1.) Geography:

Area: 207,600 sq.km. Landlocked, fertile agricultural land with extensive forests on the North European plains. Surrounded by Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia. The smallest of the three Slavic nations of the former USSR.
Population: 9,648,533 (July 2009 est.)

Capital: Minsk 1,830,700

2. Ethnic groups:

Belarusian 81.2%
Russian 11.4%
Polish 3.9%
Ukrainian 2.4%
Other 1.1% (1999 census)

3. Economy

Currency: Belarusian ruble


GDP: US$60.3 billion (2008 est.)

GDP per capita: US$11,800 (2008 est.)
GDP Purchasing parity power: US$114.3 billion (2008 est.)
GDP growth: 10% (2008 est.)

Main exports: Machinery and equipment, mineral products, chemicals, metals, textiles, foodstuffs Main imports: Mineral products, machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs, metals

Export partners: Russia 32.2%, Netherlands 16.9%, Ukraine 8.5%, Latvia 6.6%, Poland 5.5%, UK 4.4% (2008)

Import partners: Russia 59.8%, Germany 7.1%, Ukraine 5.4% (2008)

External debt: US$15.15 billion (31 December 2008)

4. Politics

As of 2007, 98 of the 110 members of the House of Representatives are not affiliated with any political party and of the remaining twelve members, eight belong to the Communist Party of Belarus, three to the Agrarian Party of Belarus, and one to the Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus.

Most of the non-partisans represent a wide scope of social organizations such as workers' collectives, public associations and civil society organizations.

Neither the pro-Lukashenko parties, such as the Belarusian Socialist Sporting Party and the Republican Party of Labor and Justice, nor the People's Coalition 5 Plus opposition parties, such as the Belarusian People's Front and the United Civil Party of Belarus, won any seats in the 2004 elections. Groups such as the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) declared the election "un-free" because of the opposition parties' poor results and media bias in favor of the government.

In the country's 2006 presidential election, Lukashenko was opposed by Alaksanda Milinkievič, a candidate representing a coalition of opposition parties, and by Alaksandar Kazulin of the Social Democrats. Kazulin was detained and beaten by police during protests surrounding the All Belarusian People's Assembly. Lukashenko won the election with 80% of the vote, but the OSCE and other organizations called the election unfair.[44]

5. Religions

Eastern Orthodox 80%,
Other (including Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 20% (1997 est.)

For sources used please click on ‘About Religious Intelligence’