 I. Introduction
Belarus, officially Respublika Belarus (Republic of Belarus),
landlocked republic in east central Europe, bordered by Russia to the east, Ukraine to the
south, Poland to the west, and the Baltic republics of Latvia and Lithuania to the
northwest. Belarus has a generally flat terrain with many forests, lakes, and marshes.
Nearly 80 percent of its people are ethnic Belarusians, and about three-quarters of its
population live in urban centers. Belarus has a centrally planned economy dominated by
state-controlled heavy industry. Its government is a presidential republic in which the
executive is the chief authority. The capital and largest city is Minsk, located in the
center of the country.
Since medieval times Belarusian territory was under foreign rule, and in the 18th century
it was annexed by the Russian Empire. Belarusian national and cultural development made
major strides only from the mid-19th century. Belarus was established in 1919 as the
Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR), which in 1922 became one of the four founding
republics of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). In August 1991 Belarus
declared its independence, contributing to the collapse of the USSR in December.
II. Land and Resources
The total area of Belarus is 207,595 sq km (80,153 sq mi).
Generally level terrain is disrupted by a series of highlands that run from northeast to
southwest. Belarus has four additional discernible geographic regions: an area of lakes,
hills, and forests in the north; an agricultural region with mixed-conifer forests in the
west; a broad elevated plain in the east; and the Poles'ye (also called the Pripet
Marshes), a lowland of rivers and swamps that extends into Ukraine, in the south. The
country's highest point, Mount Dzyarzhynskaya (346 m/1,135 ft), is located in an upland
area just southwest of Minsk.
III. Population
In the last complete census conducted in the Soviet Union in
1989, the population of Belarus was 10,151,806; a 2000 estimate was 10,390,697, giving the
country a population density of 50 persons per sq km (130 per sq mi). The most notable
demographic trend since the 1950s has been the steady migration of the population from the
villages to urban centers, and the correspondent aging of the population remaining in the
rural areas. In 1959 urban residents accounted for 31 percent of the population; in 1979
they accounted for 55 percent; and in 1998 they accounted for about 73 percent. The
most-populated cities are Minsk, the capital and largest city; Homyel'; Mahilyow; Vitebsk;
Hrodna; and Brest. All of these cities are industrial centers. Minsk, Homyel', and Hrodna
have universities.
IV. Economy
Reforms toward a market economy have been suspended since
1994 in a government effort to maintain Soviet-style centralization. Most industries,
including manufacturing and farming, are state owned and operated. In 1996 the private
sector's share of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) was estimated at 15 percent,
the lowest of all Eastern European countries.
High average annual rates of inflation between 1991 and 1996 severely impeded economic
growth and drove up prices for food and services. In the same period annual output
declined in almost all sectors of the economy. The 1998 GDP of Belarus was an estimated
$22.6 billion. Trade and other services accounted for 41 percent of GDP; industry,
including mining and manufacturing, 46 percent; and agriculture and forestry, 13 percent.
Approximately 5.3 million people contribute to the economy of Belarus. Of the labor force,
40 percent are employed in industry; 20 percent in agriculture and forestry; and 40
percent in services such as trade and transportation. Unemployment is officially estimated
at 2.7 percent, but underemployment and irregular wage patterns are common.
V. Government
Belarus adopted its first post-Soviet constitution in 1994.
Under the constitution, a popularly elected president replaced the chairperson of the
unicameral (single-chamber) legislature, called the Supreme Soviet, as head of state; the
president could dismiss the prime minister and members of the Council of Ministers, but
not the legislature or other elected governing bodies. President Alyaksandr Lukashenka,
who was elected in the first presidential election of 1994, initiated a referendum in 1996
with a proposal to amend the constitution to broaden his presidential authority, extend
his term from five to seven years, and create a bicameral (two-chamber) legislature. On
November 24, amid widespread allegations of vote fraud, official tallies showed the
president's proposal had passed with more than 70 percent of the vote. Lukashenka
immediately dissolved the opposition-led Supreme Soviet and created a new legislature
composed of his supporters. Although the Constitutional Court previously ruled the
referendum results were to be used only for advisory purposes, within days the new
legislature passed a law making the results binding. The next day, November 28, Lukashenka
signed into law the new constitution. Belarus is now a presidential republic in which the
opposition has little voice. All citizens have the right to vote from the age of 18.
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