Coordinates: 53°N 23°E

Belarus
Belarus (/bɛləˈruːs/ ( listen) bel-ə-ROOSS;
Belarusian: Беларусь, Biełaruś, IPA: [bʲɛlaˈrusʲ];
Republic of Belarus
Russian: Беларусь, Belarus', IPA: [bʲɪlɐˈrusʲ]), Рэспубліка Беларусь (Belarusian)
officially the Republic of Belarus (Belarusian: Республика Беларусь (Russian)
Рэспубліка Беларусь; Russian: Республика
Беларусь), formerly known by its Russian name
Byelorussia or Belorussia (Russian:
Белоруссия, Byelorussiya), is a landlocked
country in Eastern Europe[7] bordered by Russia Flag
National emblem
to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to
the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the Anthem:
northwest. Its capital and most populous city is Дзяржаўны гімн Рэспублікі Беларусь (Belarusian)
Minsk. Over 40% of its 207,600 square Dziaržaŭny himn Respubliki Bielaruś
kilometres (80,200 sq mi) is forested. Its major (English: State Anthem of Belarus)
0:00 MENU
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
Location of Belarus (green)
Soviet Russia. The Socialist Soviet Republic of in Europe (dark grey) – [Legend]
Byelorussia became a founding constituent Capital Minsk
republic of the Soviet Union in 1922 and was and largest city 53°55′N 27°33′E
renamed as the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist
Official languages Belarusian
Republic (Byelorussian SSR). Belarus lost
Russiana
almost half of its territory to Poland after the
Polish–Soviet War of 1919–1921. Much of the Ethnic groups 83.7% Belarusians[1]
borders of Belarus took their modern shape in 8.3% Russians
1939, when some lands of the Second Polish 3.1% Poles
Republic were reintegrated into it after the 1.7% Ukrainians
Soviet invasion of Poland, and were finalized 3.2% Other
after World War II.[9][10][11] During WWII,
Demonym Belarusian
military operations devastated Belarus, which
lost about a third of its population and more
than half of its economic resources.[12] The Government Unitary presidential
republic was redeveloped in the post-war years. republic
In 1945 the Byelorussian SSR became a founding • President Alexander Lukashenko
member of the United Nations, along with the • Prime Minister Andrei Kobyakov
Soviet Union and the Ukrainian SSR.[13]
Legislature National Assembly
The parliament of the republic proclaimed the • Upper house Council of the Republic
sovereignty of Belarus on 27 July 1990, and • Lower house House of Representatives
during the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Formation
Belarus declared independence on 25 August • Principality of Polotsk 987
1991.[14] Alexander Lukashenko has served as • Grand Duchy of Lithuania c. 1236
the country's first president since 1994. Belarus • Polish–Lithuanian 1 July 1569
has been labeled "Europe's last dictatorship" by Commonwealth
• Russian Empire 1795
some Western journalists,[15][16] on account of
• Independence from the 25 March 1918
Lukashenko's self-described authoritarian style
Russian SFSR; Belarusian
of government.[17][18][19] Lukashenko continued People's Republic
a number of Soviet-era policies, such as state • Lithuanian-Byelorussian SSR 17 February 1919
ownership of large sections of the economy. • Byelorussian SSR 31 July 1920
Elections under Lukashenko's rule have been • Annexation of West Belarus 15 November 1939
widely criticized as unfair; and according to • State Sovereignty Declaration 27 July 1990
many countries and organizations, political • Independence from the USSR 25 August 1991
• CIS Declaration 8 December 1991
opposition has been violently suppressed.
• Independence recognized 26 December 1991
Belarus is also the last country in Europe using
• Current constitution 15 March 1994
the death penalty.[20][21][22] Belarus's Democracy
Index rating was the lowest in Europe until 2014 Area
(when it was passed by Russia), the country is • Total 207,595 km2
(80,153 sq mi) (84th)
labelled as "not free" by Freedom House, as
• Water (%) 1.4% (2.830 km2 or
"repressed" in the Index of Economic Freedom,
1.093 sq mi)b
and is rated as by far the worst country for press
freedom in Europe in the 2013–14 Press Population
Freedom Index published by Reporters Without • 2016 estimate 9,504,700 [2] (93rd)
Borders, which ranks Belarus 157th out of 180 • Density 45.8/km2 (118.6/sq mi)
(142nd)
nations.[23]
GDP (PPP) 2018 estimate
In 2000, Belarus and Russia signed a treaty for • Total $188 billion[3]
greater cooperation, forming the Union State. • Per capita $20,008[3]
Over 70% of Belarus's population of 9.49 million
GDP (nominal) 2018 estimate
resides in urban areas. More than 80% of the
• Total $59 billion[3]
population is ethnic Belarusian, with sizable
• Per capita $6,301[3]
minorities of Russians, Poles and Ukrainians.
Since a referendum in 1995, the country has had Gini (2015) 26.7[4]
two official languages: Belarusian and Russian. low
The Constitution of Belarus does not declare any HDI (2015) 0.796[5]
official religion, although the primary religion in high · 52nd
the country is Eastern Orthodox Christianity.
Currency Belarusian ruble (BYN)
The second-most widespread religion, Roman Time zone FET (UTC+3)
Catholicism, has a much smaller following;
Date format dd.mm.yyyy
nevertheless, Belarus celebrates both Orthodox
and Catholic versions of Christmas and Easter as Drives on the right
national holidays.[24] Belarus is a member of the Calling code +375
United Nations since its founding, the
ISO 3166 code BY
Commonwealth of Independent States, CSTO,
EEU, and the Non-Aligned Movement. Belarus Internet TLD .by
has shown no aspirations for joining the .бел[6]
European Union but nevertheless maintains a
Website
bilateral relationship with the organisation, and belarus.by (http://belarus.by/)
likewise participates in two EU projects: the
Eastern Partnership and the Baku Initiative. a. ^ Constitution of the Republic of Belarus (http://president.gov.by
/en/constitution_en/) Section 1, Article 17
b. ^ "FAO's Information System on Water and Agriculture"
(https://web.archive.org/web/20120126112459/http://www.fao.org
/nr/water/aquastat/countries/belarus/index.stm). FAO. Archived
Contents from the original (http://www.fao.org/nr/water/aquastat/countries
/belarus/index.stm) on 26 January 2012. Retrieved 16 February
Etymology 2013.
History
Early history
Principality of Polotsk
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
Russian Empire
Republic of Central Lithuania
Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic
Independence
Post-independence

Geography and climate

Governance
Election controversies
Corruption
Human rights
Foreign relations
Military
Administrative divisions
Capital punishment

Economy
Industry
Demographics
Languages
Religion

Culture
 Arts and literature
Dress
Cuisine
Sport
Telecommunications
World Heritage Sites

See also
References
Further reading
External links

Etymology
The name Belarus is closely related with the term Belaya Rus ', i.e., White Rus'. There are several claims to the origin of
the name White Rus'.[25] An ethno-religious 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 early Christianized Slavs, 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., Polatsk, Vitsiebsk and
Mahilyow) 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]

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), as well 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 Stamp with the Cross of St. Euphrosyne
Krivia because of the supposed connection with Russia.[41] Some from 1992
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 ).[38][44]

History

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]

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]

Principality of Polotsk
In the 9th century some principalities arose on the territory of modern Belarus. Among them was the Principality of
Polatsk that for most of the time was effectively an independent State (apart from about 20 years when it was a Vassal
of Kievan Rus'). The Principality of Polatsk was the first nation state to be established on the land of Belarus.
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
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
were eventually became a part of the Grand Duchy of
Lithuania.[48]. 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. [49] Principality of Polotsk

The Grand Duchy of Lithuania, whose territory started its

existence between Nemunas and Neris rivers and existed in the
center of Europe in the 13th–18th centuries and comprised entire
territories of contemporary Belarus, Ukraine, partially Poland,
Lithuania and Latvia and stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Black
Sea.

Grand Duchy of Lithuania times resulted in an economic, political

and ethno-cultural unification of modern Belarusian lands.[50] Of
the principalities held by the Duchy, nine of them were settled by a
population that would eventually become Belarusian people.[51]
During this time, the Duchy was involved in several military
A map of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in
campaigns, including fighting on the side of Poland against the
the 15th century. Belarus was fully within its
Teutonic Knights at the Battle of Grunwald in 1410; the joint borders.
victory allowed the Duchy to control the northwestern borderlands
of Eastern Europe including Samogitia.[52]

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.[53]

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.[54] This union set in motion the
developments that eventually resulted in the formation of the
Modern Belarus lands on Tobias Lotter map
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, created in 1569 by the Union of Magnus ducatus Lithuania, 1780
of Lublin.

