Chapter 555: Resources of Belarus
However, as far as Ye Chao knows, in addition to beauties, Belarus still has a lot of resources, such as mineral and energy resources.
As of 2014, more than 10,000 minerals have been identified in Belarus, the most important of which are oil, associated natural gas, peat, lignite and flammable slate, potash, rock salt, raw materials for various building materials (building stones, facing stones, materials for the production of cement and lime, sand and gravel for construction and glass making, various clays, fresh water, mineral water). In addition, there are iron ore, gypsum, precious metals, apatite and aluminum, etc.).
Also, water resources......
Not to mention that water resources are not resources, without water, they cannot survive.
Belarus is rich in water resources, with more than 20,000 large and small rivers and more than 10,000 lakes, and is known as the "Land of Ten Thousand Lakes".
Also, forest resources......
Belarus has almost 8 million hectares of forests with a coverage rate of 39%, which is the second largest in the CIS after Russia. It is dominated by coniferous forests, and the main tree species are pines, followed by spruce, birch, oak, etc.
Covering an area of 1,165 square kilometres, the Belovezh Natural Forest Reserve is renowned in Europe. The timber reserves are about 1.093 billion cubic meters, and about 5 million tons of various timber are exported every year.
Belarus has a good industrial base.
Machinery manufacturing, metallurgical processing industry, machine tools, electronic and laser technology are relatively developed and advanced, agriculture and animal husbandry are relatively developed, and the output of potatoes, sugar beets and flax ranks among the CIS countries.
Since 1996, the economy has grown steadily. In March 2002, President Lukashenko proposed the "Belarusian Development Model", emphasizing a people-oriented approach, gradual reforms, and progress while maintaining stability, abandoning total privatization and shock therapy, and establishing a strong state power and a regulated and socially oriented market economy.
In 2003, GDP grew by 6.8 per cent year-on-year, industry by 6.8 per cent and agriculture by 6.8 per cent. The economic policy, which focuses on expanding exports, increasing housing construction, and food production, has yielded initial results. However, we still face many difficulties in transforming the planned economic system and establishing a market economy, such as a shortage of funds, a lack of product competitiveness, low enterprise efficiency, and serious losses.
In addition, the plantation industry in Belarus is well developed.
In 2012, the value of crop production was 30.47 trillion white rubles, or about 3.655 billion US dollars (calculated at an average annual exchange rate of 1 US dollar: 8335.86 white rubles), accounting for 51.7% of the total value of agricultural output. The plantation industry mainly produces cereals, flax, potatoes, sugar beets, vegetables, etc. Cereal crops are mainly wheat, rye, barley, oats and corn.
The main cash crops are flax, sugar beet and rape. Among them, flax and potatoes are two of the most famous traditional crops in Belarus.
In addition, animal husbandry is also quite developed.
Animal husbandry is the main industry of agriculture, but its output value is lower than that of crop farming.
The structure of agricultural production in Belarus is characterized by a high proportion of animal husbandry, which is also a key area of development for Belarus, but according to the official data released by Belarus for the period 2005-2011, the value of crop production has always been higher than that of animal husbandry.
For example, in 2011, the value of agricultural output was 55.64 trillion white rubles, accounting for 18.7% of GDP, of which animal husbandry accounted for 47.4% of agricultural output and crop farming accounted for 52.6%. A considerable part of the cereals and soybeans in the cultivation industry are used as feed for animal husbandry, supporting the production of white meat, eggs, milk and other products.
In addition, fisheries and special aquaculture are also highlights.
There are mainly freshwater fish farming, animal husbandry (brown foxes, mink and large water rats), beekeeping, etc. 5 100 tonnes of freshwater fish products were produced.
After independence, Belarus's agricultural foreign trade import and export commodities are mainly potash fertilizers, tractors, agricultural trucks and other inputs, as well as traditional advantageous products such as flax, meat and dairy products.
