Part 12
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (21-member body appointed by the governor general) and the House of Assembly (28 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections : House of Assembly - last held 6 September 1994 (next to be held by January 1999) election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - BLP 19, DLP 8, NDP 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Judicature, judges are appointed by the Service Commissions for the Judicial and Legal Service
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Labor Party or DLP [David THOMPSON]; Barbados Labor Party or BLP [Owen ARTHUR]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Richard HAYNES]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Barbados Workers Union [Leroy TROTMAN]; People's Progressive Movement [Eric SEALY]; Workers' Party of Barbados [Dr. George BELLE]; Clement Payne Labor Union [David COMMISSIONG]
International organization participation: ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Courtney N. BLACKMAN chancery: 2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939-9218, 9219 FAX: [1] (202) 332-7467 consulate(s) general: Miami and New York consulate(s): Los Angeles
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Jeanette W. HYDE embassy : Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Building, Broad Street, Bridgetown mailing address: P. O. Box 302, Bridgetown; FPO AA 34055 telephone : [1] (246) 436-4950 FAX: [1] (246) 429-5246
Flag description: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold, and blue with the head of a black trident centered on the gold band; the trident head represents independence and a break with the past (the colonial coat of arms contained a complete trident)
Economy
Economy - overview: Historically, the Barbadian economy had been dependent on sugarcane cultivation and related activities, but in recent years the production has diversified into manufacturing and tourism. The start of the Port Charles Marina project in Speightstown helped the tourism industry continue to expand in 1996. The industry generated $331.8 million by the end of June and was expected to double by the end of the year. Prime Minister Owen ARTHUR called for "prudent" financial management to ensure that economic growth would continue. As part of his plan, the Prime Minister introduced a controversial Value Added Tax (VAT) in an effort to reform the tax administration process. The VAT will be administered at 15% for most industries and 7% for the tourism industry. The government has also continued its efforts to promote regional integration initiatives, to reduce the unacceptably high unemployment rate, and to encourage direct foreign investment.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $2.65 billion (1996 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3.5% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $10,300 (1996 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 6.4% industry: 39.3% services: 54.3% (1994)
Inflation rate - consumer price index: 1.8% (1995)
Labor force: total: 126,000 (1993) by occupation: services and government 41%, commerce 15%, manufacturing and construction 18%, transportation, storage, communications, and financial institutions 8%, agriculture 6%, utilities 2% (1992 est.)
Unemployment rate: 16.2% (1996)
Budget: revenues: $550 million expenditures: $710 million, including capital expenditures of $86 million (FY95/96 est.)
Industries: tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export
Industrial production growth rate: 7.7% (1995)
Electricity - capacity: 153,000 kW (1995)
Electricity - production: 644 million kWh (1995)
Electricity - consumption per capita: 2,208 kWh (1995 est.)
Agriculture - products: sugarcane, vegetables, cotton
Exports: total value: $235 million (f.o.b., 1995) commodities: sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals, electrical components, clothing partners: US 13%, UK 10%, Trinidad and Tobago 9%, Windward Islands 8%
Imports: total value: $763 million (c.i.f., 1995) commodities: consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals, fuel, electrical components partners: US 36%, UK 11%, Trinidad and Tobago 11%, Japan 3%
Debt - external: $359 million (December 1996)
Economic aid: $NA
Currency: 1 Barbadian dollar (Bds$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Barbadian dollars (Bds$) per US$1 - 2.0113 (fixed rate)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
@Barbados:Communications
Telephones: 87,343 (1991 est.)
Telephone system: domestic: island wide automatic telephone system international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Trinidad and Saint Lucia
Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 2, shortwave 0
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 2 (1 pay)
Televisions: 69,350 (1993 est.)
@Barbados:Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 1,610 km paved : 1,542 km unpaved: 68 km (1995 est.)
Ports and harbors: Bridgetown
Merchant marine: total: 51 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 453,828 GRT/684,470 DWT ships by type : bulk 16, cargo 27, combination bulk 4, oil tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 1 (1996 est.)
Airports: 1 (1996 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (1996 est.)
