Chapter VIII: Front Matter (8)

Oil - consumption:
71,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA

Oil - imports:
NA

Oil - proved reserves:
28.45 million bbl (1 January 2002)

Natural gas - production:
9.9 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
9.9 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
150.3 billion cu m (1 January 2002)

Current account balance:
$216.6 million (2004 est.)

Exports:
$7.478 billion (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
garments, jute and jute goods, leather, frozen fish and seafood
(2001)

Exports - partners:
US 22.4%, Germany 14.5%, UK 11.2%, France 6.9%, Italy 4% (2004)

Imports:
$10.03 billion (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles,
foodstuffs, petroleum products, cement (2000)

Imports - partners:
India 15.1%, China 12.5%, Singapore 7.5%, Kuwait 5.5%, Japan 5.3%,
Hong Kong 4.5% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$3 billion (2004 est.)

Debt - external:
$19.97 billion (2004 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$1.575 billion (2000 est.)

Currency (code):
taka (BDT)

Currency code:
BDT

Exchange rates:
taka per US dollar - 59.513 (2004), 58.15 (2003), 57.888 (2002),
55.807 (2001), 52.142 (2000)

Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June

Communications Bangladesh

Telephones - main lines in use:
740,000 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.365 million (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: totally inadequate for a modern country
domestic: modernizing; introducing digital systems; trunk systems
include VHF and UHF microwave radio relay links, and some
fiber-optic cable in cities
international: country code - 880; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Indian Ocean); international radiotelephone communications
and landline service to neighboring countries (2000)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 12, FM 12, shortwave 2 (1999)

Radios:
6.15 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
15 (1999)

Televisions:
770,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.bd

Internet hosts:
1 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
10 (2000)

Internet users:
243,000 (2003)

Transportation Bangladesh

Railways:
total: 2,706 km
broad gauge: 884 km 1.676-m gauge
narrow gauge: 1,822 km 1.000-m gauge (2004)

Highways:
total: 207,486 km
paved: 19,773 km
unpaved: 187,713 km (1999)

Waterways:
8,372 km
note: includes 2,575 km main cargo routes (2004)

Pipelines:
gas 2,012 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Chittagong, Mongla Port

Merchant marine:
total: 41 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 319,897 GRT/440,575 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 28, container 6, passenger/cargo 1,
petroleum tanker 4
foreign-owned: 10 (China 1, Singapore 9)
registered in other countries: 14 (2005)

Airports:
16 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 15
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 6 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Military Bangladesh

Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force

Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription
(2005)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 35,170,019 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 26,841,255 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$995.3 million (2004)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.8% (2004)

Transnational Issues Bangladesh

Disputes - international:
discussions with India remain stalled to delimit a small section of
river boundary, exchange 162 miniscule enclaves in both countries,
allocate divided villages, and stop illegal cross-border trade,
migration, violence, and transit of terrorists through the porous
border; Bangladesh protests India's attempts to fence off
high-traffic sections of the porous boundary; a joint
Bangladesh-India boundary inspection in 2005 revealed 92 pillars are
missing; dispute with India over New Moore/South Talpatty/Purbasha
Island in the Bay of Bengal deters maritime boundary delimitation;
Burmese Muslim refugees strain Bangladesh's meager resources

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 61,000 (land conflicts, religious persecution) (2004)

Illicit drugs:
transit country for illegal drugs produced in neighboring countries

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

======================================================================

@Barbados

Introduction Barbados

Background:
The island was uninhabited when first settled by the British in
1627. Slaves worked the sugar plantations established on the island
until 1834 when slavery was abolished. The economy remained heavily
dependent on sugar, rum, and molasses production through most of the
20th century. The gradual introduction of social and political
reforms in the 1940s and 1950s led to complete independence from the
UK in 1966. In the 1990s, tourism and manufacturing surpassed the
sugar industry in economic importance.

Geography Barbados

Location:
Caribbean, island in the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of
Venezuela

Geographic coordinates:
13 10 N, 59 32 W

Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total: 431 sq km
land: 431 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:
2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
97 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:
tropical; rainy season (June to October)

Terrain:
relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Hillaby 336 m

Natural resources:
petroleum, fish, natural gas

Land use:
arable land: 37.21%
permanent crops: 2.33%
other: 60.46% (2001)

Irrigated land:
10 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides

Environment - current issues:
pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by ships; soil
erosion; illegal solid waste disposal threatens contamination of
aquifers

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
easternmost Caribbean island

People Barbados

Population:
279,254 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 20.6% (male 28,813/female 28,634)
15-64 years: 70.6% (male 96,590/female 100,622)
65 years and over: 8.8% (male 9,432/female 15,163) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 34.15 years
male: 32.99 years
female: 35.28 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.33% (2005 est.)

Birth rate:
12.83 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate:
9.17 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate:
-0.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.01 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female
total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 12.5 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 14.14 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 10.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 72.59 years
male: 70.6 years
female: 74.6 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.65 children born/woman (2005 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.5% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
2,500 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 200 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Barbadian(s) or Bajan (colloquial)
adjective: Barbadian or Bajan (colloquial)

Ethnic groups:
black 90%, white 4%, Asian and mixed 6%

Religions:
Protestant 67% (Anglican 40%, Pentecostal 8%, Methodist 7%, other
12%), Roman Catholic 4%, none 17%, other 12%

Languages:
English

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 99.7%
male: 99.7%
female: 99.7% (2002 est.)

