Chapter IX: Part 9

With its highly developed communication and transport facilities, Bahrain is home to numerous multinational firms with business in the Gulf. Petroleum production and refining account for over 60% of Bahrain's export receipts, over 70% of government revenues, and 11% of GDP (exclusive of allied industries), underpinning Bahrain's strong economic growth in recent years. Aluminum is Bahrain's second major export after oil. Other major segments of Bahrain's economy are the financial and construction sectors. Bahrain is focused on Islamic banking and is competing on an international scale with Malaysia as a worldwide banking center. Bahrain is actively pursuing the diversification and privatization of its economy to reduce the country's dependence on oil. As part of this effort, in August 2006 Bahrain and the US implemented a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), the first FTA between the US and a Gulf state. Continued strong growth hinges on Bahrain's ability to acquire new natural gas supplies as feedstock to support its expanding petrochemical and aluminum industries. Unemployment, especially among the young, and the depletion of oil and underground water resources are long-term economic problems.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$24.01 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$19.66 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

6.7% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$33,900 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 0.3% industry: 43.6% services: 56% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

437,000 note: 44% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 1% industry: 79% services: 20% (1997 est.)

Unemployment rate:

15% (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Investment (gross fixed):

22.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $5.418 billion expenditures: $4.968 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

31.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

3.3% (2007 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

8.35% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$4.169 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$10.63 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$10.32 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

fruit, vegetables; poultry, dairy products; shrimp, fish

Industries:

petroleum processing and refining, aluminum smelting, iron pelletization, fertilizers, Islamic and offshore banking, insurance, ship repairing, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:

5.2% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

9.233 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

8.742 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

48,610 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

32,830 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

238,900 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

221,500 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

124.6 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

11.33 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

11.33 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

92.03 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$2.907 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$13.79 billion (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

petroleum and petroleum products, aluminum, textiles

Exports - partners:

Saudi Arabia 3.5%, US 2.5%, UAE 2.5% (2007)

Imports:

$10.93 billion (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

crude oil, machinery, chemicals

Imports - partners:

Saudi Arabia 37.7%, Japan 7.2%, US 6.2%, Germany 4.7%, UK 4.5%, UAE 4.2%, China 4.1% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$103.9 million (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$4.101 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$7.858 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$13.31 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$7.72 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$21.12 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

Bahraini dinar (BHD)

Currency code:

BHD

Exchange rates:

Bahraini dinars (BHD) per US dollar - 0.376 (2007), 0.376 (2006), 0.376 (2005), 0.376 (2004), 0.376 (2003)

Communications Bahrain

Telephones - main lines in use:

194,200 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

1.116 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: modern system domestic: modern fiber-optic integrated services; digital network with rapidly growing use of mobile-cellular telephones international: country code - 973; landing point for the Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) submarine cable network that provides links to Asia, Middle East, Europe, and US; tropospheric scatter to Qatar and UAE; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia; satellite earth station - 1 (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:

338,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

4 (1997)

Televisions:

275,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.bh

Internet hosts:

2,621 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Internet users:

250,000 (2007)

Transportation Bahrain

Airports:

3 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 3 over 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Heliports:

1 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 20 km; oil 52 km (2007)

Roadways:

total: 3,498 km paved: 2,768 km unpaved: 730 km (2003)

Merchant marine:

total: 9 by type: bulk carrier 4, container 4, petroleum tanker 1 foreign-owned: 6 (Kuwait 5, UAE 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Mina' Salman, Sitrah

Military Bahrain

Military branches:

Bahrain Defense Forces (BDF): Ground Force (includes Air Defense), Naval Force, Air Force, National Guard

Military service age and obligation:

17 years of age for voluntary military service; 15 years of age for NCOs, technicians, and cadets; no conscription (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 210,938 females age 16-49: 170,471 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 171,536 females age 16-49: 142,714 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 6,543 female: 6,429 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