Military
Military branches: Royal Barbados Defense Force (includes Ground Forces and Coast Guard), Royal Barbados Police Force
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 71,547 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males: 49,446 (1997 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: one of many Caribbean transshipment points for narcotics bound for the US and Europe ______________________________________________________________________
BASSAS DA INDIA
(possession of France)
@Bassas da India:Geography
Location: Southern Africa, islands in the southern Mozambique Channel, about one-half of the way from Madagascar to Mozambique
Geographic coordinates: 21 30 S, 39 50 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 0.2 sq km land: 0.2 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: about one-third the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 35.2 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical
Terrain: a volcanic rock 2.4 meters high
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 3 m
Natural resources: none
Land use: arable land : 0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other: 100% (all rock)
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)
Natural hazards: maritime hazard since it is usually under water during high tide and surrounded by reefs; subject to periodic cyclones
Environment - current issues: NA
Environment - international agreements: party to: NA signed, but not ratified: NA
@Bassas da India:People
Population: uninhabited
@Bassas da India:Government
Country name: conventional long form : none conventional short form: Bassas da India
Data code: BS
Dependency status: possession of France; administered by a high commissioner of the Republic, resident in Reunion
National capital: none; administered by France from Reunion
Independence: none (possession of France)
Flag description: the flag of France is used
Economy
Economy - overview: no economic activity
@Bassas da India:Transportation
Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only
Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: claimed by Madagascar ______________________________________________________________________
BELARUS
@Belarus:Geography
Location: Eastern Europe, east of Poland
Geographic coordinates: 53 00 N, 28 00 E
Map references: Commonwealth of Independent States
Area: total: 207,600 sq km land: 207,600 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: 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)
Climate: cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between continental and maritime
Terrain: generally flat and contains much marshland
Elevation extremes: 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% permanent pastures: 15% forests and woodland: 34% other: 21% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 1,000 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: soil pollution from pesticide use; southern part of the country contaminated with fallout from 1986 nuclear reactor accident at Chornobyl' in northern Ukraine
Environment - 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
Geography - note: landlocked
@Belarus:People
Population: 10,412,219 (July 1997 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 21% (male 1,092,760; female 1,047,992) 15-64 years : 66% (male 3,346,111; female 3,547,352) 65 years and over: 13% (male 452,267; female 925,737) (July 1997 est.)
Population growth rate: -0.01% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 9.75 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 13.23 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: 3.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 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: 0.49 male(s)/female total population: 0.89 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 13.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 68.4 years male: 62.48 years female: 74.61 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.35 children born/woman (1997 est.)
Nationality: noun: Belarusian(s) adjective: Belarusian
Ethnic groups: Byelorussian 77.9%, Russian 13.2%, Polish 4.1%, Ukrainian 2.9%, other 1.9%
Religions: Eastern Orthodox 80%, other (including Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 20% (1997 est.)
Languages: Byelorussian, Russian, other
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male : 99% female: 97% (1989 est.)
@Belarus:Government
Country name: 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
Government type: republic
National 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: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses)
Independence: 25 August 1991 (from Soviet Union); the Belarusian Supreme Soviet issued a proclamation of independence; on 17 July 1990 Belarus issued a declaration of sovereignty
National holiday: Independence Day, 3 July (1990); note - date set by referendum of November 1996
Constitution: referendum of 27 November 1996 (declared illegitimate by the international community) adopted a new constitution massing power in the hands of the president; signed into law on 28 November 1996
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) head of government: Prime Minister Sergey LING (acting since NA November 1996, confirmed NA February 1997); First Deputy Prime Minister Pyotr PROKOPOVICH (since NA); Deputy Prime Ministers Vladimir GARKUN (since NA), Valeriy KOKAREV (since NA), Vladimir RUSAKEVICH (since NA), Vasyl DALGALYOV (since NA) cabinet: Council of Ministers elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 24 June and 10 July 1994 (next to be held NA 2001 because of the additional two years provided by the November 1996 referendum); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Aleksandr LUKASHENKO elected president; percent of vote - Aleksandr LUKASHENKO 85%, Vyacheslav KEBICH 15% note: first presidential elections took place in June-July 1994
