Exploring Eastern Europe: Locating Belarus On The Map

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 is a medium-sized European state, spanning 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 divided into six regions. Minsk, the capital and largest city, is administered separately as a city with special status.

Belarus is landlocked and bordered by five countries: Lithuania, Latvia, Russia, Ukraine, and Poland

Belarus is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered by five countries: Lithuania, Latvia, Russia, Ukraine, and Poland. The country's total border length is 3,617km, with the closest capital city being Vilnius in Lithuania, 215km away from Minsk. Belarus is slightly longer from north to south than it is from east to west, stretching 560km from north to south and 650km from east to west. It is the 13th largest country in Europe, spanning an area of 207,600 square kilometres (80,200 sq mi) with a population of 9.1 million.

Lithuania and Latvia border Belarus to the northwest, with Russia to the north and east. Ukraine borders Belarus to the south, and Poland to the west. Belarus's landscape is predominantly flat, with hills, flatlands, and lowlands, marshes, and lakes. The country is located in the water basins of the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea, with nearly 11,000 lakes and 20,800 rivers, including the Dnieper, the Western Dvina, and the Neman. The country's highest point is Dzyarzhynskaya Hill at 345 or 346 metres above sea level, with more than half of the country lying below 200 metres.

The northern part of Belarus is known as the Belarusian Lake District and features glacial relief, hills, and ridges. The middle part lies in the glaciolacustrine zone of the Belarusian Ridge and the East Belarusian plateau-like lowland. The southern part offers morainic and aquaglacial plains of sub-Polesie and flat, marshy lowlands of Polesie.

Minsk is the capital and largest city of Belarus

Minsk, the capital and largest city of Belarus, is one of the oldest cities in Europe. First mentioned in 1067, it became the seat of a principality in 1101. Minsk has been razed to the ground several times and has risen from the ashes each time. The city is located on the southeastern slope of the Minsk Hills and is the administrative, economic, scientific and cultural hub of Belarus. It is also the only city in Belarus with a metro service, which was launched in 1984.

Minsk is the major industrial centre of Belarus. The city's economy is based on machine building, particularly the manufacture of trucks and tractors. Other products include electric motors, bearings, machine tools, radio and television equipment, refrigerators, watches, textiles, and foodstuffs. Minsk is also a major educational and cultural centre, with the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, a university founded in 1921, and numerous other institutions of higher education.

Minsk is divided into nine administrative districts and has a population of about two million, making it the 11th-most populous city in Europe. It is one of the administrative capitals of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). The city is home to the most well-known Belarusian brands, including Minsk Tractor Works (MTZ), Minsk Automobile Plant (MAZ), Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant (MZKT), and Minsk Motor Plant (MMZ).

Minsk has its own charter, coat of arms, and anthem. The city celebrates its founding every year on the second Saturday of September.

Belarus is a unitary democratic welfare rule-of-law state with a presidential republic structure

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 is a unitary democratic welfare rule-of-law state with a presidential republic structure.

The Constitution of the Republic of Belarus of 1994, as amended and supplemented by the national referendums of 24 November 1996, 17 October 2004, and 27 February 2022, provides for the fundamental structure of the Belarusian state. The Republic of Belarus exercises supreme control and absolute authority over its territory and implements its domestic and foreign policies independently.

Belarus is a unitary state, meaning that all administrative and territorial units are subject to the same rules of law. This includes uniform legislation, a unified system of supreme authorities, and the subordination of local authorities to the central government. The state provides conditions for a decent life for all citizens, including protection of rights to work, rest, and health, among others.

Belarus is a democratic state, guaranteeing the diversity of political institutions, ideologies, and views. The rights, freedoms, and responsibilities of citizens are enshrined in the Constitution, with the human being, their rights, and freedoms being of the highest importance and the supreme goal of society and the state.

Belarus is a welfare state, providing substantial benefits to its citizens, such as pensions and paid maternity leave. The state also guarantees and defends the rights and freedoms of its citizens, including those abroad.