4.5% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues Bahrain

Disputes - international:

none

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Bahrain is a destination country for men and women trafficked for the purposes of involuntary servitude and commercial sexual exploitation; men and women from Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia migrate voluntarily to Bahrain to work as laborers or domestic servants where some face conditions of involuntary servitude such as unlawful withholding of passports, restrictions on movements, non-payment of wages, threats, and physical or sexual abuse; women from Thailand, Morocco, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia are trafficked to Bahrain for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Bahrain is on the Tier 2 Watch List for failing to show evidence of increased efforts to combat human trafficking, particularly efforts that enforce laws against trafficking in persons, and that prevent the punishment of victims of trafficking; during 2007, Bahrain passed a comprehensive law prohibiting all forms of trafficking in persons; the government also established a specialized anti-trafficking unit within the Ministry of Interior to investigate trafficking crimes; however, the government did not report any prosecutions or convictions for trafficking offenses during 2007, despite reports of a substantial problem of involuntary servitude and sex trafficking (2008)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Bangladesh

Introduction Bangladesh

Background:

Europeans began to set up trading posts in the area of Bangladesh in the 16th century; eventually the British came to dominate the region and it became part of British India. In 1947, West Pakistan and East Bengal (both primarily Muslim) separated from India (largely Hindu) and jointly became the new country of Pakistan. East Bengal became East Pakistan in 1955, but the awkward arrangement of a two-part country with its territorial units separated by 1,600 km left the Bengalis marginalized and dissatisfied. East Pakistan seceded from its union with West Pakistan in 1971 and was renamed Bangladesh. A military-backed caretaker regime suspended planned parliamentary elections in January 2007 in an effort to reform the political system and root out corruption; the regime has pledged new democratic elections by the end of 2008. About a third of this extremely poor country floods annually during the monsoon rainy season, hampering economic development.

Geography Bangladesh

Location:

Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and India

Geographic coordinates:

24 00 N, 90 00 E

Map references:

Asia

Area:

total: 144,000 sq km land: 133,910 sq km water: 10,090 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Iowa

Land boundaries:

total: 4,246 km border countries: Burma 193 km, India 4,053 km

Coastline:

580 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 18 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: up to the outer limits of the continental margin

Climate:

tropical; mild winter (October to March); hot, humid summer (March to June); humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October)

Terrain:

mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Keokradong 1,230 m

Natural resources:

natural gas, arable land, timber, coal

Land use:

arable land: 55.39% permanent crops: 3.08% other: 41.53% (2005)

Irrigated land:

47,250 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

1,210.6 cu km (1999)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 79.4 cu km/yr (3%/1%/96%) per capita: 560 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

droughts, cyclones; much of the country routinely inundated during the summer monsoon season

Environment - current issues:

many people are landless and forced to live on and cultivate flood-prone land; waterborne diseases prevalent in surface water; water pollution, especially of fishing areas, results from the use of commercial pesticides; ground water contaminated by naturally occurring arsenic; intermittent water shortages because of falling water tables in the northern and central parts of the country; soil degradation and erosion; deforestation; severe overpopulation

Environment - international agreements:

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

Geography - note:

most of the country is situated on deltas of large rivers flowing from the Himalayas: the Ganges unites with the Jamuna (main channel of the Brahmaputra) and later joins the Meghna to eventually empty into the Bay of Bengal

People Bangladesh

Population:

153,546,896 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 33.4% (male 26,364,370/female 24,859,792) 15-64 years: 63.1% (male 49,412,903/female 47,468,013) 65 years and over: 3.5% (male 2,912,321/female 2,529,502) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 22.8 years male: 22.8 years female: 22.9 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.022% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

28.86 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

8 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-0.65 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.15 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 57.45 deaths/1,000 live births male: 58.44 deaths/1,000 live births female: 56.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 63.21 years male: 63.14 years female: 63.28 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

3.08 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

13,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

650 (2001 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria are high risks in some locations water contact disease: leptospirosis animal contact disease: rabies note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Bangladeshi(s) adjective: Bangladeshi

Ethnic groups:

Bengali 98%, other 2% (includes tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims) (1998)

Religions:

Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, other 1% (1998)

Languages:

Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 43.1% male: 53.9% female: 31.8% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 8 years male: 8 years female: 8 years (2004)

Education expenditures:

2.7% of GDP (2005)

Government Bangladesh

Country name:

conventional long form: People's Republic of Bangladesh conventional short form: Bangladesh local long form: Gana Prajatantri Banladesh local short form: Banladesh former: East Bengal, East Pakistan