Government Barbados

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Barbados

Government type:
parliamentary democracy; independent sovereign state within the
Commonwealth

Capital:
Bridgetown

Administrative divisions:
11 parishes; Christ Church, Saint Andrew, Saint George, Saint
James, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Lucy, Saint Michael, Saint
Peter, Saint Philip, Saint Thomas; note - the city of Bridgetown may
be given parish status

Independence:
30 November 1966 (from UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 30 November (1966)

Constitution:
30 November 1966

Legal system:
English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor General Sir Clifford Straughn HUSBANDS
(since 1 June 1996)
head of government: Prime Minister Owen Seymour ARTHUR (since 7
September 1994); Deputy Prime Minister Mia MOTTLEY (since 26 May
2003)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of
the prime minister
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general
appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the
leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition
is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; the
prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister

Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (21-member body
appointed by the governor general) and the House of Assembly (30
seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year
terms)
elections: House of Assembly - last held 21 May 2003 (next to be
held by May 2008)
election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - BLP 23, DLP 7

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Judicature (judges are appointed by the Service
Commissions for the Judicial and Legal Services)

Political parties and leaders:
Barbados Labor Party or BLP [Owen ARTHUR]; Democratic Labor Party
or DLP [Clyde Mascoll]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Barbados Workers Union [Leroy TROTMAN]; Clement Payne Labor Union
[David COMMISSIONG]; People's Progressive Movement [Eric SEALY];
Worker's Party of Barbados [Dr. George BELLE]

International organization participation:
ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU,
LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Michael Ian KING
chancery: 2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 939-9200
FAX: [1] (202) 332-7467
consulate(s) general: Miami and New York
consulate(s): Los Angeles

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Mary E. KRAMER
embassy: Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Building, Broad Street,
Bridgetown; (courier) ALICO Building-Cheapside, Bridgetown
mailing address: P. O. Box 302, Bridgetown; CMR 1014, APO AA 34055
telephone: [1] (246) 436-4950
FAX: [1] (246) 429-5246, 429-3379

Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold, and blue
with the head of a black trident centered on the gold band; the
trident head represents independence and a break with the past (the
colonial coat of arms contained a complete trident)

Economy Barbados

Economy - overview:
Historically, the Barbadian economy had been dependent on sugarcane
cultivation and related activities, but production in recent years
has diversified into light industry and tourism. Offshore finance
and information services are important foreign exchange earners. The
government continues its efforts to reduce unemployment, to
encourage direct foreign investment, and to privatize remaining
state-owned enterprises. The economy contracted in 2002-03 mainly
due to a decline in tourism. Growth probably was positive in 2004,
as economic conditions in the US and Europe moderately improved.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$4.569 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
2.3% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $16,400 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 6%
industry: 16%
services: 78% (2000 est.)

Labor force:
128,500 (2001 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 10%, industry 15%, services 75% (1996 est.)

Unemployment rate:
10.7% (2003 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
-0.5% (2003 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $847 million (including grants)
expenditures: $886 million, including capital expenditures of NA
(2000 est.)

Agriculture - products:
sugarcane, vegetables, cotton

Industries:
tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export

Industrial production growth rate:
-3.2% (2000 est.)

Electricity - production:
800 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
744 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2002)

Oil - production:
1,271 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
10,900 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA

Oil - imports:
NA

Oil - proved reserves:
1.254 million bbl (1 January 2002)

Natural gas - production:
29.17 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
29.17 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
70.79 million cu m (1 January 2002)

Exports:
$206 million (2002)

Exports - commodities:
sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals,
electrical components

Exports - partners:
US 20.6%, UK 14.5%, Trinidad and Tobago 13.9%, Saint Lucia 6.9%,
Jamaica 6.6%, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5.1% (2004)

Imports:
$1.039 billion (2002)

Imports - commodities:
consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials,
chemicals, fuel, electrical components

Imports - partners:
US 35.2%, Trinidad and Tobago 20%, UK 5.6%, Japan 4.3% (2004)

Debt - external:
$668 million (2003)

Economic aid - recipient:
$9.1 million (1995)

Currency (code):
Barbadian dollar (BBD)

Currency code:
BBD

Exchange rates:
Barbadian dollars per US dollar - 2 (2004), 2 (2003), 2 (2002), 2
(2001), 2 (2000)

Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March

Communications Barbados

Telephones - main lines in use:
134,000 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
140,000 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: island-wide automatic telephone system
international: country code - 1-246; satellite earth stations - 4
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Trinidad and
Saint Lucia

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 6, shortwave 0 (2004)

Radios:
237,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
1 (plus two cable channels) (2004)

Televisions:
76,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.bb

Internet hosts:
204 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
19 (2000)

Internet users:
100,000 (2003)

Transportation Barbados

Highways:
total: 1,600 km
paved: 1,578 km
unpaved: 22 km (2002)

Ports and harbors:
Bridgetown

Merchant marine:
total: 58 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 427,465 GRT/668,195 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 14, cargo 31, chemical tanker 6,
passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 3, roll on/roll off 2,
specialized tanker 1
foreign-owned: 53 (Bahamas 1, Bangladesh 1, Canada 12, Greece 11,
Lebanon 2, Netherlands 1, Norway 17, UAE 1, United Kingdom 7)
registered in other countries: 1 (2005)

