Know about your Belarus
Republic
of Belarus
·
Рэспубліка Беларусь (Belarusian)
·
Республика Беларусь (Russian)
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Flag
National emblem
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|
Anthem:
·
Дзяржаўны Гімн Рэспублікі
Беларусь (Belarusian)
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Dziaržaŭny Himn Respubliki Bielaruś
·
(English: "State Anthem of Belarus")
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Location of Belarus (green)
in Europe (dark grey) – [Legend]
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Capital
and
largest city
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Minsk
53°55′N 27°33′E |
Official languages
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·
Belarusian
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Russiana
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Recognized minority language
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Polish
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Ukrainian
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Yiddish
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Ethnic groups
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·
83.7% Belarusians[1]
·
8.3% Russians
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3.1% Poles
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1.7% Ukrainians
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3.2%
Other
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Demonym(s)
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Belarusian
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Government
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Unitary presidential republic
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• President
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Alexander
Lukashenko
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• Prime
Minister
|
Sergey
Rumas
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Legislature
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National
Assembly
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• Upper
house
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Council
of the Republic
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• Lower
house
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House
of Representatives
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Establishment history
|
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• Principality
of Polotsk
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987
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• Grand
Duchy of Lithuania
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c. 1236
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• Polish–Lithuanian
Commonwealth
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1 July
1569
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• Russian
Empire
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1795
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• Independence
from the Russian SFSR; Belarusian People's Republic
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25
March 1918
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• Lithuanian-Byelorussian
SSR
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17
February 1919
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• Byelorussian
SSR
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31 July
1920
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• Annexation
of West Belarus
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15
November 1939
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• State
Sovereignty Declaration
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27 July
1990
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• Independence
from the USSR
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25
August 1991
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• CIS
Declaration
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8
December 1991
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• Independence
recognized
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26
December 1991
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• Current
constitution
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15
March 1994
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• Formation
of the Union State
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2 April
1996
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Area
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• Total
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207,595 km2 (80,153 sq mi)
(84th)
|
• Water (%)
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1.4%
(2.830 km2 or 1.093 sq mi)b
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Population
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|
• 2018
estimate
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9,491,800 [2] (93rd)
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• Density
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45.8/km2 (118.6/sq mi) (142nd)
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GDP (PPP)
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2019 estimate
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• Total
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$195 billion[3]
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• Per
capita
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$20,820[3]
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GDP (nominal)
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2019 estimate
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• Total
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$60 billion[3]
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• Per
capita
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$6,477[3]
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Gini (2017)
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25.4[4]
low |
HDI (2017)
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0.808[5]
very high · 53rd |
Currency
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Belarusian
ruble (BYN)
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Time zone
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UTC+3 (FET)
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Date format
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dd.mm.yyyy
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Driving side
|
right
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Calling code
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+375
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ISO 3166 code
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BY
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Internet TLD
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.by
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.бел[6]
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Website
belarus.by |
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a.
^ Constitution of the Republic of Belarus Section 1, Article
17
b.
^ "FAO's Information System on Water and Agriculture".
FAO. Archived from the original on 26 January 2012.
Retrieved 16 February 2013.
|
Belarus (/bɛləˈruːs/; Belarusian: Беларусь, IPA: [bʲɛlaˈrusʲ]),
officially the Republic of Belarus (Belarusian: Рэспубліка
Беларусь, Russian: Республика Беларусь), formerly
known by its Russian name Byelorussia or Belorussia (Russian: Белоруссия), is
a landlocked country in Eastern Europe[7] bordered
by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to
the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its
capital and most populous city is Minsk. Over 40% of its 207,600 square
kilometres (80,200 sq mi) is forested. Its major economic sectors are
service industries and manufacturing.[8] Until
the 20th century, different states at various times controlled the lands of
modern-day Belarus, including the Principality of Polotsk (11th to
14th centuries), the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Polish–Lithuanian
Commonwealth, and the Russian Empire.
In the aftermath of the
1917 Russian Revolution, Belarus declared independence as the Belarusian
People's Republic, which was conquered by Soviet Russia. The Socialist
Soviet Republic of Byelorussia became a founding constituent republic
of the Soviet Union in 1922 and was renamed as the Byelorussian
Soviet Socialist Republic (Byelorussian SSR). Belarus lost almost half of
its territory to Poland after the Polish–Soviet War of 1919–1921.
Much of the borders of Belarus took their modern shape in 1939, when some lands
of the Second Polish Republic were reintegrated into it after the Soviet
invasion of Poland, and were finalized after World War II.[9][10][11] During
WWII, military operations devastated Belarus, which lost about a third of its
population and more than half of its economic resources.[12] The
republic was redeveloped in the post-war years. In 1945 the Byelorussian SSR
became a founding member of the United Nations, along with the Soviet
Union and the Ukrainian SSR.[13]
The parliament of the republic
proclaimed the sovereignty of Belarus on 27 July 1990, and
during the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Belarus declared independence
on 25 August 1991.[14] Alexander
Lukashenko has served as the country's first president since 1994. Belarus
has been labeled "Europe's last dictatorship" by some Western
journalists,[15][16] on account of Lukashenko's
self-described authoritarian style of government.[17][18][19] Lukashenko
continued a number of Soviet-era policies, such as state ownership of
large sections of the economy. Elections under Lukashenko's rule have
been widely criticized as unfair; and according to many countries and
organizations, political opposition has been violently suppressed. Belarus is
also the last country in Europe using the death penalty.[20][21][22] Belarus's Democracy
Index rating is the lowest in Europe, the country is labelled as "not
free" by Freedom House, as "repressed" in the Index of
Economic Freedom, and is rated as by far the worst country for press
freedom in Europe in the 2013–14 Press Freedom Index published
by Reporters Without Borders, which ranks Belarus 157th out of 180
nations.[23]
In 2000, Belarus and Russia
signed a treaty for greater cooperation, forming the Union State. Over 70%
of Belarus's population of 9.49 million resides in urban areas. More than
80% of the population is ethnic Belarusian, with sizable minorities
of Russians, Poles and Ukrainians. Since a referendum in
1995, the country has had two official languages: Belarusian and Russian.
The Constitution of Belarus does not declare any official religion,
although the primary religion in the country is Eastern Orthodox
Christianity. The second-most widespread religion, Roman Catholicism, has
a much smaller following; nevertheless, Belarus celebrates both Orthodox and
Catholic versions of Christmas and Easter as national holidays.[24] Belarus
is a member of the United Nations since its founding, the Commonwealth
of Independent States, CSTO, EEU, and the Non-Aligned Movement.
Belarus has shown no aspirations for joining the European Union but
nevertheless maintains a bilateral relationship with the organisation, and
likewise participates in two EU projects: the Eastern Partnership and
the Baku Initiative.
