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For other uses, see Belarus (disambiguation).
Рэспубліка Беларусь
Республика Беларусь
Republic of Belarus
Anthem: Мы, беларусы  (Belarusian)
My, Belarusy  (transliteration)
We Belarusians
Location of Belarus (orange) in Europe (white)  –  [Legend]
Location of Belarus (orange)

in Europe (white)  –  [Legend]

Capital
and largest city
Minsk
Official languagesBelarusian, Russian
Demonym(s)Belarusian, Belarussian
GovernmentPresidential republic
• President
Alexander Lukashenko
Sergey Sidorsky
Independence 
from the Soviet Union
• Declared
July 27 1990
• Established
August 25 1991
• Completed
December 25 1991
Area
• Total
207,600 km2 (80,200 sq mi) (85th)
• Water (%)
negligible (183 km²)1
Population
• 2007 estimate
9,724,723 (86th)
• 1999 census
10,045,237
• Density
49/km2 (126.9/sq mi) (142nd)
GDP (PPP)2005 estimate
• Total
$79.13 billion (64th)
• Per capita
$7,700 (78th)
GDP (nominal)2006 estimate
• Total
$36.94 billion (69th)
• Per capita
$3,808 (82nd)
Gini (2002)29.7
low
HDI (2004)Increase 0.794
Error: Invalid HDI value (67th)
Currencyrouble (BYR)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)
UTC+3 (EEST)
Calling code375
ISO 3166 codeBY
Internet TLD.by
  1. "Tourism". Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Retrieved 2006-03-26.

Belarus (/ˈbɛləruːs/) (Belarusian and Russian: Беларусь, transliteration: Byelarus’) listenⓘ is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe that borders Russia to the east, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the north. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno, Gomel, Mogilev, Vitebsk and Bobruisk. A third of the country is forested, and agriculture and manufacturing are the strongest economic sectors of Belarus.

Until the 20th century, the Belarusian nation lacked the opportunity to form their national policy, as the lands of modern-day Belarus belonged to several countries, including the Duchy of Polatsk, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the Russian Empire. After the failure of a short-lived Belarusian People's Republic (1918–19), Belarus became a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Byelorussian SSR.

The final unification of the Belarusian lands in its modern borders took place in 1939, when the ethnically Belarusian lands that were a part of interwar Poland were annexed by the USSR and attached to the Soviet Belarus. The territory and its nation were devastated in World War II as Belarus lost about a quarter of its population and more than half of its economic resources,[1] but the republic recovered in the post-war years and became one of the founding members of the United Nations. The parliament of the republic declared the sovereignty of Belarus on July 27, 1990 and following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Belarus declared independence on August 25 1991. Alexander Lukashenko has been the country's president since 1994. During his presidency, Lukashenko has implemented Soviet-era policies, such as state ownership of the economy, despite objections from Western governments. Belarus is negotiating with Russia to unify into a single state called the Union of Russia and Belarus.

Most of Belarus's population of 9.85 million reside in the urban areas surrounding Minsk and other oblast (regional) capitals.[2] More than 80% of the population are native Belarusians, with sizable minorities of Russians, Ukrainians and Poles. Since a referendum in 1995, there have been two official languages: Belarusian and Russian. The Constitution of Belarus does not declare an official religion, though the primary religion in the country is Russian Orthodox.

Etymology

The name Belarus derives from the term White Russia, which first appeared in German and Latin medieval literature. The Latin term for the area was Russia Alba. Historically, the country was referred to in English as White Russia, although this is a slight mistranslation. The correct translation is "White Ruthenia" ('White Rus' phonetically), which either describes the area of Eastern Europe populated by Slavic people or the various states that occupied the area.[3] Nonetheless, usage of White Russia continues in many languages, e.g. "Weißrussland" in German, "Beyaz Rusya" in Turkish, "Λευκορωσία" (Leukorosía) in Greek, and "Fehéroroszország" in Hungarian (see here for the full list).

