|
Country
|
Belarus | 
Latvia |
|
Leader
|
President: Alexander Lukashenko
|
President : Andris Berzins
|
|
Population
|
9,643,566
| 2,191,580
|
|
Life Expectancy
|
71.480 years
| 72.930 years
|
|
Capital City
|
Minsk
| Riga
|
|
Largest city
|
| Minsk (population: 1,742,120) | Riga (population: 742,572) |
|
Human Development Index
|
0.817
| 0.863
|
| GDP per capita |
$15,200 US
| $15,900 US
|
|
Literacy Rate
|
99.6%
| 99.7%
|
|
Corruption Perception Index
|
2
| 5
|
|
Percentage of Women in Parliament
|
32.5%
| 20%
|
| Wealthiest Citizens |
|
|
| Unemployment Rate |
1.000%
| 15.400%
|
|
Death Penalty
|
Legal
| Abolished except for special circumstances
|
| |
|
Political System
|
republic in name, although in fact a dictatorship
| parliamentary democracy
|
|
Independence date
|
25 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
| 18 November 1918 (from Soviet Russia)
|
| Religions |
Eastern Orthodox 80%, other (including Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 20% (1997 est.)
| Lutheran 19.6%, Orthodox 15.3%, other Christian 1%, other 0.4%, unspecified 63.7% (2006)
|
| Languages |
Belarusian, Russian, other
| Latvian (official) 58.2%, Russian 37.5%, Lithuanian and other 4.3% (2000 census)
|
| Exports |
machinery and equipment, mineral products, chemicals, metals, textiles, foodstuffs
| wood and wood products, machinery and equipment, metals, textiles, foodstuffs
|
| External Debt |
$33,730,000,000 $
| $38,370,000,000 US
|
| Exchange Rate |
Belarusian rubles (BYB/BYR) per US dollar - 2,130 (2008 est.), 2,145 (2007), 2,144.6 (2006), 2,150 (2005), 2,160.26 (2004)
| lati (LVL) per US dollar - 0.4701 (2008 est.), 0.5162 (2007), 0.5597 (2006), 0.5647 (2005), 0.5402 (2004)
|
| Military Budget as percentage of GDP |
1.400%
| 1.100%
|
| Beijing Olympics Medal Count |
19
| 3
|
| Location |
Eastern Europe, east of Poland
| Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Estonia and Lithuania
|
| Area |
207,600 km sq
| 64,589 km sq
|
| Coastline |
0 km
| 498 km
|
| Climate |
cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between continental and maritime
| maritime; wet, moderate winters
|
|
|
|
