The 2010 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency

(2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 221

      Birth rate:

      9.76 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 198

      Death rate:

      13.81 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 19

      Net migration rate:

      0.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 65

      Urbanization:

      urban population: 73% of total population (2008)

      rate of urbanization: 0% annual rate of change (2005–10 est.)

      Sex ratio:

      at birth: 1.062 male(s)/female

      under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

      15–64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female

      65 years and over: 0.47 male(s)/female

      total population: 0.87 male(s)/female (2010 est.)

      Infant mortality rate:

      total: 6.34 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 174 male: 7.34 deaths/1,000 live births

      female: 5.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)

      Life expectancy at birth:

      total population: 70.92 years country comparison to the world: 139 male: 65.26 years

      female: 76.93 years (2010 est.)

      Total fertility rate:

      1.25 children born/woman (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 215

      HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

      0.2% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 94

      HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

      13,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 91

      HIV/AIDS - deaths:

      1,100 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 69

      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 (official) 36.7%, Russian (official) 62.8%, other 0.5% (includes small Polish- and Ukrainian-speaking minorities) (1999 census)

      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 (2007)

      Education expenditures:

      5.2% of GDP (2007) country comparison to the world: 56

      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' (Gomel), Horad Minsk* (Minsk City), Hrodna (Grodno), Mahilyow (Mogilev), Minsk, Vitsyebsk (Vitebsk)

      note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers; Russian spelling provided for reference when different from Belarusian

      Independence:

      25 August 1991 (from the 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 Mikhail MYASNIKOVICH (since 28 December 2010); First Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir SEMASHKO (since December 2003)

      cabinet: Council of Ministers (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; first election took place on 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 on 9 September 2001; an October 2004 referendum ended presidential term limits and allowed the president to run in a third (19 March 2006) and fourth election (19 December 2010); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president

      election results: Aleksandr LUKASHENKO reelected president; percent of vote - Aleksandr LUKASHENKO 79.7%, Andrey SANNIKAU 2.6%, other candidates 17.7%; note - election marred by electoral fraud

      Legislative branch:

      bicameral National Assembly or Natsionalnoye Sobraniye consists of the Council of the Republic or Sovet Respubliki (64 seats; 56 members elected by regional and Minsk city councils and 8 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 on 28 September 2008 (next to be held in the spring of 2012); international observers determined that despite minor improvements the election ultimately fell short of democratic standards; pro-LUKASHENKO candidates won every seat

      election results: Sovet 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)