Belarus ( Belarusian : Беларусь , Russian : Беларусь , Transliteration: Byelarus') is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe , bordering Russia to the east, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the north. Its capital is Minsk and other major cities include Brest , Grodno , Gomel , Mogilev and Vitebsk . One third of the country is forested, and industries such as agriculture and manufacturing are staples of the Belarusian economy.

At different points in its history, parts of Belarus have been under the control of several countries, including the Duchy of Polatsk , the Grand Duchy of Lithuania , the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth , and the Russian Empire . Belarus became a Soviet republic in 1922 (see Byelorussian SSR ). The republic declared its sovereignty on 27 July 1990 . Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Belarus officially declared independence on 25 August 1991 . Since 1994, Alexander Lukashenko has been the country's president. Belarus is currently in negotiations with Russia to unify into a single state: the Union of Russia and Belarus .

Belarus is also the only European nation that has been formally barred from joining the Council of Europe because of human rights violations and for conducting elections that do not meet democratic standards.

History of the name

Historically, the country was referred to in English as " White Russia ", although this is not exactly correct. The correct translation is "White Rus' ", which either describes the area of Eastern Europe populated by Slavic people or the various states that occupied the area. Despite this, the practice of using the term White Russia continues as of 2006 in the following languages: "Wei?russland" in German , "Beyaz Rusya" in Turkish or (Levkorosia) in Greek (see wiktionary:Belarus for the full list).

The first known use of the term "White Russia" to refer to Belarus was in the late sixteenth century by Englishman Sir Jerome Horsey . He used the term to describe areas of Ivan the Terrible's empire. During the seventeenth century, the Russian tsars used "White Ruthenia", asserting that they were trying to recapture their heritage from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth . After the Commonwealth broke up, the lands that now make up Belarus were officially referred to as "Belarus'" and "Belarusi", instead of the terms of "Rus'" and "Rusini". The spellings Belorussia and Byelorussia are transliterations of unofficial alternative names of the country in Russian .

Belarus was named "Belorussia" in the days of Imperial Russia , and the Russian tsar was usually styled "Emperor of All the Russias — Great , Little , and White ". This practice continued throughout the Soviet era , with the country taking the official name of the " Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic ". Some Belarusians object to the name "Byelorussia", as an unwelcome reminder of the days under Russian and Soviet rule. Officially, its current Russian name is the Republic of Belarus (Республика Беларусь, Respublika Byelarus').

In 2002, an informal survey was conducted by the Web site pravapis.org to see which version of the name was used on a majority of Web sites. By using Google, Pravapis.org looked up various terms and it found that "Belarus", the official short form of the name, was used on 93% of Web sites checked. Other spellings used included "Belorussia", "Bielorussia" and "Byelorussia," which were used in 1%–2% of cases.

History

Main article: History of Belarus

Between the sixth and the twelfth centuries, what is now known as Belarus was settled by the Slavs , who still dominate the country. The Early East Slavs gradually came into contact with the Varangians and were organized by them under the state of Kievan Rus' .

In the thirteenth century, several of the separate Ruthenian principalities were badly affected by a Mongol invasion. Later, parts of Rus were swallowed up by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania . The core lands of the duchy were Samogitia and the territories around Kernave , Alytus , Utena , Daugavpils , Ashmyany , Lida , and Vilnius . During this time, the Belarusian territories were largely at peace, but the Lithuanian duchy was often at war and had famous victories against the Mongols , the Turks , and the Teutonic Knights . By the fifteenth century, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania stretched across much of Eastern Europe , spanning from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea .

On February 2 , 1386 , Grand Duke of Lithuania Jogaila was crowned King of Poland , and allied the Grand Duchy with Kingdom of Poland in a personal union under one monarch. This personal union eventually resulted in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth , a federation created in 1569 . By 1795 , the commonwealth was partitioned and annexed by Imperial Russia , Prussia , and Austria . Belarusian territories remained part of the Russian Empire until they were occupied by Germany during World War I .

Belarus first declared independence on 25 March 1918 , forming the Belarusian People's Republic . The Republic, however, was short-lived, and the regime was overthrown soon after the German withdrawal. In 1919 , Belarus became the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR). After Russian occupation of eastern and northern Lithuania, it was merged into the Lithuanian-Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic . After the Polish-Soviet War ended in 1921 , Byelorussian lands were split between Poland and the Bolsheviks , and the recreated Byelorussian SSR became a founding member of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in 1922 .

In September 1939 , as a result of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact , the Soviet Union invaded Poland and annexed its eastern lands , including majority of Polish-held Byelorussian land. In 1941 , Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union . Byelorussia was occupied soon after and remained in Nazi hands until 1944 . Over one million buildings were destroyed and the human lossses totaled over two million Belarusians. The Jewish population of Byelorussia was devastated during The Holocaust . The population of Belarus did not regain its pre-war level until 1971. The Jewish population, however, never recovered.

After the war ended, Byelorussia was among the 51 signatories to the founding of the United Nations in 1945. The post-war reconstruction brought comparative prosperity to the Soviet Republic. During this time, Belarus became a major center of manufacturing in the western region of the USSR. The increase in jobs brought in a huge immigrant population from the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic .

Under Joseph Stalin , a policy of Russification was started to "protect" Byelorussian SSR from influences by the West. This policy involved sending Russians from various parts of the Soviet Union and placing them in key positions in the Belorussian SSR government. The official use of the Belarusian language and other cultural aspects were limited by Moscow . After Stalin died in 1953 , his successor, Nikita Khrushchev , continued the Russification program, stating, "The sooner we all start speaking Russian , the faster we shall build communism ."When Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev began pushing through his Perestroika plan, the Belarusian people delivered a petition to him in December 1986 explaining the loss of their culture. This event has been coined by historians as the "cultural Chernobyl". (Earlier that year, Belarus was exposed to nuclear fallout from the explosion at the Chernobyl power plant in neighboring Ukrainian SSR .) In June of 1988 , mass graves were discovered at the city of Kurapaty . The graves allegedly contained about 250,000 of Stalin's victims. Some contend that this discovery was proof that the Soviet government was trying to erase the Belarusian people, and caused some to seek independence.

Belarus declared itself sovereign on 27 July 1990 , and the BSSR formally became the Republic of Belarus on 25 August 1991 , attaining full independence. Around that time, Stanislav Shushkevich became Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of Belarus, the top leadership position in Belarus. Shushkevich, along with Boris Yeltsin of Russia and Leonid Kravchuk of Ukraine , met 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 . Since 1994, the country has been led by Alexander Lukashenko , who has been criticized by Western governments, Human Rights Watch , and other Western NGOs for his Soviet-style domestic policies.

There appears to be a movement in Belarus towards reuniting with Russia . In November 2005, a draft constitution was sent to both Vladimir Putin and Lukashenko for approval. This move, along with others, is part of the 1996 plan created by Lukashenko and former Russian President Boris Yeltsin to create a union between the two nations .

Politics

Belarus is a republic , governed by a President and a bicameral parliament —the National Assembly . The assembly is comprised of a lower house, the 110 member House of Representatives , and an upper house, the 64 member Council of the Republic . The House of Representatives has the power to appoint the Prime Minister of Belarus, make constitutional amendments, call for a vote of confidence on the prime minister, and make suggestions on the foreign and domestic policy of Belarus. The Council of the Republic has the power to select various government officials, conduct an impeachment trial of the president, and the ability to 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 of Belarus .

The Belarusian President since 1994 has been Alexander Lukashenko . The government is a Council of Ministers, headed by a prime minister . The members of the Council of Ministers need not be members of the legislature, and are appointed by the President. The judiciary is comprised of the Supreme Court and various specialized courts, such as the Constitutional Court , which deals with specific issues related to the constitution or business law. The judges of the Constitutional Court are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Council of the Republic.

In Belarus, while there are political parties that either support or oppose President Lukashenko, the majority of the seats in the House of Representatives are filled by those not affiliated with any political parties ("non-partisans"). However, in constitutional as well as political terms, the House is of marginal importance. At the 2000 election, it took four rounds of voting before all the seats were filled; in the end, 86% of the elected deputies were independents, and the remainder were the representatives of parties traditionally loyal to the president (OSCE, 2000). Three political parties currently have seats in the House of Representatives: the Communist Party of Belarus (8 seats), the Agrarian Party of Belarus (3 seats), and the Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus (1 seat). The other two parties that pledged their support to Lukashenko, the Belarusian Socialist Sporting Party and the Republican Party of Labour and Justice , did not secure any seats in the October 2004 election. Opposition parties, such as the Belarusian People's Front (BPF) and the United Civil Party of Belarus (UCPB) also did not gain any seats. The UCPB and the BPF are two of the parties that comprise the People's Coalition 5 Plus , a group of political parties who oppose Lukashenko. Several organizations, including the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) , declared the election "un-free" due to opposition parties' negative results and the bias of the Belarusian media in favor of the government.

Lukashenko was quoted as saying that he has an "authoritarian ruling style" that he uses to run the country. 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. According to the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, Belarus's constitution is "illegal and does not respect minimum democratic standards and thus violates the principles of separation of powers and the rule of law". The Belarusian government is also criticized for human rights violations and its actions against non-governmental organizations , independent journalists, national minorities, and opposition politicians. During the rule of the current administration in Belarus, there have been several cases of persecution, including the disappearances or deaths of prominent opposition leaders and independent journalists. Belarus is the only nation in Europe that retains the death penalty for certain crimes during times of peace and war. In testimony to the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations , Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice labeled Belarus, among six nations, as part of the US's list of outposts of tyranny . The Belarusian Foreign Ministry announced that the statements from Secretary Rice "are a poor basis" to form a good Belarusian-American alliance.

Administrative divisions

Belarus is divided into six provinces (" voblasts "), named after the cities that serve as their administrative centers. The city of Minsk , located in the Minsk province, has the special status of being a national subordinate, as it isn't included in any voblast. Subdivision into voblasts was inherited from the Soviet era. Voblasts are further subdivided into raions (commonly translated as " districts " or "regions"). Local legislative authorities ( raisovet , "raion council") are elected by the raion's residents. Local executive authorities ( raion administration ) are appointed by higher executive authorities. In the same way, each voblast has its own legislative authority ( oblsovet ), elected by residents, and an executive authority ( voblast administration ), whose leader is appointed by the President.

(Administrative centers are given in parentheses)

1. Minsk (capital)
2. Brest Province ( Brest )
3. Homyel Province ( Homyel' )
4. Hrodna Province ( Hrodna )
5. Mahilyow Province ( Mahilyow )
6. Minsk Province ( Minsk )
7. Vitsebsk Province ( Vitsebsk )

Geography

Belarus is landlocked , relatively flat, and contains large tracts of marshy land. Lakes and rivers punctuate the country. The largest marsh territory is Polesie , which is among the largest marshes in Europe. There are 11,000 lakes in Belarus, but the majority of the lakes are smaller than 0.5 square kilometres (124 acres ). Three major rivers run through the country; the Neman River , the Pripyat River , and the Dnepr River . Belarus' highest point is Dzyarzhynskaya Hara (Dzyarzhynsk Hill), 345 metres (1,132 ft ), and its lowest point is on the Neman River, 90 metres (295 ft).

Belarus is home, along with Poland, to the Belaveskaya Pushcha (Белавеская пушча) or, by its Polish name, Bialowieza Forest , the only remaining, virgin part of the immense forest that once spread across the European Plain .

The climate ranges from harsh winters (average January temperatures are in the range ?8 ° C (18 ° F ) to ?2 °C (28 °F)) to cool and moist summers (average temperature 15 °C (59°F) to 20 °C(68°F)). On average, 15 to 30 centimeters of snow falls in the country, mostly in the northeast. Belarus experiences an average rainfall of 600 to 700 millimeters with over 70 percent of the rain falling during the warmer periods of the year. Due to the weather patterns, natural disasters such as droughts and floods occasionally occur in Belarus. Between the period of 1881 until 2005, the average temperature of Belarus rose 1 degree Celsius, with temperatures rising significantly during the winter and spring months. It has been projected that Belarus will face a 3 to 4 degree rise in average temperatures when the twenty-first century ends.

Forest covers about 34 percent of the total landscape, making forestry products one of the most abundant natural resources in Belarus. Other natural resources found in Belarus include peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas, granite , dolomite ( limestone ), marl , chalk , sand , gravel , and clay .

About one-fifth of the territory, mostly in the southeastern provinces of Homyel and Mahilyow , continue to be affected by fallout from the 1986 nuclear power plant disaster in Chernobyl , Ukraine . While the amount of radiation has decreased since the disaster, most of the area is considered uninhabitable. Approximately 70 percent of the total radiation emitted from the Chernobyl plant entered into Belarusian territory.

Belarus is bordered by the following nations: Latvia (north), Lithuania (northwest), Poland (west), Russia (north and east) and Ukraine (south). Since its departure from the Soviet Union, Belarus signed a treaty with Latvia and Lithuania to demarcate the boundaries between the three countries. Ukraine signed a similar agreement with Belarus, though ratification on the Belarusian side is pending. As of 2006, Belarus and Lithuania began to demarcate their border using water buoys.

Culture

Traditional Belarusian dress originates from the time of Kievan Rus ' and over time, has been influenced by the cultures of its neighbors: Poles, Lithuanians, Latvians, Russians, and other European nations. Aside from its predominantly Ruthenian roots, Belarusian cuisine is very close to Lithuanian. It is sometimes considered somewhat less rich and impressive than the cuisine of its imposing neighbors. However, this may result from the general lack of national identity, which still holds back the development of the nation. Coupled with the Russification projects of the Soviet government, it has also led to the loss of many culinary traditions over the last 100 years.

Certain aspects of the Belarusian culture have been lost because of the Russification period. President Lukashenko has introduced laws that force radio and television stations to showcase a percentage of Belarusian talent daily, but it does not specify whether the performance has to be in the Belarusian or Russian language. The radio and television stations are state-owned, mostly controlled by the National State Teleradiocompany (TVR).

Musically, Belarus has a mixture of artists and styles, based on the language they use in their music. On the radio, Belarusian artists can be heard alongside Russian artists. Belarusian TV shows concerts, usually state run, featuring standard performers and military bands from Belarus. Famous rock bands from the country include NRM, Neurodubel, Ulis, Nowaje Nieba, and Krama. Several Belarusian acts perform in Poland and Lithuania, where the population of Belarusian speakers are very high. Poland is also the host of the Belarusian alternative music festival Basowiszcza . Since 2004, Belarus has been sending artists to the Eurovision Song Contest .

The Belarusian government sponsors many annual cultural festivals: " Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk ", "Minsk Spring", "Slavonic Theatrical Meetings", International Jazz Festival, National Harvesting Festival, "Arts for Children and Youth", the Competition of Youth Variety Show Arts, "Muses of Niesvizh", "Mir Castle", and the National Festival of the Belarusian Song and Poetry. These events showcase talented Belarusian performers, artists, writers, musicians, or actors. At these festivals, various prizes named after Soviet and Belarusian heroes are awarded for excellence in music or art.

Several state holidays, like Independence Day or Victory Day draw big crowds and include various displays such as fireworks and military parades. Most of the festivals take place in Vitebsk or Minsk.

Belarus has four World Heritage Sites , two of them shared between Belarus and its neighbors. The four are: the Mir Castle Complex ; the Niasvizh Castle ; the Belovezhskaya Pushcha (shared with Poland ); and the Struve Geodetic Arc (shared with Estonia , Finland , Latvia , Lithuania , Norway , Moldova , Russia , Sweden and Ukraine ).

International rankings

Every year, several non-governmental groups and international organizations release ratings that compare various nations to each other on issues of government corruption, freedom in the press, economic activity and women's rights. This is a sampling of the various groups with their report, along with the results of how Belarus is ranked.

• Save the Children : State of the World's Mothers 2006 , sixteenth for mothers, fourteenth for women, and twentieth for children out of 167 countries
• A.T. Kearney / Foreign Policy Magazine : Globalization Index 2005 , not ranked out of 62 countries
• Heritage Foundation / The Wall Street Journal : 2005 Index of Economic Freedom , ranked 143rd out of 155 countries (with a score of 3.99, Repressed)
• IMD International : World Competitiveness Yearbook 2005 , not ranked out of 60 economies (countries and regions)
• The Economist : The World in 2005 - Worldwide quality-of-life index, 2005 , ranked 100th out of 111 countries
• Reporters without borders : Fifth annual worldwide press freedom index (2006) , ranked 151th of 168 countries
• Transparency International : Corruption Perceptions Index 2004 , ranked 74th of 146 countries
• World Economic Forum : Global Competitiveness Report 2004-2005 - Growth Competitiveness Index Ranking , not ranked out of 104 countries