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Belarus

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Countries; European
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   Belarus
     Рэспубліка Беларусь
   Республика Беларусь
   Republic of Belarus

   Flag of Belarus Emblem of Belarus
   Flag            Emblem
   Motto: none
   Anthem: Belarusian: Мы, беларусы
   ( Transliteration: My, Belarusy)
   ( Translation: "We Belarusians")
   Location of Belarus
   Capital
   (and largest city) Minsk
                      53°55′N 27°33′E
   Official languages Belarusian, Russian
   Government         Republic
    - President       Alexander Lukashenko
    - Prime Minister  Sergey Sidorsky
      Independence    From the Soviet Union
    - Declared        July 27, 1990
    - Established     August 25, 1991
    - Completed       December 25, 1991
                      Area
    - Total           207,600 km² ( 93rd)
                      80,155 sq mi
    - Water (%)       negligible (183 km²)
                   Population
    - 2005 estimate   9,755,000 ( 81st)
    - 1999 census     10,045,237
    - Density         49/km² ( 142nd)
                      127/sq mi
       GDP ( PPP)     2005 estimate
    - Total           $79.13 billion ( 64th)
    - Per capita      $7,700 ( 78th)
      HDI  (2003)     0.786 (medium) ( 67th)
        Currency      rouble ( BYR)
       Time zone      EET ( UTC+2)
    - Summer ( DST)   EEST ( UTC+3)
      Internet TLD    .by
      Calling code    +375

   Belarus ( Belarusian: Беларусь, Łacinka: Biełaruś; Russian:
   Белору́ссия) is a landlocked nation-state in Eastern Europe, which
   borders Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia. Its capital
   city is Minsk, and other important cities include Brest, Grodno, Gomel,
   Mogilev and Vitebsk. The country, with one-third covered in forests, is
   populated by 9,755,000 people (2005 est.). Officially, the country is
   known as the Republic of Belarus (Belarusian: Рэспубліка Беларусь,
   Łacinka: Respublika Biełaruś; Russian: Республика Беларусь, Respublika
   Belarus).

   Throughout much of history, the area which is now known as Belarus was
   part of various countries including the Duchy of Polatsk, the Grand
   Duchy of Lithuania, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Russian
   Empire. Eventually, in 1922, Belarus became a republic in the Soviet
   Union as the Byelorussian SSR. The republic officially declared its
   sovereignty on 27 August 1990, and following the collapse of the Soviet
   Union, declared independence as the Republic of Belarus on 25 August
   1991. Since 1994, Alexander Lukashenko has been the state's president.
   Belarus is currently in negotiations with neighboring Russia to
   integrate both of their economies, among other things, in a plan called
   the Union of Russia and Belarus.

   The country continues to suffer from the effects of nuclear fallout
   from the 1986 Chernobyl accident, which took place in neighboring
   Ukraine.

History of the name

   Historically, the country was referred to in English as "White Russia".
   Although this is not exactly correct – the correct translation is
   "White Ruthenia," which either describes the era of Eastern Europe
   populated by Slavics or the various states that occupied the area.
   Despite this, the practice of using the term White Russia continues as
   of 2006 with the following languages: "Weißrussland" in German, "Beyaz
   Rusya" in Turkish or "Λευκορωσία" (Leukorosía) in Greek (see
   wiktionary:Belarus for the full list). The first known use of "White
   Russia" to refer to Belarus was in the late 16th century by Englishman
   Sir Jerome Horsey. He used the term to describe the areas of Ivan the
   Terrible's empire. During the 17th century the Russian tsars used
   "White Ruthenia", asserting that they were trying to recapture their
   heritage from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. After the
   Commonwealth broke up, the lands that now make up Belarus were
   officially referred to as "Belarus" and "Belarusi", instead of the
   then-banned terms of "Litwa" and "Licwiny."

   The spellings Belorussia and Byelorussia are transliterations of the
   name of the country in Russian. Belarus was named "Belorussia" in the
   days of Imperial Russia, and the Russian tsar was usually styled
   "Emperor of All the Russias — Great, Minor, and White". This practice
   continued throughout the Soviet era, with the country taking the
   official name of the " Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic". Some
   Belarusians object to the name "Byelorussia", as it is an unwelcome
   reminder of the days under Russian and Soviet rule.

