Belarus is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. Countries bordering Belarus are Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia. Formerly the Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic within the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), it gained its independence in 1991. The country used to be known as "White Russia," as its name indicates. The border is final with Lithuania and Latvia, but the border with Ukraine is still unresolved.
The capitol of Belarus is Minsk. The form of government is officially a republic, but is, in fact, a dictatorship, led by its first president, Alexandr Lukashenko. Belarus remains closely tied to Russia diplomatically and economically since independence.
More than three-quarters of the population are ethnic Belarusians. They are closely related to the Russians and Ukrainians ethnically and linguistically, as a branch of the South Slavs. The official language since 1990 has been Belarusian, and its use has been increasing since that year, but Russian has been the language most used by governmental institutions. The predominant religion is Orthodox Christianity. Traditionally the population is rural, though since the 1980s most reside in urban areas, particularly the Russian segment (13 percent) of the population.
Agriculture, food processing and agricultural machinery are the main industries, as well as textile-related chemicals and textile products.
The Chernobyl nuclear disaster has adversely affected the soils of the southern part of the country and also the general health of the population.
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