The Lithuanian shlyahta was forced to go for rapprochement because of the threat coming from the Moscow czardom.
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
shlyahta against Polish, Prussish, Mazowish and other aristocracy of Rzech Pospolita. Statutes were only issued in Old
Belarusian language, later in polish and was active until 1840s being banned after November Uprising. For a
autonomous Duchy of Samogitia there a separate 'Statute of the Zhmudz Lands' existed.

In the years following the union, the process of gradual Polonization gained steady momentum. In culture and social
life, both the Polish language and Catholicism became dominant, and in 1696, Polish replaced Belarusian as the official
language—with the Belarusian language being banned from administrative use.[55] However, the local peasants,
continued to speak their own language and remained faithful to the Belarusian Greek Catholic Church.

Russian Empire
The union between Poland and Lithuania ended in 1795 with the partitioning of Poland by Imperial Russia, Prussia,
and Austria.[56] The Belarusian territories acquired by the Russian Empire under the reign of Catherine II[57] 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.[58]

Under Nicholas I and Alexander III the national cultures were repressed due to the policies of de-Polonization[59] and
Russification,[60] which included the return to Orthodox Christianity of Belorusian Uniates.

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
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.[61]

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.[62][63] Immediately afterwards, the Polish–Soviet War
ignited, and the territory of Belarus was divided between Poland and Soviet Russia.[64] 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.[65]

Republic of Central Lithuania

The Republic of Central Lithuania or Middle Lithuania was a short-lived political entity, last attempt to restore
Lithuania in the historical confederational sense (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
Infantry 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 eighteen months the entity served as a buffer state between
Poland, upon which it depended, and Lietuva, which claimed the area.[66] After a variety of delays, a disputed election
took place on January 8, 1922, and the territory was annexed to Poland. Lucjan Żeligowski later in his memories
published in London in 1943 condemned the annexation Republic by Poland, as well as closing belarusian schools
policy and general disregarding of the Marshal Pilsudski confederation plans by a Polish ally.[67]
Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic
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.[62][68] The western part of modern Belarus remained part of Poland.[69][70][71]

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.[72]

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][73] 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
Khatyn Memorial. During World War II,
invaded the Soviet Union in 1941. The Brest Fortress, which had been
the Germans murdered civilians in 5,295
annexed in 1939, at this time was subjected to one of the most different localities in occupied Soviet
destructive onslaughts that happened during the war. Statistically, the Belarus.
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.[74]

Casualties were estimated to be between 2 and 3 million (about a

quarter to one-third of the total population), while the Jewish
population of Belarus was devastated during the Holocaust and never Soviet partisan fighters behind German
recovered.[12][75] The population of Belarus did not regain its pre-war front lines in Belarus in 1943
level until 1971.[75] 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.[73]

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.[76] The borders of the Byelorussian SSR and Poland were redrawn, in accord with the
1919-proposed Curzon Line.[58]

Joseph Stalin implemented a policy of Sovietization to isolate the Byelorussian SSR from Western influences.[75] 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."[75]

In 1986, the Byelorussian SSR was exposed to significant nuclear fallout from the explosion at the Chernobyl power
plant in the neighboring Ukrainian SSR.[77]

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.[77] 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.[78]

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.[79] Belarus declared itself
sovereign on 27 July 1990 by issuing the Declaration of State
Sovereignty of the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic.
Leaders of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus
With the support of the Communist Party, the country's name was
signed the Belavezha Accords, dissolving
changed to the Republic of Belarus on 25 August 1991.[79] Stanislav the Soviet Union, 8 December 1991
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.[79]

A national constitution was adopted in March 1994 in which the functions of prime minister were given to the
President of Belarus.