   In 2002, an informal survey was conducted by the website pravapis.org
   to see which version of the name was used on a majority of websites. By
   using Google, the website looked up various terms and it found that
   "Belarus", the official short form of the name, was used on 93% of
   websites checked. Spellings "Belorussia", "Bielorussia" and
   "Byelorussia" were used in 1%–2% of cases.

History

   Map of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland, which
   eventually became the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
   Enlarge
   Map of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland, which
   eventually became the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
   Belarus and Poland after the result of the Polish-Soviet War in 1920.
   Enlarge
   Belarus and Poland after the result of the Polish-Soviet War in 1920.

   Between the 6th and 8th centuries, what is now known as Belarus was
   settled by the Slavs, who still dominate the country. The Early East
   Slavs gradually came into contact with the Varangians and were
   organized under the state of Rus', mainly in the area around modern-day
   Polatsk in the northern part of the country. In the 13th century, the
   state was badly affected by a Mongol invasion, and eventually parts of
   Rus' were swallowed up by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The core lands
   of the duchy were territories around Kernavė, Trakai, Vilnius cities
   and Samogitia. During this time, the Belarusian territories were
   largely at peace, but duchy itself was often at war and had famous
   victories against Mongols in the east, Turks in the south and Teutonic
   Knights in the west. By the 15th century, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
   stretched across much of Eastern Europe, from the Baltic Sea to the
   Black Sea.

   On February 2, 1386, Grand Duke of Lithuania Jogaila was crowned King
   of Poland, and allied the Grand Duchy with Poland in a personal union
   under one monarch. This personal union eventually resulted in the
   Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, a new state created in 1569. However,
   by 1795, the state was divided and annexed by Imperial Russia, Prussia
   and Austria in the course of the Partitions of the Polish-Lithuanian
   Commonwealth. Belarus territories remained part of the Russian Empire
   until being occupied by Germany during World War I. Belarus first
   declared independence on 25 March 1918, forming the Belarusian People's
   Republic. The Republic, however, was short-lived, and the regime was
   overthrown soon after the German withdrawal. In 1919 Belarus became the
   Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR), and after Russian
   occupation of eastern Lithuania merged into the Lithuanian-Byelorussian
   Soviet Socialist Republic. After the Polish-Soviet War ended in 1921,
   Byelorussian lands were split between Poland and the recreated
   Byelorussian SSR, which became a founding member of the Union of Soviet
   Socialist Republics in 1922. In September 1939, the Soviet Union
   annexed the Polish-held Byelorussian land as a result of the
   Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.

   In 1941, Nazi Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, invading the
   Soviet Union. Belarus was captured soon afterwards, and remained in
   Nazi hands until 1944. Much the country's infrastructure was destroyed
   and a large portion of its population was killed in the German
   invasion. The Jewish population of Belarus was also devastated during
   The Holocaust. It took until 1971 for the population of Belarus to
   reach the pre-war level. The Jewish population, however, never
   recovered. After the war ended, Byelorussia was among the 51
   signatories to the founding of the United Nations, in 1945. The
   reconstruction that took place in Belarus after the war brought
   comparative prosperity to the Soviet Republic. During this time,
   Belarus became a major centre of manufacturing in the western region of
   the USSR. The increase in jobs brought in a huge immigrant population
   from the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic. During Joseph
   Stalin's era, a policy of russification was started to "protect"
   Byelorussian SSR from influences by the West. This policy involved
   sending Russians from various parts of the Soviet Union and placing
   them in key positions in the Belorussian SSR government. The official
   use of the Belarusian language and other cultural aspects were also
   limited by Moscow. After Stalin died in 1953, his successor Nikita
   Khrushchev continued the Russification program, stating in the
   Byelorussian SSR capital of Minsk that "The sooner we all start
   speaking Russian, the faster we shall build communism."

