Belarus (Belarusian and Russian: Беларусь Transliteration: Byelarus) listen (help·info) is a landlocked country in the region traditionally called Eastern Europe, bordering Russia to the east, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the north. Its capital is Minsk and other major cities include Brest, Grodno, Gomel, Mogilev and Vitebsk. One third of the country is forested, and industries such as agriculture and manufacturing are staples of the Belarusian economy. Belarus is one of the countries most affected by nuclear radiation from the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident in the neighboring Ukraine.
At different points in its history, parts of Belarus have been under the control of several countries, including the Duchy of Polatsk, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the Russian Empire. Belarus became a Soviet republic in 1922 (see Belorussian SSR). The republic declared its sovereignty on 27 July 1990. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Belarus officially declared independence on 25 August 1991. Since 1994, Alexander Lukashenko has been the countrys president. During his rule, Lukashenko used Soviet-era policies, despite objections from Western powers. Belarus is negotiating with Russia to unify into a single state: the Union of Russia and Belarus, although the discussions have stalled for several years.