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament established by the 28 November Constitution consists of the Council of the Republic (64 seats; the president appoints 8 and each oblast plus the Minsk city government elect 8) and the Chamber of Representatives (110 seats; note - present members came from the defunct Supreme Soviet) elections: last held May and November-December 1995 (two rounds, each with a run-off; next to be held NA 2000) election results : percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - KPB 42, Agrarian 33, CAB 9, Party of People's Concord 8, UPNAZ 2, SDPB 2, BPR 1, Green Party 1, Republican Party of Labor and Justice 1, BSP 1, NFB 1, Social and Sports Party 1, Ecological Party 1, independents 95, vacant 62; note - after the November 1996 referendum, seats for the Chamber of Representatives were filled by former Supreme Soviet members as follows: PKB 24, Agrarian 14, Party of Peoples Concord 5, LDPB 1, UPNAZ 1, Green World Party 1, Belarusian Social Sports Party 1, Ecological Party 1, Republican Party of Labor and Justice 1, independents 60; 58 of the 64 seats in the Council of the Republic have been appointed/elected
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the president; Constitutional Court, half of the judges appointed by the president and half appointed by the Chamber of Representatives
Political parties and leaders: Belarusian Communist Party or KPB [Yefrem SOKOLOV and Viktor CHIKIN, chairmen]; Agrarian Party [Aleksandr PAVLOV, chairman]; Civic Accord Bloc (United Civic Party) or CAB [Stanislav BOGDANKEVICH, chairman]; Party of People's Concord [Leonid SECHKO, chairman]; Party of All-Belarusian Unity and Concord or UPNAZ [Dmitriy BULAKOV, chairman]; Belarusian Social-Democrat Hramada or SDBP [Nikolai STATKEVICH, chairman]; Belarusian Patriotic Movement (Belarusian Patriotic Party) or BPR [Anatol BARANKEVICH]; Green Party of Belarus [Nikolai KARTASH, chairman]; Republican Party of Labor and Justice [Anatol NETYLKIN, chairman]; Belarus Peasants or BSP [Yevgeniy LUGIN, chairman]; Belarusian Popular Front or NFB [Levon BARSHEVSKIY, acting chairman]; Belarusian Social Sports Party [Aleksandr ALEKSANDROVICH, chairman]; Ecological Party [Liudmila YELIZAROVA, chairman]; National Democratic Party of Belarus or NDPB [Viktor NAUMENKO, chairman]; United Democratic Party of Belarus or ADPB [Aleksandr DOBROVOLSKIY]; Belarusian Socialist Party or SPB [Vyacheslav KUZNETSOV]; Slavic Assembly or SAB [Nikolai SYARECHEV]; Liberal-Democratic Party or LDPB [Sergei GAIDUKEVICH, chairman]; Belarusian Christian-Democratic Unity or BKDZ [Petr SILKO]; Polish Democratic Union or PDZ [Konstantin TARASEVICH]; Party of Beer Lovers [Yuriy GONCHAR]; Party of Communists Belarusian or PKB [Sergei KALYAKIN and Vasiliy NOVIKOV, chairmen]; Belarusian Labor Party or BPP [Aleksandr BUKHVOSTOV]
International organization participation: BIS, CCC, CEI, CIS, EBRD, ECE, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Inmarsat, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NACC, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission : Ambassador-designate Valeriy TSEPKALO chancery: 1619 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 986-1604 FAX: [1] (202) 986-1805 consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission : Ambassador Kenneth Spencer YALOWITZ embassy: Starovilenskaya #46-220002, Minsk mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [375] (172) 31-50-00 FAX : [375] (172) 34-78-53
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
Economy
Economy - overview: At the time of independence in late 1991, Belarus was one of the most developed of the former Soviet states, inheriting a modern - by Soviet standards - machine building sector and robust agricultural sector. However, the breakup of the Soviet Union and its traditional trade ties in December 1991, as well as the government's failure to embrace market reforms, has resulted in a sharp economic decline. Privatization is virtually nonexistent and the system of state orders and distribution persists. Although President LUKASHENKO pronounces his 1995 macro stabilization policies a success - annual inflation dropped from 2,220% in 1994 to 244% in 1995 - the IMF has criticized his exchange rate policies and suspended Minsk's $300 million standby program in November 1995. The overvalued ruble has especially hurt Belarusian exporters, most of which now operate at a loss. In addition, the January 1995 Customs Union agreement with Russia - which required Minsk to adjust its foreign trade practices to mirror Moscow's - has resulted in higher import tariffs for Belarusian consumers; tariffs rose from 5%-20% to 20%-40%. In general, as of the beginning of 1997, Belarus has badly lagged in moving away from the old centrally planned policies of the former USSR.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $51.9 billion (1996 estimate as extrapolated from World Bank estimate for 1994)
GDP - real growth rate: 3% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $5,000 (1996 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 21% industry: 49% services: 30% (1991 est.)
Inflation rate - consumer price index: 33% (1996)
Labor force: total: 4.731 million by occupation: industry and construction 36%, agriculture and forestry 19%, services 45% (1995)
Unemployment rate: 3.1% officially registered unemployed (December 1996); large numbers of underemployed workers
Budget: revenues : $NA expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Industries: tractors, metal-cutting machine tools, off-highway dump trucks up to 110-metric-ton load capacity, wheel-type earth movers for construction and mining, eight-wheel-drive, high-flotation trucks with cargo capacity of 25 metric tons for use in tundra and roadless areas, equipment for animal husbandry and livestock feeding, motorcycles, television sets, chemical fibers, fertilizer, linen fabric, wool fabric, radios, refrigerators, other consumer goods
Industrial production growth rate: 3.2% (1996 est.)
Electricity - capacity: 7.21 million kW (1994)
Electricity - production: 23.7 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity - consumption per capita: 2,553 kWh (1995 est.)
Agriculture - products: grain, potatoes, vegetables; meat, milk
Exports: total value: $5.2 billion (f.o.b., 1996) commodities: machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs partners: Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Germany
Imports: total value: $6.8 billion (c.i.f., 1996) commodities: fuel, natural gas, industrial raw materials, textiles, sugar partners: Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Germany
Debt - external: $2 billion (September 1995 est.)