Post-independence
Two-round elections for the presidency on (24 June 1994 and 10 July
1994)[80] catapulted the formerly unknown Alexander Lukashenko
into national prominence. He garnered 45% of the vote in the first
round and 80%[79] 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,[81] 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,
Alexander Lukashenko has ruled Belarus
following the Russian annexation of Crimea and military intervention
since 1994, and is Europe's longest
in Eastern Ukraine. For the first time, he delivered a speech in
currently ruling elected head of state.
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.[82]

Geography and climate

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).[83] It is landlocked, relatively flat, and
contains large tracts of marshy land.[84] About 40% of Belarus is
covered by forests.[85][86]

Many streams and 11,000 lakes are found in Belarus.[84] Three major
Strusta Lake in the Vitebsk Region
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.[87]

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).[84] The average elevation of Belarus is 160 m (525 ft) above sea level.[88] 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).[89] Belarus has an average annual rainfall of 550 to 700 mm (21.7 to 27.6 in).[89] The country is in the
transitional zone between continental climates and maritime climates.[84]

Natural resources include peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas, granite, dolomite (limestone), marl,
chalk, sand, gravel, and clay.[84] 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.[90] 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.[91][92]

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.[93] Belarus and
Lithuania ratified final border demarcation documents in February 2007.[94]

Average daily maximum and minimum temperatures for the six largest cities in
Belarus[95]

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
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.[96] 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
House of Representatives of
was denounced as a "fantastic" fake by the chief electoral officer, Viktar Belarus
Hanchar, who was removed from the office for official matters only during
the campaign.[97] 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).[98]

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.[99] The
Council of the Republic has the power to select various government
officials, conduct an impeachment trial of the president, and accept or
Victory Square in Minsk
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.[100]

The government includes a Council of Ministers, headed by the prime minister and five deputy prime ministers.[101]
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.[100]

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.[102] 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.[103]

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.[104]

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[105] while the OSCE and other organizations called
the election unfair.[106]

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.[107]
Many of the candidates, including Sannikov, were sentenced to prison or house arrest for terms which are mainly and
typically over four years.[108][109] Six months later amid an unprecedented economic crisis, activists utilized social
networking to initiate a fresh round of protests characterized by wordless hand-clapping.[110]

Corruption
The judicial system in Belarus lacks independence and is subject to political interference.[111] 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.[112] 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.[113]

Human rights
Lukashenko has described himself as having an "authoritarian ruling
style".[96] Western countries have described Belarus under Lukashenko as a
dictatorship; the government has accused the same Western powers of
trying to oust Lukashenko.[114] 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.[115]

The Belarusian government is also criticized for human rights violations A symbol of Belarusian opposition,
this flag served as the national flag
and its persecution of non-governmental organisations, independent
from 1991 to 1995.
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".[116] In response, the Belarusian government called the assessment "quite far from reality".[117] The Viasna
Human Rights Centre lists 11 political prisoners[118] 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.[119]

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.[120][121] Similar regulations were introduced for the forestry industry
in 2012.[122]
Foreign relations
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.[123]

The union of Russia and Belarus, a supranational confederation, was President Alexander Lukashenko,
established in a 1996–99 series of treaties that called for monetary union, right, shaking hands with Russian
equal rights, single citizenship, and a common foreign and defense President Vladimir Putin, left, in
2012
policy.[123] 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.[123]

On 11 December 2007, reports emerged that a framework for the new state was discussed between both countries.[124]
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.[125]

Belarus was a founding member of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).[126] Belarus has trade agreements
with several European Union member states (despite other member states' travel ban on Lukashenko and top
officials),[127] including neighboring Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland.[128] 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.[129]

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.[130] 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.[131]
Leaders of Belarus, Russia,
Despite this political friction, the two countries do cooperate on intellectual
Germany, France, and Ukraine at
property protection, prevention of human trafficking, technology crime,
the summit in Minsk, 11–12
and disaster relief.[132] February 2015

Sino-Belarusian relations have improved,[133] strengthened by the visit of

President Lukashenko to China in October 2005.[134] Belarus also has strong ties with Syria,[135] considered a key
partner in the Middle East.[136] In addition to the CIS, Belarus is a member of the Eurasian Economic Community, the
Collective Security Treaty Organisation,[128] the international Non-Aligned Movement since 1998,[137] 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.[138]

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.[139]

Military
Major General Andrei Ravkov heads the Ministry of Defence,[140] and
Alexander Lukashenko (as president) serves as Commander-in-Chief.[100]
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.[141]
Soldiers patrol in the Białowieża
Forest on the Belarusian border with
Most of Belarus's service members are conscripts, who serve for 12 months
Poland.
if they have higher education or 18 months if they do not.[142] Demographic
decreases in the Belarusians of conscription age have increased the
importance of contract soldiers, who numbered 12,000 in 2001.[143] In 2005, about 1.4% of Belarus's gross domestic
product was devoted to military expenditure.[144]

