COUNTRY

Geographical Location  

The Republic of Belarus (Belarus) is located in the middle of Europe, on the divide of the Baltic and Black Seas. The capital of Belarus is Minsk. Belarus borders Poland in the west, Lithuania in the northwest, Latvia and Russia in the north, Russia in the northeast and east, and Ukraine in the south. The total state border length is 2,969 km. The borderline passes through the lowland terrain without encountering expressed natural obstructions, thereby facilitating construction of thoroughfares and promoting intensive economic relations. One of the main Eurasian lines, including the shortest communication routes from central and eastern Russia’s regions to the countries of West Europe, and also between the Baltic and Black Seas run through Belarus. The distances from the capital of Minsk to the capitals of neighboring states are as follows: Vilnius — 215 km, Riga — 470 km, Warsaw — 550 km, Kiev — 580 km, Moscow — 700 km, and Berlin — 1,060 km.  

Area

The area of Belarus is 207.6 thousand km2. It stretches for maximum 650 km from west to east and 560 km from north to south. Belarus ranks 13th in terms of the area among the European states and 6th among the CIS countries (following Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan). In Europe, Belarus is only second to Great Britain and Romania in the area, and its area is more than 2.2 times that of Portugal and Hungary and about 5 times that of the Netherlands and Switzerland.  

Relief

The relief of Belarus is mostly flat and hilly, with a mean elevation above sea level being 160 meters. The highest elevation above sea level is 345 meters (the mount of Dzerzhinskaya, Dzerzhinsky District, Minsk Region). The lowest elevation above sea level is 80–90 meters (the valley of the Neman river, Grodno Region). The flat country offers favorable conditions for migration of the population, farming, construction of industrial enterprises, transportation and engineering communications, promotion of the tourism industry and recreation services.  

Climate 

The climate of Belarus is moderately continental with mild and humid winter, warm summer and moist fall. January mean temperature is from –4°C to –8°C, that of July from +17°C to +19°C. The annual precipitation is 550–650 mm on the low country and 650–750 mm on the flat country and hills. An average vegetation period is 184–208 days. Climatic conditions in Belarus are favorable for growing major cereal crops, vegetables, fruit trees and shrub vegetation of the middle belt of the East Europe and specifically for cultivating potato, fiber flax, annual grasses, and fodder root crops.

Mineral Resources

About 30 types of minerals have been explored in Belarus (over 4,000 deposits and fields of mineral resources). Of them, potassium salts are most important, with the country holding one of the leading positions in Europe as regards their commercial deposits. Explored commercial resources of Mozyr, Davidov and Storobin deposits exceed 22 billion tons. The country is rich in nonmetallics, namely, granites, dolomites and dolomitized limestone, marl and chalk, low-melting and refractory clay, loam and sand and gravel materials. Raw materials for producing natural dyes are available (marsh iron ore, ochre, glauconite, etc.). Belarus has abundant resources of mineral water allowing for promotion of the construction of sanatoriums and spas and also the companies to sell and export mineral medical and table water.

63 sources have been explored with the total yield of 155,572 m3/day. Belarus has a sufficiently rich raw materials sources for production of construction materials.

Belarus has abundant peat fields, however, peat deposits are mainly exhausted as resource sources due to intensive extraction. Total geological resources are estimated at 4.4 billion tons. Currently, the resources being extracted amount to 600 million tons, while the remaining portion is located either within the boundaries of environmental zones or is the component of the national land reserves.

Sapropels form an important natural resource, with the reserves being estimated at 3 billion m3. An integrated utilization of peat and sapropel resources is of critical importance. Oil reserves are small and, therefore, production is low. Brown and slate coal deposits have been stricken in Belarus. In general, local fuel and energy resources, including associated gas and fuel wood may cover over 20% of the total domestic needs for fuel of the national economy in energy resources.

Available stock of mineral resources allows the future needs in potassium and table salt, lime and cement feedstock, refractory and ceramic clays, construction sand, sand-gravel material, facing stone to be fully met.

The farmland accounts for 43,9% of the country’s area, including the arable land — 26.8%. In Belarus, the per capita agricultural land area is 92 ha, including arable land area — 57 ha.

Flora 

Natural vegetation covers nearly 70% of the area of Belarus.

