Portal:Belarus

The Republic of Belarus is a landlocked nation located in Eastern Europe. Its borders, which have changed over the years due to war and treaties, are shared with Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. The capital is located at Minsk and several important cities include Brest.

Belarus became an independent 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 part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Poland, 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 has been sanctioned by the United States.

Officially, the country is called the "Republic of Belarus" (Belarusian: Рэспубліка Беларусь, Respublika Biełaruś, Russian: Республика Беларусь) , while the simple name is Belarus (Беларусь, Biełaruś, Беларусь). However, some have continued to use Byelorussia (Белоруссия), but this causes offense since this name was used during the Russification of Belarus. Belarus's name roughly translates to "White Rus" or white Russia.

rushnik – Belarusian ruble – White Russia

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"My Belarusy" ("Мы, беларусы", "We Belarusians") is the unofficial title of the national anthem of Belarus and the first line of its lyrics. Officially, "My Belarusy" is titled "the National Anthem of the Republic of Belarus" (Russian: Государственный гимн Республики Беларусь, Belarusian: Дзяржаўны гімн Рэспублікі Беларусь). The song itself was written in 1955 and later became the anthem of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. The music of the anthem composed by Nester Sakalouski has not been changed; however, the original Soviet lyrics have not been used since the fall of the Soviet Union. The lyrics were officially changed on July 2, 2002 by a decree passed by President Alexander Lukashenko establishing the song, with new lyrics, as the national anthem.
Other Featured Articles: Hero of Belarus – Flag of Belarus – Belarusian Republican Youth Union

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