   In 1986, a section of Belarus was affected by the fallout from the
   Chernobyl power plant accident in neighboring Ukraine. When Soviet
   premier Mikhail Gorbachev began pushing through his Perestroika plan,
   the Belarusian people delivered a petition to him in December of 1986
   explaining the loss of their culture. This event has been coined by
   historians as the "cultural Chernobyl". In June of 1988, mass graves
   were discovered at the city of Kurapaty. The graves allegedly contained
   about 250,000 of Stalin's victims. Some contend that this discovery was
   proof that the Soviet government was trying to erase the Belarusian
   people and caused some to seek independence. Belarus declared itself
   sovereign on 27 July 1990, and the BSSR formally became the Republic of
   Belarus on 25 August 1991, attaining full independence. Around that
   time, Stanislav Shushkevich became Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of
   Belarus, the top leadership position in Belarus. Shushkevich, along
   with Boris Yeltsin of Russia and Leonid Kravchuk of Ukraine met on
   December 8, 1991 in Belavezhskaya Pushcha to formally declare the
   dissolution of the Soviet Union and the formation of the Commonwealth
   of Independent States. Since 1994, the country has been led by
   Alexander Lukashenko, who has been criticized by Western governments,
   Human Rights Watch, and other Western NGO for his Soviet-style domestic
   policies.

   As of 2005, there appears to be a movement in Belarus towards reuniting
   with Russia. In November 2005, a draft constitution was sent to both
   Vladimir Putin and Lukashenko for approval. This move, along with
   others, is part of the 1996 plan created by Lukashenko and former
   Russian President Boris Yeltsin to create a union between the two
   nations.

Politics

   Victory Square, Minsk.
   Enlarge
   Victory Square, Minsk.

   Belarus is a republic, governed by a President and a bicameral
   parliament—the National Assembly—comprising a lower house, the 110
   member House of Representatives, and an upper house, the 64 member
   Council of the Republic. The House of Representatives has the power to
   appoint the Prime Minister of Belarus, make constitutional amendments,
   call for a vote of confidence on the prime minister and make
   suggestions on the foreign and domestic policy of Belarus. The Council
   of the Republic has the power to select various government officials,
   conduct an impeachment trial of the president and the ability to accept
   or reject the bills passed from the House of Representatives. Each
   chamber has the ability to veto any law passed by local officials if it
   is contrary to the Constitution of Belarus. The President—since 1994,
   Alexander Lukashenko—is the head of state. The government is a Council
   of Ministers, headed by a prime minister; the members of the Council of
   Ministers need not be members of the legislature, and are appointed by
   the President. The judiciary comprises the Supreme Court and various
   specialized courts, such as the Constitutional Court, which deal with
   specific issued related to the constitution or business law. The judges
   of the Constitutional Court are appointed by the president and
   confirmed by the Council of the Republic.

   In Belarus, while there are political parties that either support or
   oppose President Lukashenko, the majority of the seats in the National
   Assembly are filled by those not affiliated with any political parties
   ("non-partisans"). However, there are three political parties who hold
   seats in the House of Representatives: the Communist Party of Belarus
   (8 seats), the Agrarian Party of Belarus (3 seats), and the Liberal
   Democratic Party of Belarus (1 seat). The other two parties that
   pledged their support to Lukashenko, the Belarusian Socialist Sporting
   Party and the Republican Party of Labour and Justice, did not secure
   any seats in October 2004 election. Opposition parties, such as the
   Belarusian People's Front and the United Civil Party of Belarus did not
   gain any seats. The UCPB and the BPF are some of the parties that
   comprise the People's Coalition 5 Plus, a group of political parties
   who oppose Lukashenko. Several organizations, including as the
   Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe(OSCE), declared
   the election un-free due to opposition parties negative results and the
   bias of the Belarusian media in favour of the government. However, in
   constitutional as well as political terms, the House is of marginal
   importance. At the 2000 election, it took four rounds of voting before
   all the seats were filled; in the end, 86% of the elected deputies were
   independents, and the remainder were the representatives of parties
   traditionally loyal to the president (OSCE, 2000). The next round of
   elections took place on March 19th, 2006, and this election also
   included selecting the President. Lukashenko was opposed in the
   election by Alexander Milinkevich, a candidate representing a coalition
   of oppositional parties. Another opposition candidate, Alaksandar
   Kazulin of the Social Democrats was detained and beaten by police
   during protests surrounding the Lukashenko sponsored event, the All
   Belarusian People's Assembly. This event, among others, have caused for
   concern that the 2006 elections had irregularities. The President won a
   landslide victory, over 80% of the vote. It was however deemed unfair
   by the OSCE. (See Belarusian presidential election, 2006).

