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Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an area of 207,600 square kilometres (80,200 sq mi) with a population of 9.1 million. The country has a hemiboreal climate and is administratively divided into six regions. Minsk is the capital and largest city; it is administered separately as a city with special status.
Between the medieval period and the 20th century, different states at various times controlled the lands of modern-day Belarus, including Kievan Rus', the Principality of Polotsk, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the Russian Empire. In the aftermath of the Russian Revolution in 1917, different states arose competing for legitimacy amid the Civil War, ultimately ending in the rise of the Byelorussian SSR, which became a founding constituent republic of the Soviet Union in 1922. After the Polish-Soviet War (1918–1921), Belarus lost almost half of its territory to Poland. 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 World War II, military operations devastated Belarus, which lost about a quarter of its population and half of its economic resources. In 1945, the Byelorussian SSR became a founding member of the United Nations and the Soviet Union. The republic was home to a widespread and diverse anti-Nazi insurgent movement which dominated politics until well into the 1970s, overseeing Belarus' transformation from an agrarian to an industrial economy.
The parliament of the republic proclaimed the sovereignty of Belarus on 27 July 1990, and during the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Belarus gained independence on 25 August 1991. Following the adoption of a new constitution in 1994, Alexander Lukashenko was elected Belarus's first president in the country's first and only free election after independence, serving as president ever since. Lukashenko heads a highly centralized authoritarian government. Belarus ranks low in international measurements of freedom of the press and civil liberties. It has continued several Soviet-era policies, such as state ownership of large sections of the economy. Belarus is the only European country that continues to use capital punishment. In 2000, Belarus and Russia signed a treaty for greater cooperation, forming the Union State. (Full article...)
Selected article
Capital punishment is a legal penalty in Belarus. At least one execution was carried out in the country in 2022.
Also known as an Exceptional Measure of Punishment (Russian: Исключительная Мера Наказания, ИМН), the death penalty has been a part of the country's legal system since gaining independence from the Soviet Union on August 25, 1991. The current national constitution prescribes this punishment for "grave crimes." Later laws have clarified the specific crimes for which capital punishment can be used. The death penalty can be imposed for crimes that occur against the state or against individuals. A few non-violent crimes can also be punishable by death. As of 2024[update], Belarus is the only country in Europe that continues to carry out the death penalty. Executions are carried out by a single shot to the back of the head. (Full article...)
Selected biography
Mikola Viktaravich Statkevich (Belarusian: Мікола Віктаравіч Статкевіч, Russian: Николай Викторович Статкевич, romanized: Nikolai Viktorovich Statkevich; born 12 August 1956 – disappeared 9 February 2023) is a Belarusian lieutenant colonel, politician, and opposition leader who was a presidential candidate at the 2010 Belarusian presidential election. Since 31 May 2020 he is held in prison by Belarusian authorities. Viasna Human Rights Centre recognized him as a political prisoner. On 14 December 2021, Statkevich was sentenced to 14 years in prison. (Full article...)
General images
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View of Polotsk in 1912 (from History of Belarus) -
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Pahonia, the Coat of Arms of the People's Republic of Belarus in 1918 and of the Republic of Belarus in 1991-1995 (from History of Belarus) -
Jews in the Minsk Ghetto, 1941 (from History of Belarus) -
Braslaw Lakes (from List of national parks of Belarus) -
Mass murder of Soviet civilians near Minsk, 1943 (from History of Belarus) -
50 years of Soviet Belarus — a Soviet postage stamp of 1969 (from History of Belarus) -
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Union of Lublin of 1569, oil on canvas by Jan Matejko, 1869, 298×512 cm, National Museum in Warsaw (from History of Belarus) -
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Traditional Belarusian shirt (from Culture of Belarus) -
The 2015 Minsk Victory Day Parade on Victors Avenue. Victory Day (9 May) celebrations are a major part of cultural life in the capital. (from Culture of Belarus) -
Belarusian tennis player Victoria Azarenka (from Culture of Belarus) -
The flag of the People's Republic of Belarus in 1918 and of the Republic of Belarus in 1991-1995 (from History of Belarus) -
Foreign occupation of the Commonwealth during The Deluge and Khmelnytsky Uprising (from History of Belarus) -
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Signatures on the Budapest Memorandum for security assurances to Belarus in exchange for national denuclearization (from History of Belarus) -
Map of Kievan Rus', 11th century (from History of Belarus) -
The territory claimed by the People's Republic of Belarus, 1918 (from History of Belarus) -
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Belarusian dudar (duda player), 1904 postcard (from Culture of Belarus) -
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The Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 15th century. The territory of modern-day Belarus was fully within its borders. (from History of Belarus) -
Traditional Jewish life continued in Pinsk (Western Belarus) until WWII. (Photo by Alter Kacyzne, 1924) (from History of Belarus) -
Church of the Saviour's Transfiguration in Zaslawye (1577) (from History of Belarus) -
Svetlana Alexievich was awarded the 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature (from Culture of Belarus) -
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Traditional Belarusian house at Belarusian Culture Museum and Center in Hajnówka (from Culture of Belarus) -
Position of Grand Duchy of Lithuania in Eastern Europe until 1434 (from History of Belarus)
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Selected picture
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Decorated bales of hay on the road to Turov -
A view of Lake Osveya -
A view of Hrodna, circa 1575 or later -
2002 postage stamps of Belarus -
Members of the orchestra performing at the National Opera and Ballet of Belarus in 2013 -
A view of the historic center of Minsk, a Belarusian heritage monument -
A view of the Berestye Archeological Museum in Brest, Belarus -
![Image 8White storks on their nest in Belarus, 2009. The Stork is the national symbol of Belarus.[1]](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/BY_stork1_2009.jpg/80px-BY_stork1_2009.jpg)
White storks on their nest in Belarus, 2009. The Stork is the national symbol of Belarus.[1] -
A relief map of Belarus (1997) -
A winter panorama view of Grodno Zoo, 2012 -
![Image 11The Fiddler, 1912–1913, by Marc Chagall, a Russian-French artist of Belarusian Jewish origin[2]](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Image-Chagall_Fiddler.jpg/101px-Image-Chagall_Fiddler.jpg)
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![Image 8White storks on their nest in Belarus, 2009. The Stork is the national symbol of Belarus.[1]](/wiki/File:BY_stork1_2009.jpg)
![Image 11The Fiddler, 1912–1913, by Marc Chagall, a Russian-French artist of Belarusian Jewish origin[2]](/wiki/File:Image-Chagall_Fiddler.jpg)
Did you know (auto-generated)
- ... that Obliskomzap People's Commissar for Public Charity V. L. Mukha resigned in protest over the dispersing of the First All-Belarusian Congress?
