The official currency of Belarus is the Belarusian Ruble (BYR). The symbol used for the Belarusian Ruble is Br. Two ruble series editions were introduced. In 2008, the Belarusian Ruble was tied to the US Dollar rather than to the Russian Ruble, though it is not an official peg.
Economy
The Belarus economy shows a stable economic growth of 9%.
The main industries are radios, textiles, refrigerators, televisions, trucks, tractors, earthmovers, radios, metal cutting, motorcycles, and machine tools.
Agriculture accounts for 11% of the total GDP.
Peat is the main mineral resource; it is used for fertilizer and in the chemical industry.
The economy is still dependent on Russia.
Inflation is estimated at 10% and the unemployment rate is estimated at 8%.
80% of the industry-based economy is controlled by the state.
The educational level in Belarus is high, and the country has a large agricultural base.
In 1991, companies started the privatization process; however, most of the privatization has been re-nationalized.
Belarus is changing from a state-run economy to a free-market system.
The country imports oil and gas from Russia.
History
The first Belarusian Ruble was introduced in 1992, because Belarus did not have a license to print Soviet Union banknotes.
In 2000, the second Belarusian Ruble was introduced to replace the first at a rate of 1,000 old Rubles = 1 new Ruble. Only banknotes and commemorative coins were issued.
Only banknotes were issued in 2000.
In 2009, the Central Bank of Belarus reduced the exchange rate by +/- 20%.
In 2011, the Central Bank of Belarus again reduced the exchange rate by +/- 56%.