Government type:

parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Dhaka geographic coordinates: 23 43 N, 90 24 E time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

6 divisions; Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, Sylhet

Independence:

16 December 1971 (from West Pakistan); note - 26 March 1971 is the date of independence from West Pakistan, 16 December 1971 is known as Victory Day and commemorates the official creation of the state of Bangladesh

National holiday:

Independence Day, 26 March (1971); note - 26 March 1971 is the date of independence from West Pakistan, 16 December 1971 is Victory Day and commemorates the official creation of the state of Bangladesh

Constitution:

4 November 1972, effective 16 December 1972; suspended following coup of 24 March 1982, restored 10 November 1986; amended many times

Legal system:

based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Iajuddin AHMED (since 6 September 2002) note: the country has a caretaker government until a general election is held; Iajuddin AHMED remains as President and Minister of Defense, and all other Cabinet portfolios are held by Caretaker Advisers (CAs); the Chief CA, Fakhruddin AHMED, is roughly equivalent to a prime minister elections: president elected by National Parliament for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election scheduled for 16 September 2002 was not held since Iajuddin AHMED was the only presidential candidate; he was sworn in on 6 September 2002 (next election NA); following legislative elections, the leader of the party that wins the most seats is usually appointed prime minister by the president election results: Iajuddin AHMED declared president-elect by the Election Commission; he ran unopposed as president; percent of National Parliament vote - NA

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Parliament or Jatiya Sangsad; 300 seats elected by popular vote from single territorial constituencies; members serve five-year terms; note - parliament not in session during the extended caretaker regime elections: last held 1 October 2001 (the scheduled January 2007 election has been postponed until 29 December 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - BNP and alliance partners 41%, AL 40%, other 19%; seats by party - BNP 193, AL 58, JI 17, JP (Ershad faction) 14, IOJ 2, JP (Manzur) 4, other 12; note - the election of October 2001 brought to power a majority BNP government aligned with three other smaller parties - JI, IOJ, and Jatiya Party (Manzur)

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (the chief justices and other judges are appointed by the president)

Political parties and leaders:

Awami League or AL [Sheikh HASINA]; Bangladesh Communist Party or BCP [Manjurul A. KHAN]; Bangladesh Nationalist Party or BNP [Khaleda ZIA]; Islami Oikya Jote or IOJ [Mufti Fazlul Haq AMINI]; Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh or JIB [Matiur Rahman NIZAMI]; Jatiya Party or JP (Ershad faction) [Hussain Mohammad ERSHAD]; Jatiya Party (Manzur faction) [Naziur Rahman MANZUR]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Badrudozza CHOWDHURY and Oli AHMED]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Advocacy to End Gender-based Violence through the MoWCA (Ministry of Women's and Children's Affairs) other: environmentalists; Islamist groups; religious leaders; teachers; union leaders

International organization participation:

ADB, ARF, BIMSTEC, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador M. Humayun KABIR chancery: 3510 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 244-0183 FAX: [1] (202) 244-7830/2771 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador James F. MORIARTY embassy: Madani Avenue, Baridhara, Dhaka 1212 mailing address: G. P. O. Box 323, Dhaka 1000 telephone: [880] (2) 885-5500 FAX: [880] (2) 882-3744

Flag description:

green field with a large red disk shifted slightly to the hoist side of center; the red disk represents the rising sun and the sacrifice to achieve independence; the green field symbolizes the lush vegetation of Bangladesh

Economy Bangladesh

Economy - overview:

The economy has grown 5-6% over the past few years despite inefficient state-owned enterprises, delays in exploiting natural gas resources, insufficient power supplies, and slow implementation of economic reforms. Bangladesh remains a poor, overpopulated, and inefficiently-governed nation. Although more than half of GDP is generated through the service sector, nearly two-thirds of Bangladeshis are employed in the agriculture sector, with rice as the single-most-important product. Garment exports and remittances from Bangladeshis working overseas, mainly in the Middle East and East Asia, fuel economic growth.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$208.3 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$72.42 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

6.3% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$1,400 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 19% industry: 28.7% services: 52.3% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

69.4 million note: extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Malaysia; workers' remittances estimated at $4.8 billion in 2005-06. (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 63% industry: 11% services: 26% (FY95/96)

