NAVIGATION
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NAVIGATION
Republic of Belarus
Respublika Byelarus'
former: Belorussian (Byelorussian) Soviet Socialist Republic
INTRODUCTION
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Background:
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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. |
GEOGRAPHY
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Location:
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Eastern Europe, east of Poland |
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Geographic coordinates:
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53 00 N, 28 00 E |
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Map references:
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Europe |
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Area:
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total: 207,600 sq km
water: 0 sq km land: 207,600 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than Kansas |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 2,900 km
border countries: Latvia 141 km, Lithuania 502 km, Poland 407 km, Russia 959 km, Ukraine 891 km |
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Coastline:
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0 km (landlocked) |
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Maritime claims:
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none (landlocked) |
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Climate:
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cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between continental and maritime |
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Terrain:
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generally flat and contains much marshland |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Nyoman River 90 m
highest point: Dzyarzhynskaya Hara 346 m |
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Natural resources:
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forests, peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas, granite, dolomitic limestone, marl, chalk, sand, gravel, clay |
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Land use:
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arable land: 29.76%
permanent crops: 0.69% other: 69.55% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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1,150 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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NA |
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Environment - current issues:
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soil pollution from pesticide use; southern part of the country contaminated with fallout from 1986 nuclear reactor accident at Chornobyl' in northern Ukraine |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea |
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Geography - note:
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landlocked; glacial scouring accounts for the flatness of Belarusian terrain and for its 11,000 lakes; the country is geologically well endowed with extensive deposits of granite, dolomitic limestone, marl, chalk, sand, gravel, and clay |
PEOPLE
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Population:
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10,335,382 (July 2002 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 17.3% (male 914,579; female 876,346)
15-64 years: 68.6% (male 3,443,859; female 3,643,628) 65 years and over: 14.1% (male 482,624; female 974,346) (2002 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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-0.14% (2002 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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9.86 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Death rate:
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13.99 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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2.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.5 male(s)/female total population: 0.88 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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14.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 68.28 years
female: 74.56 years (2002 est.) male: 62.3 years |
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Total fertility rate:
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1.31 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.28% (1999 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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14,000 (1999 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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400 (1999 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun: Belarusian(s)
adjective: Belarusian |
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Ethnic groups:
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Belarusian 81.2%, Russian 11.4%, Polish, Ukrainian, and other 7.4% |
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Religions:
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Eastern Orthodox 80%, other (including Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 20% (1997 est.) |
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Languages:
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Belarusian, Russian, other |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98% male: 99% female: 97% (1989 est.) |