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BelarusThe Republic of Belarus is a landlocked nation located in Eastern Europe. It's borders, which has changed over the years due to war and treaties, is shared with Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. The capital is located at Minsk and several important cities include Brest. Belarus became an indepedent nation in 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Belarus was a part of the Soviet Union since 1991 under the name Byelorussian SSR. Before then, Belarus was ruled by the Lithuanians, Poles, and eventually by Imperial Russia. Since independence, Belarus has been the focus of international attention due to the authoritarian leadership of President Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled the country since 1994. Due to this, Belarus has been excluded from the Council of Europe and have been sanctioned by the United States. Officially, the country is called the "Republic of Belarus" (Belarusian:Respublika Bielarus, Russian: ) , while the simple name is Belarus (, Bielarus, . However, some have continued to use Byelorussia , but this causes offesnse since this name was used during the Russification of Belarus. Belarus's name roughly translates to "White Rus" or white Russia. Origin and history of the nameThe spellings Belorussia and Byelorussia are transliterations of the name of the country in Russian, and are no longer widely used. Historically in English, and today in some languages, Belarus was sometimes referred to as "White Russia" (a literal though not entirely correct translation of its name) or "White Ruthenia." The name "Byelorussia" is considered derogatory by some, as it reminds them of Russian and Soviet imperialism and policies of russification (the full title of the Russian tsar was "Emperor of All the Russias—Great, Minor, and White"). History of BelarusThe present Slavic population of Belarus settled there between the 6th and the 8th century. The Early East Slavs gradually came in contact with the Varangians and were organized under the Rus', notably in the principality of Polatsk in modern-day northern Belarus. By the 13th century, the state of Rus was gravely impacted by the Mongol invasion. Belarusian territories were the core of newly created Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The city of Navahradak in today's western Belarus was the first capital of this state. This duchy as well included a number of territories of Rus' and Samogitia. There was no discrimination against any of nations or religions nor any major tension between them and people of them all dominated in their own regions. The Grand Duchy stretched across much of Eastern Europe from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea in 15th century. Since February 2, 1386, when Grand Duke Yahaila was crowned the King of Poland, Grand Duchy was joint with Poland in a personal union under one monarch. In 1569 Poland and Grand Duchy formally merged into the new state of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. This union remained in force until the May Constitution of 1791, which abolished all the subdivisions of the states and merged into Kingdom of Poland. However, the new state was annexed soon afterwards by Imperial Russia, Prussia and Austria in the effect of the Partitions of Poland of 1795. After the Russian Revolution of 1917, at the end of the German occupation during World War I, on March 25, 1918 Belarusians declared their independence for the first time, but the Belarus National Republic (?????????? ???????? ??????????) was short-lived and didn't manage to remain independent. In modern Belarus, Lukashenko's official historians disregard the date of the independence proclaimed by BNR, but many Belarusians celebrate March 25 every year both publicly and in private. In 1919, the Byelorussian SSR was declared, which in 1922 became one of the founding members of the Soviet Union. In World War II, Belarus was occupied by Nazi Germany between 1941 and 1944. Another notable harsh period in Belarusian history was the Chernobyl accident of 1986. Belarus declared independence from the Soviet Union on August 25, 1991. On December 8, 1991, the leaders of Russia (Boris Yeltsin), Ukraine (Leonid Kravchuk), and Belarus (Stanislav Shushkevich) republics met in Belarus, in Belavezhskaya Pushcha, to issue a declaration that the Soviet Union was dissolved and replaced by the Commonwealth of Independent States. Politics of Belarus, Foreign relations of Belarus.Belarus is a republic governed by a President and a bicameral Parliament (National Assembly or Natsyyanal'ny Skhod). The judiciary is headed by a Supreme Court and a Constitutional Court. Western media, politicians and political scientists have increasingly labelled Belarus as Europe's last dictatorship due to the authoritarian rule of president Aleksandr Lukashenko. Belarus is the only European country barred from full membership in the Council of Europe. Its special guest status has been suspended in 1997 because the way in which the legislature came into being deprived it of democratic legitimacy in consequence of the November 1996 undemocratic constitutional referendum and parliament by-elections. According to the 40-nation Council of Europe's Venice Commission, Belarus's constitution is illegal and does not respect minimum democratic standards and violates the principles of separation of powers and the rule of law. Belarusian government is also criticized for human rights violations and its actions against NGOs, independent journalists, and opposition politicians . During the rule of the current administration in Belarus there have been several cases of persecution, disappearance and mysterious deaths of prominent opposition leaders and independent journalists. Geography of BelarusAlthough landlocked, it has 11,000 lakes. Three major rivers run through it: the Neman River, the Pripyat River, and the Dnepr River. Belarus is