Economic aid: recipient: ODA, $186 million (1993) note : commitments, $3,930 million ($1,845 million disbursements), 1992-95
Currency: Belarusian ruble (BR)
Exchange rates: Belarusian rubles per US$1 - 16,613 (September monthly average 1996),15,500 (yearend 1996), 11,500 (yearend 1995), 10,600 (yearend 1994), 699 (yearend 1993), 15 (yearend 1992)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Belarus:Communications
Telephones: 1.849 million (1991 est.)
Telephone system: telephone service inadequate for the purposes of either business or the population; about 70% of the telephones are in homes; over 750,000 applications from households for telephones remain unsatisfied (1992 est.); new investment centers on international connections and business needs domestic : the new NMT-450 analog cellular system is now operating in Minsk international: international traffic is carried by the Moscow international gateway switch and also by satellite; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (through Canada) and 1 Eutelsat (through the UK)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 35, FM 18, shortwave 0
Radios: 3.17 million (1991 est.) (5,615,000 with multiple speaker systems for program diffusion)
Television broadcast stations: 2 (one national and one private; the license of the private station was suspended during the parliamentary elections of 1994)
Televisions: 3.5 million (1992 est.)
@Belarus:Transportation
Railways: total: 5,488 km broad gauge: 5,488 km 1.520-m gauge (873 km electrified) (1993)
Highways: total: 51,547 km paved: 50,825 km unpaved: 722 km (1995 est.)
Waterways: NA km; note - Belarus has extensive and widely used canal and river systems
Pipelines: crude oil 1,470 km; refined products 1,100 km; natural gas 1,980 km (1992)
Ports and harbors: Mazyr
Merchant marine: note: claims 5% of former Soviet fleet (1995 est.)
Airports: 118 (1996 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 36 over 3,047 m : 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 18 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 under 914 m: 11 (1996 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 82 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m : 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 62 (1996 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army, Air Force, Air Defense Force, Interior Ministry Troops, Border Guards
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 2,659,236 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males: 2,083,696 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 77,496 (1997 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: 2.4 trillion rubles (1997); note - conversion of defense expenditures into US dollars using the current exchange rate could produce misleading results
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: treaty with Lithuania defining the border awaits demarcation
Illicit drugs: limited cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis, mostly for the domestic market; transshipment point for illicit drugs to Russia and Western Europe ______________________________________________________________________
BELGIUM
@Belgium:Geography
Location: Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the Netherlands
Geographic coordinates: 50 50 N, 4 00 E
Map references: Europe
Area: total : 30,510 sq km land: 30,230 sq km water: 280 sq km
Area - comparative: about the size of Maryland
Land boundaries: total: 1,385 km border countries : France 620 km, Germany 167 km, Luxembourg 148 km, Netherlands 450 km
Coastline: 64 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf : median line with neighbors exclusive fishing zone: median line with neighbors (extends about 68 km from coast) territorial sea: 12 nm
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
Elevation extremes: lowest point: North Sea 0 m highest point : Signal de Botrange 694 m
Natural resources: coal, natural gas
Land use: arable land : 24% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 20% forests and woodland: 21% other: 34%
Irrigated land: 10 sq km including Luxembourg (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: flooding is a threat in areas of reclaimed coastal land, protected from the sea by concrete dikes
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
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Law of the Sea
Geography - note: crossroads of Western Europe; majority of West European capitals within 1,000 km of Brussels which is the seat of both the EU and NATO
@Belgium:People
Population: 10,165,059 (July 1997 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 17% (male 911,881; female 868,361) 15-64 years: 66% (male 3,385,319; female 3,318,940) 65 years and over : 17% (male 681,432; female 999,126) (July 1997 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.11% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 10.43 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 10.41 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: 1.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth : 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 6.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.19 years male : 73.95 years female: 80.59 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.5 children born/woman (1997 est.)
Nationality: noun: Belgian(s) adjective: Belgian
Ethnic groups: Fleming 55%, Walloon 33%, mixed or other 12%
Religions: Roman Catholic 75%, Protestant or other 25%
Languages: Flemish 56%, French 32%, German 1%, legally bilingual 11%
Literacy: definition : age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% (1980 est.) male: NA% female: NA%
@Belgium:Government
Country name: conventional long form : Kingdom of Belgium conventional short form: Belgium local long form: Royaume de Belgique/Koninkrijk Belgie local short form: Belgique/Belgie
Data code: BE
Government type: federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarch
National 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 note: constitutional reforms passed by Parliament in 1993 theoretically increased the number of provinces to 10 by splitting the province of Brabant into two new provinces, Flemish Brabant and Walloon Brabant, but this has not been confirmed by the US Government
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