Railroads:
5,570 km; does not include industrial lines (1990)
Highways:
total:
98,200 km
paved:
66,100 km
unpaved:
earth 32,100 km (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
usable:
55
with permanent-surface runways:
31
with runways over 3,659 m:
1
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
28
with runways 1,060-2,439 m:
20
note:
a C-130 can land on a 1,060-m airstrip
Telecommunications:
telephone service in Belarus is inadequate for the purposes of either
business or the population; total number of telephones 1,849,000 (31
December 1991); telephone density - 18 for each 100 persons; about 70%
of the telephones are in homes; over 750,000 applications from
households for telephones remain unsatisfied (1992); new investment
centers on international connections and business needs; the new
BelCel NMT 450 cellular system (a joint venture) is now operating in
Minsk but progress has been slower in establishing an INTELSAT earth
station; international traffic still relies on the Moscow
international gateway switch; broadcast receivers - television
3,538,000, radio 3,140,000, radio receivers with multiple speaker
systems for program diffusion 5,615,000
@Belarus, Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, Air Forces, Air Defense Forces, Security Forces (internal and
border troops)
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 2,520,487; fit for military service 1,981,749; reach
military age (18) annually 71,922 (1994 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 sq km
land area:
30,230 sq km
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 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
Meuse River, a major source of drinking water, polluted from steel
production wastes; other rivers polluted by animal wastes and
fertilizers; industrial air pollution contributes to acid rain in
neighboring countries
natural hazards:
NA
international agreements:
party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Sulphur, Antarctic Treaty,
Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,
Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber, Wetlands; signed,
but not ratified - Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea
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:
10,062,836 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.2% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
11.71 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
10.26 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
0.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
7.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
76.96 years
male:
73.67 years
female:
80.44 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.62 children born/woman (1994 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:
Dutch 56%, French 32%, German 1%, legally bilingual 11% divided along
ethnic lines
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1980 est.)
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)
National holiday:
National Day, 21 July (ascension of King Leopold to the throne in
1831)
Constitution:
7 February 1831, last revised 14 July 1993; parliament approved a
constitutional package creating a federal state
Legal system:
civil law system influenced by English constitutional theory; judicial
review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age, universal and compulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state:
King ALBERT II (since NA August 1993)
head of government:
Prime Minister Jean-Luc DEHAENE (since 6 March 1992)
cabinet:
Cabinet; the king appoints the ministers who are chosen by the
legislature
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament
Senate:
(Flemish - Senaat, French - Senat); elections 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
Chamber of Representatives:
(Flemish - Kamer van Volksvertegenwoordigers, French - Chambre des
Representants); elections last held 24 November 1991 (next to be held
by November 1996); results - CVP 16.7%, PS 13.6%, SP 12.0%, PVV (now
VLD) 11.9%, PRL 8.2%, PSC 7.8%, VB 6.6%, VU 5.9%, ECOLO 5.1%, AGALEV
4.9%, FDF 2.6%, ROSSEM 3.2%, FN 1.5%; seats - (212 total) CVP 39, PS
35, SP 28, PVV (now VLD) 26, PRL 20, PSC 18, FB 12, VU 10, ECOLO 10,
AGALEV 7, FDF 3, ROSSEM 3, FN 1
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Justice (Flemish - Hof van Cassatie, French - Cour de
Cassation)
Political parties and leaders:
Flemish Social Christian (CVP), Johan van HECKE, president;
Francophone Social Christian (PSC), Melchior WATHELET, president;
Flemish Socialist (SP), Frank VANDENBROUCKE, president; Francophone
Socialist (PS), Philippe BUSQUIN; Flemish Liberals and Democrats
(VLD), Guy VERHOFSTADT, president; Francophone Liberal (PRL), Jean
GOL, president; Francophone Democratic Front (FDF), Georges CLERFAYT,
president; Volksunie (VU), Bert ANCIAUX, president; Communist Party
(PCB), Louis VAN GEYT, president; Vlaams Blok (VB), Karel DILLEN,
chairman; ROSSEM, Jean Pierre VAN ROSSEM; National Front (FN), Werner
van STEEN; AGALEV (Flemish Greens), no president; ECOLO (Francophone
Ecologists), no president; 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
Member of:
AG (observer), ACCT, AfDB, AsDB, Australian Group, Benelux, BIS, CCC,
CE, CERN, COCOM, CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECE, EIB, ESA, FAO, G-9, G-10, GATT,
IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF,
IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, MINURSO,
MTCR, NACC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMOGIP, UNOSOM, UNPROFOR, UNRWA, UNTAC, UNTSO,
UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Juan CASSIERS
chancery:
3330 Garfield Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
(202) 333-6900
FAX:
(202) 333-3079
consulate(s) general:
Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Alan J. BLINKEN
embassy:
27 Boulevard du Regent, Brussels
mailing address:
B-1000 Brussels, APO AE 09724
telephone:
[32] (2) 513-3830
FAX:
[32] (2) 511-2725
Flag:
three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), yellow, and red; the
design was based on the flag of France
@Belgium, Economy