Belarus

For other uses, see Belarus (disambiguation).

Рэспубліка Беларусь Республика Беларусь Republic of Belarus
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: none
Anthem: My Belarusy
Capital and largest city	Minsk
Official languages	Belarusian, Russian
Government	Federal Republic
Independence
• Water (%)	negligible (183 sq. km)¹
Population
• 2005 estimate	10,300,483 (65th)
• 1999 census	10,045,200
GDP (PPP)	2005 estimate
• Total	$70,524 million (65th)
• Per capita	$6,800 (108th)
Currency	rouble² (BYR)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Calling code	375
ISO 3166 code	BY
Internet TLD	.by
1: http://www.cci.by/En/Belarus/Tourism.html 2: Plans to introduce the Russian rouble

The Republic of Belarus is a landlocked nation in Eastern Europe. It shares borders with Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia. Minsk is the nation's capital, and important cities include Brest, Hrodna, Homyel' and Vitebsk.

Through much of its history, Belarus was ruled by Lithuania, Poland, and eventually by Imperial Russia, eventually becoming a part of the Soviet Union in 1922 as the Byelorussian SSR. The country officially declared its independence on 1990-08-27, following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Since 1994, Alexander Lukashenko has been the President of the nation amidst allegations of human rights violations and an autocratic rule. As a consequence, Belarus has been excluded from joining the Council of Europe.

Officially, the country is known as the Republic of Belarus (Belarusian: Рэспубліка Беларусь, Łacinka: Respublika Biełaruś, Russian: Республика Беларусь, Transliteration: Respublika Belarus), while the short name is Belarus (Беларусь, Biełaruś, Беларусь). The earlier name "Byelorussia" (Белоруссия), still in limited use, is sometimes considered derogatory, as it brings memories of the Russification of Belarus. The name of the country roughly translates as "White Russia".

History of the name

The spellings Belorussia and Byelorussia are transliterations of the name of the country in Russian, and are no longer widely used.

Historically, the country was referred to in English as "White Russia" or "White Ruthenia"; the practice continues to this day in other languages. The first known use of "White Russia" to refer to Belarus was in the late 16th Century by European Jerome Horsey to describe the areas of Ivan the Terrible's empire. During the 17th 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 then-banned terms of "Litwa" and "Licwiny."^[1]

Belarus was named "Byelorussia" in the days of Imperial Russia, and the Russian tsar was usually styled "Emperor of All the Russias—Great, Minor, and White". The practice continued throughout the Soviet era, with the country taking the official name of the "Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic". Some Belarussians object to the name "Byelorussia", as an unwelcome reminder of the days under Russian and Soviet rule. In 2002, an informal survey was conducted by the website pravapis.org to see which version of the name was used on a majority of websites. By using Google, the website looked up various terms and it found that "Belarus", the official short form of the name, was used on 93% of websites checked. Different spellings of Byelorussia, such as "Belorussia" and "Bielorussia", came in second and third, respectively. ^[2]

History

Main article: History of Belarus

File:Pol-lith commonwealth map.jpg

Map of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland, which eventually became the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Between the 6th and 8th centuries, what is now known as Belarus was settled by the Slavs, who still dominate the country. The Early East Slavs gradually came in contact with the Varangians and were organized under the state of Rus', mainly in the area around modern-day Polatsk in the northern part of the country. In the 13th century, the state was badly affected by a Mongol invasion, and eventually parts of Rus' and Samogitia were swallowed up by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The core lands of the duchy comprised the Belarusian territories that included the modern-day city of Navahradak as the first capital. During this time, the country was largely at peace. By the 15th century, the Grand Duchy stretched across much of Eastern Europe, from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea.

On February 2, 1386, the recently-crowned King of Poland Grand Duke Yahaila, joined the Grand Duchy with Poland in a personal union under one monarch. This personal union eventually resulted in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, a new state created in 1569. The union was transformed by the May Constitution of 1791, Europe's first modern codified national constitution, which abolished all state subdivisions and merged everything into the Kingdom of Poland. However, by 1795, the state was annexed by Imperial Russia, Prussia and Austria in the course of the Partitions of Poland.

Belarus remained part of Imperial Russia until being occupied by Germany during World War I. Belarus first declared independence on 1918-03-25, forming the Belarus National Republic. The Republic was, however, short-lived, and the regime was overthrown soon after the German withdrawal. In 1919 Belarus became the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR), and merged into the Lithuanian-Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. After the Polish-Soviet War ended in 1921, Byelorussian lands were split between Poland and the BSSR, which became a founding member of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in 1922. In September 1939, the Soviet Union annexed the Polish-held Byelorussian land, as a result of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. In 1941, Nazi Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, invading the Soviet Union. Byelarussia was captured soon afterwards, and remained in Nazi hands until 1945. After the war ended, Byelorussia was among the 51 signatories to the founding of the United Nations, in 1945. The reconstruction that took place in Belarus after the war brought comparative prosperity to the Soviet Republic. During this time frame, Belarus became a major center of manufacturing in the western region of the USSR. Along with the jobs, a huge immigrant population from the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic came into Belarus. ^[3]

Belarus declared independence from the Soviet Union on 1990-07-27, and the BSSR formally became the Republic of Belarus on 1991-08-25. 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 December 8, 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 was led by Alexander Lukashenko, who has been cited by Human Rights Watch for various violations of human rights and is generally regarded as a dictator by Western standards.

Politics

Victory Square, Minsk

Main articles: Politics of Belarus, Foreign relations of Belarus.

Belarus is a republic, governed by a President and a bicameral parliament—the National Assembly—comprising a lower house, the House of Representatives, and an upper house, the Council of the Republic. Each chamber has the power to create laws, appoint government officials and has the ability to veto any law passed by local officials if it is contrary to the Constitution of Belarus. The President—since 1994, Alexander Lukashenko—is the head of state and heads the executive branch of the government, with the assistance of a cabinet of ministers, headed by a prime minister; the members of the cabinet need not be members of the legislature, and are appointed by the President. The judiciary comprises the Supreme Court and various sub-courts, such as the Constitutional Court, which deal with business and Constitutional issues. The judges are appointed by the president and confirmed by the upper house.

In Belarus, while there are political parties that either support or oppose President Lukashenko, the majority of the seats in the National Assembly are filled by those not affiliated with any political parties ("non-partisans"). However, there are three political parties who hold seats in the 110 member National Assembly: 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 October 2004 election. Opposition parties, such as the Belarusian Popular Front and the United Civic Party of Belarus, were not allowed to run for election. Several organizations, including as the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, declared the election un-free due to opposition parties being barred and the bias of the Belarusian media in favor of the government. ^[4]

Because of the election violations, Western media, politicians and political scientists have increasingly labeled Belarus as Europe's last dictatorship due to the authoritarian rule of President Lukashenko. The Council of Europe has barred Belarus from membership since 1997 for undemocratic voting 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". ^[5]

The Belarusian government is also criticized for human rights violations and its actions against NGOs, independent journalists, national minorities and opposition politicians.^[6] During the rule of the current administration in Belarus, there have been several cases of persecution, including the disappearance or death of prominent opposition leaders and independent journalists. Belarus is also one of just two nations in Europe that retains the death penalty for certain crimes.

Subdivisions

Main article: Subdivisions of Belarus

Belarus is divided into six provinces ("voblasts"), each having a city that serves as an administrative center. The city of Minsk, located in the Minsk province, has been given special status as the national capital of Belarus. Each voblast controls a small area and was created during the Soviet era. Each voblast is named after the city where the administrative offices are located at. There are various subdivisions called raions (roughly the equivalent of a district) Raions have the authority to elect a local council, called a raisovet, to run the local affairs. These leaders may also be appointed to the post 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

Main article: Geography of Belarus

Swaps, forests and a lake in Belarus

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 also amongst the largest marshes in Europe. There are 11,000 lakes in Belarus, but the majority of the lakes are smaller than 0.5 km². 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 m, and its lowest point is on the Neman River, 90 m. The climate ranges from harsh winters (average January temperatures are in the range −8 °C to −2 °C) to cool and moist summers (average temperature 15 °C to 20 °C).

Forest covers about 34 percent of the total landscape, making it one of the most dominant natural resources in Belarus. Other natural resources to be found in Belarus include peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas, granite, dolomitic limestone, marl, chalk, sand, gravel, and clay. About one fifth of the territory, mostly in the South-Eastern provinces of Homyel and Mahilyow, continues to be affected by fallout from the 1986 nuclear power plant disaster in Chernobyl, Ukraine. While the amount of radiation has decreased (by one percent) since the disaster, most of the area is considered uninhabitable. ^[7]

Economy

Obverse of the 500 Belarusian rouble (BYB/BYR), the national currency

Main article: Economy of Belarus

Belarus's manufacturing industry produces tractors and trucks; earth movers for use in construction and mining; metal-cutting machine tools; agricultural equipment; motorcycles; chemicals; fertilizer; textiles; and consumer goods. The chief trading partners are Russia, Ukraine, Poland, and Germany. The national GDP is at 70.5 billion USD, with the GDP growing at a rate of 6.4 percent. Over 50 percent of the population works in the service industry, while 34.7 percent work in the industrial sector. There are currently 4.305 million working in Belarus with the unemployment sitting at 2 percent. However, there are many workers in Belarus who are underemployed and roughly 27 percent of the population are either at or below the poverty line.

Lukashenko launched the country on the path of "market socialism" in 1995. In keeping with this policy, he re-imposed administrative controls over prices and currency exchange rates and expanded the state's right to intervene in the management of private enterprise. In addition to the burdens imposed by high inflation rates, businesses have been subject to pressures from both central and local governments, such as arbitrary changes in regulations, numerous rigorous inspections, and retroactive application of new business regulations prohibiting practices that had been legal. A lot of profitable businesses that were privatized during early 90's have now been nationalized or taken over by the Presidential administration: businesses describe the current situation as "creeping nationalization."

Consecutive bad harvests in 1998 and 1999, and persistent trade deficits have strained the economy. Close economic relations with Russia remain extremely important for Belarus economy. An example of this is the formation of the Union of Russia and Belarus between Lukashenko and former Russian president Boris Yeltsin, which was intended to introduce some elements of economic reform, such as a common currency.

Another main issue with the Belarusian economy is the possible introduction of the Russian rouble as the common currency for Belarus and Russia. The idea of a common currency came early in the formation of the Union of Russia and Belarus by both Yeltsin and Lukashenko. The scheduled introduction of the common currency, which was slated to be on January 1 2006, was delayed by the Russian government. The Russians blamed the delay on the Belarusian government's lack of preparation and the Belarusian demand for compensation to their economy. ^[8]

Belarus remains self-isolated from the West and its open-market economies. It has not made a request to join the European Union, but a trade office was set up in Kiev, the Ukrainian capital. The office aims to bridge the nations of Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova on issues such as trade and bilateral relations. Belarus however, does have indirect economic partnerships in Europe through the CIS and the Eurasian Economic Community. Belarus has tried to increase the amount of foreign investments by relaxing the rules on the companies and by offering tax breaks. ^[9] However, the Heritage Foundation has noted that several key factors, such as political instability, government corruption and the lack of privatization have caused investors to avoid Belarus. ^[10]

Demographics

Change in the population of Belarus (1992-2003)

Main article: Demographics of Belarus

The majority of the population of Belarus are native Belarusians, who comprise 81.2 percent of the total population of 10,300,483 people. Russians are the second largest group making up 11.4 percent of the population and the Poles and Ukrainians account for 3.9 and 2.4 percent of the population respectively, the remainder being a mixed group nationalities. Languages commonly spoken in Belarus are Russian and Belarusian, both official languages of Belarus. The population density is about 50 persons per square kilometer and 71.7 percent of the total population lives in urban areas, 24 percent of those live in Minsk.^[11]