Airports:
1 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Military Barbados

Military branches:
Royal Barbados Defense Force: Troops Command and Coast Guard (2005)

Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary military service; volunteers at
earlier age with parental consent; no conscription (2001)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 71,330 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 51,298 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
NA

Military - note:
the Royal Barbados Defense Force includes a land-based Troop
Command and a small Coast Guard; the primary role of the land
element is to defend the island against external aggression; the
Command consists of a single, part-time battalion with a small
regular cadre that is deployed throughout the island; it
increasingly supports the police in patrolling the coastline to
prevent smuggling and other illicit activities (2005)

Transnational Issues Barbados

Disputes - international:
in 2005, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago agreed to compulsory
international arbitration that will result in a binding award
challenging whether the northern limit of Trinidad and Tobago's and
Venezuela's maritime boundary extends into Barbadian waters and the
southern limit of Barbadian traditional fishing; joins other
Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island
sustains human habitation, a criterion under UNCLOS, which permits
Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion
of the Caribbean Sea

Illicit drugs:
one of many Caribbean transshipment points for narcotics bound for
Europe and the US; offshore financial center

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

======================================================================

@Bassas da India

Introduction Bassas da India

Background:
This atoll is a volcanic rock surrounded by reefs and is awash at
high tide. A French possession since 1897, it was placed under the
administration of a commissioner residing in Reunion in 1968.

Geography Bassas da India

Location:
Southern Africa, islands in the southern Mozambique Channel, about
one-half of the way from Madagascar to Mozambique

Geographic coordinates:
21 30 S, 39 50 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 0.2 sq km
land: 0.2 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:
about one-third the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
35.2 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:
tropical

Terrain:
volcanic rock

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 2.4 m

Natural resources:
none

Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (all rock) (2001)

Irrigated land:
0 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
maritime hazard since it is usually under water during high tide
and surrounded by reefs; subject to periodic cyclones

Environment - current issues:
NA

Geography - note:
the islands emerge from a circular reef that sits atop a
long-extinct, submerged volcano

People Bassas da India

Population:
uninhabited (July 2005 est.)

Government Bassas da India

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Bassas da India

Dependency status:
possession of France; administered by the Administrateur Superieur
of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands

Legal system:
the laws of France, where applicable, apply

Flag description:
the flag of France is used

Economy Bassas da India

Economy - overview:
no economic activity

Transportation Bassas da India

Ports and harbors:
none; offshore anchorage only

Military Bassas da India

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of France

Transnational Issues Bassas da India

Disputes - international:
claimed by Madagascar

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

======================================================================

@Belarus

Introduction Belarus

Background:
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 1995 as the country's first president, Alexander
LUKASHENKO has steadily consolidated his power through authoritarian
means. Government restrictions on freedom of speech and the press,
peaceful assembly, and religion continue.

Geography Belarus

Location:
Eastern Europe, east of Poland

Geographic coordinates:
53 00 N, 28 00 E

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 207,600 sq km
land: 207,600 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Kansas

Land boundaries:
total: 2,900 km
border countries: Latvia 141 km, Lithuania 502 km, Poland 407 km,
Russia 959 km, Ukraine 891 km

Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)

Climate:
cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between
continental and maritime

Terrain:
generally flat and contains much marshland

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Nyoman River 90 m
highest point: Dzyarzhynskaya Hara 346 m

Natural resources:
forests, peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas,
granite, dolomitic limestone, marl, chalk, sand, gravel, clay

Land use:
arable land: 29.55%
permanent crops: 0.6%
other: 69.85% (2001)

Irrigated land:
1,150 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
NA

Environment - current issues:
soil pollution from pesticide use; southern part of the country
contaminated with fallout from 1986 nuclear reactor accident at
Chornobyl' in northern Ukraine

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulfur 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

Geography - note:
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 Belarus

Population:
10,300,483 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 16% (male 839,292/female 804,738)
15-64 years: 69.5% (male 3,481,432/female 3,672,991)
65 years and over: 14.6% (male 498,717/female 1,003,313) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 37.03 years
male: 34.32 years
female: 39.7 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
-0.09% (2005 est.)

Birth rate:
10.83 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate:
14.15 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate:
2.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Sex ratio:
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 (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 13.37 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 14.3 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 12.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 68.72 years
male: 63.03 years
female: 74.69 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.39 children born/woman (2005 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.3% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
15,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
1,000 (2001 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Belarusian(s)
adjective: Belarusian

Ethnic groups:
Belarusian 81.2%, Russian 11.4%, Polish 3.9%, Ukrainian 2.4%, other
1.1% (1999 census)

Religions:
Eastern Orthodox 80%, other (including Roman Catholic, Protestant,
Jewish, and Muslim) 20% (1997 est.)

Languages:
Belarusian, Russian, other

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.6%
male: 99.8%
female: 99.5% (2003 est.)

