Republic of Belarus

COUNTRY NAME

• Conventional long form: Republic of Belarus
• Conventional short form: Belarus
• Local long form: Respublika Byelarus'
• Local short form: Byelarus'
• Former: Belorussian (Byelorussian) Soviet Socialist Republic

BELARUS CAPITAL CITY

• Minsk is the capital city of Belarus.

BELARUS CURRENCY

• Belarusian ruble is the official currency of Belarus.

BELARUS ETYMOLOGY

• The name “Belarus” has its origins in the term “White Rus".
• The Latin term for the area was “Russia Alba”
• In English, the country was referred to as “White Ruthenia” which translates to “White Russia”.
• The term was first used for Belarus in the 16th century.
• The Russian Tsars began using the term “White Rus” in the 17th century.
• During the Russian Imperial rule, the name was changed to “Belorussia”.
• In 1991, the Supreme Soviet of the Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic decided that the new independent republic should be called “Belarus”.
• “Belarus” is the English name for the country.

HISTORY of BELARUS

• Belarus was colonized by east Slavic tribes in the 5th century.
• The Kiev dynasty ruled it from the 9th to 12th century.
• The Mongols defeated the Kiev in the 13th century and took over the territory.
• Belarus was ruled by the dukes of Lithuania and remained as a partly autonomous state.
• Along with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Belarus merged with Poland in 1569.
• Belarus became part of the Russian Empire after the partition of Poland.
• The country announced its independence after the World War I.
• It was subsequently taken over by the Red Cross Army in March 1918.
• The Polish-Soviet War was fought from 1918–1921 to decide the fate of Belarus.
• West Belarus was ceded to Poland and the eastern part was made part of the USSR in 1922.
• In 1939, the Soviet Union claimed West Belarus from Poland through a Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression Pact.
• Belarus was occupied by the Nazis in the World War II.
• In 1986, Belarus suffered the drastic consequences of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant explosion in Ukraine.
• Belarus declared its sovereignty in July 1990 and became an independent nation in August 1991.
• It became a cofounder of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in 1991 Dec...
• Belarus and Russia signed a treaty in April 1997 aimed at mutual cooperation.
• The Russian financial crisis in 1998 had a direct impact on Belarus’s economy.

BELARUS DEMOGRAPHICS

• Over 80% of the total population is ethnic Belarusian.
• Other major ethnic groups are Russians, Poles and Ukrainians.
• Belarusian and Russian are the country’s official languages.
• Polish, Ukrainian and Eastern Yiddish are also spoken by some communities.
• Most of the population is concentrated in and around urban areas.
• Over 90% of Belarusians follow the Russian Orthodox Church.
• Other prevalent religions are Roman Catholicism and Judaism.
• Belarus has no official religion.

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS at BELARUS

• Though Belarus’s government is formally a republic, dictatorship is often practiced.
• Administrative divisions include one municipality (Minsk) and six provinces namely: Brest, Homyel', Horad Minsk,  Hrodna, Mahilyow, Minsk and Vitsyebsk.
• Administrative divisions are named after their administrative centers.
• Independence Day (25 August 1991) is observed as a national holiday.
• The Constitution was founded on 15 March 1994 and revised by national referendum on 24 November 1996.
• It was brought into effect on 27 November 1996 and revised again on 17 October 2004.
• The legal system is based on civil law system.
• Belarus has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction.
• The president is the chief of state.
• The prime minister is the head of government.
• The cabinet consists of a Council of Ministers.
• The president is elected by popular vote for a five-year term.
• The prime minister and deputy prime ministers are appointed by the president.
• The legislative branch is represented by a bicameral National Assembly or Natsionalnoye Sobranie consisting of the Council of the Republic or Soviet Respubliki and the Chamber of Representatives or Palata Predstaviteley.
• The Council of the Republic consists of 64 members of which 56 are elected by regional councils and eight are appointed by the president to serve four year terms.
• The Chamber of Representatives consists of 110 members elected by popular vote to serve four year terms.
• The judicial branch is represented by the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court.

BELARUS CULTURE

• Belarusian literature has a rich history dating back to 11th century.
• Belarusian literature in the past consisted of primarily religious texts.
• The modern period of Belarusian literature started in the late 19th century.
• Classical musical forms like the ballet and opera have been an integral part of the culture since the 17th century.
• The Belarusian government sponsors,  annual cultural festivals like the Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk.
• The festival involves cultural events and performances by musicians, singers, writers and actors.
• The traditional Belarusian dress has its origins in the Kievan Rus' period.
• The clothing is usually made from warm materials and is intricately patterned.
• Belarusian cuisine consists mainly of vegetables, breads and meat and Dinner is usually the heaviest meal of the day.
• A host traditionally offers bread and salt while welcoming a guest or visitor.
• Popular Belarusian drinks include Russian wheat vodka, kvass and okroshka.

