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Belarus |
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AtlasBelarusThe Country
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Belarus is situated in the eastern part of the European continent. It borders to Russia in the north and east, to Ukraine in the south-east, to Poland in the west and to Latvia and Lithuania in the north-west. The rivers of Belarus lie in the basins of the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea. The country has about 20,800 rivers and streams. The major rivers are the Dnepr, the Western Dzvina, the Nyoman, the Western Bug, the Prypyat', the Sozh, the Byarezyna, and the Vilna. The greater part of the country lies in the basin of Dnepr, which flows across Belarus from north to south on its way to the Black Sea, and of its major tributaries, the Byarezyna, the Prypyat' and the Sozh. The Mukhavets, a tributary of the river Bug, and the Prypyat' are linked by a canal thereby connecting the Baltic and the Black Seas. There are only seven lakes with an area of more than 20 km2. The two largest ones are Naratch (80 km2) and As'veyskaye (58 km2). The bedrock consists of crystalline bedrock of Precambrian origin, which lies at a depth of between 380 to 1800 m, overlain by Paleozoic sedimentary rocks and Quaternary sediments. The landscape is flat lowland with low hills and uplands formed by ridges of morainic material. The lowlands are mostly poorly drained and marshy with many small lakes. The Belarusian Ridge is the largest ridge and extends through the whole country in a north-easterly direction. The highest point is the Mount Dzyarzhysk at 346 m.a.s.l. The soils are mainly clay loams on the uplands and sandy podzols in the plains and lowlands. Interspersed with the sandy podzols are swampy clays. The country lies within the zone of deciduous forests and the natural vegetation is mixed forests. In the north pine and spruce tend to dominate. Southward the proportion of deciduous trees, e.g. oak and hornbeam, increases. The climate is a cool continental characterized by cold winters and warm summers. Average monthly temperature in Minsk is -5°C in January and +19° C in July. Western winds prevail and rainfall is moderate. The annual average precipitation is about 600 mm.
About 70% of the people live in urban areas. The population growth rate has decreased since the 1970's and since 1994 there is absolute decrease in population. Ethnic composition is: 78% Belarusians, 13% Russians, and 8% Polish, Ukrainians and Jewish people. Following the break-up of of the Soviet Union in 1990 a wave of exile Belarusians immigrated. Since then immigration has declined.
For more than 70 years the Belarusian economy was an integral part of the economic system of the USSR. The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 resulted in economic difficulties in each of the newly independent states. As a way to solve this crisis a free market economy, promoting privatization and de-monopolizationhas been implemented. Almost 1/3 of the work force in the government sector has been transferred to the private sector during the last five years. Unemployment is 2.7% of the work force. Major industries are: machine manufacturing, metal processing, forestry, paper, construction materials, chemical, and food processing. Major trading partners are: Russia. Ukraine, Poland and the EU, especially Germany. Major export items are machines, transport equipment, chemical and agricultural products. Major import items are mineral products, textiles, machines and chemical products. Road and train networks are well developed but in poor condition. A canal system link the big rivers and by an agreement with Poland Belarus has access to harbor facilities in Gdynia. Minsk has an international airport and there are are a few domestic airports.
Most of the energy used is imported. Nearly 90% of the total energy needed is is satisfied by importing gas and oil from Russia to produce electricity and heating. Domestic energy sources, e.g. natural gas, peat, and firewood are mainly used for heating in rural areas and cover approximately 12% of the energy needs. Emphasis on energy efficiency has resulted in a reduction by more than 40% in energy consumption since 1990. There still appears to be a great potential for energy savings in the residential/commercial sector and in industry.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection has the following objectives:
Earlier achievements include the adoption of an environmental legislation. Air quality is poor in many cities, the main source of air pollution is the energy sector and traffic. Traffic stands for 75% of all CO2, NOx, VOC and lead emissions. Most rivers are moderately polluted, the groundwater is vulnerable to pollution. Water supply systems and waste water treatment plants have been improved and thus the overall quality of surface waters and groundwater has improved. Locally, however, serious water quality problems persist. Controlled landfills is considered the the main method for disposal of solid wastes. Efforts are being made to improve control over existing landfills and to build new ones. The Chernobyl accident affected 23% of the territory. Radioactive wastes as contaminated topsoil and biomass were removed to monitored sites. Today most remaining radio nuclides are within the first 20 cm of the soil , whereas the concentrations in the air and surface waters are significantly lower than the allowed values. Presently, 100,000 people receive doses of 1 to 5 mSv per year. Some adverse health effects have been observed, e.g. an increase in thyroid cancers in children. Expenditure related to the accident is still at about 3% of the GDP. Read more: |
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