Government Belarus

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Belarus
conventional short form: Belarus
local long form: Respublika Byelarus'
local short form: none
former: Belorussian (Byelorussian) Soviet Socialist Republic

Government type:
republic in name, although in fact a dictatorship

Capital:
Minsk

Administrative divisions:
6 provinces (voblastsi, singular - voblasts') and 1 municipality*
(horad); Brest, Homyel', Horad Minsk*, Hrodna, Mahilyow, Minsk,
Vitsyebsk
note: administrative divisions have the same names as their
administrative centers

Independence:
25 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 3 July (1944); note - 3 July 1944 was the date
Minsk was liberated from German troops, 25 August 1991 was the date
of independence from the Soviet Union

Constitution:
15 March 1994; revised by national referendum of 24 November 1996
giving the presidency greatly expanded powers and became effective
27 November 1996; revised again 17 October 2004 removing
presidential term limits

Legal system:
based on civil law system

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Aleksandr LUKASHENKO (since 20 July 1994)
head of government: Prime Minister Sergei SIDORSKY (since 19
December 2003); First Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir SEMASHKO (since
December 2003)
cabinet: Council of Ministers
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
first election took place 23 June and 10 July 1994; according to the
1994 constitution, the next election should have been held in 1999,
however LUKASHENKO extended his term to 2001 via a November 1996
referendum; new election held 9 September 2001; October 2004
referendum ended presidential term limits allowing president to run
for a third term in September 2006; prime minister and deputy prime
ministers appointed by the president
election results: Aleksandr LUKASHENKO reelected president; percent
of vote - Aleksandr LUKASHENKO 75.6%, Vladimir GONCHARIK 15.4%

Legislative branch:
bicameral National Assembly or Natsionalnoye Sobranie consists of
the Council of the Republic or Soviet Respubliki (64 seats; 56
members elected by regional councils and 8 members appointed by the
president, all for 4-year terms) and the Chamber of Representatives
or Palata Predstaviteley (110 seats; members elected by universal
adult suffrage to serve 4-year terms)
elections: last held 18 March and 1 April 2001 and 17 and 31 October
2004; international observers widely denounced the October 2004
elections as flawed and undemocratic, based on massive government
falsification; pro-Lukashenko candidates won every seat, after many
opposition candidates were disqualified for technical reasons
election results: Soviet Respubliki - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - NA; Palata Predstaviteley - percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party - NA

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president);
Constitutional Court (half of the judges appointed by the president
and half appointed by the Chamber of Representatives)

Political parties and leaders:
Pro-government parties: Agrarian Party or AP [leader NA];
Belarusian Communist Party or KPB [leader NA]; Belarusian Patriotic
Movement (Belarusian Patriotic Party) or BPR [Anatoliy BARANKEVICH,
chairman]; Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus [Sergei GAYDUKEVICH];
Social-Sports Party [leader NA]; Opposition parties: Belarusian
Popular Front or BNF [Vintsuk VYACHORKA]; Belarusian Social-Democrat
Party Narodnaya Gromada or BSDP NG [Nikolay STATKEVICH, chairman];
Belarusian Social-Democratic Party Hromada [Stanislav SHUSHKEVICH,
chairman]; United Civic Party or UCP [Anatol LEBEDKO]; Party of
Communists Belarusian or PKB [Sergei KALYAKIN, chairman]; Women's
Party "Nadezhda" [Valentina MATUSEVICH, chairperson]
note: the opposition Belarusian Party of Labor [Aleksandr
BUKHVOSTOV] was liquidated in August 2004, but remains active

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
CEI, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS,
ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, NSG,
OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Mikhail KHVOSTOV
chancery: 1619 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 986-1604
FAX: [1] (202) 986-1805
consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador George A. KROL
embassy: 46 Starovilenskaya St., Minsk 220002
mailing address: PSC 78, Box B Minsk, APO 09723
telephone: [375] (17) 210-12-83, 217-7347, 217-7348
FAX: [375] (17) 234-7853

Flag description:
red horizontal band (top) and green horizontal band one-half the
width of the red band; a white vertical stripe on the hoist side
bears Belarusian national ornamention in red

Economy Belarus

Economy - overview:
Belarus's economy in 2003-04 posted 6.1% and 6.4% growth. Still,
the economy continues to be hampered by high inflation, persistent
trade deficits, and ongoing rocky relations with Russia, Belarus'
largest trading partner and energy supplier. Belarus has seen little
structural reform since 1995, when President LUKASHENKO launched the
country on the path of "market socialism." In keeping with this
policy, LUKASHENKO reimposed administrative controls over prices and
currency exchange rates and expanded the state's right to intervene
in the management of private enterprises. In addition, businesses
have been subject to pressure on the part of central and local
governments, e.g., arbitrary changes in regulations, numerous
rigorous inspections, retroactive application of new business
regulations, and arrests of "disruptive" businessmen and factory
owners. A wide range of redistributive policies has helped those at
the bottom of the ladder; the Gini coefficient is among the lowest
in the world. For the time being, Belarus remains self-isolated from
the West and its open-market economies. Growth has been strong in
recent years, despite the roadblocks in a tough, centrally directed
economy and the high, but decreasing, rate of inflation. Growth has
been buoyed by increased Russian demand for generally noncompetitive
Belarusian goods.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$70.5 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
6.4% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $6,800 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 11%
industry: 36.4%
services: 52.6% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
4.305 million (31 December 2003)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 14%, industry 34.7%, services 51.3% (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate:
2% officially registered unemployed; large number of underemployed
workers (2004)

Population below poverty line:
27.1% (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 5.1%
highest 10%: 20% (1998)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
21.7 (1998)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
17.4% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
21.8% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $3.326 billion
expenditures: $3.564 billion, including capital expenditures of $180
million (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
grain, potatoes, vegetables, sugar beets, flax; beef, milk

Industries:
metal-cutting machine tools, tractors, trucks, earthmovers,
motorcycles, televisions, chemical fibers, fertilizer, textiles,
radios, refrigerators

Industrial production growth rate:
4% (2004 est.)

