NEWS

2013.05.20

Belarus hopes to make up for lag in GDP growth

Belagroprombank gets reimbursement for losses on $11m export credit for Schuchin cheese&butter plant

Russia decreases ferrous metals exports 9% in January–March

Otkritie Capital slashes target price of Russia’s NLMK GDRs by 32%

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KEY FACTS

OFFICIAL NAME

The Republic of Belarus

NATIONAL FLAG

STATE EMBLEM

STATE SYSTEM

Unitary democratic state with the republican form of government.

Presidential republic.

Head of state - the President.

Since 1994 the President of the Republic of Belarus is Alexander Lukashenko.

The President possesses high powers.

The country government bears responsibility before the President.

He is a Supreme Commander in chief of Armed forces.

He also advances strategy of development of the country, its main routes of internal and foreign policy.

Legislature supreme body – the National Assembly consisting of the House of Representatives (110 members) and the Council of the Republic (64 members).

Executive authority – the Council of Ministers of Republic of Belarus headed by the Prime Minister.

STATE LANGUAGES

Belarusian language and Russian language

MONETARY UNIT

Belarusian Rouble (BYR, code 974)

GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION

Belarus is Eastern-European Country.

Geographic Coordinates – between 23° and 33° Eastern longitude and between 51° and 56° northern latitude.

STATE BORDER

Extent of territory from the North to the South – 560 km (348 miles), from the East to the West – 650 km (404 miles)

Total extent of border – more than 3500 km.

Country borders:

• North and the East – with Russia (959 km)
• South – with Ukraine (891 km)
• West – with Poland (605 km)
• Northwest – with Lithuania (502 km) and Latvia (141 km)

DISTANCES:

• Minsk – Moscow = 715 km (444 miles)
• Minsk – Warsaw = 565 km (351 miles)
• Minsk – Berlin = 1120 km (696 miles)
• Minsk – Vienna = 1255 km (780 miles)
• Minsk – Paris = 2195 km (1364 miles)
• Minsk – London = 2200 km (1367 miles)
• Minsk – Madrid = 3300 km (2051 miles)

TOTAL AREA

207,600 square km.

Belarus takes the 13th place among European countries.

Belarus is bigger than Austria, Switzerland, Portugal, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and some other European states.

TIME ZONE

Belarus is in the Central European time zone: UTC+3 hour.

Belarus 12:00 = Moscow 13:00 = London 10:00 = Paris 11:00 = New York 05:00 = Los Angeles 02:00

STATE POPULATION

9,466 Mln inhabitants (01.12.2011)

Urban population share is 75,8 %

ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISION

Belarus divides into 6 oblasts (semanticequivalent of "Oblast" is "Province") called by central cities’ names:

• Brest oblast – 1,391,500 inhabitants (city of Brest – 320,922 inhabitants)
• Vitebsk oblast – 1,214,100 (Vitebsk – 366,953 inhabitants)
• Gomel oblast – 1,429,800 (Gomel – 507,675 inhabitants)
• Grodno oblast– 1,061,300 (Grodno – 346,599 inhabitants)
• Minsk oblast – 1,403,500 (plus city of Minsk – 1,885,100 inhabitants)
• Mogilev oblast – 1,080,100 (Mogilev – 363,357 inhabitants)

Each oblast divides into regions (totally 118).

In Belarus there are more than 100 cities, incl. 12 with population more than 100,000. The capital of the Republic of Belarus is the city of Minsk located in the centre of the country, on interception of transport mains.

NATIONALITIES

There are 125 nationalities in Belarus.

Main ethnic groups are:

Except of Belarusian and Russian languages – also Ukrainian, Lithuanian and Latvian languages (preferentially in frontier regions).

RELIGION

For a long time all world religions co-exist in Belarus. Nowadays biggest religion:

NATURAL RESOURCES

Belarus is poor with natural resources: peat deposits, oil (in small quantities), natural gas (too little), granite, dolomite (limestone), marl, chalk, sand, gravel, and clay.

MAIN TRADING PARTNERS

Russia, Ukraine, China, India, The Netherlands, Poland, Great Britain, Germany, Latvia, Italy