BELARUS IS MY HOMELAND THERE IS NO PLACE

BELARUS IS MY HOMELAND “THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE HOME”

K. Byullo I love my land my mother country Where I was born and where I grew Where for the first time I met gladness And wept my tears of sorrow too I love our Belarusian people Their huts mid orchards green I love The golden grain upon the meadows The rustle of the wooden groves I love my native songs resounding Which girls are singing on the roads. And deeper tones which over meadows Come pouring forth and freely float

K. Byullo

Plan of discussion Geographical position n National symbols n Flora and fauna n From the history of Belarus n Belarus in Great Patriotic War n Industry and agriculture n Education, culture, science n Political system n

Geographical Position

National Symbols

The National Flag of Republic of Belarus

The National Flag of Republic of Belarus n n The National Flag of the Republic of Belarus , which is a symbol of state sovereignty of the Republic of Belarus , is a rectangular cloth consisting of two longitudinal stripes: red upper stripe and green lower stripe that are two-thirds and one-third of the flag width respectively. A vertical red-on-white Belarusian decorative pattern, which occupies one -ninth of the flag’s length is placed against the flagstaff. The flag’s ratio of width to length 1 to 2. The flag is fixed on a flagstaff painted golden. During ceremonies and other solemn events , the National Flag of the Republic of Belarus is used with a diamond-shaped top edge containing a five-point star. The star is analogous to the one depicted on the national Emblem of the Republic of Belarus. The top edges are made of yellow metal.

The National Emblem of the Republic of Belarus

The National Emblem of the Republic of Belarus n The National Emblem of the Republic of Belarus, which is a symbol of state sovereignty of the Republic of Belarus, represents a green-colored contour of the Republic of Belarus in golden rays radiated by the sun over the globe. On top of the contour is a five-pointed red star. The emblem is set in a frame of wreath of golden wheat-ears interlaced with clover flowers on the right and flax flowers on the left. Wheat-ears are interlaced with a red-green ribbon carrying a golden inscription ‘’ The Republic of Belarus’’ at the bottom.

The National Anthem of the Republic of Belarus was adopted by the President of Belarus on July 2, 2002

The National Anthem of the Republic of Belarus Words by M. Klimkovich, U. Karyz Music by N. Sakalouski

Our land To describe our land one needs to be a poet. If you go north, you will see a land of Braslav lakes with crystal-clear blue waters surrounded by pine groves. If you go west, you will find yourself in the Brest province—the land of immense fields and meadows. In the south you will be engulfed by infinite forests and marches.

n A third of Belarus is under forest. The largest forests are called pushchas. The Byelovezhskaya Pushcha is famous for its aurochs (European bisons). Fauna is rich and diverse there: one can see elks and deer, wild boars and wolves, bears and foxes, beavers and lynxes, not mentioning myriads of birds.

Flora of Belarus n Forests , pinewoods, mighty-oak groves, birch groves and all sorts of other mixed forest formations are the charm, wealth and pride of our homeland.

Influence of forests n Belarusian woods can also be a good place for rest, especially for towns-people. They also have a favorable influence on soil, climate, they constrain high waters, storms, make the air purer and protect , soil from erosion, and they also prevent some other unpredictable natural phenomena.

The Great Patriotic War (1941 -1945)

June 22, 1941

Belarusian Industry The industry of Belarus submitted: n n n Light Industry Automobile Industry Machine-Tool and Tool Industry Tractor and Agricultural Engineering Road Construction and Municipal Mechanical Engineering Instrument Manufacture and Electrotechnical industry Radio-Electronic Industry Chemical and Petrochemical industry Wood, Wood-Processing and Cellulose-Paper industry Food-Processing industry Agriculture Forestry

Introduction n Industry production makes up 31. 6% of gross production in the economy of Belarus. Nowadays Belarus is a country of developed industry. There are hundreds of industrial enterprises in the city which produce tractors and automobiles, motorcycles and bicycles, TV-sets and radio-sets, watches and refrigerators, electronic computers, textile, footwear, food and other goods.

