BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

24/03/2010

Backgrounder: Basic facts about Belarus

Vice President Xi Jinping arrives in Minsk on Wednesday for an official visit to the Republic of Belarus. The following are some basic facts about Belarus:

Located in eastern Europe, Belarus borders Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine. It has a total area of 207,600 square km with Minsk as its capital.

Among its population of 9.67 million, more than 80 percent are Belarusian. Belarusian and Russian serve as the country's official languages.

Belarus abounds in forests, which cover about a third of the land. The country is dotted with more than 20,000 lakes and rivers. Three big rivers -- the Neman, the Pripyat and the Dnepr, wind their way through its territory.

The country has a broad agricultural base and its chief agricultural products include potatoes, beet, flax, rye and oats.

The major industries of Belarus are machine manufacture, metallurgical, chemical and electronic industries, apart from petroleum processing and other industries.

In 2009, Belarus' gross domestic product reached some 60 billion U.S. dollars, up 0.2 percent over the previous year, according to Belarusian National Statistical Committee.

Belarus' major trading partners include Russia, Britain, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, Ukraine, Lithuania and China. About two-thirds of its exports go to Russia. Belarus also serves as a transit point for Russian oil and natural gas exported to other European countries.

Since they established diplomatic ties on Jan. 2, 1992, China and Belarus have enhanced mutual political trust through frequent exchanges of high-level visits.

Source:

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90776/90883/6929084.html


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