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1 1 (September 28, 2001)

handle is hein.crs/crsaado0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Order Code 95-776 F
Updated September 28, 2001
CRS Report for Congress
Received through the CRS Web
Belarus: Country Background Report
Steven Woehrel
Specialist in European Affairs
Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division
Summary
This short report provides information on Belarus's history, political and economic
situation, human rights record, foreign policy, and U.S. relations with Belarus. It will be
updated when necessary.
History
Belarusians are descendants of  Belarus at a Glance
Slavic tribes that migrated into the  Land Area: 80,154 sq. mi., slightly smaller
region in the ninth century. The  than Kansas.
beginnings of their development as a
distinct people can be traced from  Population: 10 million (2000 estimate)
the 13th century, when the Mongols
conquered Russia and parts of
Ukraine, while Belarusians became  Ethnic  Composition: 77.9%   Belarusian,
part of (and played a key role in) the  13.2%  Russian, 4.1%  Polish  and 2.9%
Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In 1569,  Ukrainian.
the Grand Duchy merged with
Poland uhg   i   erd  wto  Gross Domestic Product (GDP): $12.67
P olan d ,  u sh erin g  in  o v er  tw o bi l o in 1 9   E U e t m e at ar t
centuries of Polish rule. Poland itself  billion in 1999 (EIU  estimate at market
was divided in the late 18th century,  exchange rate).
and Belarusian territories fell to
Russia.                           Political Leaders: President: Aleksandr
Lukashenko; Prime    Minister: Vladimir
Ruling powers (i.e. Poles and  Yermoshin; Foreign Minister: Mikhail Kvotsov;
Russians)  tried  to  culturally  Defense Minister: Leonid Maltsev
assimilate Belarusians and pushed  Sources: World Bank, International Monetary
them to the lowest rungs of the   Fund, Economist Intelligence Unit.
socio-economic ladder. As a result,
Belarus did not develop a substantial
national movement until the late 19th
century. In the chaos in the final months of World War I, the Belarusian Democratic

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