Electricity - production:
30 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 99.5%
hydro: 0.1%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0.4% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
34.3 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
800 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
3.2 billion kWh (2003)

Oil - production:
36,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - consumption:
285,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
14,500 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - imports:
360,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Natural gas - production:
250 million cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
18.8 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
18.5 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Current account balance:
$-1.119 billion (2004 est.)

Exports:
$11.47 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, mineral products, chemicals, metals;
textiles, foodstuffs

Exports - partners:
Russia 47%, UK 8.3%, Netherlands 6.7%, Poland 5.3% (2004)

Imports:
$13.57 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
mineral products, machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs,
metals

Imports - partners:
Russia 68.2%, Germany 6.6%, Ukraine 3.3% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$770.2 million (2004 est.)

Debt - external:
$600 million (2004 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$194.3 million (1995)

Currency (code):
Belarusian ruble (BYB/BYR)

Currency code:
BYB/BYR

Exchange rates:
Belarusian rubles per US dollar - 2,160.26 (2004), 2,051.27 (2003),
1,790.92 (2002), 1,390 (2001), 876.75 (2000)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Belarus

Telephones - main lines in use:
3,071,300 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.118 million (2003)

Telephone system:
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' fiber optics form
synchronous digital hierarchy rings through other countries'
systems; an inadequate analog system remains operational
international: country code - 375; 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

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 28, FM 37, shortwave 11 (1998)

Radios:
3.02 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
47 (plus 27 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:
2.52 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.by

Internet hosts:
5,308 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
23 (2002)

Internet users:
1,391,900 (2003)

Transportation Belarus

Railways:
total: 5,512 km
broad gauge: 5,497 km 1.520-m gauge (874 km electrified)
standard gauge: 15 km 1.435-m (2004)

Highways:
total: 79,990 km
paved: 69,351 km
unpaved: 10,639 km (2002)

Waterways:
2,500 km (use limited by location on perimeter of country and by
shallowness) (2003)

Pipelines:
gas 5,223 km; oil 2,443 km; refined products 1,686 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Mazyr

Airports:
133 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 50
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 22
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 21 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 83
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 11
under 914 m: 64 (2004 est.)

Heliports:
1 (2004 est.)

Military Belarus

Military branches:
Army, Air and Air Defense Force

Military service age and obligation:
18-27 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript
service obligation - 18 months (May 2004)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 2,520,644 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,657,984 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males: 85,202 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$176.1 million (FY02)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.4% (FY02)

Transnational Issues Belarus

Disputes - international:
1997 boundary treaty with Ukraine remains unratified over
unresolved financial claims, preventing demarcation and diminishing
border security; boundary with Latvia remains undemarcated but a
third of the border with Lithuania was demarcated in 2004

Illicit drugs:
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; a small and lightly
regulated financial center; new anti-money-laundering legislation
does not meet international standards; few investigations or
prosecutions of money-laundering activities

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

======================================================================

@Belgium

Introduction Belgium

Background:
Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830 and was
occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II. It has prospered in
the past half century as a modern, technologically advanced European
state and member of NATO and the EU. Tensions between the
Dutch-speaking Flemings of the north and the French-speaking
Walloons of the south have led in recent years to constitutional
amendments granting these regions formal recognition and autonomy.

Geography Belgium

Location:
Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the
Netherlands

Geographic coordinates:
50 50 N, 4 00 E

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 30,528 sq km
land: 30,278 sq km
water: 250 sq km

Area - comparative:
about the size of Maryland

Land boundaries:
total: 1,385 km
border countries: France 620 km, Germany 167 km, Luxembourg 148 km,
Netherlands 450 km

Coastline:
66.5 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: geographic coordinates define outer limit
continental shelf: median line with neighbors

Climate:
temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy

Terrain:
flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills, rugged
mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: North Sea 0 m
highest point: Signal de Botrange 694 m

Natural resources:
construction materials, silica sand, carbonates

Land use:
arable land: 23.28%
permanent crops: 0.4%
other: 76.32%
note: includes Luxembourg (2001)

Irrigated land:
40 sq km (includes Luxembourg) (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
flooding is a threat along rivers and in areas of reclaimed coastal
land, protected from the sea by concrete dikes

Environment - current issues:
the environment is exposed to intense pressures from human
activities: urbanization, dense transportation network, industry,
extensive animal breeding and crop cultivation; air and water
pollution also have repercussions for neighboring countries;
uncertainties regarding federal and regional responsibilities (now
resolved) have slowed progress in tackling environmental challenges

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile
Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,
Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic
Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life
Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical
Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants

Geography - note:
crossroads of Western Europe; majority of West European capitals
within 1,000 km of Brussels, the seat of both the European Union and
NATO

People Belgium

Population:
10,364,388 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 16.9% (male 892,995/female 855,177)
15-64 years: 65.7% (male 3,435,282/female 3,373,917)
65 years and over: 17.4% (male 745,178/female 1,061,839) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 40.55 years
male: 39.29 years
female: 41.81 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.15% (2005 est.)