The first known use of White Russia to refer to Belarus was in the late sixteenth century by Englishman Sir Jerome Horsey.[4] During the seventeenth century, Russian tsars used White Rus', asserting that they were trying to recapture their heritage from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.[4]

Belarus was named Belorussia (Russian: Белоруссия) in the days of Imperial Russia, and the Russian tsar was usually styled Czar of All the Russias — Great, Little, and White. Belorussia was the only Russian language name of the country (its names in other languages such as English being based on the Russian form) until 1991, when the Supreme Soviet of the Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic decreed by law that the new independent republic should be called Belarus (Беларусь) in Russian and in all other language transcriptions of its name. The change was made to reflect adequately the Belarusian language form of the name.[5] Accordingly, the name Belorussia was replaced by Belarus in English, and, to some extent, in Russian (although the traditional name still persists in that language as well); likewise, the adjective Belorussian or Byelorussian was replaced by Belarusian in English (though Russian has not developed a new adjective). Some Belarusians object to the name Belorussia, as an unwelcome reminder of the days under Russian and Soviet rule.[6] Officially, the full name of the country is the Republic of Belarus (Рэспубліка Беларусь, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Byelarus'). listenⓘ[7]

History

Main article: History of Belarus
File:Mir Castle Radziwills.jpg
The Mir Castle near Minsk, built in the 15th century
Map of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, 1619

The area of modern-day Belarus was first settled by early East Slavs in the 6th century. They gradually came into contact with the Varangians, a band of warriors consisting of Scandinavians and Slavs from the Baltics.[8] Though defeated and briefly exiled by the local population, the Varangians were later asked to return [8] and helped to form a polity—commonly referred to as the Kievan Rus'—in exchange for tribute. The start of the Kievan Rus' state began approximately in 862 at the present-day city of Novgorod.[9]

Upon the death of Kievan Rus' ruler Prince Yaroslav the Wise, the state broke apart into independent principalities.[10] These Ruthenian principalities were badly affected by a Mongol invasion in the 13th century and many were later incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.[11] Of all the principalities held by the Duchy, nine were settled by ancestors of the Belarusian people.[12] During this time, the Duchy was involved with battles between different forces. One of the major battles was at the side of Poland against the Teutonic Knights at the Battle of Grunwald in 1410. The joint victory allowed the Duchy to control the northwestern border lands of Eastern Europe.[13]

On February 2, 1386, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland were joined in a personal union through a marriage of their rulers.[14] This union set in motion the developments that eventually resulted in the formation of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, created in 1569. The Russians, led by Tsar Ivan the III, began military conquests in 1486 in an attempt to gain the Kievan Rus' lands, specifically Belarus and Ukraine.[15] The union between Poland and Lithuania ended in 1795, with the commonwealth partitioned between Imperial Russia, Prussia, and Austria, dividing Belarus.[16] Belarusian territories were acquired by the Russian Empire during the reign of Catherine II[17] and held until their occupation by Germany during World War I.[18]

Map of the Russian Empire, 1762–1801

During the negotiations of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, Belarus first declared independence on 25 March 1918, forming the Belarusian People's Republic. The Germans supported the BPR, which lasted for about 10 months.[19] Soon after the Germans were defeated, the BPR fell under the influence of Russia and became the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1919.[19] After Russian occupation of eastern and northern Lithuania, it was merged into the Lithuanian-Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. Byelorussian lands were then split between Poland and the Soviets after the Polish-Soviet War ended in 1921, and the recreated Byelorussian SSR became a founding member of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in 1922.[19]

In September 1939, as a result of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, the Soviet Union invaded Poland and annexed its eastern lands, including most of Polish-held Byelorussian land.[20] Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941. Byelorussia was the hardest hit Soviet Republic in the war, and 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 over one million buildings, while causing human losses estimated between two and three million (approximately a quarter to one-third of the total population).[1] These huge losses were due to Byelorussia's direct path between Berlin and Moscow and to purges ordered by Stalin that caused 300,000 Belarusians to either disappear or perish.[20] The Jewish population of Byelorussia was devastated during The Holocaust and never recovered after the war.[21] The population of Belarus did not regain its pre-war level until 1971.[21] After the war ended, Byelorussia was among the fifty-one founding signatories of the United Nations Charter in 1945 and began rebuilding the Soviet Republic. During this time, the Byelorussian SSR became a major center of manufacturing in the western region of the USSR, increasing jobs and bringing an influx of ethnic Russians into the republic.[22] The borders of Byelorussian SSR and Poland were redrawn to a point known as the Curzon Line.[20]

