Belarus

Belarus is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe with a population of about 9.4 million people. The capital of Belarus is Minsk. As a former republic of the Soviet Union, Belarus has been an independent nation since 1991. Belarus is often referred to as White Russia. This comes from a literal but historically inaccurate translation of the name as it is written in the Belarusian Latin alphabet, Biełaruś. Bieła- means white, but the interpretation of -ruś as Russia is incorrect. While Russia's own name does in fact stem from the word ruś, the -ruś in Biełaruś actually stems from Ruthenia, a non-native name for the medieval state of Kievan Ruś that Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus originated from. Belarus was formerly called Belorussia during the reign of the Russian Empire, and later Byelorussia until its independence in 1991. It has since been known as Belarus.

The area of Belarus is approximately 207,600km2 (80,154mi2.) Belarus is a landlocked country, bordered by Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia. Belarus's terrain consists of low, rolling hills (the Belarusian Ridge.) About forty40 percent of Belarus's land is forested. Many rivers flow through Belarus, including the Pripyat and the Neman. The Pinsk Marshes are in southern Belarus. Belarus has a continental climate with strong seasons. The country experiences about 600 mm of rainfall each year. Belarus is divided into six oblasts: Brest, Vitebsk, Gomel, Grodno, Minsk, and Mogilev.

Belarus was born out of Kievan Rus', a medieval state whichthat existed from the ninth to the thirteenth century. The center of the Belarusian region in Kievan Rus' was the principality of Polotsk. In 1392, Polotsk became an administrative unit of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In 1795, the Russian Empire took control of Belarus after the third partitioning of Poland. After the land was annexed, Belarusians were forced to declare allegiance to Catherine II or else leave the country. Belarus was divided into its first five oblasts in 1801. In 1830, Alexander I established Russian law throughout Belarus.

In 1915, during World War I, German troops began advancing towardstoward Belarusian cities. They occupied Vileyka on August 31, 1915, which led to the Russians abandoning their occupancies in Grodno and Brest, then moving their supreme command headquarters from Baranovichi to Mogilev. The year 1917 saw two Russian revolutions that later proved essential to Belarus's status as a free state. The February Revolution––triggered by the war, inflation, and food shortages––led to the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II and the subsequent freedom of the Russian people under his rule. The Provisional Government established in his place immediately abolished national borders and special regulations, which made it possible to establish the Belarusian Socialist Assembly, a social democratic political party. Both the BSA and Provisional Government demanded autonomy of Belarus within the Russian Federal Republic. In July 1917, national forces began organizing a congress and plans for the autonomy of Belarus.

Shortly after the second revolution, several German and Russian congresses met in Minsk, where they formed a new Provisional Government. In December 1917, nearly 2,000 delegates of the All-Belarusian Congress met in Minsk to establish a new government, but Bolshevik soldiers disbanded the meeting before deliberations were finished. During the congress, it was said that the Executive Committee should be the new government of Belarus. Between February 19 and 21, 1918, Belarusian and Polish volunteer troops removed the Bolsheviks from Minsk. On February 21, the Executive Committee passed the First Constituent Charter to the peoples of Belarus, which declared the committee to be the new government of Belarus.

Belarus's partisan divisions eventually proved successful in the fight against the Germans. About one thirdone-third of the territory was controlled by the partisans by the end of 1942, and nearly two thirdstwo-thirds in 1943. On September 23, 1942, the first Belarusian town of Komarin was liberated. The Minsk ghetto was liberated on October 21, 1943, and Minsk was liberated on July 3, 1944, which marks Belarus's Independence Day. Belarus as a whole was entirely liberated by July 28.

By the end of World War II, hundreds of cities and close to 10,000 villages in Belarus had been destroyed or looted, and its economic sectors were devastated. More than one quarterone-quarter of the Belarusian population died, and it took nearly thirty years for the population to return to pre-war levels. An estimated ninety percent of the Jewish population in Belarus had been killed––about 800,000 people.

After the end of World War II, the Soviet Union aided Belarus in post-war reconstruction efforts and helped the country rebuild itself. Other assistance included agricultural supplies and livestock. With the help of the Soviet Union came the overarching Sovietization and then Russification of Belarus and the Belarusian language, the usage of which was almost nonexistent by the 1980s––by that time, only about five percent of circulating journals were in Belarusian, and all Belarusian-language schools had been purged in the prior decade. Only one-third of the citizens still spoke Belarusian, mostly those in rural areas. Some of these efforts were set to be reversed in the 1990s, but were shut down after the election of Alexander Lukashenko.

The first presidential election in Belarus since its independence was held in 1994. Alexander Lukashenko, a former collective farm manager, was elected with about eighty percent of the vote. Lukashenko has since been elected president five additional times, and is now serving his sixth term. While the results of the first election have been accepted as legitimate, Lukashenko's consistent reelections have been met with resistance and allegations of fraud and fake vote counts.

In the 2001 election, Lukashenko claimed to have received seventy-five percent of the vote, but opposition officials stated that both he and his opponent received less than fifty percent of the vote each, which would have been cause for repolling under Belarusian law. In 2004, Lukashenko passed a referendum that riddedrid Belarus of presidential term limits, enabling him to continue to hold power. In the 2005 election, he claimed to have won eighty-four percent of the vote. He was reelected in 2010, 2015, and 2020. Over the years, critics and opponents of Lukashenko have been silenced or disappeared. He has been called Europe's last dictator. Protests of the 2020 election were met with violence from police and thousands of arrests.

Belarus is a unitary state, the administrative-territorial unit of the first level of which is the city of Minsk and 6 regions (Brest, Vitebsk, Gomel, Grodno, Minsk, Mogilev). The regions are divided into 118 districts and 10 cities of regional subordination (administrative-territorial units of the second, basic level).

The third, primary level of administrative-territorial units is formed by 104 cities of district subordination (including 90 district centers and 14 city councils), 27 urban settlements that are under district subordination (including 19 district centers and 8 village councils), 1151 village councils. The remaining 58 urban-type settlements are part of the village councils. Minsk, regional centers, as well as the city of Bobruisk, are divided into 24 city districts. The area of Belarus is 207,595 km2. The population in 2021 is estimated at 9,349,645, with a density of 45.8/km2.

1919-1924

On January 1, 1919, in connection with the formation of the Socialist Soviet Republic of Belarus (SSRB), it included Vitebsk, Grodno, Minsk, Mogilev provinces, part of the counties of the Vilna and Kovno provinces, and the western counties of the Smolensk province. On January 16, 1919, by decision of the Central Committee of the RCP (b), Vitebsk, Mogilev and Smolensk provinces were ceded to the RSFSR.

In February 1919, the rest of the territory of the SSRB was merged with the Socialist Soviet Republic of Lithuania into the Lithuanian-Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic, which included Vilna, Minsk, part of the territory of the Grodno and Kovno provinces. By the end of the summer of 1919, almost the entire territory of Litbel was occupied by Polish troops, and the republic de facto ceased to exist.

On April 26, 1919, the Gomel province was formed, which consisted of 9 counties (Bykhovsky, Gomel, Goretsky, Klimovichsky, Mogilev, Orsha, Rogachevsky, Chaussky, Cherikovsky) of the abolished Mogilev province, Rechitsa district of the Minsk province, Mglinsky, Novozybkovsky, Starodubsky, Surazhsky counties of Chernihiv provinces. From August 1919 to August 1920, Mozyr, parts of Bobruisk, Borisov, Igumen districts entered the Gomel province. In November 1920, the Orsha district was transferred to the Vitebsk province. In May 1922, the Mglinsky and Chaussky uyezds were abolished, the Surazhsky uyezd was renamed into Klintsovsky, and the Pochepsky uyezd was formed. In July 1922, most of the Goretsky district was transferred to the Smolensk province. In February 1923, Bykhov County was abolished. In May 1923, the Pochep district was transferred to the Bryansk province. In March 1924, Bykhovsky, Klimovichsky, Mogilevsky, Rogachevsky, Chaussky, Cherikovsky, part of the Rechitsa district were transferred to the BSSR. In December 1926, the Gomel province was abolished: the Gomel and Rechitsa districts were attached to the BSSR, Klintsovsky, Novozybkovsky, Starodubsky - to the Bryansk province of the RSFSR.

Belarus is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe with a population of about 9.4 million people. The capital of Belarus is Minsk. As a former republic of the Soviet Union, Belarus has been an independent nation since 1991. Belarus is often referred to as White Russia. This comes from a literal but historically inaccurate translation of the name as it is written in the Belarusian Latin alphabet, Biełaruś. Bieła- means white, but the interpretation of -ruś as Russia is incorrect. While Russia's own name does in fact stem from the word ruś, the -ruś in Biełaruś actually stems from Ruthenia, a non-native name for the medieval state of Kievan Ruś that Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus originated from. Belarus was formerly called Belorussia during the reign of the Russian Empire, and later Byelorussia until its independence in 1991. It has since been known as Belarus.

The area of Belarus is approximately 207,600km² (80,154mi².) Belarus is a landlocked country, bordered by Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia. Belarus's terrain consists of low, rolling hills (the Belarusian Ridge.) About forty percent of Belarus's land is forested. Many rivers flow through Belarus, including the Pripyat and the Neman. The Pinsk Marshes are in southern Belarus. Belarus has a continental climate with strong seasons. The country experiences about 600 mm of rainfall each year. Belarus is divided into six oblasts: Brest, Vitebsk, Gomel, Grodno, Minsk, and Mogilev.

Belarus was born out of Kievan Rus', a medieval state which existed from the ninth to the thirteenth century. The center of the Belarusian region in Kievan Rus' was the principality of Polotsk. In 1392, Polotsk became an administrative unit of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In 1795, the Russian Empire took control of Belarus after the third partitioning of Poland. After the land was annexed, Belarusians were forced to declare allegiance to Catherine II or else leave the country. Belarus was divided into its first five oblasts in 1801. In 1830, Alexander I established Russian law throughout Belarus.

In 1915, during World War I, German troops began advancing towards Belarusian cities. They occupied Vileyka on August 31, 1915, which led to the Russians abandoning their occupancies in Grodno and Brest, then moving their supreme command headquarters from Baranovichi to Mogilev. The year 1917 saw two Russian revolutions that later proved essential to Belarus's status as a free state. The February Revolution––triggered by the war, inflation, and food shortages––led to the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II and the subsequent freedom of the Russian people under his rule. The Provisional Government established in his place immediately abolished national borders and special regulations, which made it possible to establish the Belarusian Socialist Assembly, a social democratic political party. Both the BSA and Provisional Government demanded autonomy of Belarus within the Russian Federal Republic. In July 1917, national forces began organizing a congress and plans for the autonomy of Belarus.

On July 31, 1920, the Socialist Soviet Republic of Belarus (SSRB) was restored as part of Minsk (without the Rechitsa district) and the Belarusian districts of Grodno and Vilna provinces. According to the Riga Peace Treaty of March 18, 1921, the western part of Belarus: Grodno, almost half of Minsk and most of the Vilna province went to the Polish Republic. The incomplete territory of 6 districts of the former Minsk province remained in the BSSR: Bobruisk, Borisov, Igumen (since 1923 - Cherven), Mozyr, partially Minsk and Slutsk.

The second revolution of 1917––the October Revolution––resulted from problems with the Provisional Government. The government had little power or ability to solve most of the issues plaguing Russia that had caused the first revolution. During the February Revolution, Russian workers and soldiers began forming the Petrograd Soviet, an alternative form of government that held more power than the Provisional Government. On October 25, 1917, the Bolsheviks overthrew the Provisional Government and arrested its members. This action was ratified the next day, and the new socialist government, led by Vladimir Lenin, was named the Council of People’s Commissars.

1924-1938

In March 1924, as a result of the return of the Eastern Belarusian territories from the RSFSR - the so-called first enlargement of the BSSR - it included the counties of Vitebsk, Gomel and Smolensk provinces, in which the Belarusian population prevailed. On July 17, 1924, the old administrative-territorial structure was abolished on the territory of the BSSR and a new administrative-territorial structure was adopted - districts with division into districts. 10 districts were formed, which united 100 districts:

• Bobruisk district (12 districts);
• Borisovsky District (9 districts);
• Vitebsk district (12 districts);
• Kalininsky District (10 districts);
• Mogilev district (10 districts);
• Mozyr district (9 districts);
• Minsk District (11 districts);
• Orsha district (10 districts);
• Polotsk district (9 districts);
• Slutsk district (7 districts).

In December 1926, as a result of the second consolidation of the BSSR, the Gomel and Rechitsa districts of the Gomel province were transferred to the republic from the RSFSR. On December 8, 1926, 18 volosts of these uyezds were renamed into districts, and the uyezds were renamed into okrugs.

Shortly after the second revolution, several German and Russian congresses met in Minsk where they formed a new Provisional Government. In December 1917, nearly 2,000 delegates of the All-Belarusian Congress met in Minsk to establish a new government, but Bolshevik soldiers disbanded the meeting before deliberations were finished. During the congress, it was said that the Executive Committee should be the new government of Belarus. Between February 19 and 21, 1918, Belarusian and Polish volunteer troops removed the Bolsheviks from Minsk. On February 21, the Executive Committee passed the First Constituent Charter to the peoples of Belarus, which declared the committee to be the new government of Belarus.

On June 9, 1927, the Borisovsky, Kalininsky, Rechitsky and Slutsky districts were abolished, their districts were distributed among neighboring districts. On July 26, 1930, the remaining 8 districts were abolished, and the districts came under the direct subordination of the BSSR. The number of districts changed: on August 4, 1927, 16 districts were abolished, on July 8, 1931, another 23 districts. On February 15, 1935, 15 districts were restored. On June 21, 1935, the regions of the BSSR, located along the state border with Poland, were united into 4 districts (Lepel, Mozyr, Polotsk and Slutsk).

1938-1940

On January 15, 1938, okrugs as administrative units were abolished in the BSSR and regional division was introduced. On February 20, 1938, all the 90 districts of the republic that existed at that time were distributed among 5 regions:

Vitebsk region (20 districts);

Gomel region (14 districts);

Minsk region (20 districts);

Mogilev region (21 districts);

Polissya region (15 districts).

After the reunification of Western Belarus with the BSSR, the city of Vilna and the Vilna region in November 1939 were transferred to Lithuania by decision of the USSR leadership. On the remaining territory of Western Belarus, on December 4, 1939, 5 regions and 101 districts were formed:

Baranovichi region (26 districts);

Bialystok region (24 districts);

Brest region (18 districts);

Vileyka region (22 districts);

Pinsk region (11 districts).

In November 1940, in connection with the transfer of part of the territory of the BSSR to the Lithuanian SSR, 3 districts were abolished: Godutishkovsky, Porechsky and Sventsyansky.

1944-1966

After the liberation of the territory of Belarus from the German invaders, 3 districts of the Brest and 17 districts of the Bialystok regions were transferred to Poland in September 1944. Bialystok region was abolished. On September 20, 1944, in the BSSR, new regions were added to the previously existing ones:

• Bobruisk region (14 districts)
• Grodno region (15 districts)
• Polotsk region (15 districts)
• Molodechno region (renamed Vileika, 14 districts)

On March 3, the Treaty of Brest-Livotsk was signed, which resulted in the withdrawal of Russia as combatant from World War I. Much of Belarus then fell under control of the German Empire. The Second Constituent Charter was issued on March 9, and the Third Constituent Charter on March 25, which declared the independence of Belarus and established it as the Belarusian National Republic, (also called the Belarusian People's Republic or Belarusian Democratic Republic.) After Germany was defeated in World War I and its troops were withdrawn from occupied Belarusian territories, the Bolsheviks reclaimed the territories and the Belarusian People's Republic (BPR) fled from Minsk to Hrodna.

On January 1, 1919, the Bolsheviks established the Soviet Socialist Republic of Belarus (SSRB) in Smolensk, but moved operations to Minsk after a few weeks. In February 1919, the SSRB became one with the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic and was then known as the Lithuanian-Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. Meanwhile, the BPR was fraught with disagreements between Council members, and both Councils left Belarus in July 1920 and established themselves elsewhere––the Supreme Rada in Poland, and the People’s Rada in Kaunas. Since then, the BPR has been in exile. On August 1, 1920, the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR) was founded.

On May 14, 1946, the city of Minsk was assigned to the cities of republican subordination. On January 8, 1954, the Baranovichi, Bobruisk, Pinsk, Polessky, and Polotsk regions were abolished and the districts were redistributed between adjacent regions. On January 20, 1960, the Molodechno region was abolished. During the years 1956-1962, the enlargement of districts was carried out in the BSSR. In 1965 and 1966, restoration was carried out, as well as the creation of new districts.

The Treaty of Riga, a peace treaty signed by Poland and Soviet Russia on March 18, 1921, ended the Soviet-Polish war and divided the ownership of Belarusian lands between the two countries. Poland took control of the western side along the Baranavichy-Slonim-Pinsk line, while Soviet Russia received the eastern side along the Minsk-Slutsk-Turau line. The BSSR was absorbed into the Soviet Union as a founding member in December 1922. More territories were added to the land in 1924 and 1926––other Belarusian ethnographic regions that became part of Russia under the Treaty of Riga. These acquisitions more than doubled the total area of the land from 51,800 km² (20,000 mi²) to 124,320 km² (48,000 mi².) The population soared from 1.5 million to nearly 5 million.

Administrative division

The territory of the regions is divided into the territories of districts and cities of regional subordination. As of January 1, 2022, the number of districts was 118, of which 16 districts were in the Brest region, 21 in Vitebsk, 17 in Grodno, 21 in Gomel, 22 in Minsk, 21 in Mogilev. The districts of the regions, in turn, are divided into 1151 village executive committees, 13 town councils, and city councils.

Throughout the 1920s, Belarusians under Poland's rule were forced to undergo Polonization, while those in the Soviet Russia portion of the land were given Belarusian-language schools and a cultural institute. However, in the late 1930s, Josef Stalin ordered purges of the Belarusian people, in which tens of thousands of Belarusians were killed between 1937 and 1941.

In 1939, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was signed by Germany and the Soviet Union. This reunited the eastern and western portions of Belarus that had previously been separated under the Treaty of Riga, and the Soviet Union took full control of the land. On September 1 of that year, Germany invaded Poland, marking the start of World War II. Over 300,000 Belarusians were deported to Soviet labor camps between that time and June 1941.

On June 22, 1941, German troops crossed the border of the Soviet Union. Within days, they fought their way inward and defeated the city of Minsk. On June 29, the mobilization of the Red Army began, and over 500,000 Belarusians were conscripted to fight against the Germans. A ghetto in Minsk was established on July 19, 1941. Partisan divisions against the war were swiftly established throughout Belarus. These divisions, of which there were over 1,200 by the end of the war, also fought against the Germans and Nazi regime. Still, the Germans had completely overtaken the country by September, and the partisan divisions would not see any victories until later in the war. 260 extermination camps were set up throughout Belarus. After occupation, the majority of the Belarusian population were set to be exterminated or exiled, while a small minority would be kept alive for forced labor.

Map of Belarus

Belarus's partisan divisions eventually proved successful in the fight against the Germans. About one third of the territory was controlled by the partisans by the end of 1942, and nearly two thirds in 1943. On September 23, 1942, the first Belarusian town of Komarin was liberated. The Minsk ghetto was liberated on October 21, 1943, and Minsk was liberated on July 3, 1944, which marks Belarus's Independence Day. Belarus as a whole was entirely liberated by July 28.

On January 8, 1954, the Baranovichi, Bobruisk, Pinsk, Polessky and Polotsk regions were abolished and the districts were redistributed between adjacent regions. On January 20, 1960, the Molodechno region was abolished. During the years 1956-1962, the enlargement of districts was carried out in the BSSR. In 1965-1966, restoration was carried out, as well as the creation of new districts.

By the end of World War II, hundreds of cities and close to 10,000 villages in Belarus had been destroyed or looted, and its economic sectors were devastated. More than one quarter of the Belarusian population died, and it took nearly thirty years for the population to return to pre-war levels. An estimated ninety percent of the Jewish population in Belarus had been killed––about 800,000 people.

Belarus was one of fifty-one countries that served as a founding member of the United Nations in 1945. The United Nations was established after the end of World War II in the hopes of preventing another World War from occurring. The UN works to maintain international peace and human rights for all.

In December 1926, as a result of the second consolidation of the BSSR, the Gomel and Rechitsa districts of the Gomel province were transferred to the republic from the RSFSR. On December 8, 1926, 18 volosts of these uyezds were renamed into districts, and the uyezds were renamed into okrugs.

After the end of World War II, the Soviet Union aided Belarus in post-war reconstruction efforts and helped the country rebuild itself. Other assistance included agricultural supplies and livestock. With the help of the Soviet Union came the overarching Sovietization and then Russification of Belarus and the Belarusian language, the usage of which was almost nonexistent by the 1980s––by that time, only about five percent of circulating journals were in Belarusian, and all Belarusian-language schools had been purged in the prior decade. Only one-third of the citizens still spoke Belarusian, mostly those in rural areas. Some of these efforts were set to be reversed in the 1990s, but were shut down after the election of Alexander Lukashenko.

On January 1, 1919, in connection with the formation of the Socialist Soviet Republic of Belarus (SSRB), it included Vitebsk, Grodno, Minsk, Mogilev provinces, part of the counties of the Vilna and Kovno provinces, and the western counties of the Smolensk province. On January 16, 1919, by decision of the Central Committee of the RCP (b), Vitebsk, Mogilev and Smolensk provinces were ceded to the RSFSR.

Belarus was severely affected by seventy percent of the radiation fallout from the Chernobyl disaster in April 1986, in which a reactor exploded at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine. The disaster was devastating to both the Belarusian people and the economy. Fifteen years after the explosion, it was found that within the affected areas, thyroid cancer rates had risen by 2,400 percent and suicide rates by 1,000 percent; the numbers were predicted to grow with more time.

On July 27, 1990, the Declaration of State Sovereignty of the BSSR was passed. On August 25, 1991, Belarus was declared independent of the Soviet Union. The nation's name was changed to the Republic of Belarus on September 19. On December 26, the Soviet Union was dissolved. The Belarusian constitution was adopted on March 15, 1994.

Alexander Lukashenko.

The first presidential election in Belarus since its independence was held in 1994. Alexander Lukashenko, a former collective farm manager, was elected with about eighty percent of the vote. Lukashenko has since been elected president five additional times, and is now serving his sixth term. While the results of the first election have been accepted as legitimate, Lukashenko's consistent reelections have been met with resistance and allegations of fraud and fake vote counts.

In February 1919, the rest of the territory of the SSRB was merged with the Socialist Soviet Republic of Lithuania into the Lithuanian-Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic, which included Vilna, Minsk, part of the territory of the Grodno and Kovno provinces. By the end of the summer of 1919, almost the entire territory of Litbel was occupied by Polish troops, and the republic de facto ceased to exist.

In the 2001 election, Lukashenko claimed to have received seventy-five percent of the vote, but opposition officials stated that both he and his opponent received less than fifty percent of the vote each, which would have been cause for repolling under Belarusian law. In 2004, Lukashenko passed a referendum that ridded Belarus of presidential term limits, enabling him to continue to hold power. In the 2005 election, he claimed to have won eighty-four percent of the vote. He was reelected in 2010, 2015, and 2020. Over the years, critics and opponents of Lukashenko have been silenced or disappeared. He has been called Europe's last dictator. Protests of the 2020 election were met with violence from police and thousands of arrests.

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The attack has been almost universally condemned by all other nations. Strict sanctions were placed on Russia by multiple countries immediately after the attack was launched. Belarus has also received sanctions for aiding and enabling Russia in its attack by providing military support and allowing Russian troops to use Belarusian lands to reach the Ukrainian border. Belarusian banks have been banned from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) global financial system, and the White House placed sanctions to limit Belarusian imports and target military officials.

Belarus is a unitary state, the administrative-territorial unit of the first level of which is the city of Minsk and 6 regions (Brest, Vitebsk, Gomel, Grodno, Minsk, Mogilev).

Belarus is a unitary state, the administrative-territorial unit of the first level of which is the city of Minsk and 6 regions (Brest, Vitebsk, Gomel, Grodno, Minsk, Mogilev). The regions are divided into 118 districts and 10 cities of regional subordination (administrative-territorial units of the second, basic level).The regions are divided into 118 districts and 10 cities of regional subordination (administrative-territorial units of the second, basic level).

The third, primary level of administrative-territorial units is formed by 104 cities of district subordination (including 90 district centers and 14 city councils), 27 urban settlements that are under district subordination (including 19 district centers and 8 village councils), 1151 village councils. The remaining 58 urban-type settlements are part of the village councils. Minsk, regional centers, as well as the city of Bobruisk, are divided into 24 city districts

The area of Belarus is 207,595 km2. The population in 2021 is 9,349,645 (est.), the density is 45.8/km2.

he parliament of the republic proclaimed the sovereignty of Belarus on 27 July 1990, and during the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Belarus declared independence on 25 August 1991 Following the adoption of a new constitution in 1994, Alexander Lukashenko was elected Belarus's first president in the country's first and only free election post-independence, serving as president ever since. Lukashenko heads an authoritarian government with a poor human rights record due to widespread abuses.Lukashenko has continued a number of Soviet-era policies, such as state ownership of large sections of the economy. Belarus is the only country in Europe officially using the death penalty. In 2000, Belarus and Russia signed a treaty for greater cooperation, forming the Union State.

Belarus is a developing country, ranking 53rd in the Human Development Index. It has been a member of the United Nations since its founding and has joined the CIS, the CSTO, the EAEU, the OSCE, and the Non-Aligned Movement. It has shown no aspirations of joining the European Union but nevertheless maintains a bilateral relationship with the bloc and also participates in two EU projects, the Baku Initiative and the Eastern Partnership. Belarus suspended its participation in the latter on 28 June 2021, after the EU imposed more sanctions against the country.

Administrative-territorial units

The administrative-territorial division of Belarus is determined by the Law of the Republic of Belarus dated May 5, 1998 No. 154-З “On the administrative-territorial structure of the Republic of Belarus”.

According to this law, the administrative-territorial units of Belarus are:

• First level:

• the capital of Belarus (the status of the city of Minsk is determined by law);

• regions;

• Second (basic) level:

• cities of regional subordination - with a population of at least 50 thousand people, which are administrative and large economic and cultural centers, with a developed industrial and social infrastructure (this status can be given to cities with a smaller population, having an important industrial, historical development and population growth);

• districts;

• Third (primary) level:

• cities of district subordination - with a population of more than 6 thousand people, having industrial enterprises, a network of institutions for social, cultural and domestic purposes, with prospects for further development and population growth;

• urban-type settlements:

• urban settlements - with a population of more than 2 thousand people, having industrial and communal enterprises, socio-cultural institutions, trade enterprises, public catering, consumer services;

• resort settlements - with a population of more than 2 thousand people, on the territory of which health-improving institutions, trade enterprises, public catering and consumer services, cultural and educational institutions are located;

• workers' settlements - with a population of more than 500 people, located at industrial enterprises, power plants, construction sites, railway stations and other facilities;

• rural settlements

• agro-towns - well-maintained settlements in which a production and social infrastructure has been created to ensure social standards for the population living in them and residents of adjacent territories; if there is an agro-town on the territory of the village council, it hosts an administrative center (the concept of "agro-town" appeared in Belarus in connection with the adoption of the "State Program for the Revival and Development of the Village for 2005-2010");

• settlements, villages, farms - all other settlements

The third, primary level of administrative-territorial units is formed by 104 cities of district subordination (including 90 district centers and 14 city councils), 27 urban settlements that are under district subordination (including 19 district centers and 8 village councils), 1151 village councils. The remaining 58 urban-type settlements are part of the village councils. Minsk, regional centers, as well as the city of Bobruisk, are divided into 24 city districts. The area of Belarus is 207,595 km2. The population in 2021 is estimated at 9,349,645, with a density of 45.8/km2.

The history of the formation of the regions of Belarus

1918-1919

The Belarusian People's Republic was the first attempt to create an independent Belarusian state under the name "Belarus". Despite significant efforts, the state ceased to exist, primarily because the territory was continually dominated by the German Imperial Army and the Imperial Russian Army in World War I, and then the Bolshevik Red Army. It existed from only 1918 to 1919 but created prerequisites for the formation of a Belarusian state.

In its Third Constituent Charter, the following territories were claimed for BNR: Mogilev Governorate (province), as well as Belarusian parts of Minsk Governorate, Grodno Governorate (including Belastok), Vilna Governorate, Vitebsk Governorate, and Smolensk Governorate, and parts of bordering governorates populated by Belarusians, rejecting the then split of the Belarusian lands between Germany and Russia. The areas were claimed because of a Belarusian majority or large minority (as in Grodno and Vilna Governorate), although there were also numbers of Lithuanians, Poles and people speaking mixed varieties of Belarusian, Lithuanian and Polish, as well as many Jews, mostly in towns and cities (in some towns they made up a majority).

On April 26, 1919, the Gomel province was formed, which consisted of 9 counties (Bykhovsky, Gomel, Goretsky, Klimovichsky, Mogilev, Orsha, Rogachevsky, Chaussky, Cherikovsky) of the abolished Mogilev province, Rechitsa district of the Minsk province, Mglinsky, Novozybkovsky, Starodubsky, Surazhsky counties of Chernihiv provinces. From August 1919 to August 1920, Mozyr, parts of Bobruisk, Borisov, Igumen districts entered the Gomel province. In November 1920, the Orsha district was transferred to the Vitebsk province. In May 1922, the Mglinsky and Chaussky uyezds were abolished, the Surazhsky uyezd was renamed into Klintsovsky, and the Pochepsky uyezd was formed. In July 1922, most of the Goretsky district was transferred to the Smolensk province. In February 1923, Bykhov County was abolished. In May 1923, the Pochep district was transferred to the Bryansk province. In March 1924, Bykhovsky, Klimovichsky, Mogilevsky, Rogachevsky, Chaussky, Cherikovsky, part of the Rechitsa district were transferred to the BSSR.

In December 1926, the Gomel province was abolished: the Gomel and Rechitsa districts were attached to the BSSR, Klintsovsky, Novozybkovsky, Starodubsky - to the Bryansk province of the RSFSR.

On April 26, 1919, the Gomel province was formed, which consisted of 9 counties (Bykhovsky, Gomel, Goretsky, Klimovichsky, Mogilev, Orsha, Rogachevsky, Chaussky, Cherikovsky) of the abolished Mogilev province, Rechitsa district of the Minsk province, Mglinsky, Novozybkovsky, Starodubsky, Surazhsky counties of Chernihiv provinces. From August 1919 to August 1920, Mozyr, parts of Bobruisk, Borisov, Igumen districts entered the Gomel province. In November 1920, the Orsha district was transferred to the Vitebsk province. In May 1922, the Mglinsky and Chaussky uyezds were abolished, the Surazhsky uyezd was renamed into Klintsovsky, and the Pochepsky uyezd was formed. In July 1922, most of the Goretsky district was transferred to the Smolensk province. In February 1923, Bykhov County was abolished. In May 1923, the Pochep district was transferred to the Bryansk province. In March 1924, Bykhovsky, Klimovichsky, Mogilevsky, Rogachevsky, Chaussky, Cherikovsky, part of the Rechitsa district were transferred to the BSSR. In December 1926, the Gomel province was abolished: the Gomel and Rechitsa districts were attached to the BSSR, Klintsovsky, Novozybkovsky, Starodubsky - to the Bryansk province of the RSFSR.

On July 31, 1920, the Socialist Soviet Republic of Belarus (SSRB) was restored as part of Minsk (without the Rechitsa district) and the Belarusian districts of Grodno and Vilna provinces. According to the Riga Peace Treaty of March 18, 1921, the western part of Belarus: Grodno, almost half of Minsk and most of the Vilna province went to the Polish Republic. The incomplete territory of 6 districts of the former Minsk province remained in the BSSR: Bobruisk, Borisov, Igumen (since 1923 - Cherven), Mozyr, partially Minsk and Slutsk.

According to the Riga Peace Treaty of March 18, 1921, the western part of Belarus: Grodno, almost half of Minsk and most of the Vilna province went to the Polish Republic.

The incomplete territory of 6 districts of the former Minsk province remained in the BSSR: Bobruisk, Borisov, Igumen (since 1923 - Cherven), Mozyr, partially Minsk and Slutsk.

On June 9, 1927, the Borisovsky, Kalininsky, Rechitsky and Slutsky districts were abolished, their districts were distributed among neighboring districts. On July 26, 1930, the remaining 8 districts were abolished, and the districts came under the direct subordination of the BSSR. The number of districts changed: on August 4, 1927, 16 districts were abolished, on July 8, 1931, another 23 districts. On February 15, 1935, 15 districts were restored. On June 21, 1935, the regions of the BSSR, located along the state border with Poland, were united into 4 districts (Lepel, Mozyr, Polotsk and Slutsk).

On June 21, 1935, the regions of the BSSR, located along the state border with Poland, were united into 4 districts (Lepel, Mozyr, Polotsk and Slutsk).

Bobruisk region (14 districts);

Grodno region (15 districts);

Polotsk region (15 districts);

Molodechno region (renamed Vileika, 14 districts).

On May 14, 1946, the city of Minsk was assigned to the cities of republican subordination.

• Bobruisk region (14 districts)
• Grodno region (15 districts)
• Polotsk region (15 districts)
• Molodechno region (renamed Vileika, 14 districts)

On May 14, 1946, the city of Minsk was assigned to the cities of republican subordination. On January 8, 1954, the Baranovichi, Bobruisk, Pinsk, Polessky, and Polotsk regions were abolished and the districts were redistributed between adjacent regions. On January 20, 1960, the Molodechno region was abolished. During the years 1956-1962, the enlargement of districts was carried out in the BSSR. In 1965-19661965 and 1966, restoration was carried out, as well as the creation of new districts.

On January 8, 1954, the Baranovichi, Bobruisk, Pinsk, Polessky and Polotsk regions were abolished and the districts were redistributed between adjacent regions. On January 20, 1960, the Molodechno region was abolished. During the years 1956-1962, the enlargement of districts was carried out in the BSSR. In 1965-1966, restoration was carried out, as well as the creation of new districts.

In December 1926, as a result of the second consolidation of the BSSR, the Gomel and Rechitsa districts of the Gomel province were transferred to the republic from the RSFSR. On December 8, 1926, 18 volosts of these uyezds were renamed into districts, and the uyezds were renamed into okrugs.

