Attribute | Value |
---|---|
Geography | |
Area | 207,600 km² |
Continent | Europe |
Land area | 202,900 km² |
Water area | 4,700 km² |
Land boundaries | 3,642 km |
Border countries |
|
Coastline | 0 km |
Mean elevation | 160 m |
Lowest point | 90 m |
Highest point | 346 m |
People | |
Population | 9,477,918 |
Official languages |
|
Religion | Orthodox |
Government | |
Long country name | Republic of Belarus |
Short country name | Belarus |
Long local name | Respublika Byelarus'/Respublika Belarus' |
Short local name | Byelarus'/Belarus' |
Former name |
|
Government type | Presidential republic in name, although in fact a dictatorship |
Capital | Minsk |
Economy | |
GDP (PPP) | 179,400,000,000 USD |
GDP (OER) | 54,440,000,000 USD |
GDP (real growth rate) | 2.4 % |
GDP - per capita (PPP) | 18,900 USD |
Gross national saving | 24.5 % of GDP |
Labor force | 4,381,000 |
Unemployment rate | 0.8 % |
Population below poverty line | 5.7 % |
Budget revenues | 22,150,000,000 USD |
Budget expenditures | 20,570,000,000 USD |
Military expenditures | 1.27 % of GDP |
Taxes and other revenues | 40.7 % of GDP |
Budget surplus or deficit | 2.9 % of GDP |
Public debt | 53.4 % of GDP |
Inflation rate | 6 % |
Central bank discount rate | 14 % |
Commercial bank prime lending rate | 9.66 % |
Stock of narrow money | 3,702,000,000 USD |
Stock of broad money | 3,702,000,000 USD |
Stock of domestic credit | 19,810,000,000 USD |
Market value of publicly traded shares | Add |
Current account balance | -931,000,000 USD |
Exports | 28,650,000,000 USD |
Imports | 31,580,000,000 USD |
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 7,315,000,000 USD |
External debt | 39,920,000,000 USD |
National currency | Belarusian rubles |
National currency (code) | BYB |
National currency (symbol) | Add |
National currency rate to USD | 1.9 |
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 have 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 and only directly elected president, Aleksandr LUKASHENKO has steadily consolidated his power through authoritarian means and a centralized economic system. Government restrictions on political and civil freedoms, freedom of speech and the press, peaceful assembly, and religion have remained in place.