Belarus redirects here. For the company, to see Belarus (undertaken).

See also: Belarus (homonymy)

The Republic of Bielorussia (in Belorusse: Беларусь ; in Russian: Беларусь ) is a country of Eastern Europe, frontier with the Poland, the Ukraine, the Russia, the Latvia and the Lithuania.

History

See also: History of Bielorussia

• 10th century : First mentions of the principality of Polotsk.

• 1067 : Mentions of the existence of the town of Minsk.
• 1567 : Frantsisk Skarina publishes the Bible in Belorusse language.
• 1569 : The treaty polono-Lithuanian of Lublin sign the disappearance of Bielorussia as a State.
• 1772 : Poland is partitionnée, the Belorusse part is integrated into the Russian Empire.
• March 25th, 1918 : Bielorussia is proclaimed independent for the first time.
• March 18th, 1921 : (R) Attachment of the Western part of Bielorussia in Poland by the treaty of Rīga.
• December 30th, 1922 : Creation of the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics (the USSR) gathering Russia, the Ukraine and Transcaucase.
• June 22nd, 1941 : The German troops penetrate in Bielorussia. The Second world war causes the disappearance of 25  % of the population of Bielorussia and the destruction of the town of Minsk to 90  %.
• August 18th, 1944 : Creation of the 30e division S of pomegranates made up mainly of Belorusse volunteers.
• July 3rd, 1944 : Release of Minsk by the Red Army.
• October 24th, 1945 : Bielorussia becomes member of the United Nations, as well as the Ukraine. The USSR lays out thus, artificially, of three votes at the General meeting. It is a reward conceded by the Allies for its exceptional effort of war. With the proposal of Stalin to equip each Soviet socialist Republic with a seat with UNO, Franklin Roosevelt proposed to make some as much for each forty-eight State of the the United States. One remained about it finally on this compromise for only Bielorussia and Ukraine.
• April 26th, 1986 : Bielorussia is touched by the Catastrophe of Tchernobyl. The country (which does not have any nuclear plant) receives approximately 70  % of the radioactive fallout of the close Ukrainian power station, with a contamination “in spot of leopard”. Two million Belorusses of which 500  000  children live in the contaminated zones.
• August 1989 : The Pape names the first catholic bishop since the war.
• July 27th, 1990 : Independence is proclaimed.
• August 25th, 1991 : The Declaration of independence is ratified. Stanislaw Chouchkievitch is elected Head of the State.
• December 8th, 1991 : Agreements of Minsk: creation of the Community of the Independent States gathering the Russia and the Ukraine. Minsk is selected for the seat of the organization.
• December 21st, 1991 : Bielorussia joined the Communauté of the independent States.
• March 12th, 1993 : Bielorussia is country applying for accession with the the Council of Europe.
• January 26th, 1994 : The Supreme Soviet relieves M.  Chouchkievitch.
• June 23rd - July 10th, 1994 : First presidential election of the Alexandre Loukachenko; he is elected with 80  % of the voices.
• April 2nd, 1996 : Ratification of an partnership agreement privileged with the Russia.
• from July 11th to 13rd 1996 : First visit of Alexandre Loukachenko in France.
• November 24th, 1996 : Amendment of the constitution of 1994 per referendum. The capacity of the president is reinforced and the duration of its mandate is lengthened two years.
• April 2nd, 1997 : The treaty of Union Russo-Belorusse is signed with Moscow.
• June 22nd, 1998 : The “crisis of the Residences”: the Western ambassadors are recalled (European Union and the United States) following the pressures in order to expel them residential zone of Drozdy being next to the Residence of the president.
• January 18th, 1999 : The European ambassadors turn over to Minsk following a compromise found on the question of the residences.
• May 16th, 1999 : The opposition organizes an not-official presidential election at the date corresponding at the end of the mandate of president Alexandre Loukachenko according to the terms preceding the modification by the constitution.
• September 14th, 1999 : A compromise with the United States about the residences makes it possible the ambassador of the United States to take again his functions.
• December 8th, 1999 : The Union Russo-Belorusse is created by treaty between the presidents Boris Eltsine and Alexandre Loukachenko.
• March 19th, 2006 : Alexandre Loukachenko is re-elected with the presidency with 82,6% of the voices.