Unemployment rate:

2.5% (includes underemployment) (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

45% (2004 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 3.7% highest 10%: 27.9% (2000)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

33.4 (2000)

Investment (gross fixed):

24.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $7.01 billion expenditures: $9.464 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 July - 30 June

Public debt:

37.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

9.1% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

16% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$8.444 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$32.4 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$40.15 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

rice, jute, tea, wheat, sugarcane, potatoes, tobacco, pulses, oilseeds, spices, fruit; beef, milk, poultry

Industries:

cotton textiles, jute, garments, tea processing, paper newsprint, cement, chemical fertilizer, light engineering, sugar

Industrial production growth rate:

8.4% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

22.78 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

21.37 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 93.7% hydro: 6.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

6,746 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

89,940 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

1,351 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

83,220 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

28 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

15.7 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

15.7 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

141.6 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$804.7 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$12.45 billion (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

garments, jute and jute goods, leather, frozen fish and seafood

Exports - partners:

US 23%, Germany 13%, UK 9.1%, France 5.5%, Belgium 4% (2007)

Imports:

$16.67 billion (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, foodstuffs, petroleum products, cement

Imports - partners:

China 15%, India 14.3%, Kuwait 8.3%, Singapore 6.2%, Hong Kong 4.2% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$1.321 billion (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$5.278 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$21.23 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$4.971 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$104 million (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$3.61 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

taka (BDT)

Currency code:

BDT

Exchange rates:

taka (BDT) per US dollar - 69.893 (2007), 69.031 (2006), 64.328 (2005), 59.513 (2004), 58.15 (2003)

Communications Bangladesh

Telephones - main lines in use:

1.187 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

34.37 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: inadequate for a modern country; fixed-line telephone density remains less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone subscribership has been increasing rapidly and is approaching 25 per 100 persons 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; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-4 fiber-optic submarine cable system that provides links to Europe, the Middle East, and Asia; satellite earth stations - 6; international radiotelephone communications and landline service to neighboring countries (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 15, FM 13, shortwave 2 (2006)

Radios:

6.15 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

15 (1999)

Televisions:

770,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.bd

Internet hosts:

1,440 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

10 (2000)

Internet users:

500,000 (2007)

Transportation Bangladesh

Airports:

16 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 15 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 5 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 2,644 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 2,768 km broad gauge: 946 km 1.676-m gauge narrow gauge: 1,822 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 239,226 km paved: 22,726 km unpaved: 216,500 km (2003)

Waterways:

8,370 km note: includes up to 3,060 km main cargo routes; network reduced to 5,200 km in dry season (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 40 by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 27, container 5, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 4 foreign-owned: 1 (China 1) registered in other countries: 10 (Comoros 2, Honduras 1, Malta 2, Panama 2, Singapore 2, Togo 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Chittagong, Mongla Port

Transportation - note:

the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial waters of Bangladesh as high risk for armed robbery against ships; numerous commercial vessels have been attacked both at anchor and while underway; crews have been robbed and stores or cargoes stolen

Military Bangladesh

Military branches:

Bangladesh Defense Force: Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Navy, Bangladesh Air Force (Bangladesh Biman Bahini, BAF) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

16 years of age for voluntary military service; 17 years of age for officers (both with parental consent); conscription legally possible in emergency, but has never been implemented (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 41,199,340 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 31,968,168 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 1,311,850 female: 1,246,012 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.5% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues Bangladesh

Disputes - international:

discussions with India remain stalled to delimit a small section of river boundary, exchange territory for 51 small Bangladeshi exclaves in India and 111 small Indian exclaves in Bangladesh, allocate divided villages, and stop illegal cross-border trade, migration, violence, and transit of terrorists through the porous border; Bangladesh protests India's fencing and walling off high-traffic sections of the porous boundary; a joint Bangladesh-India boundary commission resurveyed and reconstructed 92 missing pillars in 2007; dispute with India over New Moore/South Talpatty/Purbasha Island in the Bay of Bengal deters maritime boundary delimitation; after 21 years, Bangladesh resumes talks with Burma on delimiting a maritime boundary

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 26,268 (Burma) IDPs: 65,000 (land conflicts, religious persecution) (2007)

Illicit drugs:

transit country for illegal drugs produced in neighboring countries

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@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% (2005)

Irrigated land:

50 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

0.1 cu km (2003)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.09 cu km/yr (33%/44%/22%) per capita: 333 cu m/yr (2000)

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, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

easternmost Caribbean island

People Barbados

Population:

281,968 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 19.3% (male 27,270/female 27,193) 15-64 years: 71.7% (male 99,357/female 102,683) 65 years and over: 9% (male 9,856/female 15,609) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 35.4 years male: 34.2 years female: 36.4 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.36% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

12.48 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

8.58 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-0.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.01 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 11.05 deaths/1,000 live births male: 12.4 deaths/1,000 live births female: 9.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 73.21 years male: 71.2 years female: 75.24 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.65 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

1.5% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

2,500 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer 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 63.4% (Anglican 28.3%, Pentecostal 18.7%, Methodist 5.1%, other 11.3%), Roman Catholic 4.2%, other Christian 7%, other 4.8%, none or unspecified 20.6% (2008 est.)

Languages:

English

Literacy:

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

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 13 years male: 13 years female: 14 years (2001)

Education expenditures:

6.9% of GDP (2005)

Government Barbados

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Barbados

Government type:

parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Bridgetown geographic coordinates: 13 06 N, 59 37 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

11 parishes and 1 city*; Bridgetown*, Christ Church, Saint Andrew, Saint George, Saint James, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Lucy, Saint Michael, Saint Peter, Saint Philip, Saint Thomas

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; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

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 David THOMPSON (since 16 January 2008) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: 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 seats; members appointed by the governor general - 12 on the advice of the Prime Minister, 2 on the advice of the opposition leader, and 7 at his discretion) 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 15 January 2008 (next to be called in 2013) election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - DLP 52.5%, BLP 47.3%; seats by party - DLP 20, BLP 10

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court of Judicature (judges are appointed by the Service Commissions for the Judicial and Legal Services); Caribbean Court of Justice is the highest court of appeal

Political parties and leaders:

Barbados Labor Party or BLP [Mia MOTTLEY]; Democratic Labor Party or DLP [David THOMPSON]; People's Empowerment Party or PEP [David COMISSIONG]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Barbados Secondary Teachers' Union or BSTU [Patrick FROST]; Barbados Union of Teachers or BUT [Herbert GITTENS]; Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados or CTUSAB, (includes the BWU, NUPW, BUT, and BSTU) [Leroy TROTMAN]; Barbados Workers Union or BWU [Leroy TROTMAN]; Clement Payne Labor Union [David COMISSIONG]; National Union of Public Workers [Joseph GODDARD]

International organization participation:

ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, 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, New York consulate(s): Los Angeles

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Mary M. OURISMAN embassy: U.S. Embassy, Wildey Business Park, Wildey, St. Michael BB 14006 mailing address: P. O. Box 302, Bridgetown BB 11000; CMR 1014, APO AA 34055 telephone: [1] (246) 227-4399 FAX: [1] (246) 431-0179

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 was dependent on sugarcane cultivation and related activities. However, production in recent years has diversified into light industry and tourism, with about three-quarters of GDP and 80% of exports being attributed to services. Growth has rebounded since 2003, bolstered by increases in construction projects and tourism revenues - reflecting its success in the higher-end segment. The country enjoys one of the highest per capita incomes in the region and an investment grade rating which benefits from its political stability and stable institutions. Offshore finance and information services are important foreign exchange earners and thrive from having the same time zone as eastern US financial centers and a relatively highly educated workforce. The government continues its efforts to reduce unemployment, to encourage direct foreign investment, and to privatize remaining state-owned enterprises.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$5.31 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$3.739 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

4.3% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$18,900 (2007 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%

Budget:

revenues: $847 million (including grants) expenditures: $886 million (2000 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

5.5% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

12% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

10.8% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$1.478 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$2.717 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$3.533 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

sugarcane, vegetables, cotton

Industries:

tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export

Industrial production growth rate:

-3.2% (2000 est.)

