total: 103 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to
3,047 m: 10 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 14 under 914 m: 65 (2001)

Military Belarus

Military branches: Army, Air Force (including air defense), Interior
Ministry Troops, Border Guards

Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age (2002 est.)

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 2,744,267 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 2,149,873
(2002 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 86,396
(2002 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $156 million (FY98)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1% (FY01)

Transnational Issues Belarus

Disputes - international: boundary demarcation with Latvia and Lithuania
is pending European Union funding

Illicit drugs: limited cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis, mostly
for the domestic market; transshipment point for illicit drugs to and
via Russia, and to the Baltics and Western Europe

This page was last updated on 1 January 2002

========================================================================

Solomon Islands

Introduction

Solomon Islands

Background: The UK established a protectorate over the Solomon Islands
in the 1890s. Some of the most bitter fighting of World War II occurred
on these islands. Self-government was achieved in 1976 and independence
two years later. Ethnic violence, government malfeasance, and endemic
crime have undermined stability and civil society.

Geography Solomon Islands

Location: Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east
of Papua New Guinea

Geographic coordinates: 8 00 S, 159 00 E

Map references: Oceania

Area: total: 28,450 sq km water: 910 sq km land: 27,540 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 5,313 km

Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines territorial
sea: 12 NM exclusive economic zone: 200 NM continental shelf: 200 NM

Climate: tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather

Terrain: mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point:
Mount Makarakomburu 2,447 m

Natural resources: fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead,
zinc, nickel

Land use: arable land: 1% permanent crops: 1% other: 98% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: ty