“Bielorussia” or “Bélarus”?

In French, the name of this country knew several alternatives: called White Russia or Ruthénie white in the atlases of the beginning of the 20th century, then Bielorussia for all the Soviet period, the independent country since 1991 is sometimes named Bélarus in the official documents. The official designation U.N. French is République of Bélarus (proposed by the Belorusse government itself), French adaptation of the approximate transcription of Беларусь. On the other hand, the National Commission of toponymy (French), the French Ministers for the Foreign affairs and State education, the French Academy, the national geographical Institute (IGN) and the Commission of toponymy of Quebec () recommend the use of the term Bielorussia .

The addition of бела- (to be pronounced bièla ) in Русь (Rous', Ruthénie) comes, according to certain sources, of what it was a question of indicating by a name appropriate the insubordinate part of Ruthénie to the Tatars. It is thus necessary well to include/understand the adjective белая (bièlaïa) like “frank” and not as “white”, translation literal but thus inaccurate. Other authors proposed other etymologies.

The form Bélarus is however required in all the official texts by the Belorusse authorities itself since the September 19th 1991, whatever the language, without taking account of the grammatical and orthographical characteristics of each one of them, and of the competent authorities for the standardization of each language. The Russian being one of the official languages of Bielorussia, one finds there the term Беларусь (bièlarous) in the documents printed in Russian in Bielorussia. The term Белоруссия (bièloroussiya) on the other hand is used in the majority of the Russian documents printed in Russia and elsewhere. However, the popular use in Russia east to orally indicate Bielorussia using the traditional Belorusse term ( Беларусь ), the Russian term ( Белоруссия , created at the time Soviet) being often considered to be artificial and administrative.

Interior policy

See also: Political of Bielorussia

The government of Alexandre Loukachenko

The president Alexandre Loukachenko was elected president in 1994 and was re-elected in 2001 and 2006.

The presidential election of the March 19th 2006 sees the re-election of Loukachenko but its unfolding is disputed by the the Council of Europe and SOEC whereas on the contrary the Communauté of the independent States qualifies the poll of transparency and open. Bielorussia is indicated sometimes like the “last Dictature of Europe”. March 30th, NATO decides to revalue its partnership with Bielorussia. The May 16th, the the United States prohibit in Loukachenko and a certain number of official Belorusses to visit the United States.

In the classification of the freedom of the press of association Reporters without borders, Bielorussia is classified 151e on 168 countries.

Political opposition

For the Belorusse opponents the only topical question is to make stopping with the authoritative government of Alexandre Loukachenko and to establish a democracy worthy of this name.

Preserving nationalists of the Belorusse Popular front with the Left the Communists of Bielorussia, an improbable coalition was installation and seems to function in good intelligence, without counting ONG being opposed to the Loukachenko mode.

In October 2005, the Congrès of the democratic forces of Bielorussia elected like candidate with presidential the Aliaksandr Milinkievitch. The Congress of democratic forces of Bielorussia represents the very large majority of the opposition parties. The principal parties are:

• the Belorusse Popular front
  Dirigé by Vintsouk Viatchorka. He is sometimes regarded as the party of intelligentsia. He is located clearly on the right. These conservatives defend the idea of a national rebirth of Bielorussia (it should be known that the Belorusse language is spoken by a minority about the population, the language of the every day in the important cities is Russian). Besides this party is pro-Westerner, pro-Polish and anti-Russian, reproaching highly Loukachenko its policy of bringing together with Russia.