It includes nearly 11.5 thousand of plant species, of them, about 2.1 thousand higher (spermaphyte) and over 9 thousand inferior (weeds, moss, lichen) plants. At the national level, over 130 relict plant species included into the Red Book of the Republic of Belarus are under protection.  

Fauna

The fauna of Belarus comprises 457 species of vertebrates (including 73 mammal species, 305 bird species, about 60 fish species) and over 20 thousand species of invertebrates. 22 mammal species, 31 bird species and 2 reptile species are game species. Such game species as a fox, a marten, a hare, an otter, a polecat, an ermine and also an elk and a wild boar are commercially valuable. 97 vertebrate species and 85 invertebrate species are included into the Red Book of the Republic of Belarus.

Forest resources

Forests cover 39.8% of the country’s area. The per capita forested area is 0.84 ha and timber resources — 136 m3 that is almost 2 times the average European level. Mainly valuable tree species grow in Belarus. The forest potential is rather high — the annual timber resources increment rate reaches 25 million m3. Forested areas and standing timber stock, including mature stands, are increasing. The forest is not only the source of timber, but it also performs multiple environmental functions (water protecting, water conservation, soil protection, assimilation, etc.), as well as sanitary and rehabilitation, recreation and rehabilitation functions. Belarusian forests play an important biosphere role and formidably contribute to ecological stabilisation in the East and Central Europe.

The Belarusian forests store significant natural resources of food, meliferous, medicinal, technical and other economically valuable plants. Mainly blueberry, cranberry, cowberry, bog bilberry, rowanberry, wild pear and high cranberry are harvested.

Water Resources

Belarus has about 21 thousand rivers and creeks totaling 90.6 thousand km in length and 11 thousand lakes, 470 of them exceed an area over 0.5 km2 each. Water bodies cover 2% of the country’s area. The largest lake in Belarus is the Naroch lake (79.6 km2, maximum depth about 25 m). Over half of Belarusian water resources (56%) account for the Black Sea basin, the remaining fraction for the Baltic Sea basin. The rivers of Prypyat, Dnieper, Neman, Berezina and Western Dvina and also the Dnieper-Bug Canal are most critical for navigation.

145 water storage reservoirs were built in Belarus. Of critical importance is the Vileiskaya storage water reservoir (75 km2). The Vileisko-Minsk water system, through which water of the Viliya river is supplied to Minsk, originates from it.

Renewable resources of fresh surface waters and groundwater available in the country are sufficient to meet current and expected demand in water: river water resources amount to 57.9 km3/year. The total water volume accumulated in lakes is estimated at 6–7 km3 and the storage volume of water storage reservoirs is estimated at 3.1 km3. The public water supply abstraction is less than 5–7% on the average of annually renewable water resources.

POPULATION

The size of the resident population of Belarus amounted to 9,800.1 thousand people as of 01.01.2005, including urban residents — 7,045.5, or 71.5%. Over 24% of the urban population resides in the Belarusian capital.

Belarus is a comparatively densely populated country. Average population density is 47 persons per 1 km2. The territory of Belarus is inhabited rather uniformly, most densely — central regions.

The sex-age structure of the population is as follows: males account for 46.8% and females — 53.2%. As of the early 2005, there were 1,138 females for 1,000 males. In the age group under 15 years of age, boys account for 51.2% and girls — 48.8%. Above 60 years of age, the male-to-female ratio is 1 to 1.8 and above 80 years of age — 1 to 3.5.

17.9% of the population is younger of the able-bodied age, 61.0% of the population are males at the age of 16–59 years and females — 16–54 years (i.e. population of the able-bodied age), and 21.1% of the population is above the able-bodied age. Over the last 30 years, the fraction of children reduced from 28.9% to 16.2% in the population structure, while the share of population above 60 years of age increased to make up 18.7% accounting for 29.6% in rural and 14.3% in urban areas. The natural growth mainly contributes to the increment of population in Belarus. It rather rapidly reduced in the 1970s–80s (from 146.2 in 1960 to 50.0 thousand people in 1989), and it reduced even more significantly in the 1990s. A number of factors affected the drop in the birth rate over the last decades: features of the age structure (the women — children of “children of war” — reached the childbearing age), change in the social orientation and environmental consequences of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster and so forth.

