*Belarus, Communications
Railroads: 5,570 km; does not include industrial lines (1990)
Highways:
98,200 km total; 66,100 km hard surfaced, 32,100 km earth (1990)
Inland waterways:
NA km
Pipelines:
crude oil 1,470 km, refined products 1,100 km, natural gas 1,980 km (1992)
Ports:
none; landlocked
Merchant marine:
claims 5% of former Soviet fleet
Airports:
total:
124
useable:
55
with permanent-surface runways:
31
with runways over 3,659 m:
1
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
28
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
20
Telecommunications:
construction of NMT-450 analog cellular network proceeding in Minsk, in
addition to installation of some 300 km of fiber optic cable in the city
network; telephone network has 1.7 million lines, 15% of which are switched
automatically; Minsk has 450,000 lines; telephone density is approximately
17 per 100 persons; as of 1 December 1991, 721,000 applications from
households for telephones were still unsatisfied; international connections
to other former Soviet republics are by landline or microwave and to other
countries by leased connection through the Moscow international gateway
switch; Belarus has not constructed ground stations for international
telecommunications via satellite to date
*Belarus, Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, Air Forces, Air Defense Forces, Security Forces (internal and border
troops)
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 2,491,039; fit for military service 1,964,577; reach
military age (18) annually 71,875 (1993 est.)
Defense expenditures:
56.5 billion rubles, NA% of GDP (1993 est.); note - conversion of the
military budget into US dollars using the current exchange rate could
produce misleading results
*Belgium, Geography
Location: Western Europe, bordering on the North Sea, between France and the
Netherlands
Map references:
Arctic Region, Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
30,510 km2
land area:
30,230 km2
comparative area:
slightly larger than Maryland
Land boundaries:
total 1,385 km, France 620 km, Germany 167 km, Luxembourg 148 km,
Netherlands 450 km
Coastline:
64 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf:
equidistant line with neighbors
exclusive fishing zone:
equidistant line with neighbors (extends about 68 km from coast)
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
none
Climate:
temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy
Terrain:
flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills, rugged mountains of
Ardennes Forest in southeast
Natural resources:
coal, natural gas
Land use:
arable land:
24%
permanent crops:
1%
meadows and pastures:
20%
forest and woodland:
21%
other:
34%
Irrigated land:
10 km2 (1989 est.)
Environment:
air and water pollution
Note:
crossroads of Western Europe; majority of West European capitals within
1,000 km of Brussels which is the seat of the EC
*Belgium, People
Population: 10,040,939 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.23% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
11.94 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
10.32 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
0.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
7.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
76.72 years
male:
73.41 years
female:
80.21 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.62 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Belgian(s)
adjective:
Belgian
Ethnic divisions:
Fleming 55%, Walloon 33%, mixed or other 12%
Religions:
Roman Catholic 75%, Protestant or other 25%
Languages:
Flemish (Dutch) 56%, French 32%, German 1%, legally bilingual 11% divided
along ethnic lines
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1980)
total population:
99%
male:
NA%
female:
NA%
Labor force:
4.126 million
by occupation:
services 63.6%, industry 28%, construction 6.1%, agriculture 2.3% (1988)
*Belgium, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
Kingdom of Belgium
conventional short form:
Belgium
local long form:
Royaume de Belgique local short form:
Belgique
Digraph:
BE
Type:
constitutional monarchy
Capital:
Brussels
Administrative divisions:
9 provinces (French: provinces, singular - province; Flemish: provincien,
singular - provincie); Antwerpen, Brabant, Hainaut, Liege, Limburg,
Luxembourg, Namur, Oost-Vlaanderen, West-Vlaanderen
Independence:
4 October 1830 (from the Netherlands)
Constitution:
7 February 1831, last revised 8-9 August 1980; the government is in the
process of revising the Constitution with the aim of federalizing the
Belgian state
Legal system:
civil law system influenced by English constitutional theory; judicial
review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations
National holiday:
National Day, 21 July (ascension of King Leopold to the throne in 1831)
Political parties and leaders:
Flemish Social Christian (CVP), Herman VAN ROMPUY, president; Walloon Social
Christian (PSC) , Melchior WATHELET, president; Flemish Socialist (SP),
Frank VANDENBROUCKE, president; Walloon Socialist (PS), Guy SPITAELS;
Flemish Liberals and Democrats (VLD), Guy VERHOFSTADT, president; Walloon
Liberal (PRL), Antoine DUQUESNE, president; Francophone Democratic Front
(FDF), Georges CLERFAYT, president; Volksunie (VU), Jaak GABRIELS,
president; Communist Party (PCB), Louis VAN GEYT, president; Vlaams Blok
(VB), Karel VAN DILLEN, chairman; ROSSEM, Jean Pierre VAN ROSSEM; National
Front (FN), Werner van STEEN; Live Differently (AGALEV; Flemish Green
party), Leo COX; Ecologist (ECOLO; Francophone Green party), NA; other minor
parties
Other political or pressure groups:
Christian and Socialist Trade Unions; Federation of Belgian Industries;
numerous other associations representing bankers, manufacturers,
middle-class artisans, and the legal and medical professions; various
organizations represent the cultural interests of Flanders and Wallonia;
various peace groups such as the Flemish Action Committee Against Nuclear
Weapons and Pax Christi
Suffrage:
18 years of age, universal and compulsory
Elections:
Senate:
last held 24 November 1991 (next to be held by November 1996); results -
percent of vote by party NA; seats - (184 total; of which 106 are directly
elected) CVP 20, SP 14, PVV (now VLD) 13, VU 5, AGALEV 5, VB 5, ROSSEN 1, PS
18, PRL 9, PSC 9, ECOLO 6, FDF 1