ECONOMY of BELARUS

• Structural reform in Belarus has been slow since 1995.
• Since 2005, the government has taken over a number of private companies.
• The private sector faces a lot of interference from the government.
• Foreign investment is low.
• Re-export of Russian oil and natural gas obtained at a nominal price contributes largely to the economy.
• Russia is Belarus’s single largest trade partner.
• GDP (purchasing power parity) as calculated in 2007 was $105.2 billion.
• 1.6% of the population is officially unemployed.
• 27.1% of the population is below poverty line.
• Agricultural produce includes grain, potatoes, vegetables, sugar beets, flax; beef and milk.
• Main industries are metal-cutting machine tools, tractors, trucks, earthmovers, motorcycles,  synthetic fibers, fertilizer, textiles, radios, televisions and refrigerators.
• Export commodities include machinery and equipment, , chemicals, metals, mineral products,  textiles and foodstuffs.
• Import commodities include mineral products, machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs and metals.

INFRASTRUCTURE of BELARUS

• Telecommunication service in Belarus is in developmental stage and partially modernized.
• A government-owned company called Beltelcom is the sole provider of fixed-line local and long distance service.
• Belarus has 76 radio broadcast stations and 47 television broadcast stations.
• Internet services are readily available.
• Belarus has 67 airports of which 36 have paved runways.
• The railway network spreads over 5,512 km.
• The roadways span over a distance of 94,797 km.
• The waterways are 2,500 km long.
• The main ports and terminals are located in Mazyr.

EDUCATION at BELARUS

• The government sponsors education at all levels.
• Students can make a choice between public or private educational institutions.
• The current structure of the educational system was established by decree in 1994.
• Over 99% of Belarusians are literate.
• Education is compulsory for children upto the age of fifteen.
• After obtaining a certificate in basic education, students are eligible to join the military.
• Students may pursue higher education or train in a vocational school.

BELARUS NEIGHBOUR COUNTRIES

Belarus is surrounded by:

• Russia (south and west)
• Ukraine (north)
• Poland (east)
• Lithuania and Latvia (south)

 BELARUS GEOGRAPHICAL SETTINGS

• Belarus is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe.
• Its geographical coordinates are 53 00 N, 28 00 E.
• The country covers a total area of 207,600 sq km.
• The climate is transitional between continental and maritime with cold winters and cool, moist summers.
• The terrain is mostly flat and has large areas of marshland.
• The highest point is Dzyarzhynskaya Hara standing at 346 m.
• Natural resources include forests, peat deposits, small quantities of oil and granite, natural gas, dolomitic, marl, limestone , chalk, sand, gravel and clay.
• 26.77% of the land is arable.
• The country has 11,000 lakes.
• The flatness of the terrain can be attributed to glacial scouring.

BELARUS FREEDOM

• Belarus gained independence from the Soviet Union on 25 August 1991.

NOTABLE PEOPLE FROM THE COUNTRY in BELARUS

• Irving Berlin (composer)
• Vladimir Dukelsky (composer)
• Naum Gabo ( sculptor)
• Guillaume Apollinaire (Belarusian mother)
• Mendele Mocher Sforim (founder of modern Yiddish and modern Hebrew literature )
• Michael Savage (commentator, author)
• Steve Ballmer (CEO of Microsoft)
• Ralph Lauren (fashion designer)
• Morris Raphael Cohen (Jewish philosopher)
• Pyotr Klimuk (cosmonaut)
• Vladimir Kovalyonok (cosmonaut)
• Andrei Arlovski (Former UFC Heavyweight Champion and MMA fighter)
• Alexey Ignashov ( K1 Superstar) 
• Benjamin Blumenfeld (chess player )
• Boris Gelfand (chess player)
• Mikhail Grabovski( ice hockey player)
• Olga Korbut (gymnast)
• Andrei Kostitsyn, (ice hockey player)
• Sergei Kostitsyn, (ice hockey player)
• Abraham Kupchik, (chess player) 
• Lev Polugaevsky, (chess player)
• Maria Sharapova (tennis player)
• Ilya Smirin,( chess player)

BELARUS COUNTRY FAMOUS FOR

Belarus has four World Heritage Sites:

• The Mir Castle Complex
• The Niasvizh Castle
• The Belovezhskaya Pushcha
• The Struve Geodetic Arc

TOTAL POPULATION of BELARUS

• According to a 2008 census, the total population was estimated to be 9,685,768.
• The annual population growth rate is -0.393% (2008 est.).
• Birth rate: 9.62 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
• Death rate: 13.92 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

PREVIOUS RECORDS MEDALS for BELARUS

• Belarus has been participating in the Summer Olympic Games since 1952.
• Belarus competed for the first time as an independent nation in the Year 1994, Winter Olympics.
• 147 Belarusian athletes have won 182 Olympic medals.
• Belarus’s Olympic record is as follows: