Economy
-------

Economic overview: no economic activity

Transportation
--------------

Ports: none; offshore anchorage only

Defense
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Defense note: defense is the responsibility of France

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@Belarus
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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.)