Belarus is a state located in Eastern Europe. Its territory is located in the basins of such rivers as the Western Dvina and the Dnieper, the Neman and the Bug. The north-eastern and eastern regions of Belarus border with the Russian Federation, the southern ones with Ukraine, the western ones with Lithuania and Poland, and the north-western ones with Latvia.
This state is an endless expanse of fields sown with crops, flax, potatoes. The country of Belovezhskaya Pushcha and the vast territories of swamps are known, which Napoleon once called the fifth element.
State formation
In the territory where Belarus is currently located, in the 10-13th centuries there were Turovsky, Polotsk and some other principalities. All of them were part of Kievan Rus. It was a kind of medieval federation in which relations between princes developed on the basis of suzerainty-vassality.
Since the mid-thirteenth century, this situation has undergone significant changes. For five and a half centuries, this territory became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
Further, the lands were subordinated to the Russian Empire without the formation of statehood.
03/25/1918 a new stage in the history of the country began. It was on this day that the bourgeois-democratic state, the Belarusian People’s Republic , was proclaimed . However, despite such a high profile, the country did not have its own Constitution, its own armed forces and clear borders. Thus, this territory could not be recognized as a full-fledged state.
Only on January 1, 1918, in connection with the formation of the BSSR, the country had its own Constitution, and power was concentrated in the hands of the Councils of Deputies.
July 27, 1990 Belarus declared its sovereignty. According to the current Constitution of the Republic, the head of its executive branch is the President, and the highest legislative body is the National Assembly.
Independent state
The characteristics of the geopolitical situation of the Republic of Belarus have fundamentally changed after the end of the so-called Cold War. This was the period when the collapse of the USSR took place, and the Warsaw Treaty Organization ceased to exist. Since 1991, the history of the Republic of Belarus is the history of an independent state that has significant resources, as well as military and economic potential.
Map Country
Assessment of the geopolitical position of the Republic of Belarus is closely related to its geographical location. The country can be found in the very center of Europe, in the middle of the Eurasian continent. The length of Belarus from its northern to southern borders is 560 kilometers. From east to west, the country's territory is slightly larger. This distance is 600 km.
The Republic of Belarus is surrounded by fairly strong and influential countries. The length of all its borders is 2969 km, including:
- with Poland - 399 km;
- with Latvia - 143 km;
- with Ukraine - 975 km;
- with Lithuania - 162 km;
- with Russia - 990 km.
When assessing the advantageous geopolitical position of the Republic of Belarus, the location of its capital, the city of Minsk, is also taken into account. From him to:
- Moscow - 700 km;
- Vilnius - 215 km;
- Kiev - 580 km;
- Warsaw - 550 km;
- Riga - 470 km;
- Vienna - 1300 km;
- Berlin - 1060 km.
The role of neighboring states
The location in the long-mastered and populated part of Europe determines that a high assessment of the geopolitical position of the Republic of Belarus. At the same time, an important aspect for the economic development of the country is a favorable neighborhood. The states that are part of Belarus’s closest circle have a positive impact on the development of its national economy.
Particularly important for the Republic is the proximity to the central and northwestern regions of Russia. These are economically highly developed regions in the territory of which there are many chemical, machine-building, textile and other industries that are closely related to similar enterprises in Belarus. In addition, Belarus for Russia is the closest and, consequently, the most economically profitable supplier delivering its goods to such major cities as Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Poland for Belarus as a neighboring state also plays a large role in economic development. The integration of the Republic into the European community largely depends on relations with the Western neighbor. It is worth remembering that Belarus and Poland are connected not only by a common border. These two countries have many common historical and ethnographic roots.
Transport communications
When assessing the geopolitical situation of the Republic of Belarus, it is worth mentioning that this country is continental. It is included in the list of seventeen states of the world that do not have direct access to the sea routes. Of course, this is a clear minus. However, it is fully compensated by a well-developed river system located in the country. In addition, the Belarusian leadership is actively using nearby seaports located in neighboring states. Among them are Gdansk and Kaliningrad, Klaipeda and Ventspils. All these ports are located at a distance of 250 to 350 kilometers from the state borders of the Republic of Belarus.
The geopolitical position of the Republic of Belarus is also highly appreciated due to the fact that its borders with neighboring states pass through flat areas. This was an excellent prerequisite for creating convenient routes that are currently used to develop economic relations not only with neighboring countries, but also with many other countries of Asia and Europe.
It is worth mentioning that one of the most attractive aspects of the geographical position of Belarus is transit. Thanks to her on the territory of the country intersects a large number of trade, cultural and economic routes. This fact has a positive effect on the economic development of the Republic.
It is worth mentioning that the path “from the Varangians to the Greeks”, known to us from history, covered almost the entire present territory of the country with its branches. Today, corridors are opened here, through which international relations of the Republic of Belarus with the Baltic States, Ukraine, Russia and Poland are carried out. Neighbor countries also use them to make contacts between themselves and with other states. Part of the transcontinental railroad passes through Belarus. It crosses all of Eurasia.
Belarus is a country where almost fifty percent of energy supplies that pump liquid fuel from Russia to consumers in Western Europe pass through gas and oil pipelines. In this regard, Belarus has a significant economic benefit.
