Belarus
Republic of Belarus
Capital: Minsk
History
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
Metric Units
|
Total Area
|
207,600
sq km
|
| Land Boundaries |
3,306
km
|
| Border Countries |
Latvia 171 km, Lithuania 680 km, Poland 605 km, Russia 959 km, Ukraine 891 km |
| Coastline |
0
km
|
| Terrain |
generally flat and contains much marshland |
| Minimum Elevation |
90
m
|
| Maximum Elevation |
346
m
|
| Climate |
cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between continental and maritime |
| Natural Resources |
timber, peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas, granite, dolomitic limestone, marl, chalk, sand, gravel, clay |
| Arable Land |
26.63% |
| Permanent Crops |
0.59% |
Economy
Budget & Debt
Trade
| Exports |
$46.6 billion |
| Export Items |
machinery and equipment, mineral products, chemicals, metals, textiles, foodstuffs |
| Export Partners |
Russia 33.5%, Netherlands 15.1%, Ukraine 10.2%, Latvia 7.7%, Germany 4.5% (2011) |
| Imports |
$48.18 billion |
| Import Items |
mineral products, machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs, metals |
| Import Partners |
Russia 54.4%, Germany 5.6%, China 4.8%, Ukraine 4.4% (2011) |
People
| Population |
9,625,888 |
| Population Growth |
-0.18% |
| Ethnic Groups |
Belarusian 83.7%, Russian 8.3%, Polish 3.1%, Ukrainian 1.7%, other 3.2% (2009 census) |
| Religion |
Eastern Orthodox 80%, other (including Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 20% (1997 est.) |
| Life Expectancy |
71.81 years |
| Infant Mortality |
0.87 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Maternal Mortality |
0.1 deaths/100,000 live births |
Energy