• Left civic plain Bielorussia
  Dirigé by Anatol Liabiedzka, liberal orientation.
• the Left the Communists of Bielorussia, not to confuse with the Communist party of Bielorussia which is to him pro-Loukachenko.
  Le Communist party is divided on the question of the attitude to have vis-a-vis the mode in place. The Party of the Communists of Bielorussia, which kept an unquestionable influence, calls with the re-establishment of the democratic constitution which was emptied of its substance by Loukachenko in 1997 with its profit. The Party of the Communists of Bielorussia is well integrated in the opposition in spite of the obvious ideological differences which separates it from the other parties. It is him which is charged with the electoral campaign of Milinkiievtich. The mode tries to muzzle its newspaper " Tavarych". This party has a rather active youth movement.
• Malady Face, “Face of youth”
  Proche of the nationalists, this political movement as its name indicates it gathers anti-Loukachenko young people. It is rather active. Conservative, it militates in favor of the Belorusse national rebirth. Pro-Westerner and anti-Russian.

The pro-democratic Associative movement

Although its bonds are rather obvious with the opposition parties, associations do not register their action within a purely political framework.

• Zubr (“the Bison”)
  Reprenant the name of the animal emblematic of Bielorussia, Zubr is an youth organization. She asserts approximately 2  000 members. The goal of this organization is the establishment of the democracy in Bielorussia, integration with the European Union and NATO. Created in 2001, this organization asserts a certain filiation with the Serb ones of OTPOR (student Serb very active in the fight against the mode of Slobodan Milošević) and of the Ukrainians of PORA (active in the orange revolution). At the beginning this association was especially student's, much of its members were in addition driven out university, since it was extended to the whole of youth.

• the Days of the solidarité
  Ceci is not strictly speaking an association. On the initiative of Iryna Krassouskaïa, widow of Anatol Krassouski, a businessman close to the opposition disappeared in 1999 and most probably assassinated, Iryna Khalip, journalist very known for his combat against the mode, and of Mikita Sassim, activist of Zubr.

Since October 2005, all the 16 of the month, the Days of solidarity call with quiet demonstrations with the candles to commemorate the removal of Viktar Hantchar and Anatol Krassouski. More largely this action has as drank to call with solidarity towards all those which fight for the democracy in Bielorussia.

Foreign policy

Relationships to the European Union

to make

Relations with Russia

With the Russia, Bielorussia engaged in a process of union of the confederal type which would exceed the objectives of a simple customs union and monetarist. The dependence of Minsk in energy and terms of outlets makes it possible Moscow to preserve its influence in this Slavic republic. At the end of 2006, Bielorussia ardently negotiated the price of its gas, which it paid until this date 47 USD for 1.000 m ³ (against more than 250 dollars then on the European market). Threatening to cut the taps unless obtaining the asking price, Russia obtained a final agreement in extremis on December 31st, 2006 at a price of 100 USD for 1.000 m ³. Moreover, it obtained a compensation in 50  % of titles in the Belorusse gas undertaking Beltransgaz (whose amount of 5 billion USD is considered overestimated by the Russian experts). Outraged by this increase, Bielorussia applied a tax on the transit of Russian oil towards the countries more to the West (45 USD/tonne) which it has of removing a few days afterwards under the pressure of the Russia. This confrontation of the two traditional allies occurs in spite of the support which Russia traditionally brings to president Loukachenko, always with the capacity following the discussed presidential election of March 19th, 2006, which was worth criticisms of the European countries to him. Certain analysts estimate that Russia wants to also haggle over other substantial concessions on behalf of Bielorussia, going until the more radical solution of the annexation of Bielorussia, in a form or another, within the Federation of Russia. The Russian authorities as for them reject any political leitmotiv of the crisis, stipulating to be governed only by economic motivations.

