est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 400 (1999 est.)

Nationality: noun: Belarusian(s)

adjective: Belarusian

Ethnic groups: Byelorussian 81.2%, Russian 11.4%, Polish, Ukrainian,
and other 7.4%

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

Government type: republic

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 -
when using a place name with the adjectival ending 'skaya' the word
voblasts' should be added to the place name

note: voblasti have the administrative center name following in
parentheses

Independence: 25 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday: Independence Day, 3 July (1944); note - 3 July
1944 was the date Minsk was liberated from German troops, 25 August
1991 was the date of independence from the Soviet Union

Constitution: 30 March 1994; revised by national referendum of 24
November 1996 giving the presidency greatly expanded powers and
became effective 27 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 Vladimir YERMOSHIN (since 18
February 2000); First Deputy Prime Minister Andrey KOBYAKOV (since
13 March 2000); Deputy Prime Ministers Mikhail DEMCHUK (since 14
July 2000), Mikhail KHORSTOV (since 27 November 2000), Valeriy
KOKOREV (since 23 August 1994), Leonid KOZIK (since 4 February
1997), Gennadiy NOVITSKIY (since 11 February 1997), Aleksandr POPKOV
(since 10 November 1998)

cabinet: Council of Ministers

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
first election took place 23 June and 10 July 1994 (next to be held
NA; according to the 1994 constitution, the next elec