FACTS ABOUT BELARUS

AMAZING FACTS ABOUT BELARUS

1.                 The term Belarus means ‘White Russia.’

2.                 Minsk is the capital city of Belarus.

3.                 The total population of Belarus is 9,570,376.

4.                 The natives of Belarus are called Belarusians.

5.                 The Belarusian ruble (BYR) is official currency of Belarus.

6.                 Belarus shares a border with Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Ukraine.

7.                 Belarus is the 93^rd most-populous country in the world.

8.                 The first signs of settlements in ancient Belarus date back approximately 100,000-35,000 years.

9.                 Belarus became independent on December 26^th, 1991. It celebrates its independence day on the 3rd of July.

10.             In terms of land area, Belarus occupies the third spot on the list of European countries behind Great Britain and Romania. It is generally flat with a significant amount of marshland.

11.             The Belarusian economy is mainly dependent on the agriculture and manufacturing industries.

12.             The unemployment rate in Belarus is 0.8%.

13.             There is very little protection of property rights and a high level of corruption in Belarus.

14.          With the passing of the Constitution of Belarus, the office of the President of Belarus was created in 1994.

15.            It is interesting to note that Alexander Lukashenko has served as the president of the country since his election in 1994. Thus, he is the first and only president of Belarus to this day.

16.           The personal income tax rate in Belarus is 13%.

17.            The country is heavily dependent on subsidized Russian energy.

18.           Simon Kuznets became the first Belarusian to win a Nobel Prize. He won the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1971.

19.            There are a total of Five Nobel Prize winners from the country, including Simon Kuznets, Svetlana Alexievich, Zhores Ivanovich Alferov, Shimon Peres and Menachem Begin.

20.           Białowieża Forest in Belarus is home to 800 European bisons, Europe’s heaviest land animal. The forest is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

21.             The forest covers a total area of 141,885 ha.

22.             Russia is the largest political and economic partner of Belarus. Russia accounts for some 48% of Belarus’ external trade, while Belarus accounts for around 6% of Russia’s trade.

23.             Athletics, football, gymnastics, skiing, biathlon, ice hockey, tennis, fencing, wrestling, volleyball, handball, swimming, chess, and checkers are among the most popular sports in Belarus.

24.             Ice hockey is one of the country’s most popular sports.

25.             Minsk is a green city with more than 844,000 trees and an area of 72,766 square meters.

26.             The country’s capital has had to rebuild itself several times, as it has burned down 18 times in its history. Extensive bombing during World War II caused heavy damage to the city’s architecture.

27.             The city of Minsk has also been given the title of a “hero city” for its ability to make a comeback every time it’s been devastated.

28.             The game “World of Tanks” and the famous Viber App originated from Belarus.

29.             Belarus has four UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

30.             ‘Independence Avenue’ in Minsk is the longest street (15 km) in Belarus. The name of this street has been changed 14 times so far.

31.             Belarus received about 60% of the contamination that fell on the former Soviet Union from the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.

32.             Chemical and nuclear pollution in the country are among its major environmental problems.

33.             World War II took the lives of almost 25% of the population of Belarus.

34.             Primeval lowland oak woods can only be found in Pripyatski National Park, which is in Belarus.

35.             About 45% of the country is covered by forest land.

36.             Belarus also has the distinction of printing one of the first-ever bibles. This was done in 1517 in Prague.

37.             The National Library of Belarus contains 8 million items of various media. Each day, the library sees more than 2,200 users and delivers 12,000 documents. It was founded on September 15, 1922.

38.             Every city in Belarus has a Lenin street named after Vladimir Lenin – a Russian communist revolutionary, politician and political theorist.

39.             During World War II, more than 800,000 Jewish people were executed by the Germans in Belarus.

40.             The Minsk botanical garden is the third largest in Europe.

41.             Belarus is slightly smaller than the state of Kansas in size.

42.             There are approximately 6,805,786 internet users in Belarus.

43.             The country has 86,392 km of roadways, and 5,528 km of railways.

44.             Belarus has produced at least 68 Olympic champions in the past 50 years.

45.             Belarusians can make at least 300 different recipes with potatoes. They can even make pancakes using potatoes.

46.             The death penalty has been completely abolished in all European countries except for Belarus.

47.             Approximately 40-45% of the country’s population is 25-54 years old.

48.             The country spends approximately 6% of its GDP on health care.

49.             Belarus has a 99.7% literacy rate.

50.             The country experiences a moderate continental climate.

51.             “Lacinka” is the name of the Latin-script in Belarusian writing.

52.             Belarus Exports: machinery and equipment, mineral products, chemicals, metals, textiles and foodstuffs.

53.             Belarus Imports: mineral products, machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs and metals.

54.             The internet country code for Belarus is .by.