Belarus has not expressed a desire to join NATO but has participated in the Individual Partnership Program since
1997,[145] and Belarus provides refueling and airspace support for the ISAF mission in Afghanistan.[146] Belarus first
began to cooperate with NATO upon signing documents to participate in their Partnership for Peace Program in
1995.[147] 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.[148]

Administrative divisions
Belarus is divided into six regions (Belarusian: вобласць, Russian: о́бласть), which are named after the cities that
serve as their administrative centers.[149]

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.[150] Regions are further subdivided into raions, commonly translated as
districts (Belarusian: раён, Russian: район).[149]

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.[85]

The city of Minsk is split into nine districts and enjoys special status as the nation's capital.[151] It is run by an executive
committee and has been granted a charter of self-rule.[152]

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
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.[153]

Economy

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.[154] In 2015, 39.3% of Belarusians were A graphical depiction of Belarus's product exports
in 28 colour-coded categories
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.[155] The country relies on Russia for various
imports, including petroleum.[156][157] Important agricultural products include potatoes and cattle byproducts,
including meat.[158] In 1994, Belarus's main exports included heavy machinery (especially tractors), agricultural
products, and energy products.[159] 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.[160] GDP only began to rise in 1996;[161] the country was the fastest-
recovering former Soviet republic in the terms of its economy.[162] In 2006, GDP amounted to US$83.1 billion in
purchasing power parity (PPP) dollars (estimate), or about
$8,100 per capita.[158] In 2005, GDP increased by 9.9%; the
inflation rate averaged 9.5%.[158]

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,

Belarusian annual GDP and CPI rates 2001–2013
accounting for nearly half of total trade, with the European
Union the next largest trading partner, with nearly a third of
foreign trade.[163][164] As of 2015, 38% of Belarusian exported goods go to Russia and 56% of imported goods come
from Russia.[155]

Due to its failure to protect labor rights, including passing laws forbidding unemployment or working outside of state-
controlled sectors,[165] Belarus lost its EU Generalized System of Preferences status on 21 June 2007, which raised
tariff rates to their prior most favored nation levels.[164] Belarus applied to become a member of the World Trade
Organization in 1993.[166]

The labor force consists of more than four million people, among whom women hold slightly more jobs than men.[155]
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.[155]

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.[167] The ruble
was reintroduced with new values in 2000 and has been in use ever since.[168] 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.[169]

A new currency, the new Belarusian ruble (ISO 4217 code: BYN)[170] 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 will be in parallel circulation and series 2000 notes and coins can be exchanged for series 2009
from 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2021.[170] This redenomination can be considered an effort to fight the high
inflation rate.[171][172][173]

The banking system of Belarus consists of two level: Central Bank (National Bank of the Republic of Belarus) and 25
commercial banks.[174] 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.[175] On 1 June 2011, Belarus requested an
economic rescue package from the International Monetary Fund.[176][177]
 Belarus tractor BelAZ75600 MOAZ-6014 Scraper

Demographics
According to the National Statistical Committee, as of January 2016, the population is 9.49 million people.[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.[178] Minsk, the nation's capital and largest city, was
home to 1,937,900 residents in 2015.[179] 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).[180]

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,[181] 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.[182] There are about 0.87 males per female in Belarus.[181] The average life expectancy is 72.15 (66.53 years for
men and 78.1 years for women).[181] Over 99% of Belarusians aged 15 and older are literate.[181]

Languages
Belarus' two official languages are Russian and Belarusian;[183] Russian is the main language, used by 72% of the
population, while Belarusian, the official first language, is spoken by 11.9%.[184] Minorities also speak Polish, Ukrainian
and Eastern Yiddish.[185] 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%.[186]

Religion
According to the census of as of November 2011, 58.9% of all
Religion in Belarus (2011)[187]
Belarusians adhere to some kind of religion; out of those,
Eastern Orthodoxy   48.3%
Eastern Orthodoxy (Belarusian Exarchate of the Russian
Irreligion   41.1%
Orthodox Church) makes up about 82%.[187] Roman
Roman Catholicism   7.1%
Catholicism is practiced mostly in the western regions, and Other religions   3.3%
there are also different denominations of Protestantism.
[188][189] 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.[187]

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.[190] 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".[191]

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
Saint Sophia Cathedral in minority of less than one percent.[192] The Lipka Tatars, numbering over 15,000, are
Polotsk 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.[149]

Culture

Arts and literature

The Belarusian government sponsors annual cultural festivals such as the
Bazaar in Vitebsk,[193] 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.[194] The government's Ministry of Culture finances events
promoting Belarusian arts and culture both inside and outside the country.