In February 1919, the rest of the territory of the SSRB was merged with the Socialist Soviet Republic of Lithuania into the Lithuanian-Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic, which included Vilna, Minsk, part of the territory of the Grodno and Kovno provinces. By the end of the summer of 1919, almost the entire territory of Litbel was occupied by Polish troops, and the republic de facto ceased to exist.

he parliament of the republic proclaimed the sovereignty of Belarus on 27 July 1990, and during the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Belarus declared independence on 25 August 1991 Following the adoption of a new constitution in 1994, Alexander Lukashenko was elected Belarus's first president in the country's first and only free election post-independence, serving as president ever since. Lukashenko heads an authoritarian government with a poor human rights record due to widespread abuses.Lukashenko has continued a number of Soviet-era policies, such as state ownership of large sections of the economy. Belarus is the only country in Europe officially using the death penalty. In 2000, Belarus and Russia signed a treaty for greater cooperation, forming the Union State.

Belarus is a developing country, ranking 53rd in the Human Development Index. It has been a member of the United Nations since its founding and has joined the CIS, the CSTO, the EAEU, the OSCE, and the Non-Aligned Movement. It has shown no aspirations of joining the European Union but nevertheless maintains a bilateral relationship with the bloc and also participates in two EU projects, the Baku Initiative and the Eastern Partnership. Belarus suspended its participation in the latter on 28 June 2021, after the EU imposed more sanctions against the country.

Belarus is a unitary state, the administrative-territorial unit of the first level of which is the city of Minsk and 6 regions (Brest, Vitebsk, Gomel, Grodno, Minsk, Mogilev).

Belarus is a unitary state, the administrative-territorial unit of the first level of which is the city of Minsk and 6 regions (Brest, Vitebsk, Gomel, Grodno, Minsk, Mogilev).

The regions are divided into 118 districts and 10 cities of regional subordination (administrative-territorial units of the second, basic level).

The regions are divided into 118 districts and 10 cities of regional subordination (administrative-territorial units of the second, basic level). The third, primary level of administrative-territorial units is formed by 104 cities of district subordination (including 90 district centers and 14 city councils), 27 urban settlements that are under district subordination (including 19 district centers and 8 village councils), 1151 village councils. The remaining 58 urban-type settlements are part of the village councils. Minsk, regional centers, as well as the city of Bobruisk, are divided into 24 city districts

Map of the districts of the Byelorussian SSR in 1926

Border districts and regions of the Byelorussian SSR in 1927

Administrative-territorial division of the BSSR until November 1940 (after the annexation of Western Belarus and before the transfer of three regions of the Lithuanian SSR)

Administrative-territorial division of the BSSR in 1946 (after the end of the Great Patriotic War and after the transfer of the Bialystok region to Poland)

Administrative-territorial division of the BSSR in 1955

The incomplete territory of 6 districts of the former Minsk province remained in the BSSR: Bobruisk, Borisov, Igumen (since 1923 - Cherven), Mozyr, partially Minsk and Slutsk.

Bobruisk district (12 districts);

Borisovsky District (9 districts);

Vitebsk district (12 districts);

Kalininsky District (10 districts);

Mogilev district (10 districts);

Mozyr district (9 districts);

Minsk District (11 districts);

Orsha district (10 districts);

Polotsk district (9 districts);

Slutsk district (7 districts).

• Bobruisk district (12 districts);
• Borisovsky District (9 districts);
• Vitebsk district (12 districts);
• Kalininsky District (10 districts);
• Mogilev district (10 districts);
• Mozyr district (9 districts);
• Minsk District (11 districts);
• Orsha district (10 districts);
• Polotsk district (9 districts);
• Slutsk district (7 districts).

Map of Belarus

On January 8, 1954, the Baranovichi, Bobruisk, Pinsk, Polessky and Polotsk regions were abolished and the districts were redistributed between adjacent regions. On January 20, 1960, the Molodechno region was abolished. During the years 1956-1962, the enlargement of districts was carried out in the BSSR. In 1965-1966, restoration was carried out, as well as the creation of new districts.

In December 1926, as a result of the second consolidation of the BSSR, the Gomel and Rechitsa districts of the Gomel province were transferred to the republic from the RSFSR. On December 8, 1926, 18 volosts of these uyezds were renamed into districts, and the uyezds were renamed into okrugs.

On January 1, 1919, in connection with the formation of the Socialist Soviet Republic of Belarus (SSRB), it included Vitebsk, Grodno, Minsk, Mogilev provinces, part of the counties of the Vilna and Kovno provinces, and the western counties of the Smolensk province. On January 16, 1919, by decision of the Central Committee of the RCP (b), Vitebsk, Mogilev and Smolensk provinces were ceded to the RSFSR.

In February 1919, the rest of the territory of the SSRB was merged with the Socialist Soviet Republic of Lithuania into the Lithuanian-Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic, which included Vilna, Minsk, part of the territory of the Grodno and Kovno provinces. By the end of the summer of 1919, almost the entire territory of Litbel was occupied by Polish troops, and the republic de facto ceased to exist.

BelarusBelarus is a unitary state, the administrative-territorial unit of the first level of which is the city of Minsk and 6 regions (Brest, Vitebsk, Gomel, Grodno, Minsk, Mogilev).