File:Belorussian SSR 1940.jpg
Map of the Byelorussian SSR, 1940

Joseph Stalin implemented a policy of Sovietization to isolate the Byelorussian SSR from Western influences.[21] This policy involved sending Russians from various parts of the Soviet Union and placing them in key positions in the Byelorussian SSR government. The official use of the Belarusian language and other cultural aspects were limited by Moscow. After Stalin died in 1953, successor Nikita Khrushchev continued this program, stating, "The sooner we all start speaking Russian, the faster we shall build communism."[21] When Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev began pushing through his reform plan, the Belarusian people delivered a petition to him in December 1986 explaining the loss of their culture. Earlier that year, Byelorussian SSR was exposed to nuclear fallout from the explosion at the Chernobyl power plant in neighboring Ukrainian SSR.[23] In June 1988, archaeologist Zianon Pazniak, the leader of Christian Conservative Party of the BPF, discovered mass graves at the city of Kurapaty which contained about 250,000 bodies executed in 1941.[23] Some nationalists contend that this discovery was proof that the Soviet government was trying to erase the Belarusian people, causing Belarusian nationalists to seek independence.[24] However, this remains disputed, as it may be the evidence of nazi implementation of Operation Barbarossa.

A banner displayed by Belarusian students near Warsaw University showing support for Belarusian independence.

Two years later, in March 1990, elections for seats in the Supreme Soviet of the Byelorussian SSR took place. While the pro-independence Belarusian Popular Front took only 10 percent of the seats, the populace was content with the selection of the delegates.[25] Belarus declared itself sovereign on July 27, 1990 by the issuance of the Declaration of State Sovereignty of the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic. With the support of the Communist Party, the country's name was changed to the Republic of Belarus on August 25, 1991.[25] Stanislav Shushkevich, the Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of Belarus, met with Boris Yeltsin of Russia and Leonid Kravchuk of Ukraine 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.[25] A national constitution was adopted in March 1994, in which the office of prime minister was replaced by that of president. Elections for the presidency resulted in the politically unknown Alexander Lukashenko winning over 80% of the vote.[25] Lukashenko remains in office, having been reelected in 2001 and in 2006.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Belarus
Victory Square, Minsk

Belarus is a presidential republic, governed by a President and the National Assembly. 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). 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 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.[26] Since 1994, Alexander Lukashenko has been the president of Belarus. 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 comprises the Supreme Court and various 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 extra-judicial courts.[26]

File:Belarus-Minsk-House of Government and Vladimir Lenin Monument (perspective corrected).jpg
House of Government in Minsk, with a statue to Vladimir Lenin in the foreground

As of 2007, 98 of the 110 members the House of Representatives are not affiliated with any political party. Of the remaining twelve members, eight belong to the Communist Party of Belarus, three to the Agrarian Party of Belarus, and one to the Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus. Neither the pro-Lukashenko parties, such as the Belarusian Socialist Sporting Party and the Republican Party of Labor 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 election. Several organizations, including the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), declared the election "un-free" due to opposition parties' poor results and media bias in favor of the government.[27] In the country's 2006 presidential election, Lukashenko was opposed by Alexander Milinkevich, a candidate representing 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, but the OSCE and other organizations called the election unfair.[28]

Lukashenko has described himself as having an "authoritarian ruling style".[29] 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.[30] The Belarusian government is also criticized for human rights violations and its actions against non-governmental organizations, independent journalists, national minorities, and opposition politicians.[31][32] Belarus is the only nation in Europe that retains the death penalty for certain crimes during times of peace and war.[33] 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 "outposts of tyranny".[34] In response, the Belarusian government called the assessment "quite far from reality". [35]

Foreign relations and military

Main articles: Foreign relations of Belarus and Armed Forces of Belarus
File:Lukashenko NAM meeting.jpg
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko in Cuba, 2006

Belarus and Russia have been close financial and diplomatic allies since the fall of the Soviet Union. Belarus is dependent on Russia for imports of raw materials and for its export market.[36] The Union of Russia and Belarus, a supranational confederation, was established in a 1996-1999 series of treaties that called for monetary union, equal rights, single citizenship, and a common foreign and defense policy.[36] However, the future of the Union is in doubt because of Belarus's repeated delays of monetary union, the lack of a referendum date for the draft constitution, and a 2006-2007 dispute about petroleum trade.[36]

The ties between Belarus and the Commonwealth of Independent States have recently been strained due to other members questioning the effectiveness of the organization.[37] Belarus has trade agreements with several European Union member states (despite other member states' travel ban on Lukashenko and top officials[38]), as well as with its neighbors Lithuania, Poland and Latvia.[39]

Bilateral relations with the United States continued without problems until 1997,[40] when the United States State Department began to issue grants to pro-democracy NGOs and the Belarus Government made it harder for US-based organizations to carry out their duties.[40] The 2004 U.S. Belarus Democracy Act continued this trend, authorizing funding for pro-democracy Belarusian NGOs and forbidding loans to the Belarusian government except for humanitarian purposes.[41] Despite this, the two nations cooperate on human trafficking, technology crime, intellectual property protection and the prevention of natural and manmade disasters.[42]

Belarus has been increasing cooperation with Middle Eastern and Asian countries. China and Belarus have been building ties, strengthened by the visit of President Lukashenko to China in October 2005.[43] In the Middle East, Belarus has strong ties with Syria,[44] which President Lukashenko considers a key partner in the Middle East.[45] Other than the CIS, Belarus has membership in the regional organizations Eurasian Economic Community and the Collective Security Treaty Organization.[39] Belarus has been a member of the international Non-Aligned Movement since 1998[46] and a member of the United Nations since its founding in 1945.[47]

The Armed Forces of Belarus has three branches: the army, air force and Ministry of Defense joint staff. The official head of the Ministry of Defense is Colonel-General Leonid Maltsev[48] with the President of Belarus serving as the Commander-in-Chief.[49] The Armed Forces was officially formed in 1992 using parts of the former Soviet Armed Forces which were 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 its number of soldiers by 30,000 and restructured its leadership and military formations.[50] Most of Belarus's servicemembers are conscripts serving for a period 12 months (with higher education) or 18 months (without).[51] However, demographic decreases in the Belarusians of conscription age have increased the importance of contract soldiers, who numbered 12,000 as of 2001.[52] In a 2005 estimate, 1.4% of the gross domestic product of Belarus went to military expenditures.[53] Belarus has not expressed a desire to join NATO, but has participated in the Individual Partnership Program since 1997.[54]

Provinces and districts

Main article: Administrative divisions of Belarus
Provinces of Belarus

Belarus is divided into six voblasts, or provinces, which are named after the cities that serve as their administrative centers.[55] Each voblast has a provincial legislative authority, called an oblsovet, which is elected by the voblast's residents, and a provincial executive authority called a voblast administration, whose leader is appointed by the President.[56] Voblasts are further subdivided into raions (commonly translated as "districts" or "regions").[55] As with voblasts, each raion has its own legislative authority (raisovet, or raion council) elected by its residents, and an executive authority (raion administration) appointed by higher executive powers.

Voblasts (with administrative centers):

  1. Brest Voblast (Brest)
  2. Homiel Voblast (Homyel)
  3. Hrodna Voblast (Hrodna)
  4. Mahilyow Voblast (Mahilyow)
  5. Minsk Voblast (Minsk)
  6. Vitsebsk Voblast (Vitsebsk)

Special administrative districts:

  1. Minsk

Geography

Main article: Geography of Belarus
Vaskowskae reservoir

Belarus is landlocked, relatively flat, and contains large tracts of marshy land.[57] Lakes and rivers punctuate the country; 11,000 lakes are found in Belarus.[57] Three major rivers run through the country: the Neman River, the Pripyat River, and the Dnepr River. Belarus's highest point is Dzyarzhynskaya Hara (Dzyarzhynsk Hill) at 345 meters (1,132 ft), and its lowest point is on the Neman River at 90 meters (295 ft).[57]

The climate ranges from harsh winters (average January temperatures are in the range −8 to −2 °C (18 to 28 °F) to cool and moist summers (average temperature 15 to 20 °C (59 to 68 °F). On average, 15 to 30 centimeters (6 to 12 inches) of snow falls in the country, mostly in the northeast. Belarus experiences an average rainfall of 600 to 700 millimeters (23.6 to 27.5 inches) with over 70% of the rain falling during the warmer periods of the year.[58] Due to the weather patterns, natural disasters such as droughts and floods occasionally occur in Belarus. Between the period from 1881 until 2005, the average temperature of Belarus rose 1 degree Celsius (34 °F), with temperatures rising significantly during the winter and spring months. It has been projected that Belarus will face a 3 to 4 degree Celsius (34.5 to 39 °F) rise in average temperatures by the end of the twenty-first century.[59]

Horses grazing in Minsk Province

Belarus's natural resources include peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas, granite, dolomite (limestone), marl, chalk, sand, gravel, and clay.[57] Approximately 70% of the radiation from neighboring Ukraine's 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster entered Belarusian territory, and as of 2005 approximately a fifth of Belarusian land (principally farmland and forests in the southeastern provinces) continues to be affected by radiation fallout.[60] 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 decrease soil levels of caesium-137.[61][62]

Belarus borders Latvia on the north, Lithuania on the northwest, Poland on the west, Russia on the north and east and Ukraine on the south. Treaties in 1995 and 1996 demarcated Belarus's borders with Latvia and Lithuania, but Belarus failed to ratify a 1997 treaty establishing the Belarus-Ukraine border.[63] Belarus and Lithuania ratified final border demarcation documents in February 2007.[64][65]

Economy

Main article: Economy of Belarus
A Belarusian-made tractor being used to farm

The majority of the Belarusian economy remains state-controlled, as in Soviet times.[36] 51.2% of Belarusians are employed by state-controlled companies, 47.4% are employed by private Belarusian companies (of which 5.7% are partially foreign-owned), and 1.4% are employed by foreign companies.[66] The country relies on imports from Russia,[67] such as oil.[68] Important agricultural products include potatoes and cattle byproducts, such as meat.[69] As of 1994, the biggest exports of Belarus were heavy machinery, agricultural products, and energy products.[70]

Belarusian GDP growth since 1995 and estimate for 2007

Historically important branches of industry include textiles and wood processing.[71] As of the 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union, Belarus was one of the world's most industrially developed states (by percent of total GDP) as well as the richest CIS state.[72] Economically, Belarus involved itself in the CIS, Eurasian Economic Community, and Union with Russia. During the 1990s, however, industrial production plunged due to decreases in imported inputs, in investment, and in demand for exports from traditional trading partners.[73] It took until 1996 for the Gross domestic product (GDP) to rise;[74] this coincided with the government putting more emphasis on using the GDP for social welfare and state subsidies.[74] The GDP for 2006 was US$83.1 billion in PPP dollars (estimate), or about $8,100 per capita.[69] In 2005, the gross domestic product increased by about 9.9%, with the inflation rate averaging about 9.5%.[69]

Belarus's largest trading partner is Russia, accounting for nearly half of total trade in 2006.[75] As of 2006, the European Union was Belarus's next largest trade partner, with whom nearly a third of trade was conducted.[76][75] Due to its failure to protect labor rights, however, Belarus lost its E.U. Generalised System of Preferences status on June 21, 2007, which raised tariff rates to their prior most-favored nation levels.[76] Belarus has applied to become a member of the World Trade Organization since 1993.[77]

The labor force consists of over four million people, with women holding slightly more jobs than men.[78] In 2005, nearly a quarter of the population were employed in industrial factories.[78] Employment is also high in agriculture, manufacturing sales, trading goods, and education. The unemployment rate, according to Belarusian government statistics, was about 1.5% in 2005.[78] The number of unemployed persons totaled 679,000, with approximately two-thirds being women.[78] The rate of unemployment has been decreasing since 2003, and the overall rate has been lower since statistics were first taken in 1995.[78]