   Lukashenko was quoted as saying that he has an "authoritarian ruling
   style" that he uses to run the country. The Council of Europe has
   barred Belarus from membership since 1997 for undemocratic voting
   irregularities in the November 1996 constitutional referendum and
   parliament by-elections. According to the Venice Commission of the
   Council of Europe, Belarus's constitution is "illegal and does not
   respect minimum democratic standards and thus violates the principles
   of separation of powers and the rule of law". The Belarusian government
   is also criticized for human rights violations and its actions against
   NGOs, independent journalists, national minorities and opposition
   politicians. During the rule of the current administration in Belarus,
   there have been several cases of persecution, including the
   disappearance or death of prominent opposition leaders and independent
   journalists. Belarus is also one of just two nations in Europe that
   retains the death penalty for certain crimes (the other being Albania).
   In testimony to the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations,
   Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice labeled Belarus, among six nations,
   as part of the US's list of outposts of tyranny. The Belarusian Foreign
   Ministry announced that the statement from Secretary Rice "are a poor
   basis" to form a good Belarusian-American alliance.

   Belarus has been described as "a small-scale Soviet Union at its finest
   period".

Administrative Divisions

   Administrative division.
   Enlarge
   Administrative division.

   Belarus is divided into six provinces (" voblasts"), named after the
   cities that serve as their administrative centers. The city of Minsk,
   located in the Minsk province, has the special status of being a
   national subordinate as it isn't included in any voblast. Subdivision
   into voblasts is inherited from the Soviet era. Voblasts are further
   subdivided into raions (commonly translated as " districts" or
   "regions"). Local legislative authorities (raisovet, "raion council")
   are elected by the raion's residents; local executive authorities
   (raion administration) are appointed by higher executive authorities.
   In the same way, each voblast has its own legislative authority
   (oblsovet), elected by residents, and an executive authority (voblast
   administration), whose leader is appointed by the President.

   (Administrative centers are given in parentheses.)
    1. Minsk (capital)
    2. Brest Province ( Brest)
    3. Homyel Province ( Homyel')
    4. Hrodna Province ( Hrodna)
    5. Mahilyow Province ( Mahilyow)
    6. Minsk Province ( Minsk)
    7. Vitsebsk Province ( Vitsebsk)

Geography

   Swamps, forests and a lake in Belarus.
   Enlarge
   Swamps, forests and a lake in Belarus.

   Belarus is landlocked, relatively flat, and contains large tracts of
   marshy land. Lakes and rivers punctuate the country. The largest marsh
   territory is Polesia, which is also amongst the largest marshes in
   Europe. There are 11,000 lakes in Belarus, but the majority of the
   lakes are smaller than 0.5  square kilometres (124  acres). Three major
   rivers run through the country, the Neman River, the Pripyat River, and
   the Dnepr River. Belarus' highest point is Dzyarzhynskaya Hara
   (Dzyarzhynsk Hill), 345  metres (1,132  ft), and its lowest point is on
   the Neman River, 90 metres (295 ft). The climate ranges from harsh
   winters (average January temperatures are in the range −8 ° C(18 ° F)
   to −2 °C (28 °F)) to cool and moist summers (average temperature 15 °C
   (59°F) to 20 °C(68°F)).

   Forest covers about 34 % of the total landscape, making forestry
   products one of the most abundant natural resources in Belarus. Other
   natural resources to be found in Belarus include peat deposits, small
   quantities of oil and natural gas, granite, dolomite limestone, marl,
   chalk, sand, gravel, and clay. About one fifth of the territory, mostly
   in the South-Eastern provinces of Homyel and Mahilyow, continues to be
   affected by fallout from the 1986 nuclear power plant disaster in
   Chernobyl, Ukraine. While the amount of radiation has decreased (by one
   percent) since the disaster, most of the area is considered
   uninhabitable.

   Belarus is bordered by the following nations: Latvia (north), Lithuania
   (northwest), Poland (west), Russia (north and east) and the Ukraine
   (south).

Economy

   Obverse of the 500 Belarusian ruble (BYB/BYR), the national currency.
   Enlarge
   Obverse of the 500 Belarusian ruble (BYB/BYR), the national currency.