National Composition

Belarus is a polyethnic and polyconfessional state in which over 130 nationalities reside with Belarusians (81.2% of the total population). According to the 1999 census, 1,142 thousand Russians (11.4% of the total population), 396 thousand Poles (3.9%), 237 thousand Ukrainians (2.4%), 28 thousand Jews and about 6.4 thousand Lithuanians reside in Belarus.

According to the 1999 census, other nationalities also inhabit Belarus: Tatars, Azerbaijanians, Armenians, Latvians, Koreans, Germans, Georgians, Ossets, Gypsies, Moldavians and others.

Employment

Continuously improving economic situation in Belarus in the social and labor sphere gradually stabilises the employment level in the economy real sector. Currently, the unemployment level in the republic is 2.0% (in percentage to the economically active population).

Since the priority is given to final sectors of the manufacturing industry, such as motor industry, tractor and agricultural machinery building, optical, radioelectronics, precise instrument-making and other industries requiring a highly qualified labor, Belarus has developed an efficient qualified personnel training system promoting a high educational level of the population. Currently, there are 439 employees with higher and secondary specialized education and 580–690 (depending on the sector) employees in the service sphere for 1,000 people employed in the real sector of the economy.

To financially assist the unemployed and fund actions to promote employment, the State Employment Promotion Fund has been established to be included in the budget. Compulsory contributions from enterprises, organizations and businessmen and subsidies from the national and local budgets, as well as other revenues form the Fund’s resources. The Fund’s money are spent to pay unemployment allowances, stipends during professional training and retraining, children allowances, and to provide financial support. The Fund’s resources are used to finance public works and administrative expenses to cover the Employment Service operation. 

ADMINISTRATIVE AND TERRITORIAL STRUCTURE

The Republic of Belarus consists of 6 Regions comprising 118 administrative Districts and the city of Minsk. The country numbers 110 towns, 101 urban-type settlements and 24,022 rural settlements.

Not strongly expressed regional differentiation is characteristic of Belarus, nevertheless, the Regions and Minsk City differ in the level of socio-economic development and economy structure.

Of 211 towns and urban-type settlements, 125 are with the population of up to 10 thousand residents, 63 — from 10 to 50 thousand residents, 9 — from 50 to 100 thousand residents, 8 — from 100 to 200 thousand residents and 6 cities — from 200 to 500 thousand residents.

The capital of the Republic of Belarus is Minsk.

Minsk is located in the middle of Belarus and is the center of the Region and District bearing the same name. The city of Minsk is entitled to a special status of an independent administrative and territorial unit.

It is the largest political, economic, scientific and cultural center of the republic.

It has a resident population of 1,765.8 thousand (as of 1.1.2005). Administratively, it is subdivided into 9 districts.

Minsk is one of the most beautiful cities of Europe. Modernly planned and developed, clean, with lush green of parks and public gardens, streets and boulevards, Minsk has a unique identity of a city with a heroic past and industrious present. Minsk owes its glory to its hard-working and intrepid residents. More than once they had to struggle against the foreign invaders and revive their native city from ash and ruins over its multicentury history. Their talent and industriousness made Minsk each time even more beautiful.

Minsk has an ancient and rich history. Minsk was founded as a fortress of the Polotsk Principality. It is mentioned for the first time in the Tale of Temporal Years as founded in 1067.

In 1913, on the eve of the WWI, the Minsk population numbered 106.7 thousand residents.

After issuance of the BSSR Formation Manifesto on  1.1.1919 Minsk became the capital of the BSSR. The Provisional Workers and Peasants Soviet Government of Byelorussia moved from Smolensk to Minsk at the beginning of January 1919. The First All-Byelorussian Congress of Soviets was held in the city’s theatre (currently Yanka Kupala Theatre) 2–3 February 1919.

By 1940, 332 state-owned and cooperative enterprises operated in Minsk. The output increased 40-fold compared to that of 1913. Science and culture were promoted: the BSSR Academy of Sciences was established in 1929, followed by the Belarusian State University, institutes, Conservatory of Music, Philharmonic Society and BSSR National Picture Gallery.

The House of Government, main building of the Academy of Sciences, University campus, Belarus Hotel, Red Army House (currently the House of Officers), Publishing House, Opera and Ballet Theatre, and library named after Lenin were built. Minsk turned into one of the largest industrial centers of the country.

Minsk was under occupation of the German troops from 28 June 1941 to 3 July 1944. During the years of occupation, the German fascist invaders shot, hanged, suffocated in mobile gas chambers and burnt over 70 thousand Minsk residents, while totally over 400 thousand people perished in the city and neighboring districts. But the Minsk residents did not surrender, they fought and won. The people worldwide are aware of the feats of Minsk members of underground organizations. Minsk was liberated as a result of the Belarusian offensive operation (coded Bagration).

The view of the liberated city was horrible. The city’s center and railway terminal were almost completely raised to ground, 313 enterprises, 80% of housing, schools and technical schools were demolished. The city was restored from ruins within a short period of time owing to industriousness of Minsk residents and assistance of the entire country.

The Minsk revival and reconstruction master plan was developed in 1946. A new ensemble of the city center with the thoroughfare — Independence Avenue — was created. This ensemble included a range of squares, namely, Independence Square (previously Lenin Square), Central Square (currently Oktyabrskaya Square) accommodating the Palace of Republic, the Victory Square with the Victory Monument to the soldiers of the Soviet Army and guerillas who perished during the Great Patriotic War and Yakub Kolas Square. By 1965, the industrial products of Minsk made up nearly 40% of the total industrial products of Byelorussia. The Minsk builders reached great success. By that time, the construction of Minsk Tractor Works and Automobile Plant which already pioneered the production had been actually completed. The face of the city’s thoroughfare — Lenin Avenue (length — 10 km, width — from 48 to 70 m) had been changing. The Minsk Hotel, main post-office, and Palace of Culture of the Belarusian Trade Unions were built. The dwelling houses with an area of 1,248.6 thousand m2 were built funded by the Government investments only. Jointly with the construction of industrial, cultural, personal service facilities and housing, the trade facilities (State Department Store, Central Department Store), specialised stores Thousand of Trifles, House of Footware and others were commissioned. New parks and public gardens were laid out.

Minsk ranks first in terms of industrial output among the regions of Belarus. Its share in the country’s industry accounts for 21.3%. Nearly 300 large and medium-sized industrial enterprises operate here. The output of machine-building, power engineering, non-ferrous metallurgy, pharmaceutical and printing industries of Minsk exceeds that of other regions. The distinguished feature of the capital’s industry development is that machine-building products prevail in its structure. Machine-building and metal-working enterprises manufacture more than half of the city’s industrial products. Such large-sized enterprises as the Production Associations BelavtoMAZ, Minsk Tractor Works, Minsk Engine Plant, Joint-Stock Company Atlant and others operate in Minsk. Power engineering and food industries also make up a large share. The city’s industrial complex is characterized by a high export potential and a number of enterprises exports over 80% of the total output.

Situated on the strategic crossroads from East to West, between Moscow and Warsaw, Vilnius and Kiev, Minsk is the largest transportation hub of the Republic.

The domestic air company, CIS and foreign air companies transport passengers and freight via the city’s airports — Minsk-1 and Minsk-2. The Machulishchy cargo airport located in the capital’s suburbs has capacities to handle transportation jumbos.

The planned rehabilitation of existing and building new All-European transportation corridors Brest — Minsk — Moscow and Baltic States — Minsk — Ukraine serve the basis for developing the Minsk transportation hub and is the major potential for the urban development.

30 institutions of higher education are located in Minsk including 9 non-governmental institutions of education (about 185 thousand students), 42 secondary specialized institutions of education (over 42 thousand students), 265 general education schools (over 220 thousand students) and 427 preschool institutions.

Minsk is the largest scientific center of Belarus having 184 research institutions, including the National Academy of Sciences.

Minsk is the largest cultural center of Belarus. 17 museums, 12 theatres, 20 movie theatres, 130 libraries, 38 Palaces and Centers of Culture, over 3.5 thousand of sporting facilities offer their services. 437 magazines and 339 newspapers are issued in Minsk.

The public transport provides bus, trolleybus, tram and underground service. The construction of the underground started in 1977.

The Minsk underground stations are unique works of architecture built with the use of advanced construction materials and their decoration reflects the heroic past, history and culture of Belarus.

Brest Region is located in the southwest of the country. Its area — 32.8 thousand km2 (15.8% of the country’s area), and resident population — 1,462.9 thousand people (14.9% of the country’s population). The Region’s center is the city of Brest (the population is 300 thousand residents). It comprises 16 Districts, 20 towns and 9 urban-type settlements.