Belarusian literature[195] began with 11th- to 13th-century religious

The Opera and Ballet Theater in
scripture, such as the 12th-century poetry of Cyril of Turaw.[196]
Minsk
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.[197] 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.[198]
Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk
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.[199] 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.[197]

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".[200]

Music in Belarus largely comprises a rich Francysk Skaryna,

developer of the Belarusian
tradition of folk and religious music. The
language, and one of the
country's folk music traditions can be traced back
first people to print in the
to the times of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In
Cyrillic alphabet
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.[201]

After the Second World War, music focused on the hardships of the Belarusian
Poet and librettist Vintsent people or on those who took up arms in defense of the homeland. During this
Dunin-Martsinkyevich period, Anatoly Bogatyrev, creator of the opera In Polesye Virgin Forest, served as
the "tutor" of Belarusian composers.[202] 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.[202] 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.[203][204]

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.[205][206]

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.[207] One ornamental pattern common in early dresses currently
decorates the hoist of the Belarusian national flag, adopted in a disputed referendum in 1995.[208]

Cuisine
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, with dinner being
the largest meal of 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.[209]

Draniki, the national dish

Sport
Belarus has competed in the Olympic Games since the 1994 Winter
Olympics. Its National Olympic Committee has been headed by President
Lukashenko since 1997.[210]

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, Victoria Azarenka
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.[211]

Tennis player Victoria Azarenka became the first Belarusian to win a Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open in
2012.[212] 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
 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.[213]

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).[214]

See also
List of Belarus-related topics
Outline of Belarus

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%D0%B0%D0%BB%20%D0%92%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%B1%D1%81%D0%BA&f=false).
207. "Belarusian traditional clothing" (http://www.belarusguide.com/culture1/clothing/index.html). Belarusguide.com.
Retrieved 29 April 2013.
208. "Belarus – Ornament, Flags of the World" (http://fotw.fivestarflags.com/by.html#orn). Fotw.fivestarflags.com.
Retrieved 29 April 2013.
209. Canadian Citizenship and Immigration – Cultures Profile Project – Eating the Belarusian Way (http://www.cp-
pc.ca/english/belarus/eating.html) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20070320041709/http://www.cp-
pc.ca/english/belarus/eating.html) 20 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine. (1998); retrieved 21 March 2007.
210. "NOC of Belarus" (https://web.archive.org/web/20160317071408/http://www.noc.by/en/about). Archived from the
original (http://www.noc.by/en/about) on 17 March 2016.
211. "Darya DOMRACHEVA" (https://www.olympic.org/darya-domracheva). www.olympic.org.
212. "Queen Victoria takes the throne determined to court further success" (http://www.smh.com.au/sport/tennis/queen-
victoria-takes-the-throne-determined-to-court-further-success-20120129-1qo2l.html). The Sydney Morning Herald.
213. "ONI Country Profile: Belarus" (http://opennet.net/research/profiles/belarus), OpenNet Initiative, 18 November
2010
214. "Belarus – UNESCO World Heritage Centre" (http://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/by). Archived
(https://web.archive.org/web/20060421205516/http://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/by) from the original on 21
April 2006. Retrieved 26 March 2006.