Contents
·
1Etymology
·
2History
o
2.1Early history
o
2.2Polish–Lithuanian
Commonwealth
o
2.3Russian Empire
o
2.4Belarusian People's
Republic
o
2.5Republic of Central
Lithuania
o
2.6Byelorussian Soviet
Socialist Republic
o
2.7Independence
o
2.8Post-independence
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3Geography and climate
·
4Governance
o
4.1Election controversies
o
4.2Corruption
o
4.3Human rights
o
4.4Foreign relations
o
4.5Military
o
4.6Administrative divisions
o
4.7Capital punishment
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5Economy
o 5.1Industry
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6Demographics
o
6.1Languages
o
6.2Religion
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7Culture
o
7.1Arts and literature
o
7.2Dress
o
7.3Cuisine
o
7.4Sport
o
7.5Telecommunications
o
7.6World Heritage Sites
Etymology
The name Belarus is
closely related to the term Belaya Rus', i.e., White Rus'.
There are several claims to the origin of the name White Rus'.[25] An
ethnoreligious theory suggests that the name used to describe the part of
old Ruthenian lands within the Grand Duchy of Lithuania that
had been populated mostly by Slavs who had been Christianized early,
as opposed to Black Ruthenia, which was predominantly inhabited by
pagan Balts.[26]
An alternate explanation for
the name comments on the white clothing worn by the local Slavic population.[25][27] A third
theory suggests that the old Rus' lands that were not conquered by the Tatars (i.e.,
Polotsk, Vitebsk and Mogilev) had been referred to as "White Rus'".[25]
The name Rus is
often conflated with its Latin forms Russia and Ruthenia,
thus Belarus is often referred to as White Russia or White
Ruthenia. The name first appeared in German and Latin medieval
literature; the chronicles of Jan of Czarnków mention the
imprisonment of Lithuanian grand duke Jogaila and his mother at
"Albae Russiae, Poloczk dicto" in 1381.[28] In
some languages, including German, Afrikaans and Dutch, the country is
generally called "White Russia" to this day (Weißrussland and Wit-Rusland respectively).[29][30]
The Latin term "Alba
Russia" was used again by Pope Pius VI in 1783 to recognize
the Society of Jesus there, exclaiming "Approbo
Societatem Jesu in Alba Russia degentem, approbo, approbo."[31] The
first known use of White Russia to refer to Belarus was in the
late-16th century by Englishman Sir Jerome Horsey, who was known for his
close contacts with the Russian Royal Court.[32] During
the 17th century, the Russian tsars used "White Rus" to
describe the lands added from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.[33]
Stamp with
the Cross of St. Euphrosyne from 1992
The term Belorussia (Russian: Белору́ссия, the latter
part similar but spelled and stressed differently from Росси́я, Russia)
first rose in the days of the Russian Empire, and the Russian Tsar was
usually styled "the Tsar of All the Russias", as Russia or
the Russian Empire was formed by three parts of
Russia—the Great, Little, and White.[34] This
asserted that the territories are all Russian and all the peoples are also
Russian; in the case of the Belarusians, they were variants of the Russian
people.[35]
After the Bolshevik
Revolution in 1917, the term "White Russia" caused some
confusion, as it was also the name of the military force that opposed the red
Bolsheviks.[36] During the period of the Byelorussian SSR, the term Byelorussia was
embraced as part of a national consciousness. In western Belarus under Polish
control, Byelorussia became commonly used in the regions
of Białystok and Grodno during the interwar period.[37]
The term Byelorussia (its
names in other languages such as English being based on the Russian form) was
only used officially until 1991, when the Supreme Soviet of the
Byelorussian SSR decreed by law that the new independent republic should be
called Republic of Belarus (Республика
Беларусь spelled in Russian), and that its abridged form should be
"Belarus". The law decreed that all the forms of the new term should
be transliterated into other languages from their Belarusian language forms.
The use of Byelorussian SSR and any abbreviations thereof were allowed from
1991 to 1993.[38] Conservative forces in the newly independent Belarus did not
support the name change and opposed its inclusion in the 1991 draft of
the Constitution of Belarus.[39]
Accordingly, the name Byelorussia was
replaced by Belarus in English.[40] Likewise,
the adjective Belorussian or Byelorussian was
replaced by Belarusian in English. Belarusian is
closer to the original Belarusian term of bielaruski.[40] Belarusian
intelligentsia in the Stalin era attempted to change the name
from Byelorussia to a form of Krivia because
of the supposed connection with Russia.[41] Some
nationalists object to the name for the same reason.[42][43] Several
local newspapers kept the old name of the country in Russian in their names,
for example Komsomolskaya Pravda v Byelorussii, which is the
localized publication of a popular Russian newspaper. Also, those who wish for
Belarus to be reunited with Russia continue to use Belorussia.[43] Officially,
the full name of the country is "Republic of Belarus" (Рэспубліка
Беларусь, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus listen (help·info)).[38][44]
History
Main
article: History of Belarus
Early history
From 5000 to 2000 BC, Bandkeramik cultures
predominated. In addition, remains from the Dnieper-Donets culture were
found in Belarus and parts of Ukraine.[45] Cimmerians and
other pastoralists roamed through the area by 1,000 BC, and by 500 AD, Slavs
had taken up residence, which was circumscribed by the Scythians who
roamed its outskirts. Invaders from Asia, among whom were the Huns and Avars,
swept through c. 400–600 AD, but were unable to dislodge the Slavic presence.[46]
Rus' principalities before
the Mongol and Lithuanian invasions
The region that is now Belarus
was first settled by Baltic tribes in the 3rd century. Around the 5th
century, the area was taken over by Slavic tribes. The takeover was partially
due to the lack of military coordination of the Balts but the gradual
assimilation of the Balts into Slavic culture was peaceful in nature.[47]
In the 9th century the
territory of modern Belarus became part of Kievan Rus', a vast East Slavic
state ruled by the Rurikid dynasty. Upon the death of Kievan Rus'
ruler Yaroslav I the Wise, the state split into independent
principalities.[48] Many early Rus'
principalities were virtually razed or severely affected by a major Mongol
invasion in the 13th century, but the lands of modern Belarus avoided the
brunt of the invasion and eventually joined the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.[49]
A map of
the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 15th century. Belarus was fully
within its borders.
There are no sources of
military seizure, but the annals affirm the alliance and united foreign policy
of Polotsk and Lithuania for decades. For example, the Chronicle of Novgorod
informs about "Izyaslav had been set to be Knyaz in Luki and covered
Novgorod from the Lithuanians" in 1198 when Luki is situated on the east
from Polotsk.[50]
Incorporation into the Grand
Duchy of Lithuania resulted in an economic, political and ethno-cultural
unification of Belarusian lands.[51] Of the
principalities held by the Duchy, nine of them were settled by a population
that would eventually become Belarusian people.[52] During
this time, the Duchy was involved in several military campaigns, including
fighting on the side of Poland against the Teutonic Knights at
the Battle of Grunwald in 1410; the joint victory allowed the Duchy
to control the northwestern borderlands of Eastern Europe.[53]
The Muscovites, led
by Ivan III of Moscow, began military campaigns in 1486 in an attempt to
incorporate the lands of Kievan Rus', specifically the territories of modern
Belarus, Russia and Ukraine.[54]
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
Further
information: Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
On 2 February 1386, the Grand
Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland were joined in a personal
union through a marriage of their rulers.[55] This
union set in motion the developments that eventually resulted in the formation
of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, created in 1569 by the Union
of Lublin.