For example, in 1993, it exported 285,800 tons of potash fertilizer and 2,251,900 tons of potash fertilizer, 73,100 tractors and 7,700 tractors, and 241,210 and 14,330 trucks to the CIS countries and other countries.
For example, in 1993, 32,200 tons of cotton, 16,100 tons of sugar, and 13,500 tons of vegetable oil were imported from the CIS countries.
Also, the financial industry......
At the end of 2009, Belarus's total external debt amounted to $7.89 billion, or 16.5 per cent of GDP, and its total domestic debt amounted to 7.8 trillion white rubles, or about 5.8 per cent of GDP.
The National Bank of Belarus, as the central bank, is responsible for formulating credit policies and assisting the Government in regulating credit in relation to macroeconomic performance. There are 31 state-owned and commercial banks in Belarus, of which 8 are wholly foreign-owned banks and 25 have foreign participation. Among them, there are 20 banks with foreign capital accounting for more than 50%.
The share of foreign capital in the Bank of Belarus was 17.11%. The total capital of the Belarusian Commercial Bank is 8.697 trillion white rubles. The largest banks in Belarus are the Bank of Belarus, the Belarusian Agricultural and Industrial Bank, the Belarusian Industrial Construction Bank, the Belarusian Foreign Economic Bank and the Belarusian Investment Bank.
In addition, Belarus has a well-developed tourism industry.
Belarus is a landlocked country located in the Eastern European Plain of Europe, with its capital Minsk. Belarus is a country of beautiful nature, clean air and hospitable people, known for its lakes, rivers and dense forests, with cool summers, golden leaves in autumn and snowy winters.
Places of interest in Belarus are: Victory Square, which is located in the center of Minsk, completed in 1947, 225 meters long and 175 meters wide, on the square stands the monument to the martyrs of the Great Patriotic War, 40 meters high, the bottom of the monument is inlaid with large metal relief groups on all sides, showing the heroic combat history of the Belarusian military and civilians against the enemy.
The National Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War, located on the left side of the Palace of the Republic in Minsk, is the largest and largest collection of Great Patriotic War memorials in Belarus.
Attractions......
The Belovezh Jungle National Park (87,000 hectares) is one of the oldest national reserves, established in 1990. The Belovezh Jungle National Park is located in the Grodno and Brest regions of southwestern Belarus, 340 km from Minsk.
There are 59 species of mammals (including 6 species of nationally protected animals) and 253 species of birds, including 75 species listed in the Red Book. About 300 European bison are the most prized animals in the National Reserve.
The Belovezh jungle is unique and is the largest old-growth forest in the plains of Central Europe. The average age of the forests here is more than 100 years, and in some areas it is more than 250 to 350 years old. There are more than 1,000 species of trees in the Belovezh jungle: oaks between 400 and 600 years old, ash and pine trees between 250 and 350 years old, and cedar trees between 200 and 250 years old.
In terms of the diversity of flora and fauna, the Belovezh jungle is unique in Europe. In 1992, the Belovezh jungle was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
In 1993, the National Reserve was renamed the Biosphere Reserve, and in 1997, the Belovezh Jungle was awarded a Certificate of Merit by the European Commission.
The Braslav Lakes National Park was established in 1995 and is located in the administrative region of Braslav on the border with Lithuania and Latvia. The total area of the park is 69,100 hectares. About 200 ponds are the "treasures" of the park.
The total area of the lakes in Braslav is 114 square kilometers.
Pripyat National Park was established in 1996 and is located in Gomel Oblast. The park covers an area of 188485 hectares.
The park is known for its rare flora and fauna.
Narochi National Park was established in 1999. Lake Narochi in the park is known as the "Pearl of the Nation". Lake Narochi is the largest lake in Belarus, and its beautiful lakes and rides always attract many tourists.
The park is also home to the country's largest Narochi sanatorium and a holiday camp. Visitors can enjoy a comfortable holiday 240 days a year and swim about 100 days a year. In addition, Lake Narochi is also famous for its mineral waters.