Birth rate:
10.48 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate:
10.22 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate:
1.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 4.68 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.27 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.06 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.62 years
male: 75.44 years
female: 81.94 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.64 children born/woman (2005 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.2% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
10,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 100 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Belgian(s)
adjective: Belgian

Ethnic groups:
Fleming 58%, Walloon 31%, mixed or other 11%

Religions:
Roman Catholic 75%, Protestant or other 25%

Languages:
Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German (official) less
than 1%, legally bilingual (Dutch and French)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
male: NA%
female: NA%

Government Belgium

Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Belgium
conventional short form: Belgium
local long form: Royaume de Belgique/Koninkrijk Belgie
local short form: Belgique/Belgie

Government type:
federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarch

Capital:
Brussels

Administrative divisions:
10 provinces (French: provinces, singular - province; Dutch:
provincies, singular - provincie) and 3 regions* (French: regions;
Dutch: gewesten); Antwerpen, Brabant Wallon, Brussels* (Bruxelles),
Flanders*, Hainaut, Liege, Limburg, Luxembourg, Namur,
Oost-Vlaanderen, Vlaams-Brabant, Wallonia*, West-Vlaanderen
note: as a result of the 1993 constitutional revision that furthered
devolution into a federal state, there are now three levels of
government (federal, regional, and linguistic community) with a
complex division of responsibilities

Independence:
4 October 1830 (a provisional government declares independence from
the Netherlands); 21 July 1831 (King Leopold I ascends to the throne)

National holiday:
21 July (1831) ascension to the Throne of King Leopold I

Constitution:
7 February 1831; amended many times; revised 14 July 1993 to create
a federal state

Legal system:
civil law system influenced by English constitutional theory;
judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch:
chief of state: King ALBERT II (since 9 August 1993); Heir Apparent
Prince PHILIPPE, son of the monarch
head of government: Prime Minister Guy VERHOFSTADT (since 13 July
1999)
cabinet: Council of Ministers formally appointed by the monarch
elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative
elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the
majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the
monarch and then approved by parliament
note: government coalition - VLD, MR, PS, SP.A-Spirit

Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of a Senate or Senaat in Dutch, Senat
in French (71 seats; 40 members are directly elected by popular
vote, 31 are indirectly elected; members serve four-year terms) and
a Chamber of Deputies or Kamer van Volksvertegenwoordigers in Dutch,
Chambre des Representants in French (150 seats; members are directly
elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation
to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate and Chamber of Deputies - last held 18 May 2003
(next to be held no later than May 2007)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - SP.A-Spirit
15.5%, VLD 15.4%, CD & V 12.7%, PS 12.8%, MR 12.1%, VB 9.4%, CDH
5.6%; seats by party - SP.A-Spirit 7, VLD 7, CD & V 6, PS 6, MR 5,
VB 5, CDH 2, other 2 (note - there are also 31 indirectly elected
senators); Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - VLD
15.4%, SP.A-Spirit 14.9%, CD & V 13.3%, PS 13.0%, VB 11.6%, MR
11.4%, CDH 5.5%, Ecolo 3.1%; seats by party - VLD 25, SP.A-Spirit
23, CD & V 21, PS 25, VB 18, MR 24, CDH 8 Ecolo 4, other 2
note: as a result of the 1993 constitutional revision that furthered
devolution into a federal state, there are now three levels of
government (federal, regional, and linguistic community) with a
complex division of responsibilities; this reality leaves six
governments each with its own legislative assembly

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Justice or Hof van Cassatie (in Dutch) or Cour de
Cassation (in French) (judges are appointed for life by the
Government; candidacies have to be submitted by the High Justice
Council)

Political parties and leaders:
Flemish parties: Christian Democrats and Flemish or CD & V [Jo
VANDEURZEN]; Flemish Liberal Democrats or VLD [Bart SOMERS]; GROEN!
(formerly AGALEV, Flemish Greens) [Vera DUA]; New Flemish Alliance
or NVA [Bart DE WEVER]; Socialist Party.Alternative or SP.A
[Caroline GENNEZ]; Spirit [Geert LAMBERT] (new party now associated
with SP.A); Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest) or VB [Frank VANHECKE]
Francophone parties: Ecolo (Francophone Greens) [Jean-Michel JAVAUX,
Evelyne HUYTEBROECK, Claude BROUIR]; Humanist and Democratic Center
of CDH [Joelle MILQUET]; National Front or FN [Daniel FERET];
Reformist Movement or MR [Didier REYNDERS]; Socialist Party or PS
[Elio DI RUPO]; other minor parties

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Christian, Socialist, and Liberal Trade Unions; Federation of
Belgian Industries; numerous other associations representing
bankers, manufacturers, middle-class artisans, and the legal and
medical professions; various organizations represent the cultural
interests of Flanders and Wallonia; various peace groups such as Pax
Christi and groups representing immigrants

International organization participation:
ACCT, AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CE, CERN, EAPC,
EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS
(observer), OECD, ONUB, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNMOGIP, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WADB
(nonregional), WCL, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Franciskus VAN DAELE
chancery: 3330 Garfield Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 333-6900
FAX: [1] (202) 333-3079
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Los Angeles, and New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Tom C. KOROLOGOS
embassy: Regentlaan 27 Boulevard du Regent, B-1000 Brussels
mailing address: PSC 82, Box 002, APO AE 09710
telephone: [32] (2) 508-2111
FAX: [32] (2) 511-2725

Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), yellow, and red;
the design was based on the flag of France

Economy Belgium

Economy - overview:
This modern private enterprise economy has capitalized on its
central geographic location, highly developed transport network, and
diversified industrial and commercial base. Industry is concentrated
mainly in the populous Flemish area in the north. With few natural
resources, Belgium must import substantial quantities of raw
materials and export a large volume of manufactures, making its
economy unusually dependent on the state of world markets. Roughly
three-quarters of its trade is with other EU countries. Public debt
is nearly 100% of GDP. On the positive side, the government has
succeeded in balancing its budget, and income distribution is
relatively equal. Belgium began circulating the euro currency in
January 2002. Economic growth in 2001-03 dropped sharply because of
the global economic slowdown, with moderate recovery in 2004.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$316.2 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
2.6% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $30,600 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1.3%
industry: 25.7%
services: 73% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
4.75 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 1.3%, industry 24.5%, services 74.2% (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate:
12% (first half, 2004)

Population below poverty line:
4% (1989 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.2%
highest 10%: 23% (1996)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
28.7 (1996)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.9% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
19.1% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $173.7 billion
expenditures: $174.8 billion, including capital expenditures of
$1.56 billion (2004 est.)

Public debt:
96.2% of GDP (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
sugar beets, fresh vegetables, fruits, grain, tobacco; beef, veal,
pork, milk

Industries:
engineering and metal products, motor vehicle assembly,
transportation equipment, scientific instruments, processed food and
beverages, chemicals, basic metals, textiles, glass, petroleum

Industrial production growth rate:
3.5% (2004 est.)

Electricity - production:
76.58 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 38.4%
hydro: 0.6%
nuclear: 59.3%
other: 1.8% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
78.82 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
9.1 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
16.7 billion kWh (2002)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
595,100 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
450,000 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
1.042 million bbl/day (2001)

Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
15.5 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
15.4 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Current account balance:
$11.4 billion (2004 est.)

Exports:
$255.7 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, chemicals, diamonds, metals and metal
products, foodstuffs

Exports - partners:
Germany 19.9%, France 17.2%, Netherlands 11.8%, UK 8.6%, US 6.5%,
Italy 5.2% (2004)

Imports:
$235 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, chemicals, diamonds, pharmaceuticals,
foodstuffs, transportation equipment, oil products

Imports - partners:
Germany 18.4%, Netherlands 17%, France 12.5%, UK 6.8%, Ireland
6.3%, US 5.5% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$14.45 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
$28.3 billion (1999 est.)

Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $1.072 billion (2002)

Currency (code):
euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the
euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of
member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole
currency for everyday transactions within the member countries

Currency code:
EUR

Exchange rates:
euros per US dollar - 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002),
1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Belgium

Telephones - main lines in use:
5,120,400 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
8,135,500 (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: highly developed, technologically advanced, and
completely automated domestic and international telephone and
telegraph facilities
domestic: nationwide cellular telephone system; extensive cable
network; limited microwave radio relay network
international: country code - 32; 5 submarine cables; satellite
earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Eutelsat

Radio broadcast stations:
FM 79, AM 7, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:
8.075 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
25 (plus 10 repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:
4.72 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.be

Internet hosts:
166,799 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
61 (2000)

Internet users:
3.4 million (2002)

Transportation Belgium

Railways:
total: 3,521 km
standard gauge: 3,521 km 1.435-m gauge (2,927 km electrified) (2004)

Highways:
total: 149,028 km
paved: 116,540 km (including 1,729 km of expressways)
unpaved: 32,488 km (2002)

Waterways:
2,043 km (1,528 km in regular commercial use) (2003)

Pipelines:
gas 1,485 km; oil 158 km; refined products 535 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Antwerp, Brussels, Gent, Liege, Oostende, Zeebrugge

Merchant marine:
total: 53 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,146,301 GRT/1,588,184 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 15, cargo 2, chemical tanker 2, container 8,
liquefied gas 17, petroleum tanker 9
foreign-owned: 12 (Denmark 4, France 4, Greece 4)
registered in other countries: 101 (2005)

Airports:
43 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 25
over 3,047 m: 6
2,438 to 3,047 m: 8
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 7 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 18
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 16 (2004 est.)

Heliports:
1 (2004 est.)

Military Belgium

Military branches:
Land, Naval, and Air Components (2005)

Military service age and obligation:
16 years of age for voluntary military service; women comprise some
7% of the Belgian armed forces (2001)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,436,736 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,998,003 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males: 64,263 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$3.999 billion (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.3% (2003)

Transnational Issues Belgium

Disputes - international:
none

Illicit drugs:
growing producer of synthetic drugs; transit point for US-bound
ecstasy; source of precursor chemicals for South American cocaine
processors; transshipment point for cocaine, heroin, hashish, and
marijuana entering Western Europe; despite a strengthening of
legislation, the country remains vulnerable to money laundering
related to narcotics, automobiles, alcohol, and tobacco

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

======================================================================

@Belize

Introduction Belize

Background:
Territorial disputes between the UK and Guatemala delayed the
independence of Belize (formerly British Honduras) until 1981.
Guatemala refused to recognize the new nation until 1992. Tourism
has become the mainstay of the economy. The country remains plagued
by high unemployment, growing involvement in the South American drug
trade, and increasing urban crime.

