Belarus is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno (Hrodna), Gomel (Homiel), Mogilev (Mahilyow) and Vitebsk (Viciebsk). Forty percent of its 207,600 km2 (80,200 sq mi) is forested, and its strongest economic sectors are agriculture and manufacturing. Until the 20th century, the lands of modern day Belarus belonged to several countries.

The parliament of the republic declared the sovereignty of Belarus on 27 July 1990, and following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Belarus declared independence on 25 August 1991. Alexander Lukashenko has been the country's president since 1994. Under his lead and despite objections from Western governments, Soviet-era policies, such as state ownership of the economy, have been implemented. Most of Belarus's population of 9.85 million reside in the urban areas surrounding Minsk and other oblast (regional) capitals. More than 80% of the population are native Belarusians, with sizable minorities of Russians, Poles and Ukrainians. Since a referendum in 1995, the country has had two official languages: Belarusian and Russian.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belarus

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1865:

A group of Welsh settlers arrived at Chubut Valley in Argentina's Patagonia region. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_Argentine

1880:

Second Anglo-Afghan War: In a pyrrhic victory, Afghan forces led by Ayub Khan defeated the British Army near Maiwand, Afghanistan. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Maiwand

1919:

Red Summer: Race riots erupted in Chicago after a racial incident occurred on a South Side beach, leading to 38 fatalities and 537 injuries over a five-day period. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Race_Riot_of_1919

1953:

An armistice was signed to end hostilities in the Korean War, officially making the Division of Korea indefinite by creating an approximately 4 km (2.5 mi) wide demilitarized zone running across the Korean Peninsula . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Demilitarized_Zone

2002:

A Ukrainian Air Force Sukhoi Su-27 aircraft crashed during an aerobatics presentation at an airshow near Lviv, Ukraine, killing 84 people and injuring over 100 others. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sknyliv_airshow_disaster

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

yellow-bellied (adj): 1. Pertaining to an animal or reptile that has a yellow underside or belly. 2. (figuratively) Uncourageous, cowardly http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/yellow-bellied

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. --Sherlock Holmes http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Sherlock_Holmes