Europe / Caspian / CIS
Country profile: Belarus
| Location: | Eastern Europe, east of Poland |
| Climate: | cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between continental and maritime |
| Terrain: | generally flat and contains much marshland |
| Size: | 207600 sq. km total (Land area: 207600 sq. km Water area: sq.km) |
| Population: | 9,685,768 (July 2008 est.) |
| Languages: | Belarusian, Russian, other |
| Government: | republic in name, although in fact a dictatorship |
| Capital city: | Minsk |
| Legal system: | based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Currency: | Belarusian ruble (BYB/BYR) |
| Licensing: |
Country profile
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 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 president, Alexandr LUKASHENKO has steadily consolidated his power through authoritarian means. Government restrictions on freedom of speech and the press, peaceful assembly, and religion continue.
Energy production and consumption
| Oil | Gas | |
| Production: | 33,700 | 165 mcm |
| Consumption: | 156,000 | 19 bcm |
| Exports: | 249,900 | NaN |
| Imports: | 378,200 | 19 bcm |
| Reserves: | 198 | 3 bcm |
| Major fields: |
Belarus - recent news
| 03 Jun 20 |
Belarus: Belorusneft discovers two new oil fields in the Khoiniki district of the Gomel region Belorusneft has discovered two new oil fields in the Khoiniki district of the Gomel region, Belarus. The Izbynskoye and North Omelkovichi fields are located in the central structural zone of the Pripyat Trough. |
Belarus - more news
Other countries in this region
- Afghanistan,
- Albania,
- Armenia,
- Austria,
- Azerbaijan,
- Belgium,
- Bosnia and Herzegovina,
- Bulgaria,
- Croatia,
- Cyprus,
- Czech Republic,
- Denmark,
- Estonia,
- Faroe Islands,
- Finland,
- France,
- Georgia,
- Germany,
- Greece,
- Greenland,
- Hungary,
- Iceland,
- Ireland,
- Italy,
- Kazakhstan,
- Kyrgyzstan,
- Latvia,
- Lithuania,
- Luxembourg,
- Malta,
- Moldova,
- Montenegro,
- Netherlands,
- Norway,
- Poland,
- Portugal,
- Romania,
- Russia,
- Serbia,
- Slovakia,
- Slovenia,
- Spain,
- Sweden,
- Switzerland,
- Tajikistan,
- Tatarstan,
- Turkey,
- Turkmenistan,
- Ukraine,
- United Kingdom,
- Uzbekistan