   The Belarusian economy remains about 80% state-controlled, as it has
   been since Soviet times. The country is relatively stable,
   economically, but depends to a large extent on raw material supplies
   from its close ally Russia. Industry and agriculture remain largely in
   state hands. Belarus is therefore one of the very few
   state-capitalistic national economies remaining. Agriculture is
   dominated by collective farming, with the major sub-sectors the
   cultivation of potatoes and cattle breeding. Historically important
   branches of industry include textiles and wood processing. After 1965,
   creation of heavy industry and mechanical engineering ( tractors,
   refrigerators) significantly strengthened the country's development.
   Within the Soviet Union, Belarus was one of the industrially most
   developed republics. Economically, Belarus engages itself in the
   Commonwealth of Independent States, Eurasian Economic Community and
   Union with Russia. After 1990, with the introduction of free market
   structures into the former Soviet Union, industrial production plunged.
   However, economic growth returned in 1996 and in 2001 Belarus was first
   of CIS countries to reach 1990 levels of industrial production and
   agricultural production. Gross domestic product (GDP) for 2005 was
   $79.13 billion (estimate), which equates to an annual income of
   approximately $7,700 dollar per head. In 2005 GDP increased by about
   8-9%, with the inflation rate averaging about 8%. According to the UN,
   average monthly income grew from 20 United States dollars to 225 USD
   during the last 10 years.

   The unemployment rate, according to Belarusian government statistics,
   was about 2% in 2005. However, foreign experts have suggested that the
   real rate is probably higher. More controversial is the decision to
   abandon the Belarusian ruble (BYR) in favour of the Russian ruble
   (RUB), starting on January 1, 2008, according to Russian news agency
   ITAR-TASS.

   The Belarusian economy is impacted by the political situations inside
   the republic. The impact is mostly felt in the form of sanctions
   against the country or the leadership of Belarus. For example, the the
   European Union adopted Council Regulation (EC) No 765/2006 on 18 May
   2006. The Regulation provided for a freeze on the funds of President
   Lukashenko and between 30 to 35 high-level officials of Belarus. The
   sanctions also provided for travel bans for the aforementioned leaders.
   The sanction was imposed by the EU after the nation-block declared that
   the 19 March 2006 elections were fraudulent and for the crackdown on
   opposition groups.

Demographics

   Change in the population of Belarus (1992-2003).
   Enlarge
   Change in the population of Belarus (1992-2003).

   The majority of the population of Belarus are native Belarusians, who
   comprise 81.2% of the total population of 10,293,011 people. Russians
   are the second largest group making up 11.4% of the population. The
   Poles and Ukrainians account for 3.9% and 2.4% of the population,
   respectively.

   Languages commonly spoken in Belarus are Russian and Belarusian, which
   are both official languages of Belarus.

   The population density is about 50 persons per square kilometer
   (127/sq. mi) and 71.7% of the total population lives in urban areas. Of
   the urban population, 24% live in Minsk, the national capital and
   largest city.

   Most of the population, 69.7%, are between the ages of 14 and 64.
   Sixteen percent of the population is under 14 years, while 14.6% are
   age 65 or older. The median age of the population is 37. The average
   life expectancy for Belarusian citizens is 68.72 years; for males it is
   63.03 years and for females it is 74.96 years.

   The literacy rate in Belarus, which is the number of people aged 15 and
   older who can read and write, is at 99%, with men at 99.8%, and women
   at 99.3%. The male-to-female ratio in 2005 was estimated to be .88
   males to every female.

   Most demographic indicators for Belarus resemble other European
   countries, notably with both the population growth rate and the natural
   growth rate in the negative. The population growth is currently at
   −0.06% in 2005, with a fertility rate of 1.43. The population is also
   growing older, and by the year 2050, the majority of the population
   will be over the age of 50. The migration rate is +2.3 for every 1 000
   people in Belarus.

   According to the Save the Children international organisation report
   (comparing 167 countries) Belarus has the highest rating among all
   ex-USSR countries. It has 16 place for Mothers' index rank, 14 for
   Women's index rank and 20 for Children's index rank. Closest ex-USSR
   counties are Estonia (18 for Womens rank), Ukraine (21/31/26) and
   Russia (27/34/64)

   Largest cities in Belarus (population in thousands, 2006)

   Minsk - 1741.4
   Homyel - 481.2
   Mogilev - 365.1
   Vitebsk - 342.4
   Hrodna - 314.8
   Brest - 298.3
   Babruysk - 220.8
   Baranovichi - 168.6
   Barysau - 150.4
   Orsha - 130.5
   Pinsk - 125.3
   Mazyr - 111.8
   Salihorsk - 101.4
   Novapolatsk - 101.3

Culture

   Russian Orthodox church in Brest, Belarus.
   Enlarge
   Russian Orthodox church in Brest, Belarus.
   1961 USSR postage stamp depicting Belarusian traditional costumes.
   Enlarge
   1961 USSR postage stamp depicting Belarusian traditional costumes.

   Traditional Belarusian dress originates from the time of Kievan Rus and
   over time was under the influence of cultures of neighbors: Poles,
   Lithuanians, Latvians, Russians, and other European nations. Aside from
   its predominantly Ruthenian roots, Belarusian cuisine is very close to
   Lithuanian. It is sometimes considered as somewhat less rich and
   impressive than those of its imposing neighbors. In fact, however, this
   may result from the general lack of national identity which still
   continues to hold back the development of a nation and also led to the
   loss of many culinary traditions in the last 100 years.

   Certain aspects of the Belarusian culture have been lost over time
   because of the Russification period. President Lukashenko has
   introduced laws that force radio and television stations to showcase a
   percentage of Belarusian talent daily, but it does not specify whether
   the performance has to be in the Belarusian or Russian language. The
   said radio and television stations are state-owned, mostly controlled
   by the National State Teleradiocompany (TVR).

   Musically, Belarus has a mixture of artists and sytles, based on what
   language they sing. On the radio, Belarusian artists can be heard
   alongside Russian artists. Belarusian TV shows concerts, usually state
   run, showing the same performers along with military bands from
   Belarus. Famous rock bands from the country include NRM, Neurodubel,
   Ulis, Nowaje Nieba and Krama. Several Belarusian acts perform in Poland
   and Lithuania, where the population of Belarusian speakers are very
   high. Lithuania is also the host of the Belarusian alternative music
   festival Basowiszcza. Belarus, since 2004, has been sending artists to
   the Eurovision Song Contest.

   The Belarusian government sponsors many annual cultural festivals: "
   Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk"; "Minsk Spring"; "Slavonic Theatrical
   Meetings"; International Jazz Festival; National Harvesting Festival;
   "Arts for Children and Youth"; the Competition of Youth Variety Show
   Arts; "Muses of Niesvizh"; "Mir Castle"; and the National Festival of
   the Belarusian Song and Poetry. These events showcase talented
   Belarusian performers, whether it is in music, art, poetry, dance or
   theatre. At these festivals, various prizes named after Soviet and
   Belarusian heroes are awarded for excellence in music or art. Several
   state holidays, like Independence Day or Victory Day draw big crowds
   and include various displays such as fireworks and military parades.
   Most of the festivals take place in Vitebsk or Minsk.

   Belarus has four World Heritage Sites, two of them shared between
   Belarus and its neighbors. The four are: the Mir Castle Complex; the
   Niasvizh Castle; the Belovezhskaya Pushcha (shared with Poland); and
   the Struve Geodetic Arc (shared with Estonia, Finland, Latvia,
   Lithuania, Norway, Moldova, Russia, Sweden and Ukraine).

International rankings

   Every year, several non-governmental groups and international
   organizations release ratings that compare various nations to each
   other on issues of government corruption, freedom in the press,
   economic activity and women's rights. This is a sampling of the various
   groups with their report, along with the results of how Belarus is
   ranked.
     * Save the Children: State of the World's Mothers 2006, 16th for
       mothers, 14th for women and 20th for children out of 167 countries
     * A.T. Kearney/ Foreign Policy Magazine: Globalization Index 2005,
       not ranked out of 62 countries
     * Heritage Foundation/The Wall Street Journal: 2005 Index of Economic
       Freedom, ranked 143rd out of 155 countries (with a score of 3.99,
       Repressed)
     * IMD International: World Competitiveness Yearbook 2005, not ranked
       out of 60 economies (countries and regions)
     * The Economist: The World in 2005 - Worldwide quality-of-life index,
       2005, ranked 100th out of 111 countries
     * Reporters without borders: Third annual worldwide press freedom
       index (2004), ranked 144th out of 167 countries
     * Transparency International: Corruption Perceptions Index 2004,
       ranked 74th out of 146 countries
     * United Nations Development Programme: Human Development Index 2004,
       ranked 62nd out of 177 countries
     * World Economic Forum: Global Competitiveness Report 2004-2005 -
       Growth Competitiveness Index Ranking, not ranked out of 104
       countries

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belarus"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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