notable climate conditions in Belarus can be described as cold winters, cool and moist summers with transitional between continental and maritime. Potential threats by nature are NA.
To reach someone in Belarus dial +375 prior to a number. There are 3,969,000 installed telephones. And there are 9,686,000 registered mobile phones. The cellular networks commonly support frequencies of 900/1800 MHz. Websites registered in this country end with the top level domain ".by". If you want to bring electric equipment on your trip (e.g. laptop power supply), note the local power outlet of 220V - 50Hz.
About the flag and history of Belarus
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 ornamentation in red; the red band color recalls past struggles from oppression, the green band represents hope and the many forests of the country.
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. Since his election in July 1994 as the country's first president, Aleksandr LUKASHENKO has steadily consolidated his power through authoritarian means. Government restrictions on freedom of speech and the press, peaceful assembly, and religion remain in place.
Geography Quick-Facts
| Summary | Continent: Europe Neighbours: Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine, Russia, Latvia Capital: Minsk |
| Size | 207,600 square kilometers (km² or sqkm) or 80,154 square miles (mi² or sqmi) slightly smaller than Kansas |
| Population | 9,685,000 |
| Currency | Name Ruble, Currency Code:BYR |
| Country Top Level Domain (cTLD) | .by |
| Telephone Country Prefix | +375 |
| Mobile Phone Connections | 9,686,000 |
| Landline Phone Connections | 3,969,000 |
Country Position in World Rankings
Information about single country attributes and how these compare against the rest of the world. The information below is compiled with data from 2013. As such, it may differ a bit to the Information above in the text (which is from 2010).
Geography
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 207,600 (sq km) | 86 |
People and Society
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 9,625,888 | 90 |
| Population growth rate | -0.18 (%) | 210 |
| Birth rate | 10.99 (births/1,000 population) | 174 |
| Death rate | 13.68 (deaths/1,000 population) | 13 |
| Net migration rate | 0.85 (migrant(s)/1,000 population) | 61 |
| Maternal mortality rate | 190.00 (deaths/100,000 live births) | 57 |
| Infant mortality rate | 3.67 (deaths/1,000 live births) | 206 |
| Life expectancy at birth | 71.81 (years) | 140 |
| Total fertility rate | 1.46 (children born/woman) | 193 |
| Health expenditures | 5.60 (% of GDP) | 119 |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate | 0.30 (%) | 89 |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | 17,000 | 82 |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths | 1,000 | 68 |
| Obesity - adult prevalence rate | 24.30 (%) | 65 |
| Children under the age of 5 years underweight | 1.30 (%) | 126 |
| Education expenditures | 5.30 (% of GDP) | 62 |
Economy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (purchasing power parity) | 149,200,000,000 | 63 |
| GDP - real growth rate | 1.50 (%) | 147 |
| GDP - per capita (PPP) | 15,900 | 85 |
| Labor force | 5,000,000 | 77 |
| Unemployment rate | 1.00 (%) | 6 |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index | 27.20 | 125 |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 35.80 (% of GDP) | 11 |
| Taxes and other revenues | 33.90 (% of GDP) | 69 |
| Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) | -1.00 (% of GDP) | 62 |
| Public debt | 30.00 (% of GDP) | 115 |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 70.00 (%) | 223 |
| Central bank discount rate | 13.50 (%) | 14 |
| Commercial bank prime lending rate | 13.58 (%) | 59 |
| Stock of narrow money | 5,213,000,000 | 98 |
| Stock of broad money | 13,320,000,000 | 95 |
| Stock of domestic credit | 31,340,000,000 | 72 |
| Industrial production growth rate | 10.50 (%) | 9 |
| Current account balance | -3,067,000,000 | 150 |
| Exports | 46,600,000,000 | 62 |
| Imports | 48,180,000,000 | 55 |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 5,624,000,000 | 86 |
| Debt - external | 34,120,000,000 | 69 |
Energy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity - production | 28,550,000,000 (kWh) | 66 |
| Electricity - consumption | 29,540,000,000 (kWh) | 62 |
| Electricity - exports | 3,933,000,000 (kWh) | 32 |
| Electricity - imports | 8,404,000,000 (kWh) | 28 |
| Electricity - installed generating capacity | 8,032,000 (kW) | 63 |
| Electricity - from fossil fuels | 99.70 (% of total installed capacity) | 50 |
| Electricity - from hydroelectric plants | 0.20 (% of total installed capacity) | 148 |
| Electricity - from other renewable sources | 0.10 (% of total installed capacity) | 96 |
| Crude oil - production | 30,000 (bbl/day) | 67 |
| Crude oil - exports | 34,320 (bbl/day) | 50 |
| Crude oil - imports | 431,300 (bbl/day) | 19 |
| Crude oil - proved reserves | 198,000,000 (bbl) | 63 |
| Refined petroleum products - production | 427,800 (bbl/day) | 36 |
| Refined petroleum products - consumption | 188,800 (bbl/day) | 60 |
| Refined petroleum products - exports | 302,000 (bbl/day) | 24 |
| Refined petroleum products - imports | 39,660 (bbl/day) | 76 |
| Natural gas - production | 220,000,000 (cu m) | 77 |
| Natural gas - consumption | 21,820,000,000 (cu m) | 35 |
| Natural gas - imports | 21,600,000,000 (cu m) | 17 |
| Natural gas - proved reserves | 2,832,000,000 (cu m) | 96 |
| Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy | 68,240,000 (Mt) | 50 |
Communications
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Telephones - main lines in use | 4,208,000 | 41 |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 10,695,000 | 71 |
| Internet hosts | 295,217 | 64 |
| Internet users | 2,643,000 | 69 |
Transportation
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Airports | 65 | 76 |
| Railways | 5,537 (km) | 32 |
| Roadways | 86,392 (km) | 53 |
| Waterways | 2,500 (km) | 36 |
Military
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Military expenditures | 1.40 (% of GDP) | 107 |
Data based on CIA facts book 2010 & 2013, wikipedia, national statistical offices and their census releases
List of current world heritage sites
| Name | Since |
|---|---|
| Architectural, Residential and Cultural Complex of the Radziwill Family at Nesvizh The Architectural, Residential and Cultural Complex of the Radziwill Family at Nesvizh is located in central Belarus. The Radziwill dynasty, who built and kept the ensemble from the 16th century until 1939, gave birth to some of the most important pe ... | 2005 |
| Białowieża Forest This is an extension of and new proposal for the Belovezhskaya Pushcha / Białowieża transboudary site on the border between Poland and Belarus, inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1979. Situated on the watershed of the Baltic Sea and Black Sea, t ... | 1979 |
| Mir Castle Complex The construction of this castle began at the end of the 15th century, in Gothic style. It was subsequently extended and reconstructed, first in the Renaissance and then in the Baroque style. After being abandoned for nearly a century and suffering se ... | 2000 |
| Struve Geodetic Arc The Struve Arc is a chain of survey triangulations stretching from Hammerfest in Norway to the Black Sea, through 10 countries and over 2,820 km. These are points of a survey, carried out between 1816 and 1855 by the astronomer Friedrich Georg Wilhel ... | 2005 |