The major industries are food, machine-building and metal-working industries. They account for nearly 2/3 of the total industrial output. Power-engineering, forestry, wood-working, pulp-and-paper, flour-milling and cereal and mixed-feed industries are also developed. The agribusiness sector specialises in beef and dairy husbandry, potato growing, cereals, sugar beet cropping and horticulture. The Region has mineral resources being the basis for development of industries capitalizing on local natural resources. This primarily includes construction stone, low-melting and refractory clays, glass-making, molding and construction sands, peat, sapropel and gravel; slate and brown coal deposits have been stricken. The Brest free economic zone was established in the Region.

The Berlin — Warsaw — Brest — Minsk — Moscow transit corridor, extensive network of railways and highways and a direct route to Vilnius and Kiev run through the Region, thereby creating favorable conditions for passenger and freight traffic from European countries to Russia, Ukraine and other countries. In addition, Brest operates the international all-weather 1st category airport allowing wide-body aircraft like Boeing-747 to be received and serviced.

The state national park Belavezhskaya Pushcha is located in the Region.

Vitebsk Region is located in the northwest of the country. Its area — 40.0 thousand km2 (19.3% of the republic’s area) and resident population — 1,321.1 thousand people (13.4% of the country’s population). The center of the Region is the city of Vitebsk (population is 351 thousand residents). The Region comprises 21 Districts, 19 towns and 28 urban-type settlements. Vitebsk Region is an industrially developed region of the country. The fuel sector is dominant in the industry (52% of the total petroleum products output in the country). High-capacity Lukoml Public District power plant (PDPP) and Novopolotsk central heat power plant (CHPP) are located in the Region. In addition to the power engineering industry, the food, consumer goods, and chemical industries are also developed. The farms specialize in dairy and beef husbandry, pig husbandry, flax growing, while farms in the vicinity of Vitebsk, Orsha and Polotsk specialise in poultry husbandry and horticulture.

A unique natural complex — the major part of the Belarusian Poozerye (lake district) — is located in the Region. Of 19 largest Belarusian lakes, 11 are located in Vitebsk Region. The lakes serve as a habitat for rare fauna and flora species included into the Red Book of Belarus. The territory of the complex offers good opportunities for developing tourist and recreational industries. One of the ancient cities of the Eastern Slavs — Polotsk — is located in the Region in which many historical and cultural monuments (St. Sophia’s Cathedral, Church of Saviour and Efrasinnia, Epiphany Church, etc.) remained intact.

Vitebsk Region offers beneficial transportation advantages since two international transeuropean corridors (Paris — Moscow and Helsinki — Vitebsk — Gomel — Kiev — Plovdiv) run through its territory.

Gomel Region is located in the southeast of the republic. Its area — 40.4 thousand km2 (19.5% of the republic’s area) and resident population — 1,505.4 thousand people (15.3% of the republic’s population). The centre of the Region is the city of Gomel (the population is 492 thousand residents). The Region comprises 21 Districts, 17 towns and 18 urban-type settlements.

The Region is one of the most industrially developed areas. The fuel, ferrous metallurgy and machine-building industries make up the largest share in the industrial structure (over half of the total output in the Region). The Region produces about 93% of all ferrous metallurgy products manufactured in the republic. The food, forestry, woodworking, pulp-and-paper and microbiological industries are developed in the Region. The farms specialize in dairy and beef husbandry, in cropping cereals, flax, potato and those located in the vicinity of cities specialize in poultry husbandry and horticulture. The free economic zone Gomel-Raton has been established in the Region. National and international main railway traffic arteries run through the Region. The transeuropean corridor goes through Gomel and it is provided with branches (Gomel — Minsk — Klaipeda) allowing cargo owners from the regions of the Eastern Ukraine and Central Russia to have access to specialized maritime ports of Klaipeda, Ventspils and Kaliningrad.

The Pripyatsky National Park and the Polessky radiation and ecological reserve are located in the Region.

Grodno Region is located in the northwest of the republic. Its area — 25.1 km2 (12% of the country’s area) and population — 1,146.1 thousand people (11.6% of the country’s population). The centre of the Region is the city of Grodno (the population is 317 thousand residents). It comprises 17 Districts, 14 towns, and 18 urban-type settlements.

The chemical industry is dominant in the regional economy. The largest chemical sector’s enterprises are located in Grodno and Lida, namely, the Production Associations Azot and Khimvolokno, and Joint-Stock Company Lakokraska. Food and machine-building industries’ enterprises produce over one third of the output. The glass plant Neman (Berezovka, Lida District) is widely known for its products.

Farming is highly developed in the Region. Dairy and beef husbandry, pig husbandry, potato growing combined with flax growing are dominant in the east, while sugar beet growing — in the west; the farms located in the vicinity of large towns specialise in poultry husbandry and horticulture.

One of the trunk roads of Euroasia runs through the Region, thereby promoting an extensive international cooperation. Owing to its beneficial geographical situation, Grodno Region may become an effective integrating link in the commerce between West and Central Europe countries and CIS and Asia countries.

Many historical and architectural monuments remain in Grodno, namely, 11–19th century old castle, Boris and Gleb Church (built in the 2nd half of the 12th century), Monasteries of Jesuits (17th century), and Franciscans (17th century) and others.

Machine-building and chemical industries account for the largest share of the output in the Regional industrial structure. In addition, agricultural processors are highly developed in the Region. The Region ranks first in the republic for food, flour-milling and cereal and mixed feed output. Mineral resources have been prospected and are being exploited in the Region. The most important of them are potassium and rock salts, and also peat, construction materials, sapropels, chalk, slate coal, iron ores, mineral water, etc. The dairy and beef/beef and dairy husbandry, pig husbandry, potato growing supplemented by flax growing and sugar beet growing in the southwest of the Region are developed. The farms located in the vicinity of Minsk and other cities also specialize in horticulture and operate large poultry farms and poultry factories.

The natural complex of the Region has great potential for developing the tourist and recreational industry. A chain of Naroch lakes with superb conditions for recreation and health rehabilitation and a part of Belarusian Poozerie — the refuge Blue Lakes — are located in Myadel District. The major part of Berezensky Biosphere Reserve is located in the Region, with its main objective being conservation of typical and unique natural and landscape complexes and developing scientific framework for environmental protection and ecological education.

Mogilev Region is located in the middle of the eastern part of the country. Its area — 29.1 thousand km2 (14% of the country’s area) and population — 1,169.2 thousand people (11.9% of the country’s population). The center of the Region is the city of Mogilev (population is 367 thousand residents). The Region comprises 21 Districts, 15 towns, and 9 urban-type settlements.

The chemical and petrochemical complex is dominant in the Region’s industry. The Region exceeds all other Regions of the country in the output of chemical and petrochemical industry. Food, consumer goods, machine-building and power engineering sectors also account for a sizeable share in the Region’s industrial potential. The machine-building and metal-working industries are leading in the motor, agricultural and road-construction machinery subsectors. The major mineral resources being extracted in the Region are cement and lime feed stock, peat, phosphorites, construction sands and sand-gravel material, dolomites and mineral water.

Farms specialize in dairy and beef husbandry, pig husbandry and flax growing. Sowing areas of cereal and fodder crops and potato have been increased. Farms located in the vicinity of towns also specialize in poultry husbandry and horticulture.

An extensive network of railways and highways connecting the Region both with industrial centers of Belarus and the regions of Russia, Ukraine and Baltic States runs through it.

Social and economic development of the Regions and Minsk is defined both by general trends of the country’s development, as well as by available regional characteristics.

Currently, the major objective of the regional economic policy is to guarantee an efficient use of natural resources and conditions, economic potential of the regions and advantages of the territorial division of labor to enhance a comprehensive social and economic development of the regions and increase their contribution to the country’s competitiveness.

The most important task of the regional policy for 2004–2005 is to continue the reforming of the economy structure of the regions to most fully meet the local conditions and requirements of the resident population. The agrarian sphere is to be developed based on natural and climatic conditions of the Regions, soil characteristics and developed agrarian potential.

The social sphere of the regions is to be developed as follows: providing a guaranteed minimum of socially significant services to the population irrespective of the residence; developing the range of social services in the rural area and towns; developing the social infrastructure in less developed regions to the level of that in the most advanced regions; taking special actions in the most socially problematic regions and appropriating additional resources for their social development.

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