Belarus
Belarus – The country of 10 000 Lakes
Belarus is a landlocked country in central Europe. The full name of
the country is the Republic of Belarus, meaning "pure Russian
newcomer." Covering an area of 207,600 square kilometers, it has a
population of 9.87 million and a total of more than 80
nationalities, of which the Belarussian race accounts for 81.2%.
There are also Russians, Polish, and so on. Residents are Orthodox.
The official languages are Belarusian and Russian. The currency is
the Belarussian ruble. The capital is Minsk (Minsk).
National Flag
The flag is red with a lower green strip. On the flagpole side is a
vertical white floral pattern with strong ethnic characteristics.
History
Belarus is an Eastern Slavic tribe. From the 9th to 11th century AD,
most of its territory belonged to the Kievan Rus. A number of feudal
principalities were established in the 12th century. In the 14th
century, Belarus was part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, including
its Russian annexation. On January 1, 1919, the Byelorussian Soviet
Socialist Republic was established. It joined the Soviet Union in
1922. On July 27, 1990, the Supreme Soviet of Belarus declared
sovereignty. On August 25, 1991, Belarus declared independence and
on December 19 was renamed the Republic of Belarus, referred to as
Belarus.
Economic and Cultural Customs
Belarus' agriculture is well-developed and rich in flax, sugar beet
and other agricultural products. Meat and milk production are also
high. Machinery manufacturing, chemical, petrochemical, wood
processing, light industry, and food industries are developed. Urban
and rural residents are entitled to free medical care, retirement
security, and other benefits.
Belarus is located in the Russian Plain, with the north
consisting of the low and white moraine hills and plains. The
southern part of the country is lowlands, with many swamps and about
11 000 lakes. Belarus enjoys a reputation as the "country of
thousand lakes." It has a strategic location, with the world-famous
Eurasian Continental Bridge across the bridge, said to be a
"transportation hub." Minerals are mainly potassium salts, rock
salt, oil, and apatite.
Asia-Europe Continental Bridge Railway
The international community usually connects to the mainland port
city across the entire intercontinental long-distance rail transport
network, so it is called the railway "land bridge." This is a
realization of the major transport of cargo via waterway and rail,
the development of which has very important significance for
international trade. The world has two transcontinental railroad
land bridges. The firs,t known as the Siberian Continental Bridge,
was opened in 1967, and runs east to the Sea of Japan port of
Nakhodka and west to Western Europe and the Nordic countries. The
second, which opened in mid-1992, runs on the east to coastal China
and the cities of Lianyungang, Dalian, Shanghai and Hong Kong,
running west to the port city of Rotterdam. It almost connects all
of the more-developed countries of Asia and Europe.
Pripet marshes
On the East European Plain, western Ukraine and Belarus are
adjacent. Since this plain was formed by ancient glaciers, the area
has a high scientific value. A dense river and swamp area, abundant
water, coupled with precipitation higher than the annual evaporation
over the previous year, has brought the water table very close to
the surface. In addition, pine forests have grown in some areas and
most of the marsh is extremely humid. How marsh resources were able
to be reclaimed, developing the economy while effectively protecting
the environment, has attracted interest of scientists.
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