Belarus is a rule-of-law state, guided by the principle of the rule of law. The state, all of its public authorities, and officials act within the limits of the Constitution and the legislative acts adopted in accordance with it. The Constitution also establishes the separation of powers into legislative, executive, and judicial branches to prevent the concentration of power in a single government body.

The Republic of Belarus is a presidential republic, with the President as the Head of State. The President has the right to initiate legislation, sign or reject laws, and issue decrees that are mandatory throughout the territory of Belarus. The President also plays a key role in the formation and functioning of the executive branch, including appointing the Prime Minister and determining the structure of the Government.

In summary, Belarus is a unitary democratic welfare rule-of-law state with a presidential republic structure, where the Constitution and the rule of law are paramount, and the rights and freedoms of citizens are guaranteed and protected.

The official languages of Belarus are Belarusian and Russian

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. Minsk, the capital and largest city, is administered separately as a city with special status.

Belarus has two official languages: Belarusian and Russian. While Belarusian is the official language of Belarus, it is not as widely used as Russian, which is the mother tongue of only 41.5% of the population, compared to 53.2% for Belarusian. Russian is the most common language used at home, with 70% of the population speaking it as their first language, compared to 23% for Belarusian.

The earliest known documents from ethnic Belarusian territories date from the 12th century, with the majority being religious texts written in the Church Slavonic language. In the 13th and 14th centuries, an increasing number of texts began to show phonetic, grammatical, and lexical characteristics that were typically Belarusian. By the late 14th and 15th centuries, Church Slavonic religious writings in East Slavonic territories underwent an archaization known as "rebulgarisation" to counteract the alleged "falsification" of the divine word by vernacular influences. This, along with the political rise of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, contributed to the emergence of a written language based on the autochthonous East Slavonic vernacular.

During the 19th century, poets and intellectuals inspired by the Romantic movement and the language use of the peasantry contributed to the development of a modern Belarusian literary language. However, under the Russian Empire, Belarusian was treated as a dialect of Russian. After the January Uprising of 1863, all tentative steps towards Belarusian linguistic and cultural emancipation were blocked by the authorities. It was only after the 1905 Russian Revolution, when the ban on printed Belarusian texts was lifted, that efforts to create a modern Belarusian literary language intensified.

Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, a Belarusization policy was initiated, aiming to make Belarusian the sole official language within ten years, with a particular focus on the educational system. However, this policy was rejected by large parts of society, and in 1995, President Alexander Lukashenko initiated a controversial referendum, resulting in Russian being reinstated as an official language alongside Belarusian.

Today, the use of Belarusian outside the spheres of education and culture has become a symbol of an oppositional attitude towards the Lukashenko regime. While there have been some recent efforts by Belarusian officials to use more favourable rhetoric regarding the Belarusian language, this has not resulted in a fundamental change in the country's language policy.

Belarus is part of Eastern Europe and is crossed by major transit routes of the continent

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 is crossed by major transit routes of the entire continent, including one of Eurasia's main transport corridors from southwest to northeast. The shortest transport links connecting the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea also run through Belarus' territory.

The country is located in the East European Platform and has a predominantly flat terrain intersected by hills, flatlands, and lowlands with marshes and lakes. Belarus is part of the Sarmatic and Central European mixed forest ecoregions. It has a hemiboreal climate and is divided into six administrative regions. Minsk, the largest city in the country, is the capital and is administered separately from the surrounding region.

The country has a rich history, with different states controlling the lands of modern-day Belarus between the medieval period and the 20th century. Belarus was occupied by the Russian Empire in the 18th century and later became a founding constituent republic of the Soviet Union in 1922. Following World War II, during which Belarus lost about a quarter of its population, the Byelorussian SSR became a founding member of the United Nations. Belarus gained independence from the Soviet Union on 25 August 1991 and has since retained close ties with Russia.

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