Overview of Belarus
There is so much that can be said about Belarus that here I am going to try to just provide a brief overview of a few of the highlights. Over time, I am sure I will add additional posts that get into more detail pertaining to the sociopolitical, economic, and cultural aspects of the country.
Part of the Soviet Union until its collapse, post-Soviet Belarus (The Republic of Belarus) is now officially a "presidential republic" led by Alexander Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994. While both Belarusian and Russian are official state languages, Belarusian is mostly spoken by the older generation (currency is the Belarusian ruble).
Additionally, about 70% of the radiation from neighboring Ukraine's 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster entered Belarusian territory, and as of 2005 about a fifth of Belarusian land (principally farmland and forests in the southeastern provinces) continues to be affected by radiation fallout.
Extensive overviews of Belarusian history, geography, government, religion, economy, military, and other country elements are available at the following websites: U.S. State Department Overview, CIA World Factbook Overview, United Nations Belarus Profile, and the official Belarus Website. Additionally, for a direct U.S./Belarus comparison on a variety of country-level indicators, see the NationMaster website. Finally, for an in-depth look at various aspects of Belarusian culture and attitudes, see the World Values Survey online data analysis website.
Below is a short video clip that provides a very beautiful glimpse at this once war-torn country and its capital city (where we will be lucky enough to live for close to 4 months this summer!).
There is so much that can be said about Belarus that here I am going to try to just provide a brief overview of a few of the highlights. Over time, I am sure I will add additional posts that get into more detail pertaining to the sociopolitical, economic, and cultural aspects of the country.
Belarus (literally means "White Russia") is a landlocked country made up
of six regions (total size is slightly smaller than Kansas), with a total population of roughly 9.5 million (nearly 2
million residing in Minsk; nearly 70% of the countries population resides in urban areas). The country's capital (Minsk) was mostly leveled during World War II and has since been completely rebuilt. As a result, Minsk is a very modern city that is known for its beauty!
Part of the Soviet Union until its collapse, post-Soviet Belarus (The Republic of Belarus) is now officially a "presidential republic" led by Alexander Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994. While both Belarusian and Russian are official state languages, Belarusian is mostly spoken by the older generation (currency is the Belarusian ruble).
Additionally, about 70% of the radiation from neighboring Ukraine's 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster entered Belarusian territory, and as of 2005 about a fifth of Belarusian land (principally farmland and forests in the southeastern provinces) continues to be affected by radiation fallout.
Extensive overviews of Belarusian history, geography, government, religion, economy, military, and other country elements are available at the following websites: U.S. State Department Overview, CIA World Factbook Overview, United Nations Belarus Profile, and the official Belarus Website. Additionally, for a direct U.S./Belarus comparison on a variety of country-level indicators, see the NationMaster website. Finally, for an in-depth look at various aspects of Belarusian culture and attitudes, see the World Values Survey online data analysis website.
Below is a short video clip that provides a very beautiful glimpse at this once war-torn country and its capital city (where we will be lucky enough to live for close to 4 months this summer!).
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