Belarus is a country with borders with Russia to the east, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west and Lithuania and Latvia to the north. In the past, Belarus belonged to the Soviet Union, and after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, in 1991, it became an independent state.
Some people call Belarus "White Rus'", but Belarusian historians oppose it, because "Russia" is a nickname for the Russian state whose capital is Moscow, while the word "Rus" is an ancient nickname for the Eastern Slavic country centered in Kiev and Belarus considers itself one of its heirs (along with Russia And Ukraine).
Belarus has no access to the sea. Mostly it is a plain with round hills, dense forests and picturesque villages, and in its south there are lots of swamps or swamps that have been dried up. One of the common sights in it is the appearance of the spruce or birch trees whose trunks are white and some claim that the name "Belarus" was given to it thanks to these trees.
The major cities in Belarus are the capital Minsk, Gomel or Homyel), Mogilev, Vitebsk, Grodno and Brest.
Belarus celebrates its national holiday on July 3 to mark its liberation in 1944 from Nazi German soldiers. In World War I, Belarus was one of the most severely affected Soviet regions by the Nazi occupation. A quarter of its residents, Jews and non-Jews, perished in the war. 209 of the country's 290 cities, more than 9,000 villages and 85% of its industry were destroyed by the Nazis. After the war ended, Belarus needed lengthy rehabilitation by the authorities.
For several years, Belarus celebrated its Independence Day on July 27 in honor of its declaration of independence from the Soviet Union in 1990. But in 2006 the people were asked in a referendum whether they wanted to celebrate Independence Day on July 27 or move it to July 3, the day of liberation from occupation. The Nazi. 88% of people preferred to move the holiday to an earlier date.
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| A church in Minsk |
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| Hotels in Belarus |