relatively flat and marsh-rich. The largest marsh territory is Polesie. Belarus' highest point is Dzyarzhynskaya Hara (Dzyarzhynsk Hill), 345 m, and its lowest point on the Neman river, 90 m. The natural resources of Belarus are forests, peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas, granite, dolomitic limestone, marl, chalk, sand, gravel, and clay. Economy of BelarusLukashenko launched the country on the path of "market socialism" in 1995. In keeping with this policy, Lukashenko 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, businesses have been subject to pressures emanating from both central and local governments, e.g., 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." Further economic problems are two consecutive bad harvests, 1998-1999, and persistent trade deficits. Close economic relations with Russia remain extremely important for Belarus economy. For the time being, Belarus remains self-isolated from the West and its open-market economies. Demographics of BelarusBelarus is primarily inhabited by Belarusians, major Russians, Polish, and Ukrainian minorities and some others. Prior to World War II, Jews were the second largest ethnic group in what today is 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 during WWII and emigration. Most demographic indicators resemble other European countries, notably
with both the population growth rate and the natural growth rate negative ReligionAccording to various estimates, 60 to 70 percent of Belarusians consider themselves Russian Orthodox, about 15 to 20 percent are Roman Catholics, and 5 to 10 percent are Protestants or of other faith. There are a considerable number of atheists. Historically the Belarusians have practiced a variety of religions including Russian Orthodoxy, Judaism, Catholicism, and Protestantism. Since president Lukashenko in 1994 has come to power, the Russian Orthodox Church in Belarus has been favoured by the government. This has been particularly evident in tax breaks that have allowed the Church to become a large-scale exporter of tax-free vodka and cigarettes. A new religion law was passed in 2003 against the will of Catholics, Protestants as well as other believers. They complain that it discriminates against them, giving preference to the Orthodox Church in many areas. AAbkhazia - Republic of Abkhazia (de facto independent state inside Georgia) Afghanistan - Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Akrotiri - Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area (overseas territory of the United Kingdom) Åland - Åland Islands (autonomous province of Finland recognized by international treaty) Albania - Republic of Albania Algeria - People's Democratic Republic of Algeria American Samoa - Territory of American Samoa (unincorporated unorganized territory of the United States) Andorra - Principality of Andorra (co-principality with the President of the French Republic and the Bishop of Urgell, Spain as ex officio heads of state) Angola - Republic of Angola Anguilla (overseas territory of the United Kingdom) Antigua and Barbuda (Commonwealth Realm) Argentina - Argentine Republic (federal state, also named Argentine Nation for purposes of legislation) Armenia - Republic of Armenia Aruba (overseas country in the Kingdom of the Netherlands) Ascension Island (dependency of Saint Helena, an overseas territory of the United Kingdom) Australia - Commonwealth of Australia (federal state, Commonwealth Realm) Austria - Republic of Austria (federal state) Azerbaijan - Republic of Azerbaijan (see also Nagorno-Karabakh) B Bahamas, The - Commonwealth of The Bahamas (Commonwealth Realm) Bahrain - Kingdom of Bahrain Bangladesh - People's Republic of Bangladesh Barbados (Commonwealth Realm) Belarus - Republic of Belarus Belgium - Kingdom of Belgium (federal state) Belize (Commonwealth Realm) Benin - Republic of Benin Bermuda (overseas territory of the United Kingdom) Bhutan - Kingdom of Bhutan Bolivia - Republic of Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina (federal state) Botswana - Republic of Botswana Brazil - Federative Republic of Brazil (federal state) Brunei - Negara Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria - Republic of Bulgaria Burkina Faso See Myanmar for Burma Burundi - Republic of Burundi C Cambodia - Kingdom of Cambodia Cameroon - Republic of Cameroon Canada (federal state, Commonwealth Realm, officially also (but infrequently) referred to as Dominion of Canada) Cape Verde - Republic of Cape Verde Cayman Islands (overseas territory of the United Kingdom) Central African Republic (sometimes also rendered as Central Africa) Chad - Republic of Chad Chile - Republic of Chile China (PRC) - People's Republic of China See Taiwan (ROC) for the Republic of China (see also One-China policy and dispute over UN representation between PRC and ROC) Christmas Island - Territory of Christmas Island (overseas territory of Australia) Cocos (Keeling) Islands - Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands (overseas territory of Australia) Colombia - Republic of Colombia Comoros - Union of the Comoros (federal state) Congo (Brazzaville) - Republic of the Congo Congo (Kinshasa) - Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly and popularly known as Zaire) Cook Islands (self-governing state in free association with New Zealand) Costa Rica - Republic of Costa Rica Côte d'Ivoire - Republic of Côte d'Ivoire (formerly and popularly known as Ivory Coast) Croatia - Republic of Croatia Cuba - Republic of Cuba Cyprus - Republic of Cyprus (see also Northern Cyprus) Czech Republic (sometimes also rendered as Czechia) D Denmark - Kingdom of Denmark Dhekelia - Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area (overseas territory of the United Kingdom) Djibouti - Republic of Djibouti Dominica - Commonwealth of Dominica Dominican Republic (sometimes also rendered as The Dominican) E See Timor -Leste for East Timor
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