Electricity - production:

1.003 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

939.9 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

1,111 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

8,674 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

1,750 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

10,710 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

2.2 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

29.17 million cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

29.17 million cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

141.6 million cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$254 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$385 million (2006)

Exports - commodities:

manufactures, sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals, electrical components

Exports - partners:

Trinidad and Tobago 15.5%, Jamaica 13.5%, UK 9.4%, US 9.3%, Brazil 8.3%, Saint Lucia 7.2%, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4.5% (2007)

Imports:

$1.586 billion (2006)

Imports - commodities:

consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals, fuel, electrical components

Imports - partners:

US 30.5%, Trinidad and Tobago 27.6%, UK 6.5% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$2.07 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$620 million (2007)

Debt - external:

$668 million (2003)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$5.513 billion (2005)

Currency (code):

Barbadian dollar (BBD)

Currency code:

BBD

Exchange rates:

Barbadian dollars (BBD) per US dollar - NA (2007), 2 (2006), 2 (2005), 2 (2004), 2 (2003)

Communications Barbados

Telephones - main lines in use:

134,900 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

237,100 (2006)

Telephone system:

general assessment: fixed-line teledensity of roughly 50 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone density of about 85 per 100 persons domestic: island-wide automatic telephone system international: country code - 1-246; landing point for the East Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS) submarine cable with links to 13 other islands in the eastern Caribbean extending from the British Virgin Islands to Trinidad; satellite earth stations - 1 (Intelsat -Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Trinidad and Saint Lucia (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 2, FM 6, shortwave 0 (2004)

Radios:

237,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (plus 2 cable channels) (2004)

Televisions:

76,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.bb

Internet hosts:

104 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

19 (2000)

Internet users:

160,000 (2005)

Transportation Barbados

Airports:

1 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 1,600 km paved: 1,600 km (2004)

Merchant marine:

total: 85 by type: bulk carrier 15, cargo 50, chemical tanker 7, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 6, roll on/roll off 2 foreign-owned: 80 (Canada 9, Greece 12, India 1, Iran 2, Lebanon 1, Norway 38, Sweden 7, Syria 1, UK 9) registered in other countries: 1 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Bridgetown

Military Barbados

Military branches:

Royal Barbados Defense Force: Troops Command, Barbados Coast Guard (2007)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service (younger requires parental consent); no conscription (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 75,265 females age 16-49: 75,389 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 58,556 females age 16-49: 58,143 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 2,157 female: 2,155 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

0.5% of GDP (2006 est.)

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 (2007)

Transnational Issues Barbados

Disputes - international:

Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago abide by the April 2006 Permanent Court of Arbitration decision delimiting a maritime boundary and limiting catches of flying fish in Trinidad and Tobago's exclusive economic zone; joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the eastern 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 18 December, 2008

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

@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 1994 as the country's first president, Alexandr 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: 3,306 km border countries: Latvia 171 km, Lithuania 680 km, Poland 605 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: 26.77% permanent crops: 0.6% other: 72.63% (2005)

Irrigated land:

1,310 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

58 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 2.79 cu km/yr (23%/47%/30%) per capita: 286 cu m/yr (2000)

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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

landlocked; glacial scouring accounts for the flatness of Belarusian terrain and for its 11,000 lakes

People Belarus

Population:

9,685,768 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 14.4% (male 717,885/female 677,254) 15-64 years: 70.9% (male 3,333,699/female 3,531,920) 65 years and over: 14.7% (male 459,627/female 965,383) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 38.4 years male: 35.4 years female: 41.3 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

-0.393% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

9.62 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

13.92 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

0.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.48 male(s)/female total population: 0.87 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 6.53 deaths/1,000 live births male: 7.56 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.44 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 70.34 years male: 64.63 years female: 76.4 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.23 children born/woman (2008 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: 99.4% (1999 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 15 years male: 14 years female: 15 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

6.1% of GDP (2006)

Government Belarus

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Belarus conventional short form: Belarus local long form: Respublika Byelarus' local short form: Byelarus' former: Belorussian (Byelorussian) Soviet Socialist Republic

Government type:

republic in name, although in fact a dictatorship

Capital:

name: Minsk geographic coordinates: 53 54 N, 27 34 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

