er US dollar - 1,590 (yearend 2001),
1,531.000 (November 2001), 876.750 (2000), 248.795 (1999), 46.127
(1998), 26.020 (1997); note - on 1 January 2000, the national currency
was redenominated at one new ruble to 2,000 old rubles

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications Belarus

Telephones - main lines in use: 2.313 million (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 8,167 (1997)

Telephone system: general assessment: the Ministry of Telecommunications
controls all telecommunications through its carrier (a joint stock
company) Beltelcom which is a monopoly domestic: local - Minsk has a
digital metropolitan network and a cellular NMT-450 network; waiting
lists for telephones are long; local service outside Minsk is neglected
and poor; intercity - Belarus has a partly developed fiber-optic backbone
system presently serving at least 13 major cities (1998); Belarus's fiber
optics form synchronous digital hierarchy rings through other countries'
systems; an inadequate analog system remains operational international:
Belarus is a member of the Trans-European Line (TEL), Trans-Asia-Europe
(TAE) fiber-optic line, and has access to the Trans-Siberia Line (TSL);
three fiber-optic segments provide connectivity to Latvia, Poland, Russia,
and Ukraine; worldwide service is available to Belarus through this
infrastructure; additional analog lines to Russia; Intelsat, Eutelsat,
and Intersputnik earth stations

Radio broadcast stations: AM 28, FM 37, shortwave 11 (1998)

Radios: 3.02 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 47 (plus 27 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions: 2.52 million (1997)

Internet country code: .by

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 23 (2002)

Internet users: 180,000 (2001)

Transportation Belarus

Railways: total: 5,523 km broad gauge: 5,523 km 1.520-m gauge (875 km
electrified) (2000 est.)

Highways: total: 98,200 km paved: 66,100 km (includes some all-weather
gravel-surfaced roads) unpaved: 32,100 km (these roads are made of
unstabilized earth and are difficult to negotiate in wet weather) (1990)

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

Airports: 136 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 33 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047
m: 19 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 11 (2001)

Airports - with unpaved runways: