Portal:Belarus
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Belarus (/bɛləˈruːs/ (
listen) bel-ə-ROOSS; Belarusian: Беларусь, Biełaruś, IPA: [bʲɛlaˈrusʲ]; Russian: Беларусь, Belarus', IPA: [bʲɪlɐˈrusʲ]), officially the Republic of Belarus (Belarusian: Рэспубліка Беларусь; Russian: Республика Беларусь), formerly known by its Russian name Byelorussia or Belorussia (Russian: Белоруссия, Byelorussiya), is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe bordered by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital and most populous city is Minsk. Over 40% of its 207,600 square kilometres (80,200 sq mi) is forested. Its major economic sectors are service industries and manufacturing. Until the 20th century, different states at various times controlled the lands of modern-day Belarus, including the Principality of Polotsk (11th to 14th centuries), the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the Russian Empire.
In the aftermath of the 1917 Russian Revolution, Belarus declared independence as the Belarusian People's Republic, which was conquered by Soviet Russia. The Socialist Soviet Republic of Byelorussia became a founding constituent republic of the Soviet Union in 1922 and was renamed as the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (Byelorussian SSR). Belarus lost almost half of its territory to Poland after the Polish–Soviet War of 1919–1921. Much of the borders of Belarus took their modern shape in 1939, when some lands of the Second Polish Republic were reintegrated into it after the Soviet invasion of Poland, and were finalized after World War II. During WWII, military operations devastated Belarus, which lost about a third of its population and more than half of its economic resources. The republic was redeveloped in the post-war years. In 1945 the Byelorussian SSR became a founding member of the United Nations, along with the Soviet Union and the Ukrainian SSR.
The parliament of the republic proclaimed the sovereignty of Belarus on 27 July 1990, and during the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Belarus declared independence on 25 August 1991. Alexander Lukashenko has served as the country's first president since 1994. Belarus has been labeled "Europe's last dictatorship" by some Western journalists, on account of Lukashenko's self-described authoritarian style of government. Lukashenko continued a number of Soviet-era policies, such as state ownership of large sections of the economy. Elections under Lukashenko's rule have been widely criticized as unfair; and according to many countries and organizations, political opposition has been violently suppressed. Belarus is also the last country in Europe using the death penalty. Belarus's Democracy Index rating is the lowest in Europe, the country is labelled as "not free" by Freedom House, as "repressed" in the Index of Economic Freedom, and is rated as by far the worst country for press freedom in Europe in the 2013–14 Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders, which ranks Belarus 157th out of 180 nations.
In 2000, Belarus and Russia signed a treaty for greater cooperation, forming the Union State. Over 70% of Belarus's population of 9.49 million resides in urban areas. More than 80% of the population is ethnic Belarusian, with sizable minorities of Russians, Poles and Ukrainians. Since a referendum in 1995, the country has had two official languages: Belarusian and Russian. The Constitution of Belarus does not declare any official religion, although the primary religion in the country is Eastern Orthodox Christianity. The second-most widespread religion, Roman Catholicism, has a much smaller following; nevertheless, Belarus celebrates both Orthodox and Catholic versions of Christmas and Easter as national holidays. Belarus is a member of the United Nations since its founding, the Commonwealth of Independent States, CSTO, EEU, and the Non-Aligned Movement. Belarus has shown no aspirations for joining the European Union but nevertheless maintains a bilateral relationship with the organisation, and likewise participates in two EU projects: the Eastern Partnership and the Baku Initiative.
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Minsk (Belarusian: Мінск /mʲinsk/; Russian: Минск /mʲinsk/), is the capital and largest city of Belarus, situated on the Svislach and Nyamiha rivers. Minsk is also a headquarters of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). As the national capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is also the administrative centre of Minsk voblast (province) and Minsk raion.
The earliest references to Minsk date to the 11th century (1067). In 1242, Minsk became a part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and it received its town privileges in 1499. From 1569, it was a capital of the Minsk Voivodeship in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was annexed by Russia in 1793, as a consequence of the Second Partition of Poland. From 1919–1991, Minsk was the capital of the Byelorussian SSR.
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Did you know...
Did you know...
- ...that Belarus Free Theatre is an underground theatre project created to oppose Belarusian government pressure and censorship?
- ...that the 17th century Biaroza monastery (pictured) in Biaroza, Belarus, has throughout its history been adapted into military barracks and a prison, and currently its ruins are an important baroque relic in the town?
- ...that the only remaining instance of active use of the death penalty in Europe is in capital punishment in Belarus?
- ...that, during the two-month Second Battle of Smolensk, the Red Army broke through the German defense setup, recaptured Smolensk, and started to liberate occupied Belarus?
- ...that Uładzimir Karatkievič was a Belarusian writer whose novels deal predominantly with Belarus's history, including the January Uprising?
- ...that only eleven people have been decorated Hero of Belarus, the highest title that can be bestowed on a citizen of Belarus?
- ...there are large stands of primeval forest on the border between Poland and Belarus?
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- Category:Belarus
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- Category:Belarusian culture
- Category:Belarusian law
- Category:Media in Belarus
- Category:Belarusian people
- Category:Belarusian society
- Category:Belarus-related lists
- Category:Populated places in Belarus
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- Category:Economy of Belarus
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- Category:Environment of Belarus
- Category:Geography of Belarus
- Category:Government of Belarus
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- Category:History of Belarus
- Category:Military of Belarus
- Category:Organizations based in Belarus
- Category:Politics of Belarus
- Category:Religion in Belarus
- Category:Science and technology in Belarus
- Category:Sport in Belarus
- Category:Tourism in Belarus
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New article announcements
This page was created under the influence of Portal:Russia/New article announcements. It is created for everyone interested in Belarus-related articles to notice everything new.
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This list was generated from these rules. Questions and feedback are always welcome! The search is being run daily with the most recent ~14 days of results. Note: Some articles may not be relevant to this project.
Rules | Match log | Results page (for watching) | Last updated: 2018-11-18 20:04 (UTC)
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