The Lithuanian nobles were
forced to go for rapprochement because of the threat coming from Muscovy.
To strengthen the independence in the format of the union, three editions of
the Statutes of Lithuania were issued in the 16th century. The third
Article of the Statute establishes that all lands of Grand Duchy of Lithuania
will be eternally in Grand Duchy of Lithuania and never enter as a part of
other states. It allowed to own the land within Grand Duchy of Lithuania only
to own families. Anyone from outside Duchy would be honored with property only
own it after swearing to Grand Duke of Lithuania. These articles were aimed to
defend the rights of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania nobility against Polish,
Prussian and other aristocracy of Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
In the years following the
union, the process of gradual Polonization of both Lithuanians and
Ruthenians gained steady momentum. In culture and social life, both the Polish
language and Catholicism became dominant, and in 1696, Polish
replaced Ruthenian as the official language—with the Ruthenian language being
banned from administrative use.[56] However,
the Ruthenian peasants, continued to speak their own language and remained
faithful to the Belarusian Greek Catholic Church. Statutes were initially
only issued in Ruthenian language and later also in Polish. Around
1840 the Statutes were banned by the Russian tsar following the November
Uprising. Modern Ukrainian lands used it until 1860s.
Russian Empire
Further
information: Kościuszko Uprising, November Uprising, January
Uprising, and Belarusian history in the Russian Empire
Napoleon's Grande
Armée retreating after his invasion of Russia and crossing
the Berezina river (near Barysaw, Belarus)
The union between Poland and
Lithuania ended in 1795 with the Third Partition of Poland by
Imperial Russia, Prussia, and Austria.[57] The
Belarusian territories acquired by the Russian Empire under the reign of Catherine II[58] were
included into the Belarusian Governorate (Russian: Белорусское
генерал-губернаторство) in 1796 and held until their occupation by
the German Empire during World War I.[59]
Under Nicholas I and Alexander
III the national cultures were repressed. Policies of Polonization[60] changed
by Russification,[61] which
included the return to Orthodox Christianity of Belorusian Uniates.
Belarusian language was banned in schools while in neighboring Samogitia primary
school education with Samogitian literacy was allowed.[62]
In a Russification drive
in the 1840s, Nicholas I prohibited use of the Belarusian language in
public schools, campaigned against Belarusian publications and tried to
pressure those who had converted to Catholicism under the Poles to reconvert to
the Orthodox faith. In 1863, economic and cultural pressure exploded in a revolt,
led by Konstanty Kalinowski. After the failed revolt, the Russian
government reintroduced the use of Cyrillic to Belarusian in 1864 and
no documents in Belarusian were permitted by the Russian government until 1905.[63]
During the negotiations of
the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, Belarus first declared independence under
German occupation on 25 March 1918, forming the Belarusian
People's Republic.[64][65] Immediately
afterwards, the Polish–Soviet War ignited, and the territory of
Belarus was divided between Poland and Soviet Russia.[66] The
Rada of the Belarusian Democratic Republic exists as a government in exile ever
since then; in fact, it is currently the world's longest serving government in
exile.[67]
Belarusian People's Republic
Further
information: Belarusian People's Republic
Belarusian
People's Republic postcard with coats of arms of voivodeships
The Belarusian People's
Republic was the first attempt to create an independent Belarusian state under
name "Belarus". Despite significant efforts the state ceased to
exist, primarily because the territory was continually dominated by the German
Imperial Army and the Imperial Russian Army in World War I,
and then the Bolshevik Red Army. It existed only from 1918 to 1919
but created prerequisites for the formation of the state idea around the name
"Belarus". The choice of the name was probably based the fact that
the educated core of the newly formed government was educated in the tsardom
universities, with a corresponding education around the ideology of
West-Russianism.[68]
Republic of Central Lithuania
The Republic of Central
Lithuania was a short-lived political entity, which was the last attempt
to restore Lithuania in the historical confederacy state (it was also supposed
to create Lithuania Upper and Lithuania Lower). The republic was created in
1920 following the staged rebellion of soldiers of the 1st
Lithuanian–Belarusian Division of the Polish Army under Lucjan
Żeligowski. Centered on the historical capital of the Grand Duchy of
Lithuania, Vilna (Lithuanian: Vilnius, Polish: Wilno), for 18
months the entity served as a buffer state between Poland, upon
which it depended, and Lithuania, which claimed the area.[69] After
a variety of delays, a disputed election took place on 8 January
1922, and the territory was annexed to Poland. Żeligowski later in his memoir
which was published in London in 1943 condemned the annexation of Republic by
Poland, as well as the policy of closing Belarusian schools and general disregard
of Marshal Józef Piłsudski's confederation plans by Polish ally.[70] Years
earlier interrogation report of 19-year-old revolutionary Pilsudski of
March 10, 1887 indicated that he called himself a "belarusian,
nobleman".[71]
Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic
Further
information: Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic
Location
of Byelorussia (red) within the Soviet Union.
Caricature
illustrating the partition of Belarus between Poland and the Bolsheviks after
the Peace of Riga, 1921
A part of Belarus under
Russian rule emerged as the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (Byelorussian
SSR) in 1919. Soon thereafter it merged to form the Lithuanian-Byelorussian
SSR. The contested lands were divided between Poland and the Soviet Union after
the war ended in 1921, and the Byelorussian SSR became a founding member of the
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in 1922.[64][72] The
western part of modern Belarus remained part of Poland.[73][74][75]
In the 1920s and 1930s, Soviet
agricultural and economic policies, including collectivization and five-year
plans for the national economy, led to famine and political repression.[76]
Soviet
partisan fighters behind German front lines in Belarus in
1943
In 1939, Nazi Germany and
the Soviet Union invaded and occupied Poland, marking the beginning of World
War II. The Soviets invaded and annexed much of eastern Poland, which had been
part of the country since the Peace of Riga two decades earlier. Much
of the northern section of this area was added to the Byelorussian SSR, and now
constitutes West Belarus.[9][10][11][77] The
Soviet-controlled Byelorussian People's Council officially took control of the
territories, whose populations consisted of a mixture of Poles, Ukrainians,
Belarusians and Jews, on 28 October 1939 in Białystok. Nazi Germany invaded
the Soviet Union in 1941. The Brest Fortress, which had been annexed
in 1939, at this time was subjected to one of the most destructive onslaughts
that happened during the war. Statistically, the Byelorussian SSR was the
hardest-hit Soviet republic in World War II; it remained in Nazi hands until
1944. During that time, Germany destroyed 209 out of 290 cities in the
republic, 85% of the republic's industry, and more than one million buildings.[12] The
Nazi Generalplan Ost called for the extermination, expulsion
or enslavement of most or all Belarusians for the purpose of providing
more living space in the East for Germans.[78]
Deaths are estimated to
be over 1 million, the Jewish population of Belarus was
devastated during the Holocaust and never recovered.[12][79][80][81] The
population of Belarus did not regain its pre-war level until 1971.[79] It was
also after this conflict that the final borders of Belarus were set by Stalin
when parts of Belarusian territory were given to the recently annexed
Lithuania.[77]
Khatyn Memorial.
The Nazis murdered civilians in 5,295 different localities in occupied
Soviet Belarus.
After the war, Belarus was
among the 51 founding countries of the United Nations Charter and as
such it was allowed an additional vote at the UN, on top of the Soviet Union's
vote. Vigorous postwar reconstruction promptly followed the end of the war and
the Byelorussian SSR became a major center of manufacturing in the western
USSR, creating jobs and attracting ethnic Russians.[82] The
borders of the Byelorussian SSR and Poland were redrawn, in accord with the
1919-proposed Curzon Line.[59]
Joseph Stalin implemented
a policy of Sovietization to isolate the Byelorussian SSR from Western
influences.[79] This policy involved sending Russians from various parts of the
Soviet Union and placing them in key positions in the Byelorussian SSR
government. After Stalin's death in 1953, Nikita Khrushchev continued
his predecessor's cultural hegemony program, stating, "The
sooner we all start speaking Russian, the faster we shall build
communism."[79]
In 1986, the Byelorussian SSR
was exposed to significant nuclear fallout from the explosion at
the Chernobyl power plant in the neighboring Ukrainian SSR.[83]
In June 1988, the
archaeologist and leader of the Christian Conservative Party of the BPF Zyanon
Paznyak discovered mass graves of victims executed in 1937–41
at Kurapaty, near Minsk.[83] Some
nationalists contend that this discovery is proof that the Soviet government
was trying to erase the Belarusian people, causing Belarusian nationalists to
seek independence.[84]
Leaders of
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus signed the Belavezha Accords, dissolving
the Soviet Union, 8 December 1991
Independence
In March 1990, elections for
seats in the Supreme Soviet of the Byelorussian SSR took place.
Though the pro-independence Belarusian Popular Front took only 10% of
the seats, the populace was content with the selection of the delegates.[85] Belarus
declared itself sovereign on 27 July 1990 by issuing the Declaration
of State Sovereignty of the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic.
With the support of the
Communist Party, the country's name was changed to the Republic of Belarus
on 25 August 1991.[85] Stanislav
Shushkevich, the chairman of the Supreme Soviet of Belarus, met with Boris
Yeltsin of Russia and Leonid Kravchuk of Ukraine on 8
December 1991 in Belavezhskaya Pushcha to formally declare the
dissolution of the Soviet Union and the formation of the Commonwealth of
Independent States.[85]
A national constitution was
adopted in March 1994 in which the functions of prime minister were given to
the President of Belarus.
Post-independence
Alexander
Lukashenko has ruled Belarus since 1994, and is Europe's longest
currently ruling elected head of state.
Two-round elections for the
presidency on (24 June 1994 and 10 July 1994)[86] catapulted
the formerly unknown Alexander Lukashenko into national prominence.
He garnered 45% of the vote in the first round and 80%[85] in the
second, defeating Vyacheslav Kebich who received 14% of the vote.
Lukashenko was re-elected in 2001, in 2006, in 2010 and
again in 2015. Western governments,[87] Amnesty
International,[19] and Human Rights
Watch[18] have criticized Lukashenko's authoritarian style of
government.
Since 2014, following years of
embrace of Russian influence in the country, Lukashenko has pressed a revival
of Belarusian identity, following the Russian annexation of Crimea and military
intervention in Eastern Ukraine. For the first time, he delivered a speech
in Belarusian (rather than Russian, which most people use), in which
he said, "We are not Russian—we are Belarusians", and later
encouraged the use of Belarusian. Trade disputes, a border dispute, and a much
relaxed official attitude to dissident voices are all part of a weakening of
the longtime warm relationship with Russia.[88]
In 2019, Lukashenko had
bilateral talks in Sochi with Russian president Vladimir Putin and
declared that their two countries "could unite tomorrow, no problem."[89] An
idea backed by Putin for years, observers have labeled the potential plan a
scheme by Putin to remain in power beyond 2024.[90] However,
political scientist Mikhail Vinogradov explained that
"Lukashenko will play tough to the public while trying to look weak in
front of Putin," and the Carnegie Moscow Center's Artyom
Shraibman suggested that "Moscow will most likely fail to find its
base among Belarusians."[91]
Geography and climate
Main
article: Geography of Belarus
Belarus lies between
latitudes 51° and 57° N, and longitudes 23° and 33°
E. Its extension from north to south is 560 km (350 mi), from west to
east is 650 km (400 mi).[92] It
is landlocked, relatively flat, and contains large tracts of marshy land.[93] About
40% of Belarus is covered by forests.[94][95]
Many streams and 11,000 lakes
are found in Belarus.[93] Three
major rivers run through the country: the Neman, the Pripyat, and
the Dnieper. The Neman flows westward towards the Baltic sea and the
Pripyat flows eastward to the Dnieper; the Dnieper flows southward towards
the Black Sea.[96]
Strusta Lake in
the Vitebsk Region
The highest point is Dzyarzhynskaya
Hara (Dzyarzhynsk Hill) at 345 metres (1,132 ft), and the lowest
point is on the Neman River at 90 m (295 ft).[93] The
average elevation of Belarus is 160 m (525 ft) above sea level.[97] The
climate features mild to cold winters, with average January minimum
temperatures ranging from −4 °C (24.8 °F) in southwest (Brest)
to −8 °C (17.6 °F) in northeast (Vitebsk), and cool and moist summers
with an average temperature of 18 °C (64.4 °F).[98] Belarus
has an average annual rainfall of 550 to 700 mm (21.7 to 27.6 in).[98] The
country is in the transitional zone between continental climates and maritime
climates.[93]
Natural resources
include peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas, granite,
dolomite (limestone), marl, chalk, sand, gravel, and clay.[93] About
70% of the radiation from neighboring Ukraine's 1986 Chernobyl nuclear
disaster entered Belarusian territory, and about a fifth of Belarusian
land (principally farmland and forests in the southeastern regions) was
affected by radiation fallout.[99] The
United Nations and other agencies have aimed to reduce the level of radiation
in affected areas, especially through the use of caesium binders
and rapeseed cultivation, which are meant to decrease soil levels
of caesium-137.[100][101]
Belarus borders five
countries: Latvia to the north, Lithuania to the
northwest, Poland to the west, Russia to the north and the
east, and Ukraine to the south. Treaties in 1995 and 1996 demarcated
Belarus's borders with Latvia and Lithuania, and Belarus ratified a 1997 treaty
establishing the Belarus-Ukraine border in 2009.[102] Belarus
and Lithuania ratified final border demarcation documents in February 2007.[103]
Average daily maximum
and minimum temperatures for the six largest cities in Belarus[104]
|
||||
Location
|
July (°C)
|
July (°F)
|
January (°C)
|
January (°F)
|
Minsk
|
23/14
|
74/57
|
−2/−6
|
28/20
|
Gomel
|
25/15
|
77/58
|
−2/−7
|
28/19
|
Mogilev
|
23/12
|
74/55
|
−1/−6
|
30/21
|
Vitebsk
|
23/13
|
74/56
|
−3/−7
|
26/18
|
Grodno
|
24/12
|
75/55
|
−1/−6
|
30/21
|
Brest
|
25/14
|
83/61
|
0/−5
|
31/23
|
Governance
Main
article: Politics of Belarus
House of
Representatives of Belarus
Belarus is a presidential republic,
governed by a president and the National Assembly. The term for
each presidency is five years. Under the 1994 constitution, the president could
serve for only two terms as president, but a change in the constitution in
2004 eliminated term limits.[105] Alexander
Lukashenko has been the president of Belarus since 1994. In 1996,
Lukashenko called for a controversial vote to extend the presidential term from
five to seven years, and as a result the election that was supposed
to occur in 1999 was pushed back to 2001. The referendum on the extension was
denounced as a "fantastic" fake by the chief electoral officer, Viktar
Hanchar, who was removed from the office for official matters only during the
campaign.[106] The National Assembly is a bicameral
parliament comprising the 110-member House of Representatives (the
lower house) and the 64-member Council of the Republic (the upper
house).[107]
Victory
Square in Minsk
The House of Representatives
has the power to appoint the prime minister, make constitutional
amendments, call for a vote of confidence on the prime minister, and
make suggestions on foreign and domestic policy.[108] The
Council of the Republic has the power to select various government officials,
conduct an impeachment trial of the president, and accept or reject the bills
passed by the House of Representatives. Each chamber has the ability to veto
any law passed by local officials if it is contrary to the constitution.[109]
The government includes a
Council of Ministers, headed by the prime minister and five deputy prime
ministers.[110] The members of this council need not be
members of the legislature and are appointed by the president. The judiciary
comprises the Supreme Court and specialized courts such as the Constitutional
Court, which deals with specific issues related to constitutional and business
law. The judges of national courts are appointed by the president and confirmed
by the Council of the Republic. For criminal cases, the highest court of appeal
is the Supreme Court. The Belarusian Constitution forbids the use of special
extrajudicial courts.[109]
In the 2012 parliamentary
election, 105 of the 110 members elected to the House of Representatives were
not affiliated with any political party. The Communist Party of Belarus won
3 seats, and the Agrarian Party and Republican Party of Labour
and Justice, one each.[111] Most
non-partisans represent a wide scope of social organizations such as workers'
collectives, public associations, and civil society organizations, similar to
the composition of the Soviet legislature.[112]
Election controversies
Neither the pro-Lukashenko
parties, such as the Belarusian Socialist Sporting Party and
the Republican Party of Labour and Justice, nor the People's
Coalition 5 Plus opposition parties, such as the Belarusian People's
Front and the United Civil Party of Belarus, won any seats in
the 2004 elections. Groups such as the Organization for Security and
Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) declared the election "un-free"
because of the opposition parties' poor results and media bias in favor of the
government.[113]
In the 2006 presidential
election, Lukashenko was opposed by Alaksandar Milinkievič, who
represented a coalition of opposition parties, and by Alaksandar Kazulin of
the Social Democrats. Kazulin was detained and beaten by police during protests
surrounding the All Belarusian People's Assembly. Lukashenko won the
election with 80% of the vote; the Russian Federation and the CIS deemed
the vote open and fair[114] while
the OSCE and other organizations called the election unfair.[115]
After the December completion
of the 2010 presidential election, Lukashenko was elected to a fourth
straight term with nearly 80% of the vote in elections. The runner-up
opposition leader Andrei Sannikov received less than 3% of the vote;
independent observers criticized the election as fraudulent. When opposition
protesters took to the streets in Minsk, many people, including most rival
presidential candidates, were beaten and arrested by the state militia.[116] Many
of the candidates, including Sannikov, were sentenced to prison or house arrest
for terms which are mainly and typically over four years.[117][118] Six
months later amid an unprecedented economic crisis, activists utilized social
networking to initiate a fresh round of protests characterized by wordless
hand-clapping.[119]
Corruption
The judicial system in Belarus
lacks independence and is subject to political interference.[120] Corrupt
practices such as bribery often took place during tender processes, and whistleblower protection
and national ombudsman are lacking in Belarus's anti-corruption
system.[121] However, there is a political will to
fight against corruption in the government, and the government has made some
progress in combating corruption, such as minimizing tax regulations in order
to improve transparency in the tax office.[122]
Human rights
Main
article: Human rights in Belarus
Flag which
served as the national flag in 1918 and from 1991 to 1995. Actively used by
Belarusian opposition nowadays.
Lukashenko has described himself
as having an "authoritarian ruling style".[105] Western
countries have described Belarus under Lukashenko as a dictatorship; the
government has accused the same Western powers of trying to oust Lukashenko.[123] The Council
of Europe has barred Belarus from membership since 1997 for undemocratic
voting and election irregularities in the November 1996 constitutional
referendum and parliament by-elections.[124]
The Belarusian government is
also criticized for human rights violations and its persecution of
non-governmental organisations, independent journalists, national minorities,
and opposition politicians.[19][18] In a
testimony to the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations,
former United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice labeled
Belarus as one of the world's six "outposts of tyranny".[125] In
response, the Belarusian government called the assessment "quite far from
reality".[126] The Viasna
Human Rights Centre lists 11 political prisoners[127] currently
detained in Belarus. Among them is the human rights activist Ales
Bialiatski, Vice President of International Federation for Human Rights and
head of Viasna.[128]
Lukashenko announced a new law
in 2014 that will prohibit kolkhoz workers (around 9% of total work
force) from leaving their jobs at will—a change of job and living location will
require permission from governors. The law was compared with serfdom by
Lukashenko himself.[129][130] Similar
regulations were introduced for the forestry industry in 2012.[131]
Foreign relations
Main
article: Foreign relations of Belarus
President Alexander
Lukashenko, shaking hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin, 2015
The Byelorussian SSR was one
of the two Soviet republics that joined the United Nations along with
the Ukrainian SSR as one of the original 51 members in 1945. After the
dissolution of the Soviet Union, under international law, Belarus became the
internationally recognized successor state to the Byelorussian SSR, retaining
its UN membership.
Belarus and Russia have been
close trading partners and diplomatic allies since the breakup of the Soviet
Union. Belarus is dependent on Russia for imports of raw materials and for its
export market.[132]
The union of Russia and
Belarus, a supranational confederation, was established in a 1996–99 series of
treaties that called for monetary union, equal rights, single citizenship, and
a common foreign and defense policy.[132] However,
the future of the union has been placed in doubt because of Belarus's repeated
delays of monetary union, the lack of a referendum date for the draft
constitution, and a dispute over the petroleum trade.[132]
On 11 December 2007, reports
emerged that a framework for the new state was discussed between both
countries.[133] On 27 May 2008, Belarusian
President Lukashenko said that he had named Russian Prime Minister Vladimir
Putin the "prime minister" of the Russia-Belarus alliance. The
significance of this act was not immediately clear; some incorrectly speculated
that Putin would become president of a unified state of Russia and Belarus
after stepping down as Russian president in May 2008.[134]
Belarus was a founding member
of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).[135] Belarus
has trade agreements with several European Union member states
(despite other member states' travel ban on Lukashenko and top officials),[136] including
neighboring Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland.[137] Travel
bans imposed by the European Union have been lifted in the past in order to
allow Lukashenko to attend diplomatic meetings and also to engage his
government and opposition groups in dialogue.[138]
Leaders of
Belarus, Russia, Germany, France, and Ukraine at the summit in Minsk,
11–12 February 2015
Bilateral relations with the
United States are strained because the U.S. Department of State supports
various anti-Lukashenko non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and also because
the Belarusian government has made it increasingly difficult for United
States-based organizations to operate within the country.[139] Diplomatic
relations remained tense, and in 2004, the United States passed the Belarus
Democracy Act, which authorized funding for anti-government Belarusian NGOs,
and prohibited loans to the Belarusian government, except for humanitarian
purposes.[140] Despite this political friction, the two
countries do cooperate on intellectual property protection, prevention of human
trafficking, technology crime, and disaster relief.[141]
Sino-Belarusian relations have
improved,[142] strengthened by the visit of President
Lukashenko to China in October 2005.[143] Belarus
also has strong ties with Syria,[144] considered
a key partner in the Middle East.[145] In
addition to the CIS, Belarus is a member of the Eurasian Economic
Community, the Collective Security Treaty Organisation,[137] the
international Non-Aligned Movement since 1998,[146] and
the Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). As an
OSCE member state, Belarus's international commitments are subject to
monitoring under the mandate of the U.S. Helsinki Commission.[147]
Belarus is included in the
European Union's European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) which aims at
bringing the EU and its neighbours closer.
On 15 February 2016 the European
Union announced the easing of sanctions against Belarus during a meeting
by 28 EU foreign ministers at a regular session of the Council of the
European Union.[148]
Military
Main
article: Armed Forces of Belarus
Soldiers
patrol in the Białowieża Forest on the Belarusian border with Poland.
Major General Andrei
Ravkov heads the Ministry of Defence,[149] and
Alexander Lukashenko (as president) serves as Commander-in-Chief.[109] The
armed forces were formed in 1992 using parts of the former Soviet Armed
Forces on the new republic's territory. The transformation of the
ex-Soviet forces into the Armed Forces of Belarus, which was completed in 1997,
reduced the number of its soldiers by 30,000 and restructured its leadership
and military formations.[150]
Most of Belarus's service
members are conscripts, who serve for 12 months if they have higher
education or 18 months if they do not.[151] Demographic
decreases in the Belarusians of conscription age have increased the importance
of contract soldiers, who numbered 12,000 in 2001.[152] In
2005, about 1.4% of Belarus's gross domestic product was devoted to military
expenditure.[153]
Belarus has not expressed a
desire to join NATO but has participated in the Individual
Partnership Program since 1997,[154] and
Belarus provides refueling and airspace support for the ISAF mission
in Afghanistan.[155] Belarus
first began to cooperate with NATO upon signing documents to participate in
their Partnership for Peace Program in 1995.[156] However,
Belarus cannot join NATO because it is a member of the Collective Security
Treaty Organisation. Tensions between NATO and Belarus peaked after the March
2006 presidential election in Belarus.[157]
Administrative divisions
Further
information: Regions of Belarus and Districts of Belarus
Belarus is divided into
six regions (Belarusian: вобласць,
Russian: о́бласть), which are named after the cities that serve as their administrative
centers.[158]
Each region has a provincial
legislative authority, called a region council (Belarusian: абласны
Савет Дэпутатаў, Russian: областно́й Сове́т Депутатов), which is
elected by its residents, and a provincial executive authority called a region
administration (Belarusian: абласны выканаўчы камітэт,
Russian: областно́й исполнительный комите́т), whose chairman is appointed
by the president.[159] Regions
are further subdivided into raions, commonly translated as districts (Belarusian: раён,
Russian: район).[158]
Each raion has
its own legislative authority, or raion council, (Belarusian: раённы Савет
Дэпутатаў, Russian: районный Сове́т Депутатов) elected by
its residents, and an executive authority or raion administration
appointed by higher executive powers. The six regions are divided into
118 raions.[94]
The city of Minsk is split
into nine districts and enjoys special status as the nation's capital.[160] It is
run by an executive committee and has been granted a charter of self-rule.[161]
Regions
(with administrative centers):
1. Brest Region (Brest)
2. Gomel Region (Gomel)
3. Grodno
Region (Grodno)
4. Mogilev
Region (Mogilev)
5. Minsk Region (Minsk)
6. Vitebsk
Region (Vitebsk)
Special
administrative district:
1. Minsk City
Capital punishment
Main
article: Capital punishment in Belarus
Belarus is the only European
country still using capital punishment. The U.S. and Belarus
were the only two of the 56 member states of the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe to have carried out executions during 2011.[162]
Economy
Main
article: Economy of Belarus
Industry
In 2014 the share of
manufacturing in GDP was 37%, more than two thirds of this amount falls on
manufacturing industries. The number of people employed in industry is 32.7% of
the working population. The growth rate is much lower than for the economy as a
whole – about 1.9% in 2014. At the time of the dissolution of the Soviet Union
in 1991, Belarus was one of the world's most industrially developed states by
percentage of GDP as well as the richest CIS member-state.[163]
A graphical
depiction of Belarus's product exports in 28 colour-coded categories
In 2015, 39.3% of Belarusians
were employed by state-controlled companies, 57.2% were employed by private
companies (in which the government has a 21.1% stake) and 3.5% were employed by
foreign companies.[164] The
country relies on Russia for various imports, including petroleum.[165][166] Important
agricultural products include potatoes and cattle byproducts, including meat.[167] In
1994, Belarus's main exports included heavy machinery (especially tractors),
agricultural products, and energy products.[168] Economically,
Belarus involved itself in the CIS, Eurasian Economic Community, and Union
with Russia.
In the 1990s, however,
industrial production plunged due to decreases in imports, investment, and
demand for Belarusian products from its trading partners.[169] GDP
only began to rise in 1996;[170] the
country was the fastest-recovering former Soviet republic in the terms of its
economy.[171] In 2006, GDP amounted to US$83.1
billion in purchasing power parity (PPP) dollars (estimate), or
about $8,100 per capita.[167] In
2005, GDP increased by 9.9%; the inflation rate averaged 9.5%.[167]
Since the disintegration of
the Soviet Union, under Lukashenko's leadership, Belarus has maintained
government control over key industries and eschewed the large-scale privatizations
seen in other former Soviet republics.
In 2006, Belarus's largest
trading partner was Russia, accounting for nearly half of total trade, with the
European Union the next largest trading partner, with nearly a third of foreign
trade.[172][173] As of 2015, 38% of Belarusian exported
goods go to Russia and 56% of imported goods come from Russia.[164]
Belarusian
annual GDP and CPI rates 2001–2013
Due to its failure to protect
labor rights, including passing laws forbidding unemployment or working outside
of state-controlled sectors,[174] Belarus
lost its EU Generalized System of Preferences status on 21
June 2007, which raised tariff rates to their prior most favored
nation levels.[173] Belarus
applied to become a member of the World Trade Organization in 1993.[175]
The labor force consists of
more than four million people, among whom women hold slightly more jobs than
men.[164] In 2005, nearly a quarter of the
population was employed by industrial factories. Employment is also high in
agriculture, manufacturing sales, trading goods, and education. The
unemployment rate, according to government statistics, was 1.5% in 2005. There
were 679,000 unemployed Belarusians, two-thirds of whom were women. The
unemployment rate has been in decline since 2003, and the overall rate of
employment is the highest since statistics were first compiled in 1995.[164]
Until 1 July 2016, the
currency of Belarus was the Belarusian ruble (BYR). The currency was
introduced in May 1992, replacing the Soviet ruble. The first coins of the
Republic of Belarus were issued on 27 December 1996.[176] The
ruble was reintroduced with new values in 2000 and has been in use ever since.[177] As
part of the Union of Russia and Belarus, both states have discussed using
a single currency along the same lines as the Euro. This led to a proposal that
the Belarusian ruble be discontinued in favor of the Russian ruble (RUB),
starting as early as 1 January 2008. The National Bank of
Belarus abandoned pegging the Belarusian ruble to the Russian ruble in
August 2007.[178]
A new currency, the new
Belarusian ruble (ISO 4217 code: BYN)[179] was
introduced in July 2016, replacing the Belarusian ruble in a rate of
1:10,000 (10,000 old rubles = 1 new ruble). From 1 July until 31 December 2016,
the old and new currencies were in parallel circulation and series 2000 notes
and coins can be exchanged for series 2009 from 1 January 2017 to 31 December
2021.[179] This redenomination can be
considered an effort to fight the high inflation rate.[180][181]
The banking system of Belarus
consists of two levels: Central Bank (National Bank of the Republic of Belarus)
and 25 commercial banks.[182] On 23
May 2011, the Belarusian ruble depreciated 56% against the United States dollar.
The depreciation was even steeper on the black market and financial collapse
seemed imminent as citizens rushed to exchange their rubles for dollars, euros,
durable goods, and canned goods.[183] On 1
June 2011, Belarus requested an economic rescue package from the International
Monetary Fund.[184][185]
Demographics
Main
article: Demographics of Belarus
According to the National
Statistical Committee, as of January 2016, the population is 9.49 million.[1] Ethnic Belarusians constitute
83.7% of Belarus's total population.[1] The
next largest ethnic groups are: Russians (8.3%), Poles (3.1%),
and Ukrainians (1.7%).[1] Belarus
has a population density of about 50 people per square kilometer (127 per
sq mi); 70% of its total population is concentrated in urban areas.[186] Minsk,
the nation's capital and largest city, was home to 1,937,900 residents in 2015.[187] Gomel,
with a population of 481,000, is the second-largest city and serves as the
capital of the Homiel Voblast. Other large cities are Mogilev (365,100), Vitebsk (342,400), Hrodna (314,800)
and Brest (298,300).[188]
Like many other eastern
European countries, Belarus has a negative population growth rate and a
negative natural growth rate. In 2007, Belarus's population declined by 0.41%
and its fertility rate was 1.22,[189] well below
the replacement rate. Its net migration rate is +0.38 per 1,000,
indicating that Belarus experiences slightly more immigration than emigration.
As of 2015, 69.9% of Belarus's population is aged 14 to 64; 15.5% is under 14,
and 14.6% is 65 or older. Its population is also aging; the median age of 30–34
is estimated to rise to between 60 and 64 in 2050.[190] There
are about 0.87 males per female in Belarus.[189] The
average life expectancy is 72.15 (66.53 years for men and 78.1 years for
women).[189] Over 99% of Belarusians aged 15 and older
are literate.[189]
Largest cities or towns in Belarus
http://www.geonames.org/BY/largest-cities-in-belarus.html
|
|||||||||
Rank
|
Name
|
Region
|
Pop.
|
||||||
Minsk
Homyel
|
1
|
Minsk
|
Minsk
Voblast
|
1,992,685
|
Mahilyow
Vitsyebsk
|
||||
2
|
Homyel
|
Homyel
Voblast
|
536,938
|
||||||
3
|
Mahilyow
|
Mahilou
Voblast
|
383,313
|
||||||
4
|
Vitsyebsk
|
Vitsebsk
Voblast
|
378,459
|
||||||
5
|
Hrodna
|
Hrodna
Voblast
|
373,547
|
||||||
6
|
Brest
|
Brest
Voblast
|
350,616
|
||||||
7
|
Babruysk
|
Mahilou
Voblast
|
216,793
|
||||||
8
|
Baranavichy
|
Brest
Voblast
|
179,000
|
||||||
9
|
Barysaw
|
Minsk
Voblast
|
142,681
|
||||||
10
|
Pinsk
|
Brest
Voblast
|
137,960
|
Languages
Main
article: Languages of Belarus
Belarus's two official
languages are Russian and Belarusian;[191] Russian
is the most common language used at home, used by 70% of the population, while
Belarusian, the official first language, is spoken at home by 23%.[192] Minorities
also speak Polish, Ukrainian and Eastern Yiddish.[193] Belarusian,
although not as widely used as Russian, is the mother tongue of 53.2% of the
population, whereas Russian is the mother tongue of only 41.5%.[192]
Religion
Main
article: Religion in Belarus
Religion in Belarus
(2011)[194]
|
||||
Eastern
Orthodoxy
|
48.3%
|
|||
Irreligion
|
41.1%
|
|||
Roman
Catholicism
|
7.1%
|
|||
Other
religions
|
3.3%
|
Saint Sophia
Cathedral in Polotsk is one of the oldest churches in Belarus. Its current
style is an ideal example of baroque architecture in the former Polish–Lithuanian
Commonwealth
According to the census of as
of November 2011, 58.9% of all Belarusians adhere to some kind of religion; out
of those, Eastern Orthodoxy (Belarusian Exarchate of the Russian
Orthodox Church) makes up about 82%.[194] Roman
Catholicism is practiced mostly in the western regions, and there are also
different denominations of Protestantism.[195][196] Minorities
also practice Greek Catholicism, Judaism, Islam and Neopaganism. Overall,
48.3% of the population is Orthodox Christian, 41.1% is not religious, 7.1% is
Catholic and 3.3% follows other religions.[194]
Belarus's Catholic minority is
concentrated in the western part of the country, especially around Hrodna,
is made up of a mixture of Belarusians and the country's Polish and Lithuanian minorities.[197] In a
statement to the media regarding Belarusian-Vatican ties, President Lukashenko
stated that Orthodox and Catholic believers are the "two main confessions
in our country".[198]
Belarus was once a major
center of European Jews, with 10% of the population being Jewish. But
since the mid-20th century, the number of Jews has been reduced by the Holocaust,
deportation, and emigration, so that today it is a very small minority of less
than one percent.[199] The Lipka
Tatars, numbering over 15,000, are predominantly Muslims. According to
Article 16 of the Constitution, Belarus has no official religion. While
the freedom of worship is granted in the same article, religious
organizations deemed harmful to the government or social order can be
prohibited.[158]
Culture
Main
article: Culture of Belarus
Arts and literature
The Opera
and Ballet Theater in Minsk
The Belarusian government
sponsors annual cultural festivals such as the Slavianski Bazaar in
Vitebsk,[200] which showcases Belarusian performers, artists,
writers, musicians, and actors. Several state holidays, such as Independence
Day and Victory Day, draw big crowds and often include displays such
as fireworks and military parades, especially in Vitebsk and Minsk.[201] The
government's Ministry of Culture finances events promoting Belarusian arts and
culture both inside and outside the country.
Belarusian literature[202] began
with 11th- to 13th-century religious scripture, such as the 12th-century poetry
of Cyril of Turaw.[203]
By the 16th century, Polotsk resident Francysk
Skaryna translated the Bible into Belarusian. It was published in Prague and Vilnius sometime
between 1517 and 1525, making it the first book printed in Belarus or anywhere
in Eastern Europe.[204] The
modern era of Belarusian literature began in the late 19th century; one
prominent writer was Yanka Kupala. Many Belarusian writers of the time,
such as Uładzimir Žyłka, Kazimir Svayak, Yakub Kolas, Źmitrok
Biadula, and Maksim Haretski, wrote for Nasha Niva, a
Belarusian-language paper published that was previously published in Vilnius
but now is published in Minsk.[205]
Poet and
librettist Vintsent Dunin-Martsinkyevich
After Belarus was incorporated
into the Soviet Union, the Soviet government took control of the Republic's
cultural affairs. At first, a policy of "Belarusianization" was
followed in the newly formed Byelorussian SSR. This policy was reversed in the
1930s, and the majority of prominent Belarusian intellectuals and nationalist
advocates were either exiled or killed in Stalinist purges.[206] The
free development of literature occurred only in Polish-held territory until
Soviet occupation in 1939. Several poets and authors went into exile after the
Nazi occupation of Belarus and would not return until the 1960s.[204]
The last major revival of
Belarusian literature occurred in the 1960s with novels published by Vasil
Bykaŭ and Uladzimir Karatkievich. An influential author who devoted
his work to awakening the awareness of the catastrophes the country has
suffered, was Ales Adamovich. He was named by Svetlana Alexievich,
the Belarusian winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature 2015, as
"her main teacher, who helped her to find a path of her own".[207]
Francysk
Skaryna, developer of the Belarusian language, and one of the first people to
print in the Cyrillic alphabet
Music in Belarus largely
comprises a rich tradition of folk and religious music. The country's folk
music traditions can be traced back to the times of the Grand Duchy of
Lithuania. In the 19th century, Polish composer Stanisław Moniuszko composed
operas and chamber music pieces while living in Minsk. During his stay, he
worked with Belarusian poet Vintsent Dunin-Martsinkyevich and created
the opera Sialanka (Peasant Woman). At the end of the
19th century, major Belarusian cities formed their own opera and ballet
companies. The ballet Nightingale by M. Kroshner was composed
during the Soviet era and became the first Belarusian ballet showcased at the
National Academic Vialiki Ballet Theatre in Minsk.[208]
After the Second World
War, music focused on the hardships of the Belarusian people or on those who
took up arms in defense of the homeland. During this period, Anatoly
Bogatyrev, creator of the opera In Polesye Virgin Forest, served as
the "tutor" of Belarusian composers.[209] The
National Academic Theatre of Ballet in Minsk was awarded the Benois de la
Dance Prize in 1996 as the top ballet company in the world.[209] Rock
music has become increasingly popular in recent years, though the Belarusian
government has attempted to limit the amount of foreign music aired on the
radio in favor of traditional Belarusian music. Since 2004, Belarus has been
sending artists to the Eurovision Song Contest.[210][211]
Marc Chagall was born in
Liozna (near Vitebsk) in 1887. He spent the World War I years in
Soviet Belarus, becoming one of the country's most distinguished artists and a
member of the modernist avant-garde and was a founder of the Vitebsk
Arts College.[212][213]
Dress
The traditional Belarusian
dress originates from the Kievan Rus' period. Due to the cool
climate, clothes were designed to preserve body heat and were usually made
from flax or wool. They were decorated with ornate patterns
influenced by the neighboring cultures: Poles, Lithuanians, Latvians, Russians,
and other European nations. Each region of Belarus has developed specific
design patterns.[214] One
ornamental pattern common in early dresses currently decorates the hoist of
the Belarusian national flag, adopted in a disputed referendum in
1995.[215]
Cuisine
Draniki, the
national dish
Belarusian cuisine consists
mainly of vegetables, meat (particularly pork), and bread. Foods are usually
either slowly cooked or stewed. Typically, Belarusians eat a light
breakfast and two hearty meals later in the day. Wheat and rye breads
are consumed in Belarus, but rye is more plentiful because conditions are too
harsh for growing wheat. To show hospitality, a host traditionally presents an
offering of bread and salt when greeting a guest or visitor.[216]
Sport
See
also: Belarus at the Olympics
Belarus has competed in the
Olympic Games since the 1994 Winter Olympics. Its National Olympic
Committee has been headed by President Lukashenko since 1997.[217]
Receiving heavy sponsorship
from the government, ice hockey is the nation's second most popular
sport after football. The national football team has never
qualified for a major tournament; however, BATE Borisov has played in
the Champions League. The national hockey team finished fourth
at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics following a memorable upset win
over Sweden in the quarterfinals, and regularly competes in the World
Championships, often making the quarterfinals. Numerous Belarusian players are
present in the Kontinental Hockey League in Eurasia, particularly for
Belarusian club HC Dinamo Minsk, and several have also played in the National
Hockey League in North America. Darya Domracheva is a
leading biathlete whose honours include three gold medals at
the 2014 Winter Olympics.[218]
Victoria
Azarenka, professional tennis player and a former world No. 1 in
singles
Tennis player Victoria
Azarenka became the first Belarusian to win a Grand Slam singles
title at the Australian Open in 2012.[219] She
also won the gold medal in mixed doubles at the 2012 Summer Olympics with Max
Mirnyi, who holds ten Grand Slam titles in doubles.
Other notable Belarusian sportspeople
include cyclist Vasil Kiryienka, who won the 2015 Road World Time
Trial Championship, and middle distance runner Maryna Arzamasava, who won
the gold medal in the 800m at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics.
Belarus is also known for its
strong rhythmic gymnasts. Noticeable gymnasts include Inna Zhukova, who
earned silver at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Liubov Charkashyna, who
earned bronze at the 2012 London Olympics and Melitina Staniouta, Bronze
All-Around Medalist of the 2015 World Championships. The Belorussian senior
group earned bronze at the 2012 London Olympics.
Andrei Arlovski, who was born
in Babruysk, Byelorussian SSR, is a current UFC fighter and
the former UFC heavyweight champion of the world.
Telecommunications
Main
article: Telecommunications in Belarus
See
also: Censorship in Belarus
·
Country code: .by
The state telecom monopoly,
Beltelecom, holds the exclusive interconnection with Internet providers outside
of Belarus. Beltelecom owns all the backbone channels that linked to the
Lattelecom, TEO LT, Tata Communications (former Teleglobe),
Synterra, Rostelecom, Transtelekom and MTS ISP's. Beltelecom is the only
operator licensed to provide commercial VoIP services in Belarus.[220]
World Heritage Sites
Belarus has four UNESCO-designated World
Heritage Sites: the Mir Castle Complex, the Nesvizh Castle, the Belovezhskaya
Pushcha (shared with Poland), and the Struve Geodetic Arc (shared
with nine other countries).[221]
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