- ... that German national Rico Krieger was likely forced by the Belarusian KGB to lie in a state-televised plea titled "Confession of a German Terrorist"?
- ... that Stsiapan Putsila faces criminal charges in Belarus—as does the Polish judge who refused to extradite him?
- ... that there are more than 9,000 swamps in Belarus?
- ... that Rufina Bazlova has used traditional embroidery to depict protests in Belarus?
- ... that museum director Alena Aladava rebuilt the Belarusian national art collection in the aftermath of the Second World War?
Featured articles
Related portals
Post Soviet states
Other countries
More Did you know
- ...that there are large stands of old growth forest on the border between Poland and Belarus?
Topics
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Subcategories
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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.
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- Günter Vogt (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by TheBritinator (talk · contribs · new pages (69)) started on 2024-12-02, score: 20
- Zhytomyr Border Detachment (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by M Waleed (talk · contribs · new pages (12)) started on 2024-12-01, score: 20
- Tribuna.com (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by MocnyDuham (talk · contribs · new pages (1)) started on 2024-11-30, score: 50
- List of aspect ratios of national flags (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by ClareWhitePlane (talk · contribs · new pages (2)) started on 2024-11-28, score: 20
- Bolesław Chocha (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Some English Monarch IV (talk · contribs · new pages (1)) started on 2024-11-27, score: 20
- 2013–14 Valletta F.C. season (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by SportingFlyer (talk · contribs · new pages (1)) started on 2024-11-27, score: 20
- 37th Łęczyca Infantry Regiment (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Oliwiasocz (talk · contribs · new pages (47)) started on 2024-11-26, score: 30
- Semyon Vainshtok (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by MichaelKarl2 (talk · contribs · new pages (1)) started on 2024-11-24, score: 20
- Collaboration in German-occupied Lithuania (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Blowwhite (talk · contribs · new pages (2)) started on 2024-11-24, score: 20
- Nikisoft Standard Cyrillic character set (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Spanish Alphabet Lore H (talk · contribs · new pages (1)) started on 2024-11-23, score: 20
- Vladimir Viktorovich Shkatelov (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by AOkoneshnikov (talk · contribs · new pages (2)) started on 2024-11-19, score: 50
- Vladimir (name) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by 85.249.23.7 (talk · contribs · new pages (1)) started on 2024-11-22, score: 30
- Slivets (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Altenmann (talk · contribs · new pages (80)) started on 2024-11-20, score: 20
- Sheremetyevskaya railway station (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Rakoon (talk · contribs · new pages (22)) started on 2024-11-21, score: 20
- Vyacheslav Bogdanovich (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by KrivisKrivaitis (talk · contribs · new pages (2)) started on 2024-11-21, score: 40
- Dnieper Flotilla (Ukraine) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by UeArtemis (talk · contribs · new pages (1)) started on 2024-11-21, score: 30
- Vladyslav Vlasiuk (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Khonnit-mier (talk · contribs · new pages (1)) started on 2024-11-21, score: 20
- Stipatosteus (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by SeismicShrimp (talk · contribs · new pages (5)) started on 2024-11-20, score: 20
- 2025 Aryna Sabalenka tennis season (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by ScottMarkz (talk · contribs · new pages (1)) started on 2024-11-20, score: 20
- Lutsk Border Detachment (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by M Waleed (talk · contribs · new pages (12)) started on 2024-11-20, score: 20
- On Black Slash-and-Burn Fields (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Altenmann (talk · contribs · new pages (80)) started on 2024-11-19, score: 50
- Ukrainian energy crisis (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Noble Attempt (talk · contribs · new pages (26)) started on 2024-11-18, score: 20
Associated Wikimedia
The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:
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Dictionary and thesaurus
Sources
- ^ Kopka, D. (2011). Welcome to Belarus: Passport to Eastern Europe & Russia. Passport Series. Milliken Publishing Company. p. 6. ISBN 978-0-7877-2770-3. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
- ^ Harshav, Benjamin. Marc Chagall and his times: a documentary narrative. Contraversions: Jews and Other Differences. Stanford University Press; 1 edition. August 2003. ISBN 0804742146.
