The 1996 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency

during high tide and surrounded by reefs; subject to periodic

       cyclones

       international agreements: NA

      People———

      Population: uninhabited

      Government—————

      Name of country: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Bassas da India

      Data code: BS

      Type of government: French possession administered by a

       Commissioner of the Republic, resident in Reunion

      Capital: none; administered by France from Reunion

      Independence: none (possession of France)

      Flag: the flag of France is used

      Economy———

      Economic overview: no economic activity

      Transportation———————

      Ports: none; offshore anchorage only

      Defense———

      Defense note: defense is the responsibility of France

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

      @Belarus———

      Map—

      Location: 53 00 N, 28 00 E—Eastern Europe, east of Poland

      Flag——

      Description: red horizontal band (top) and green horizontal band one-half the width of the red band; a white vertical stripe of white on the hoist side bears in red the Belarusian national ornament

      Geography————

      Location: Eastern Europe, east of Poland

      Geographic coordinates: 53 00 N, 28 00 E

      Map references: Commonwealth of Independent States

      Area:

       total area: 207,600 sq km

       land area: 207,600 sq km

       comparative area: slightly smaller than Kansas

      Land boundaries:

       total: 3,098 km

       border countries: Latvia 141 km, Lithuania 502 km, Poland 605 km,

       Russia 959 km, Ukraine 891 km

      Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

      Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

      International disputes: none

      Climate: cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between continental and maritime

      Terrain: generally flat and contains much marshland lowest point: Nyoman River 90 m highest point: Dzyarzhynskaya Hara 346 m

      Natural resources: forests, peat deposits, small quantities of oil

       and natural gas

      Land use:

       arable land: 29%

       permanent crops: 1%

       meadows and pastures: 15%

       forest and woodland: 0%

       other: 55%

      Irrigated land: 1,490 sq km (1990)

      Environment:

       current issues: soil pollution from pesticide use; southern part of

       the country contaminated with fallout from 1986 nuclear reactor

       accident at Chornobyl'

       natural hazards: NA

       international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Air

       Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Biodiversity,

       Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone

       Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified - Climate Change, Law of

       the Sea

      Geographic note: landlocked

      People———

      Population: 10,415,973 (July 1996 est.)

      Age structure:

       0–14 years: 21% (male 1,136,499; female 1,090,101)

       15–64 years: 66% (male 3,334,077; female 3,536,982)

       65 years and over: 13% (male 429,574; female 888,740) (July 1996

       est.)

      Population growth rate: 0.2% (1996 est.)

      Birth rate: 12.15 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

      Death rate: 13.64 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

      Net migration rate: 3.51 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

      Sex ratio:

       at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

       under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

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

       65 years and over: 0.48 male(s)/female

       all ages: 0.89 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

      Infant mortality rate: 13.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

      Life expectancy at birth: total population: 68.57 years male: 63.2 years female: 74.21 years (1996 est.)

      Total fertility rate: 1.69 children born/woman (1996 est.)

      Nationality: noun: Belarusian(s) adjective: Belarusian

      Ethnic divisions: Byelorussian 77.9%, Russian 13.2%, Polish 4.1%,

       Ukrainian 2.9%, other 1.9%

      Religions: Eastern Orthodox 60%, other (including Roman Catholic

       and Muslim) 40% (early 1990's)

      Languages: Byelorussian, Russian, other

      Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1989 est.)

       total population: 98%

       male: 99%

       female: 97%

      Government—————

      Name of country: conventional long form: Republic of Belarus conventional short form: Belarus local long form: Respublika Byelarus' local short form: none former: Belorussian (Byelorussian) Soviet Socialist Republic

      Data code: BO

      Type of government: republic

      Capital: Minsk

      Administrative divisions: 6 voblastsi (singular - voblasts') and one municipality* (harady, singular - horad); Brestskaya (Brest), Homyel'skaya (Homyel'), Horad Minsk*, Hrodzyenskaya (Hrodna), Mahilyowskaya (Mahilyow), Minskaya, Vitsyebskaya (Vitsyebsk) note: the administrative centers of the voblastsi are included in parentheses

      Independence: 25 August 1991 (from Soviet Union); the Belarussian Supreme Soviet issued a proclamation of independence; on 17 July 1990 Belarus issued a declaration of sovereignty

      National holiday: Independence Day, 27 July (1990)

      Constitution: adopted 15 March 1994; replaces constitution of

       April 1978

      Legal system: based on civil law system

      Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

      Executive branch:

       chief of state: President Aleksandr LUKASHENKO (since 20 July 1994)

       was elected for a five-year term by popular vote; election last held

       24 June and 10 July 1994 (next to be held NA 1999); results -

       Aleksandr LUKASHENKO 85%, Vyacheslav