However, such a geopolitical advantage was not always beneficial. Being in the center of Europe, Belarus more than once became a territory where the interests of its more influential neighbors clashed. Over the past three centuries, numerous wars have brought her great destruction and significant losses. No wonder the main day of Belarus, when the country celebrates its independence, is annually on July 3. This is the date of the liberation of Minsk from the German invaders during the Bagration operation carried out by Soviet troops in the summer of 1944.
Territory Size
The area of Belarus is 207.6 thousand square kilometers. This fact should also be mentioned when evaluating all the pros and cons of the geopolitical position of the Republic of Belarus. By its size, the country is on the thirteenth place in the list of more than forty European countries. This is 2.1% of the total area of Europe.
By its size, the territory of Belarus exceeds the lands of Austria, Portugal, Greece and the Netherlands. It can be compared with the UK, located on 244.1 thousand square kilometers, and with Romania, which occupies 237.5 thousand square meters. km As for the Baltic states, their area, even in aggregate, is 1.2 times smaller than that of Belarus.
Residents of the country
It is impossible to describe those features that characterize the geopolitical position of the Republic of Belarus without mentioning its population. By the number of inhabitants, the Republic of Belarus is in the fourteenth place in Europe. It is worth saying that the population of Belarus is larger in number:
- 1.3 times than in the Baltic countries;
- 2 times than in Denmark or Finland.
The population of Belarus is similar in number to many European countries. On their list are Hungary and Belgium, Portugal and Greece, Yugoslavia and the Czech Republic.
The population density per square kilometer on average in the country is within 48.4 people. This is approaching the same indicator for Ireland (51 people), as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina (54 people). Slightly inferior to the population density of Belarus to Lithuania, where 56 people per square kilometer live. As for the countries located in the center and in the east of Europe, they have significant differences in this regard. For example, in Poland, the density indicator is 124 people / sq. km, in the Czech Republic - 131, and in Slovakia - 110.
The national composition of Belarus is characterized by relative homogeneity. This contributes to the stable development of the country. According to the census held in 1999, the composition of the inhabitants of the Republic is represented by:
- Belarusians - 81.2%;
- Russians - 11.4%;
- Poles - 3.9%;
- Ukrainians - 2.1%;
- Jews - 0.1% and other minorities.
There are two official languages in the Republic. It is Russian and Belarusian. However, the history of the state has left its indelible imprint on many generations. What language does Belarus prefer to speak? The table below clearly indicates that in this country you are likely to hear Russian speech.
Armed forces
One of the most important prerequisites for the sustainable development of Belarus is to conduct a competent defensive policy taking into account the interests of other peoples. It is worth saying that as of 1995 the country was one of the most militarized in the world. This had a huge impact on the geopolitical position of the Republic of Belarus. After the collapse of the USSR, the state took many measures to reform its cadre military personnel. The result of these actions was a reduction in the number of armed forces by almost half. Due to the compactness of the country's territory and the insignificant extent of its land borders, Belarus manages to protect them even with a relatively small number of troops and the absence of natural defensive lines.
National currency
Today, the money of Belarus is not only cash. You can pay for goods and services with traveller's checks and plastic cards. The national currency is the Belarusian ruble. It does not belong to the category of freely convertible, and therefore it is impossible for tourists arriving in the country to purchase it in advance.
The state has nine types of banknotes in circulation. These are denominations from 100 to 200,000 rubles. As for metallic banknotes, they are not used for calculations. The National Bank of the Republic of Belarus produces only commemorative coins that are of interest only to collectors.
From 01.07.2016, a denomination is planned in Belarus with the replacement of the current banknotes of the 2000 model. New banknotes will be issued. These are banknotes of the 2009 model. After a long break, coins will appear as a means of settlement.
Modern conditions of development
Today Belarus is classified as a "small" country that does not have a significant impact on the global development of economic processes. This geopolitical position of the Republic of Belarus is confirmed by the table below.
However, the convenient location of the country on the map is considered in the interests of major players in the system of international relations. Today Belarus is a connecting bridge between East and West, South and North. In this regard, she may be assigned the role of a center of business, as well as transport and communication services. In addition, as a transit state, Belarus is interested in both Russia and countries located in Western Europe.
Today, the reality of the geopolitical position of the Republic of Belarus lies in its political and economic integration into the CIS system (Commonwealth of Independent States). In addition, due to its predominant geographical location, the capital of the state - the city of Minsk - is the place where the coordinating body of the CIS is located. For most countries of the Commonwealth, Belarus is a kind of window to Europe. In addition to this membership, the Republic is part of the Eurasian Economic Community. It also includes Russia and Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
Today, the geopolitical position of the Republic of Belarus finds its practical application due to the high density of international transport communications located on its territory. So, on a relatively small segment of the border (350 kilometers), there are a number of railway (Brest and Vysokoe, Berestovitsa, Svisloch and Grodno), as well as automobile border crossings.
It is worth saying that the political and economic-geographical situation of individual regions of the country is very different. All its regions, except Minsk, have borders with neighboring countries. Moreover, each of them has borders with two states. Only the Mogilev region has an external border only with Russia. Hence, such a diversity of commodity-exchange structures that focus on cross-border contacts. So, the western regions of the country actively cooperate with enterprises in Poland, Germany and other European countries. And the eastern regions are connected by strong economic threads with the Russian Federation.
Thus, the geopolitical and economic-geographical position of the Republic of Belarus is its most important resource. Its use, without a doubt, will allow the country to reach a new level of economic development. This is of great importance for the economic prosperity of the state.