Administrative cutting

See also: Subdivisions of Bielorussia, List of leaders: provinces of Bielorussia

Bielorussia is divided into six areas voblastsi (singular voblast ) and an autonomous municipality ( harady , singular - horad ):

Brest ( Brestskaya ), Homyel' skaya (Gomel/Homyel'), Horad Minsk *, Hrodzyenskaya (Grodno/Hrodna), Mahilyowskaya (Mogilev /Mahilyow), Minskaya (Minsk), Vitsyebskaya (Vitsyebsk/Vitebsk)

Geography

See also: Geography of Bielorussia

Bielorussia is located at the center of the Europe, is bordered in the west by the Poland (605 km of borders), in the south by the Ukraine (891 km), in the North-West by the Lithuania (502 km) and the Latvia (102 km) and in the east by the Russia (959 km) - is 3  098 km of land borders in all.

Bielorussia has a surface of 207  600 km ² (as comparison, a little less than the the United Kingdom).

The Belorusse territory is an open territory (without natural limits precise) and deprived of access to the sea. It is about a large plain of low altitude (159 meters of altitude on average) whose culminating point is the mount bald person, called by the Soviets Mont of Dzerjinski (345 meters).

This flat country has one of vastest the marshy area of Europe and is covered with vast forests. It is also furrowed by large rivers (the Dvina and the Niémen, which drain the rivers of the north and the west of the country towards the the Baltic, and the Dniepr those of the east and the south towards the Black Sea), and of many rivers. The territory is punctuated of more than ten thousand lakes (largest, the Lac Naroch, has a surface of 79,6 km ²) which are worth to him the nickname of “country to the blue eyes”. The marshy or wet grounds occupy thus almost a third of the territory, and the forests another third.

Bielorussia knows a continental and wet climate. The annual average of precipitations varies between 550 and 700 Misters the temperatures oscillate between -4  ⁰ C and -8  ⁰ C of west in is in January, and 17  ⁰ C and 19  ⁰ C in July.

One divides the territory biélorussien into three great natural areas:

• North: the climate is rigorous, the poor grounds, the density of the particularly weak population;
• the center of the country, denser and with richer grounds;
• the South (Polésie and area of Gomel): marshes and forests dominate, the density of the population is weak.

In addition to the capital Minsk (1  800  000 inhabitants), the main cities are Gomel (500  000), Moguilev (370  000), Vitebsk (350  000), Grodno (310  000), Brest (300  000) and Bobrouïsk (227  000). On the whole, nearly 15 cities more 100  count; 000 inhabitants.

Economy

See also: Economy of Bielorussia

Demography

See also: Demography of Bielorussia

• major demographic crises known by the country:

• 1563-1566 : epidemic of Plague
• 1654-1667: war between the Russia and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (half of the population disappears)
• 1700-1721: war of North against Sweden (a third of the population is killed)
• 1914-1917: First World War (1,2 million dead)
• 1941-1945: Second world war (a quarter of the population succumbs, 1 million people are moved)

• Population:
• 10 350  194 inhabitants (2005)
• 78  % of Belorusses, 13  % of Russians, 5  % of Pole, 2,3  % of Ukrainians.
• 0-14 years: 16  % - - 15-64 years: 68,21  % - - more than 65 years: 14,6  %
• Life expectancy:
• of the men: 63 years (2005)
• of the women: 75 years (2005)
• Growth rate of the population: -   0,4  % (2004)
• Birth rate: 10,83  ‰ (2005)
• Death rate: 14,15  ‰ (2005)
• infantile Death rate: 13,37  ‰ (2005)
• Fertility rate: 1,4 children per woman (2005)
• Rate of migration: 2,42  ‰ (2005)

Culture

See also: Culture of Bielorussia

Various figures

• Telephone lines: 3,2 million (in 2004)

• Cellphones: 4,7 million (in 2006)
• Radios: 3 million (in 1997)
• Television stations: 2,52 million (in 1997)
• Users of Internet: 10  000 (in 2000)
• Many suppliers of access Internet: 4 (in 2000)
• Roads: 63  355 km (of which 60  567 km tarred) (in 1998)
• Railways: 5  512 km (in 2005)
• inland Waterways: n.c
• Many airports: 101 (including 44 with tarred tracks) (in 2005)

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