Most of the population, 69.5 percent, are between the ages of 14 and 64. Sixteen percent of the population is under 14 years with the rest of the population, 14.6 percent, being ages 65 or older. The median age of the population is 37. The literacy rate in Belarus, which is the number of people aged 15 and older who can read and write, is at 99 percent, with men at 99.8%, and women at 99.3%. The male-to-female ratio in 2005 was estimated to be .88 males to every female. The average life expectancy for Belarusian citizens is 68.72 years; for males it is 63.03 years and for females it is 74.96 years.

Most demographic indicators for Belarus resemble other European countries, notably with both the population growth rate and the natural growth rate in the negative. The population growth is currently at −0.09%Template:Inote in 2005, with a fertility rate of 1.39. The population is also growing older, and by the year 2050, the majority of the population will be over the age of 50.^[12] The migration rate is roughly +2 for every 1 000 people in Belarus.

Eighty percent of the population belong to the Eastern Orthodox Church, while other religions, such as Islam, Catholicism, Protestant Christianity, and Judaism, make up the other 20 percent. Prior to World War II, Jews were the second largest ethnic group in what is today Belarus, and comprised more than 50 percent of the population in cities and towns. By 1989, Jews accounted for only 1.1% of the population, mainly due to the Holocaust WWII and emigration from the Soviet Union to nations such as the United States and Israel. ^[13]

Culture

File:Belarus dress.jpg

Children dressed in traditionalal outfits worn by some Belarusians

Main article: Culture of Belarus

Traditional Belarusian dress originated from the time of Kievian Rus, and continues to be worn today at special functions. Due to the cool climate of Belarus, the clothes were made out fabrics that provide closed covering and warmth. The outfits were designed with either many threads of different colors woven together or are adorned with symbols called ornaments. The Belarusian nobles usually had their fabrics imported and chose the colors of red, blue or green. Males wore a shirt and trousers adorned with a belt and the females wore a longer shirt, a wrap-around skirt called a "paniova", and a headscarf. The outfits also were also influenced by the dress worn by Poles, Lithuanians, Latvians and other European nations and have changed over time due to improvements in the techniques used to make clothing. ^[14]

Belarus has four World Heritage Sites, with two of them being shared between Belarus and its neighboring countries. 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). ^[15]

The typical diet for the Belarusian includes bread, potatoes, cabbage and pork. The Belarusians also tend to eat small portions of food in the morning while they have very hearty meals for lunch and dinner. Some of the most widely served dishes in Belarus include "kotleta po krestyansky", a mix of chopped pork served in a mushroom sauce; a soup by the name of "shtchi" which includes sauerkraut, potatoes and fried onions; and "kalachi", a loaf of bread that has been formed into the shape of a padlock. When guests enter into Belarus from a foreign country, they are usually served rye bread with a pinch of salt on the side and it is presented to them on a traditional cloth, called a "rushnik".

Belarusian theater also began gain popularity in the early 1900s. One of Belarus's most famous plays, Paulinka (written by Yanka Koupala), was performed in Siberia for the Belarussians who were being be sent to the region. ^[16] Documentation of Belarusian folk music stretches back to at least the 15th century. Prior to that, skomorokhs were the major profession for musicians. A neumatic chant, called znamenny, from the word 'znamia', meaning sign or neume, was used until 16th century in Orthodox church music, followed by two hundreds of stylistic innovation that drew on the Renaissance and Protestant Reformation. In the 17th century, Partesnoe penie, part singing, became common for choruses, followed by private theaters established in cities like Minsk and Vitebsk. Popular music groups that came from Belarus include Pesniary, Dreamlin and NRM. Currently, there are 27 professional theater groups touring in Belarus, 70 orchestras, and 15 agencies that focus on promoting concerts.

Aspects of the culture have been lost over time due to the Russification period. While poets like Koupala were trying to revive the Belarusian language and tried to prevent the Russification of Belarus, the Russian language is still being used in official business and in other sections of Belarusian society. Other symbols of culture that faced Russification were the symbols of Belarus in 1991 and the Belarus National Republic, the white-red-white flag (бел-чырвона-белы сцяг) and the Pahonya coat of arms. While the coat of arms is similar to that of Lithuania (Vytis), these were replaced by the current symbols in a 1995 referendum, which may be considered reminiscent of the Soviet-era. President Lukashenko has introduced laws that force radio and television stations to show case a percentage of Belarusian talent daily, but it does not state the performance has to be in the Belarusian or Russian language.

The Belarusian government sponsors many annual cultural festivals: "Slavonic Bazaar in Vitebsk"; "Minsk Spring"; "Slavonic Theatrical Meetings"; International Jazz Festival; National Harvesting Festival; "Arts for Children and Youth"; 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, whether it is in music, art, poetry, dance or theater. 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.^[17]

From the 1952 Helsinki Games until the end of the Soviet era, Belarus competed in the Olympic Games as part of the Soviet Olympic squad. During the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Belarus competed as part of the Unified Team. The nation's athletes competed in an Olympic Games as Belarusians for the first time during the 1994 Lillehammer Games. Belarus has won a total of 52 medals; 6 gold, 17 silver and 29 bronze. The first Olympic medal for the Soviet Union was won by Belarusian Mikhail Krivonosov at the 1956 Summer Games held in Melbourne, Australia.^[18] Belarus's National Olympic Committee has been headed by President Lukashenko since 1997; he is the only head of state in the world to hold this position.^[19]

International rankings

• 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, Mostly Unfree)
• IMD International: World Competitiveness Yearbook 2005, not ranked out of 60 economies (countries and regions)
• Reporters without borders: Third annual worldwide press freedom index (2004), ranked 144th out of 167 countries
• Save the Children: State of the World's Mothers 2005, 15th for mothers, 14th for women and 18th for children out of 110 countries
• The Economist: The World in 2005 - Worldwide quality-of-life index, 2005, ranked 100th out of 111 countries
• Transparency International: Corruption Perceptions Index 2004, ranked 74th out of 146 countries
• United Nations Development Programme: Human Development Index 2004, ranked 62rd out of 177 countries
• World Economic Forum: Global Competitiveness Report 2004-2005 - Growth Competitiveness Index Ranking, not ranked out of 104 countries

References

1. ^ Why White Russia?
2. ^ The 21 Names of Belarus
3. ^ iExplore - Belarus History and Culture
4. ^ OSCE Report on the October 2004 parliamentary elections December 2004
5. ^ Belarus suspended from the Council of Euopre January 17 1997
6. ^ Human Rights Watch
7. ^ BBC News - Belarus cursed by Chernobyl April 26 2005
8. ^ Mosnews - Belarus Once Again Delays Introduction of Russian rouble
9. ^ Pravda.ru - Belarus Intends to Attract USD 1.5 Billion in Foreign Investment in 2003
10. ^ Heritage Foundation's Index of Economic Freedom - Belarus
11. ^ CIA World Factbook (2005)
12. ^ US Census Bureau Populatiom Pyramid - Belarus
13. ^ Country Studies - Belarus by the Library of Congress
14. ^ Belarusian traditional clothing
15. ^ UNESCO list of Belarusian World Heritage Sites
16. ^ http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Lobby/4631/8Days/98-21/theatre.htm
17. ^ Belarusian festivals
18. ^ Belarus Embassy in the United States - Olympic movement in Belarus
19. ^ NOC RB English homepage

External links

• President's official site
• Government of Belarus (ru)
• http://www.belarus-misc.org/
• http://www.belarusguide.com/
• http://www.belarusinside.org/
• http://www.about-belarus.info/
• Indymedia Belarus
• ACI Minsk. Info Guides
• Eating the Belarusian way
• Belarusian festivals