Belarus Location:
Capital
(and largest city) Minsk
53°552 N, 27°332 E
Belarus Geography:
Belarus is landlocked, relatively flat, and contains large tracts of marshy land. Lakes and rivers punctuate the country. The largest marsh territory is Polesie, which is among the largest marshes in Europe. There are 11,000 lakes in Belarus, but the majority of the lakes are smaller than 0.5 square kilometres (124 acres). Three major rivers run through the country; the Neman River, the Pripyat River, and the Dnepr River. Belarus' highest point is Dzyarzhynskaya Hara (Dzyarzhynsk Hill), 345 metres (1,132 ft), and its lowest point is on the Neman River, 90 metres (295 ft).
Belarus is home, along with Poland, to the Belaveskaya Pushcha (5;025A:0O ?CHG0) or, by its Polish name, BiaBowie|a Forest, the only remaining, virgin part of the immense forest that once spread across the European Plain.
The climate ranges from harsh winters (average January temperatures are in the range -08 °C(18 °F) to -02 °C (28 °F)) to cool and moist summers (average temperature 15 °C (59 °F) to 20 °C(68 °F)). On average, 15 to 30 centimeters of snow falls in the country, mostly in the northeast. Belarus experiences an average rainfall of 600 to 700 millimeters with over 70% of the rain falling during the warmer periods of the year. Due to the weather patterns, natural disasters such as droughts and floods occasionally occur in Belarus. Between the period of 1881 until 2005, the average temperature of Belarus rose 1 degree Celsius, with temperatures rising significantly during the winter and spring months. It has been projected that Belarus will face a 3 to 4 degree rise in average temperatures when the twenty-first century ends.[39]
Forest covers about 34% of the total landscape, making forestry products one of the most abundant natural resources in Belarus. Other natural resources found in Belarus include peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas, granite, dolomite (limestone), marl, chalk, sand, gravel, and clay.
About one-fifth of the territory, mostly in the southeastern provinces of Homyel and Mahilyow, continue to be affected by fallout from the 1986 nuclear power plant disaster in Chernobyl, Ukraine. While the amount of radiation has decreased since the disaster, most of the area is considered uninhabitable. Approximately 70% of the total radiation emitted from the Chernobyl plant entered into Belarusian territory.[40]
Belarus is bordered by the following nations: Latvia (north), Lithuania (northwest), Poland (west), Russia (north and east) and Ukraine (south). Since its departure from the Soviet Union, Belarus signed a treaty with Latvia and Lithuania to demarcate the boundaries between the three countries. Ukraine signed a similar agreement with Belarus, though ratification on the Belarusian side is pending.[41] As of 2006, Belarus and Lithuania began to demarcate their border using water buoys.[42]
Belarus People:
Population
- 2007 estimate 9,724,723 (86th)
- 1999 census 10,045,237
- Density 49 /km2 (142nd)
127 /sq mi
Belarus Government:
Government Presidential republic
- President Alexander Lukashenko
- Prime Minister Sergey Sidorsky
Belarus Economy:
The Belarusian economy remains mostly state-controlled, as in Soviet times. Over half of the business are state controlled and foreign ownership is under 4%.[43] The country is relatively stable economically, but depends to a large extent on raw material supplies, such as oil, from its close ally Russia. Industry and agriculture remain largely in state hands. Agriculture is dominated by collective farming, with major sub-sectors being the cultivation of potatoes and cattle breeding.
Historically important branches of industry include textiles and wood processing. After 1965, creation of heavy industry and mechanical engineering (tractors, refrigerators, etc.) significantly strengthened the country's development. Within the Soviet Union, Belarus was one of the most industrially-developed republics. Economically, Belarus involved itself in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Eurasian Economic Community, and Union with Russia. Soon after 1990, industrial production plunged due to the introduction of free market structures into the former Soviet Union. Economic growth returned in 1996, and in 2001 Belarus was the first CIS country to reach Soviet-era levels of industrial production and agricultural production.
Gross domestic product (GDP) for 2005 was $79.13 billion (estimate), or about $7,700 per capita. In 2005, the gross domestic product increased by about 8-9%, with the inflation rate averaging about 8%. According to the UN, average monthly income grew from US$20 to US$225 during the last 10 years.
Over four million people comprise the labor force in Belarus, with women holding slightly more jobs than men. In 2005, nearly a quarter of the population were employed in industrial factories. Employment is also high in agriculture, manufacturing sales, trading goods, and education. The unemployment rate, according to Belarusian government statistics, was about 1.5% in 2005. The number of unemployed persons totaled 679,000, with approximately two-thirds being women. The rate of unemployment has been decreasing since 2003, and the overall rate has been lower since statistics were first taken in 1995.[43]
The currency of Belarus is the Belarusian ruble (BYR). The currency was introduced in May of 1992, replacing the Soviet ruble. The ruble was re-introduced with new values in 2000 and has been in use since.[44] As part of the Union of Russia and Belarus, there has been discussion between both states to use a single currency along the same lines as the Euro. This has led to the suggestion for the Belarusian ruble to be discontinued in favor of the Russian ruble (RUB), starting on 1 January 2008, according to Russian news agency ITAR-TASS.[45] The banking system of Belarus is composed of thirty state owned banks and one privatized bank.[46]
The Belarusian economy has been impacted by the political situations inside the republic. The impact is mostly felt in the form of sanctions against the country or the leadership of Belarus. For example, the European Union adopted Council Regulation (EC) No 765/2006 on 18 May 2006. The Regulation provided for a freeze on the funds of President Lukashenko and between 30 to 35 high-level officials of Belarus. The sanctions also provided for travel bans for the aforementioned leaders. The sanction was imposed by the EU after the nation-block declared that the 19 March 2006 elections were fraudulent and called for the crackdown on opposition groups.[47]
Belarus More Information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belarus |