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

The currency of Belarus is the Belarusian ruble (BYR). The currency was introduced in May 1992, replacing the Soviet ruble. The ruble was reintroduced with new values in 2000 and has been in use ever since.[79] As part of the Union of Russia and Belarus, there has been discussion between both states to use a single currency along the same lines as the Euro. This has led to the proposal that the Belarusian ruble be discontinued in favor of the Russian ruble (RUB), starting as early as 1 January 2008. At last reports in August of 2007, the National Bank of Belarus will decide not to peg the Belarusian ruble to the Russian ruble.[80] The banking system of Belarus is composed of thirty state owned banks and one privatized bank.[81]

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Belarus

Ethnic Belarusians constitute 81.2% of Belarus's total population.[82] The next largest ethnic groups are Russians (11.4%), Poles (3.9%), and Ukrainians (2.4%).[82] Belarus's two official languages are Belarusian and Russian,[83] spoken at home by 36.7% and 62.8% of Belarusians, respectively.[84] Minorities also speak Polish, Ukrainian and Eastern Yiddish.[85]

Belarus has a population density of about 50 people per square kilometre (127/sq mi); 71.7% of its total population is concentrated in urban areas.[82] Minsk, the nation's capital and largest city, is home to 1,741,400 of Belarus's 9,724,700 residents.[82] Homel, with 481,000 people, is the second largest city and serves as the capital of the Homel Oblast. Other large cities are Mogilev (365,100), Vitebsk (342,400), Hrodna (314,800) and Brest (298,300).[86]

Population of Belarus, 1992–2003

Like many other 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,[82] well below the replacement rate. Its net migration rate is +.38 per 1,000, indicating that Belarus experiences slightly more immigration than emigration.[82] Its population is also aging. As of 2007, 69.7 percent of Belarus's population is aged 14 to 64, 16 percent is under 14, and 14.6 percent is 65 or older; the median age 37.[82] In 2050, however, it is estimated that Belarusians' median age will be 51.[87] There are approximately .88 males per female in Belarus.[82]

The average life expectancy is 68.72 years (63.03 years for males and 74.96 years for females).[82] Over 99% of Belarusians (both male and female) are literate.[82][88]

Cathedral of Saint Sophia in Polatsk

Belarus has historically been a Russian Orthodox country, with minorities practicing Catholicism, Judaism, and other religions. Belarusians converted to the Russian Orthodox Church after Belarus was annexed by Russia after the Partitions of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Belarus's Roman Catholic minority, which makes up perhaps 10% of the country's population and 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. A small minority (about 1%) belong to the Belarusian Greek Catholic Church.[89] Belarus was also about 10% Jewish until World War II, being a major center of European Jewry, but during the war Jews were reduced by war, starvation, and the Holocaust to a tiny minority of about 1% or less. Emigration from Belarus is also a cause for the shrinking number of Jewish residents.[90] According to Article 16 of the Constitution, Belarus has no official religion. While the freedom of worship is granted in the same article, religions that are deemed harmful to the government or social order of the country can be prohibited.[91] Christian Solidarity Worldwide has reported that some Protestant congregations experience harassment.[92]

Culture

Main article: Culture of Belarus

Belarusian literature began with 11th- to 13th-century religious writing; the 12th-century poetry of Cyril of Turaw is representative.[93] By the 16th century, Polatsk resident Francysk Skaryna translated the Bible into Belarusian. It was published in Prague and Vilnius between 1517 and 1525, making it the first book printed in Belarus or anywhere in Eastern Europe.[94] The modern period of Belarusian literature began in the late 19th century; one important writer was Yanka Kupala. Many of the writers at the time, such as Uładzimir Žyłka, Kazimir Svayak, Yakub Kolas, Źmitrok Biadula and Maksim Haretski, wrote for a Belarusian language paper called Nasha Niva, published in Vilnius. After Belarus was incorporated into the Soviet Union, the Soviet government took control of the Republic's cultural affairs. The free development of literature occurred only in Polish-held territory until Soviet occupation in 1939.[94] Several poets and authors went into exile after the Nazi occupation of Belarus, not to return until the 1960s.[94] The last major revival of the Belarusian literature occurred in the 1960s with novels published by Vasil Bykaŭ and Uładzimir Karatkievič.