Further reading
Birgerson, Susanne Michele (2002). After the Breakup of a Multi-Ethnic Empire. Praeger/Greenwood.
ISBN 0-275-96965-7.
Bennett, Brian M. The last dictatorship in Europe: Belarus under Lukashenko (Columbia University Press, 2011)
de Courson, Barbara Frances Mary (1879). The Jesuits: their foundation and history, Volume 1
(https://books.google.com/books?id=s0MQAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA281&dq=Alba+Russia#v=onepage&
q=Alba%20Russia&f=false). Benziger Brothers.
Frear, Matthew. Belarus Under Lukashenka: Adaptive Authoritarianism (Routledge, 2015)
Korosteleva, Elena A. "The European Union and Belarus: democracy promotion by technocratic means?."
Democratization (2015): 1–21.
Levy, Patricia; Spilling, Michael (2009). Belarus (https://books.google.com/books?id=KTwkKhg1BbsC&pg=PA95&
dq=Belarusian+name). New York: Benchmark Books. ISBN 0-7614-3411-9.
Marples, David. 'Our Glorious Past': Lukashenka's Belarus and the Great Patriotic War (Columbia University
Press, 2014)
 Minahan, James (1998). Miniature Empires: A Historical Dictionary of the Newly Independent States
(https://books.google.com/books?id=RSxt-JB-PDkC&pg=PA35&dq=White+Rus#v=onepage&q=White%20Rus&
f=false). Greenwood. ISBN 0-313-30610-9.
Olson, James Stuart; Pappas, Lee Brigance; Pappas, Nicholas C.J. (1994). Ethnohistorical Dictionary of the
Russian and Soviet Empires. Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-27497-5.
Parker, Stewart. The Last Soviet Republic: Alexander Lukashenko's Belarus (Trafford Publishing, 2007)
Plokhy, Serhii (2001). The Cossacks and Religion in Early Modern Ukraine (https://books.google.com
/books?id=NCzzxNisc1MC&pg=PA327&dq=white+rus+commonwealth). Oxford University Press.
ISBN 0-19-924739-0.
Richmond, Yale (1995). From Da to Yes: Understanding the East Europeans (https://books.google.com
/books?id=2Y8GNIp42ysC&pg=PA260&dq=Byelorussia+name). Intercultural Press. ISBN 1-877864-30-7.
Rudling, Pers Anders. The Rise and Fall of Belarusian Nationalism, 1906–1931 (University of Pittsburgh Press;
2014) 436 pages
Ryder, Andrew (1998). Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (https://books.google.com
/books?id=qmN95fFocsMC&pg=PA183&dq=Belarus+name+law+1991). Routledge. ISBN 1-85743-058-1.
Silitski, Vitali & Jan Zaprudnik (2010). The A to Z of Belarus (https://books.google.com
/books?id=bQXyAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA1). Scarecrow Press.
Snyder, Timothy. (2004) The Reconstruction of Nations: Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus, 1569–1999 excerpt
and text search (https://www.amazon.com/Reconstruction-Nations-Ukraine-Lithuania-1569-1999/dp/030010586X)
Szporluk, Roman (2000). Russia, Ukraine, and the Breakup of the Soviet Union (https://books.google.com
/books?id=oLWeUoWEAGgC&pg=PA113&dq=Belorussia). Hoover Institution Press. ISBN 0-8179-9542-0.
Treadgold, Donald; Ellison, Herbert J. (1999). Twentieth Century Russia (https://books.google.com
/books?id=Xs8sYy1vIS0C&pg=PA230&dq=belorussia+nationalists+name&cd=13#v=onepage&q=&f=false).
Westview Press. ISBN 0-8133-3672-4.
Vauchez, André; Dobson, Richard Barrie; Lapidge, Michael (2001). Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages
(https://books.google.com/books?id=qtgotOF0MKQC&pg=PA163&dq=White+Ruthenia). Routledge.
ISBN 1-57958-282-6.
Wilson, Andrew. Belarus: The last dictatorship in Europe (Yale University Press, 2011)
Zaprudnik, Jan (1993). Belarus: At A Crossroads In History (https://web.archive.org/web/20160502113012/https:
//books.google.com/books?id=qtnTh3-2Ki8C&pg=PA1&dq=Belarusia+name&cd=3#v=onepage&q=&f=false).
Westview Press. ISBN 0-8133-1794-0. Archived from the original (https://books.google.com
/books?id=qtnTh3-2Ki8C&pg=PA1&dq=Belarusia+name&cd=3#v=onepage&q=&f=false) on 2 May 2016.

External links
President's official site (http://www.president.gov.by/en/)
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (http://www.mfa.gov.by/en/)
Website of the Republic of Belarus (http://www.belarus.by/en/) by BelTA news agency
"Belarus" (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/bo.html). The World Factbook. Central
Intelligence Agency.
Belarus (https://curlie.org/Regional/Europe/Belarus) at Curlie (based on DMOZ)
FAO Country Profiles: Belarus (http://www.fao.org/countryprofiles/index.asp?lang=en&iso3=BLR&subj=1&paia=)
Geographic data related to Belarus (https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/59065) at OpenStreetMap
A Visit to Europe’s Last Dictatorship (https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/vbmk33/a-visit-to-europes-last-
dictatorship) // Dave Hazzan, vice.com

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