Geography Belize

Location:
Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and
Mexico

Geographic coordinates:
17 15 N, 88 45 W

Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total: 22,966 sq km
land: 22,806 sq km
water: 160 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Massachusetts

Land boundaries:
total: 516 km
border countries: Guatemala 266 km, Mexico 250 km

Coastline:
386 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm in the north, 3 nm in the south; note - from
the mouth of the Sarstoon River to Ranguana Cay, Belize's
territorial sea is 3 nm; according to Belize's Maritime Areas Act,
1992, the purpose of this limitation is to provide a framework for
negotiating a definitive agreement on territorial differences with
Guatemala
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:
tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry
season (February to May)

Terrain:
flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Victoria Peak 1,160 m

Natural resources:
arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 2.85%
permanent crops: 1.71%
other: 95.44% (2001)

Irrigated land:
30 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
frequent, devastating hurricanes (June to November) and coastal
flooding (especially in south)

Environment - current issues:
deforestation; water pollution from sewage, industrial effluents,
agricultural runoff; solid and sewage waste disposal

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
only country in Central America without a coastline on the North
Pacific Ocean

People Belize

Population:
279,457 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 40.1% (male 57,114/female 54,877)
15-64 years: 56.4% (male 79,694/female 77,881)
65 years and over: 3.5% (male 4,768/female 5,123) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 19.35 years
male: 19.21 years
female: 19.49 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.33% (2005 est.)

Birth rate:
29.34 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate:
6.04 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 25.69 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 28.97 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 22.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 68.44 years
male: 66.54 years
female: 70.44 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate:
3.68 children born/woman (2005 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
2.4% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
3,600 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 200 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Belizean(s)
adjective: Belizean

Ethnic groups:
mestizo 48.7%, Creole 24.9%, Maya 10.6%, Garifuna 6.1%, other 9.7%

Religions:
Roman Catholic 49.6%, Protestant 27% (Pentecostal 7.4%, Anglican
5.3%, Seventh-Day Adventist 5.2%, Mennonite 4.1%, Methodist 3.5%,
Jehovah's Witnesses 1.5%), other 14%, none 9.4% (2000)

Languages:
English (official), Spanish, Mayan, Garifuna (Carib), Creole

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 94.1%
male: 94.1%
female: 94.1% (2003 est.)

Government Belize

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Belize
former: British Honduras

Government type:
parliamentary democracy

Capital:
Belmopan

Administrative divisions:
6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo

Independence:
21 September 1981 (from UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 21 September (1981)

Constitution:
21 September 1981

Legal system:
English law

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor General Sir Colville YOUNG, Sr. (since 17
November 1993)
head of government: Prime Minister Said Wilbert MUSA (since 28
August 1998); Deputy Prime Minister John BRICENO (since 1 September
1998)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of
the prime minister
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general
appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the
leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition
is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; prime
minister recommends the deputy prime minister

Legislative branch:
bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (12 members
appointed by the governor general - six on the advice of the prime
minister, three on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and
one each on the advice of the Belize Council of Churches and
Evangelical Association of Churches, the Belize Chamber of Commerce
and Industry and the Belize Better Business Bureau, and the National
Trade Union Congress and the Civil Society Steering Committee;
members are appointed for five-year terms) and the House of
Representatives (29 seats; members are elected by direct popular
vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 5 March 2003 (next
to be held March 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
PUP 21, UDP 8

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by the governor
general on the advice of the prime minister)

Political parties and leaders:
People's United Party or PUP [Said MUSA]; United Democratic Party
or UDP [Dean BARROW, party leader; Douglas SINGH, party chairman]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Society for the Promotion of Education and Research or SPEAR [Adele
CATZIM]

International organization participation:
ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU,
LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Lisa M. SHOMAN
chancery: 2535 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 332-9636
FAX: [1] (202) 332-6888
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Russell F. FREEMAN
embassy: 29 Gabourel Lane, Belize City
mailing address: P. O. Box 286, Belize City
telephone: [501] 227-7161 through 7163
FAX: [501] 2-30802

Flag description:
blue with a narrow red stripe along the top and the bottom edges;
centered is a large white disk bearing the coat of arms; the coat of
arms features a shield flanked by two workers in front of a mahogany
tree with the related motto SUB UMBRA FLOREO (I Flourish in the
Shade) on a scroll at the bottom, all encircled by a green garland

Economy Belize

Economy - overview:
In this small, essentially private enterprise economy the tourism
industry is the number one foreign exchange earner followed by
marine products, citrus, cane sugar, bananas, and garments. The
government's expansionary monetary and fiscal policies, initiated in
September 1998, led to sturdy GDP growth averaging nearly 6% in
1999-2004. Major concerns continue to be the sizable trade deficit
and foreign debt. A key short-term objective remains the reduction
of poverty with the help of international donors.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$1.778 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
3.5% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $6,500 (2004 est.)