Babka, a traditional Belarusian potato dish

The first major musical composition by a Belarusian was the opera Faust by Antoni Radziwiłł. In the 17th century, Polish composer Stanislau Maniushka composed many operas and chamber music pieces while living in Minsk. During his stay, he worked with Belarusian poet Vincent Dunin-Marcinkevich and created the opera Sialianka (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. After the Great Patriotic War, the music focused on the hardships of the Belarusian people or on those who took up arms in defense of the homeland.[95] This was the time period that A. Bogatyryov, the creator of the opera In Polesye Virgin Forest, served as the "tutor" of Belarusian composers. 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.[96] Though rock music has risen in popularity in recent years, the Belarusian government has suppressed the development of popular music through various legal and economic mechanisms.[97] Since 2004, Belarus has been sending artists to the Eurovision Song Contest.[98]

The Belarusian government sponsors several annual cultural festivals, such as the Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk, 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.[99] The government's Ministry of Culture finances events promoting Belarusian arts and culture both inside and outside the country.

File:Belarus dress.jpg
Children in traditional dress

The traditional Belarusian dress originates from the Kievan Rus' period. Due to the cool climate, clothing, usually composed of flax or wool, was designed to keep the body warm. They were decorated with ornate patterns which became influenced by the neighboring cultures: Poles, Lithuanians, Latvians, Russians, and other European nations. Each region of Belarus has developed a specific pattern used on their designs.[100] An ornamental pattern used on some early dresses is currently used to decorate the hoist of the Belarusian national flag, adopted in a disputed referendum in 1995.[101]

Belarusian cuisine consists mainly of vegetables, meat (especially pork), and breads. Foods are usually either slowly cooked or stewed. A typical Belarusian eats a very light breakfast and two hearty meals, with dinner being the largest meal of the day. Wheat and rye breads are both consumed in Belarus, but rye is more plentiful because conditions are too harsh for growing wheat. A host presents an offering of bread salt when greeting a guest or visitor to show hospitality.[102] Popular drinks in Belarus include Russian wheat vodka and kvass, a soft drink made from malted brown bread or rye flour. Kvass may also be combined with sliced vegetables to create a cold soup called okroshka.[103]

Belarus has four World Heritage Sites: the Mir Castle Complex, the Niasvizh Castle, the Belovezhskaya Pushcha (shared with Poland), and the Struve Geodetic Arc (shared with nine other countries).[104]

Media

Main article: Media in Belarus
Broadcasting center of state-run TV in Minsk

The largest media holding group in Belarus is the state-owned National State Teleradiocompany. They operate several television stations and radio stations that broadcast content domestically and internationally, either through frequency signals or the Internet.[105] The Television Broadcasting Network is one of the major independent television stations in Belarus, mostly showing regional programming. Several newspapers, printed either in Belarusian or Russian, provide general information or special interest content, such as business, politics or sports. In 1998, there were fewer than 100 total radio stations in Belarus: 28 AM, 37 FM and 11 shortwave stations.[106]

Private TV company in Zhodino records a talk-show in a local night club, 2002

All media companies are regulated by the Law On Press and Other Mass Media, passed on January 13, 1995.[107] This grants the freedom of press, however, Article 5 states that slander cannot be made against the President of Belarus or other officials outlined in the national constitution.[107] The Belarusian Government has since been criticized for acting against media outlets. Several newspapers, such as Nasa Niva and the Belaruskaya Delovaya Gazeta, have been targeted for closure by the authorities after these papers, amongst others, published reports critical of President Lukashenko or other government officials.[108][109] The OSCE and Freedom House have commented regarding the loss of press freedom in Belarus. In 2005, Freedom House gave Belarus the score of 6.75 (not free) when it came to dealing with press freedom. Another issue for the Belarusian press is the disappearance of several journalists, which remain unsolved.[110]

See also

Template:Belarus-related topics

References

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Media

Governmental websites

Informational/cultural

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