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; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Aleksandr LUKASHENKO (since 20 July 1994) head of government: Prime Minister Sergey SIDORSKIY (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, Aleksandr LUKASHENKO extended his term to 2001 via a November 1996 referendum; subsequent election held 9 September 2001; an October 2004 referendum ended presidential term limits and allowed the president to run in a third election, which was held on 19 March 2006; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president election results: Aleksandr LUKASHENKO reelected president; percent of vote - Aleksandr LUKASHENKO 82.6%, Aleksandr MILINKEVICH 6%, Aleksandr KOZULIN 2.3%; note - election marred by electoral fraud

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 eight members appointed by the president, to serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of Representatives or Palata Predstaviteley (110 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: Palata Predstaviteley - last held 28 September 2008 (next to be held fall of 2012); international observers widely denounced the elections as flawed and undemocratic based on massive government falsification; pro-LUKASHENKO candidates won all 110 seats 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 [Mikhail SHIMANSKY]; Belarusian Communist Party or KPB; Belarusian Patriotic Movement (Belarusian Patriotic Party) or BPR [Nikolay ULAKHOVICH, chairman]; Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus [Sergey GAYDUKEVICH]; Party of Labor and Justice [Viktor SOKOLOV]; Social-Sports Party [Vladimir ALEXANDROVICH] opposition parties: Belarusian Christian Democracy Party (unregistered) [Pavel SEVERINETS]; Belarusian Party of Communists or PKB [Sergey KALYAKIN]; Belarusian Party of Labor (unregistered) [Aleksandr BUKHVOSTOV, Leonid LEMESHONAK]; Belarusian Popular Front or BPF [Vintsyuk VYACHORKA]; Belarusian Social-Democratic Gramada [Stanislav SHUSHKEVICH]; Belarusian Social Democratic Party Hramada (People's Assembly) or BSDPH [Aleksandr KOZULIN; Anatoliy LEVKOVICH, acting]; Green Party [Oleg GROMYKO]; Party of Freedom and Progress (unregistered) [Vladimir NOVOSYAD]; United Civic Party or UCP [Anatoliy LEBEDKO]; Women's Party "Nadezhda" [Valentina MATUSEVICH, chairperson] other opposition includes: Christian Conservative BPF [Zyanon PAZNIAK]; Ecological Party of Greens [Mikhail KARTASH]; Party of Popular Accord [Sergey YERMAKK]; Republican Party [Vladimir BELAZOR]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Assembly of Pro-Democratic NGOs [Sergey MATSKEVICH]; Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions [Aleksandr YAROSHUK]; Belarusian Helsinki Committee [Tatiana PROTKO]; Belarusian Organization of Working Women [Irina ZHIKHAR]; Charter 97 [Andrey SANNIKOV]; For Freedom (unregistered) [Aleksandr MILINKEVICH]; Lenin Communist Union of Youth (youth wing of the Belarusian Party of Communists or PKB); National Strike Committee of Entrepreneurs [Aleksandr VASILYEV, Valery LEVONEVSKY]; Partnership NGO [Nikolay ASTREYKA]; Perspektiva kiosk watchdog NGO [Anatol SHUMCHENKO]; Vyasna [Ales BYALATSKY]; Women's Independent Democratic Movement [Ludmila PETINA]; Youth Front (Malady Front) [Dmitriy DASHKEVICH, Sergey BAKHUN]; Zubr youth group [Vladimir KOBETS]

International organization participation:

BSEC (observer), CEI, CIS, CSTO, EAEC, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, GCTU, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, NSG, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, 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 (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Jonathan MOORE embassy: 46 Starovilenskaya Street, 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 ornamentation in red

Economy Belarus

Economy - overview:

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. Since 2005, the government has re-nationalized a number of private companies. In addition, businesses have been subject to pressure by 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. Because of these restrictive economic policies, Belarus has had trouble attracting foreign investment. Nevertheless, GDP growth has been strong in recent years, reaching nearly 7% in 2007, despite the roadblocks of a tough, centrally directed economy with a high, but decreasing, rate of inflation. Belarus receives heavily discounted oil and natural gas from Russia and much of Belarus' growth can be attributed to the re-export of Russian oil at market prices. Trade with Russia - by far its largest single trade partner - decreased in 2007, largely as a result of a change in the way the Value Added Tax (VAT) on trade was collected. Russia has introduced an export duty on oil shipped to Belarus, which will increase gradually through 2009, and a requirement that Belarusian duties on re-exported Russian oil be shared with Russia - 80% will go to Russia in 2008, and 85% in 2009. Russia also increased Belarusian natural gas prices from $47 per thousand cubic meters (tcm) to $100 per tcm in 2007, and plans to increase prices gradually to world levels by 2011. Russia's recent policy of bringing energy prices for Belarus to world market levels may result in a slowdown in economic growth in Belarus over the next few years. Some policy measures, including tightening of fiscal and monetary policies, improving energy efficiency, and diversifying exports, have been introduced, but external borrowing has been the main mechanism used to manage the growing pressures on the economy.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$103.5 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$44.77 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

8.2% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$10,600 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 8.7% industry: 40.6% services: 50.6% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

4.3 million (31 December 2005)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 14% industry: 34.7% services: 51.3% (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate:

1.6% officially registered unemployed; large number of underemployed workers (2005)

Population below poverty line:

27.1% (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 3.4% highest 10%: 23.5% (2002)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

29.7 (2002)

Investment (gross fixed):

30.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $20.75 billion expenditures: $20.87 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

8.4% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

10% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

8.58% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$4.065 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$6.823 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$12.16 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

grain, potatoes, vegetables, sugar beets, flax; beef, milk

Industries:

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

Industrial production growth rate:

5% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

29.91 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

30.43 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

5.789 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - imports:

10.15 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 99.5% hydro: 0.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0.4% (2001)

Oil - production:

33,700 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

179,700 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

256,400 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - imports:

394,100 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - proved reserves:

198 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

164 million cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

21.76 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

21.6 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

2.832 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$2.876 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$24.47 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, mineral products, chemicals, metals, textiles, foodstuffs

Exports - partners:

Russia 36.5%, Netherlands 17.8%, UK 6.3%, Ukraine 6.1%, Poland 5%, Latvia 4.1% (2007)

Imports:

$28.32 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

mineral products, machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs, metals

Imports - partners:

Russia 59.9%, Germany 7.6%, Ukraine 5.4% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$53.76 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$4.266 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$7.347 billion (31 December 2007)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

Belarusian ruble (BYB/BYR)

Currency code:

BYB/BYR

Exchange rates:

Belarusian rubles (BYB/BYR) per US dollar - 2,145 (2007), 2,144.6 (2006), 2,150 (2005), 2,160.26 (2004), 2,051.27 (2003)

Communications Belarus

Telephones - main lines in use:

3.672 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

5.96 million (2006)

Telephone system:

general assessment: Belarus lags behind its neighbors in upgrading telecommunications infrastructure; state-owned Beltelcom is the sole provider of fixed-line local and long distance service; fixed-line teledensity of roughly 35 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone density of about 60 per 100 persons; modernization of the network progressing with roughly two-thirds of switching equipment now digital domestic: fixed-line penetration is improving although rural areas continue to be underserved; 3 GSM wireless networks are experiencing rapid growth; strict government controls on telecommunications technologies 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); 3 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 (2007)

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:

68,118 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

23 (2002)

Internet users:

6 million (2007)

Transportation Belarus

Airports:

67 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 36 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: 7 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 31 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 27 (2007)

Heliports:

1 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 5,250 km; oil 1,528 km; refined products 1,730 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 5,512 km broad gauge: 5,497 km 1.520-m gauge (874 km electrified) standard gauge: 15 km 1.435 m (2006)

Roadways:

total: 94,797 km paved: 84,028 km unpaved: 10,769 km (2005)

Waterways:

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

Ports and terminals:

Mazyr

Military Belarus

Military branches:

Belarus Armed Forces: Land Force, Air and Air Defense Force (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18-27 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months (2005)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,491,643 females age 16-49: 2,528,779 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,727,974 females age 16-49: 2,093,106 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 64,232 female: 60,788 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues Belarus

Disputes - international:

Boundary demarcated with Latvia and Lithuania in 2006; 1997 boundary delimitation treaty with Ukraine remains unratified over unresolved financial claims, preventing demarcation and diminishing border security

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 18 December, 2008

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@Belgium

Introduction Belgium

Background: