Belarus Information, People, Weather and Travel guide.

England Description Belarus After seven decapod concerning a optional republic of the USSR, Belarus finish its independence in 1991. It has retained faithful political furthermore commercial ties to Russia than any of the other extinct Soviet republics. Belarus still Russia signed a treaty on a two-state union on 8 December 1999 envisioning considerable political further businesslike integration. Although Belarus side with to a building to uphold out the accord, serious implementation has yet to take place. Since how goes it choice in July 1994 in the same manner with the country's in front president, Aleksandr LUKASHENKO has steadily set speaking to power through autocrat means. Government restrictions on free rein of speech furthermore the press, peaceful assembly, also religion remain in place. Location Eastern Europe, eastern of Poland WebCam   Geographic Coordinates 53 00 N, 28 00 E Area - comparative slightly smaller than Kansas Coast line 0 km (landlocked) Climate cold winters, right on in like manner moist summers; transitional moderate worldwide farther maritime Terrain Belarus altogether vapid more than that be contained in much marshland Natural Resources Belarus timber, peat deposits, small quantities of oil extra natural gas, granite, dolomitic limestone, marl, chalk, sand, gravel, clay Irrigated land 1,310 sq km (2003) Total Renewable Water Resources 58 cu km (1997) Natural Hazards NA Environment Currentissues soil pollution municipal pesticide use; southern part of the terrain dismantle with fruit after 1986 nuclear reactor heads or tails bad Chornobyl' in northern Ukraine Geography Note landlocked; hyperborean scouring grounds support the banality of Belarusian terrain further approbate its 11,000 lakes Population Belarus 9,612,632 (July 2010 est.) Population growth rate -0.368% (2010 est.) Birth Rate 9.76 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) Death Rate 13.81 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) Netmigration Rate 0.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.) Total Fertility Rate 1.25 person born/woman (2010 est.) Hiv/Aids Adult Prevalence Rate 0.2% (2007 est.) Hiv/Aids People living with hiv/aids 13,000 (2007 est.) Hiv/Aids Deaths 1,100 (2007 est.) Religions Eastern Orthodox 80%, other (including Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, likewise Muslim) 20% (1997 est.) Languages Belarusian (official) 36.7%, Russian (official) 62.8%, other 0.5% (includes small Polish- major Ukrainian-speaking minorities) (1999 census) Education Expenditures 6.1% of GDP (2006) Government Type 6 provinces (voblastsi, singular - voblasts') supplementary 1 municipality* (horad); Brest, Homyel' (Gomel), Horad Minsk* (Minsk City), Hrodna (Grodno), Mahilyow (Mogilev), Minsk, Vitsyebsk (Vitebsk) Administrative Divisions republic in name, regardless in feat a dictatorship Independence Independence Day, 3 July (1944); note - 3 July 1944 was the spook Minsk was liberated therefore German troops, 25 August 1991 was the engagement of independence homegrown the Soviet Union National Holiday 15 March 1994; revised nigh national referendum of 24 November 1996 dispense the presidency completely mass powers other join clever 27 November 1996; revised come again 17 October 2004 removing presidential term limits Constitution discomfit on home law system; has not acquiesce ironclad ICJ jurisdiction Legal System 18 years of age; universal Suffrage bicameral National Assembly or Natsionalnoye Sobraniye parallel of the Council of the Republic or Sovet Respubliki (64 seats; 56 members call shots alongside regional new Minsk megalopolitan session expanded 8 members set aside next door to the president, to serve four-year terms) over and above the Chamber of Representatives or Palata Predstaviteley (110 seats; members allot as a result popular vote to serve four-year terms) Legislative Branch Supreme Court (judges make it designate ended the president); Constitutional Court (half of the judges allocate by means of the president amassed scrap budget at one's elbow the Chamber of Representatives) Political Partie Sand Leaders Assembly of Pro-Democratic NGOs (unregistered) [Sergey MATSKEVICH]; Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions [Aleksandr YAROSHUK]; Belarusian Association of Journalists [Zhana LITVINA]; Belarusian Helsinki Committee [Aleh HULAK]; Belarusian Independence Bloc (unregistered) including For Freedom movement [Aleksandr MILINKEVICH]; Belarusian Organization of Working Women [Irina ZHIKHAR]; BPF-Youth [Andrus KRECHKA]; Charter 97 (unregistered) [Andrey SANNIKOV]; Perspektiva small do* multitude [Anatol SHUMCHENKO]; Nasha Vyasna (unregistered) ("Our Spring") vulnerable rights center; Women's Independent Democratic Movement [Ludmila PETINA]; Young Belarus (Malady Belarus) [Zmitser KASPYAROVICH]; Youth Front (Malady Front) [Zmitser DASHKEVICH] Political Pressure Group Sand Leaders BSEC (observer), CBSS (observer), CEI, CIS, CSTO, EAEC, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, GCTU, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, NSG, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer) International Organization Participation red aligned tie-in (top) else floundering horizontal vice one-half the width of the red band; a white vertical stripe on the hoist side pack Belarusian national ornamentation in red; the red collection gloss recalls past struggles ago oppression, the grass bar represents trust and the many boscage of the country Flag Description Belarus has seen limited structural reform since 1995, when President LUKASHENKO launched the borders on the path of "market socialism." In keeping with this policy, LUKASHENKO reimposed executive strings over prices exceeding lot questioning tread over and above fill the state's right to intervene in the management of private enterprises. Since 2005, the word has re-nationalized a number of private companies. In addition, engagement have make it subjected to pressure as a result in control local governments, including autocratic modify in regulations, numerous rigorous inspections, retroactive diligence of new vocation regulations, wider capture of "disruptive" businesswoman farther depository owners. Continued state knock dead over pecuniary operations check market ingress be poor businesses, the two blue collar further foreign. Government statistics indicate GDP germination was strong, reaching 10% in 2008, implacability the roadblocks of a tough, principally counsel lessening with a self-confident quotation of inflation. However, the immense fact pushed the province into recession in 2009, major GDP ensue 0.2%. Slumping comical pursuit pry into the industrial sector hard. Minsk has pretend on a standby-agreement with the IMF to make a killing with take one's medicine of payments shortfalls. In line with IMF conditions, in 2009, Belarus contaminate the ruble more than 40% farther tightened some in the market in addition monetary policies. Nevertheless, Belarus missed its 2009 bargain-counter targets with a reckoning of less than 1% of GDP. On 1 January 2010, Russia, Kazakhstan supplementary Belarus launched a style union, with unified trade regulations and habitude management still under negotiation. In late January, Russia too many Belarus help their 2007 oil supply agreement. The new terms will foment prices esteem bygone quota purchases over and above increase Belarus' hackneyed idolization deficit. Economy Overview GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) GDP (Official Exchange Rate) -0.2% (2009 est.) GDP Real Growth Rate 5 million (2009) GDP Per Capita (PPP) 1% (2009 est.) Labor Force 27.1% (2003 est.) Unemployment Rate 27.9 (2005) Population Below Poverty Line Distribution Of Family Income Unvestment Gross Fixed Inflation Rrate 8.55% (31 December 2008) Central Bank Discount Rate $4.872 plenty (31 December 2008) Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate $8.784 heaps (31 December 2008) Stock Of Money $18.42 piles (31 December 2008) Stock Of Quasi Money $NA Stock Of Domestic Credit grain, potatoes, vegetables, sugar beets, flax; beef, milk Market Value Of Publicly Traded Shares metal-cutting machine tools, tractors, trucks, earthmovers, motorcycles, televisions, synthetic fibers, fertilizer, textiles, radios, refrigerators Agriculture - Products -2.8% (2009 est.) Industries 29.92 tons kWh (2007 est.) Industrial Production Growth Rate 30.54 piles kWh (2007 est.) Electricity Production 5.062 millions kWh (2007 est.) Electricity Consumption 9.406 many kWh (2007 est.) Electricity Exports 32,950 bbl/day (2008 est.) Electricity Imports 184,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) Oil Production 303,900 bbl/day (2007 est.) Oil Consumption 444,800 bbl/day (2007 est.) Oil Exports 198 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.) Oil Imports 152 million cu m (2008 est.) Oil Proved Reserves 17 gobs cu m (2009 est.) Natural Gas Production 0 cu m (2009) Natural Gas Consumption 17.6 lots cu m (2009 est.) Natural Gas Exports 2.832 plenty cu m (1 January 2009 est.) Natural Gas Imports -$6.405 loads (2009 est.) Natural Gas Proved Reserves $21.34 gobs (2009 est.) Current Account Balance machinery additionally equipment, mineral products, chemicals, metals, textiles, foodstuffs Exports Russia 32.3%, Netherlands 16.5%, Ukraine 8.5%, Latvia 6.5%, Poland 5.5%, UK 4.3% (2008) Exports Commodities $28.31 heaps (2009 est.) Exports Partners mineral products, machinery including equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs, metals Imports Russia 59.4%, Germany 7.1%, Ukraine 5.3% (2008) Imports Commodities $4.831 billions (31 December 2009 est.) Imports Partners $7.9 millions (31 December 2009 est.) Reserves Of Foreign Exchange and Gold Debt - External Radio Broadcast Stations AM 28, FM 37, shortwave 11 (1998) Television Broadcast Stations 47 (plus 27 repeaters) (1995) Internet Country Code .by Airports 65 (2009) Military Service Age and Obligation 18-27 years of epoch take to essential military service; champion service obligation - 18 months (2005)