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NAVIGATION
Republic of Belarus
Respublika Byelarus'
former: Belorussian (Byelorussian) Soviet Socialist Republic
COMMUNICATIONS
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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2.313 million (1997) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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8,167 (1997) |
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Telephone system:
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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 |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 28, FM 37, shortwave 11 (1998) |
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Radios:
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3.02 million (1997) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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47 (plus 27 repeaters) (1995) |
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Televisions:
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2.52 million (1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.by |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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23 (2002) |
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Internet users:
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422,000 (2002) |
TRANSPORTATION
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Railways:
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total: 5,523 km
broad gauge: 5,523 km 1.520-m gauge (875 km electrified) (2000 est.) |
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Highways:
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total: 98,200 km
paved: 66,100 km (includes some all-weather gravel-surfaced roads) unpaved: 32,100 km (these roads are made of unstabilized earth and are difficult to negotiate in wet weather) (1990) |
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Waterways:
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NA km; note - Belarus has extensive and widely used canal and river systems |
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Pipelines:
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crude oil 1,470 km; refined products 1,100 km; natural gas 1,980 km (1992) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Mazyr |
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Airports:
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136 (2001) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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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 (2002) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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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 (2002) |
MILITARY
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Military branches:
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Army, Air Force (including air defense), Interior Ministry Troops, Border Guards |
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Military manpower - military age:
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18 years of age (2002 est.) |
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Military manpower - availability:
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males age 15-49: 2,744,267 (2002 est.) |
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Military manpower - fit for military service:
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males age 15-49: 2,149,873 (2002 est.) |
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Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
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males: 86,396 (2002 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$156 million (FY98) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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1% (FY01) |
TRANSNATIONAL ISSUES
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Disputes - international:
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boundary demarcation with Latvia and Lithuania is pending European Union funding |
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Illicit drugs:
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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; lax money-laundering and banking regulations |