Light industry n Light industry is one of the major branches of industrial production in the Republic of Belarus. It numbers more than 1170 enterprises and manufacturers, with more than 220 thousand people engaged. The share of light industry in the total volume of industrial production makes up 7. 4%. The largest enterprises of the branch are incorporated into the structure of the Belarusian concern on production and marketing of light industry goods (“Bellegprom”). The share of these large enterprises in the production of light industry of the republic amounts to more than 87%. There also some other medium and small enterprises. Industrial opportunities of the Belarusian light industry are focused on producing a wide range of products: flax fiber, washed wool, cotton yarn, flax yarn, volumetric yarn, staple yarn, cotton fabric , linen woolen and silk fabrics, carpets and carpetware, nonfabric materials of fabric type, sewing threads, textile dry goods, knitted products, stockings and socks, sewed products, corset products, tough leather products, artificial leather, artificial fur on a knitted base, tanning dry goods, oilcloth, furs and fur products, leather footwear, zippers, etc.

Automobile industry n. The automobile industry is the leading branch of mechanical engineering. Its share in machinebuilding production makes up more than 30%. The enterprises of the automobile industry comprise more than 14. 5% of the workforce engaged in mechanical engineering. The enterprises of the above sector of mechanical engineering produce lorries, buses, trolleybuses, trailers for automobile and tractors electrical equipment and devices. Its structure incorporates also two enterprises which produce bearings. At the Minsk Automobile Factory (MAZ)- the flagship of the home motor industry-a set of arrangements on modernization and creation of new modifications of automobiles and expansion of nomenclature has been carried uot. The automobiles factories are in Grodno, Borisov, Mogilyov. n Machine –Tool industry Belarus within the framework of the former USSR specialized in machine tool production, production of blacksmithextruding and foundry equipment, metaland wood-processing tools and technological equipment. The share of these branches in the total volume of mechanical engineering makes up 3. 3%, and with regard to the aggregate number of workers-more than 7%. Machine-tool factories are in Minsk, in Gomel, in Kobrin, in Baranovichi and in Orsha.

Tractor and Agricultural Engineering n There are 36 enterprises of tractor and agricultural mechanical engineering on the territory of the Republic of Belarus with more then 80 thousand workers. These highly specialized enterprises produce universal-furrow wheeled tractors, engines, starting engines, units and details for tractors, selfpropelled combine-harvesters, potato diggers, organic fertilizer spreaders, tractor trailers and other agricultural vehicles and components. PA Minsk Tractor Works is the largest in the world producer of wheel tractors. Its share in the world output of tractors of this type equals to 810%.

Instrument Manufacture and Electrotechnical Industry n Enterprises of these branches number about 15% of all engaged in mechanical engineering and produce one tenth of machine-building production. The basic types of electrotechnical devices made in the republic are electric motors of alternating current, electric lamps, cable products, wires and cords for electric household appliances, and as to the instrument-making branch-computing and managing complexes, personal computers and various types of devices. The most famous factories are The Kozlov memorial electrotechnical factory in Minsk, The Vitebsk PA “Izmeritel”, The Mogilyov “Electric Motor” factory.

Radio-Electronic Industry n The radio-electronic industry of Belarus within the framework of the uniform economic complex of the USSR specialized mainly in manufacturing computer facilities, mobile automated control systems, optical devices, communication facilities and systems, air equipment, telemetering equipment, products of electronic engineering and other elements of armaments and military engineering In Minsk it is located two factories. There are The Minsk PA “Calibre” and The Minsk Factory “Thermoplast”.

Wood, Wood. Processing and Cellulose-Paper industry n The wood, wood-processing and cellulose-paper industry is one of the oldest branches of the industrial complex of Belarus. It has managed to continue functioning stebly even during the difficult transitional period. The branch has 210 enterprises with the status of a legal entity, and also 3. 8 thousand subsidiary manufactures, being on the balance of industrial, constructional, agricultural and other economic subjects. In its turn enterprises of the wood, woodprocessing and cellulose-paper industry of Belarus import from Germany and other countries of Europe engineering equipment and tools, and also various materials for the manufacture of furniture. Forestry n The Republic of Belarus possesses huge wood resources, the total area of wood stock makes about 43% of the territory of the country. According to the national legislation, woods are public propriety and are owned by the state. The quality of timber, especially coniferous, is fairly high. The most widespread woods are pine woods, covering 3032. 6 th ha , fir woods-674. 2 thousand hectares, birch-1045 th, black alder 427, 4 th, oak 211 th, aspen-104. 6 th ha. The total stock of woods makes 1093. 2 m cubic m. , and lately it has increased by 118 m cubic m. , and the standing stock of woods has increased from 30 m cubic m. up to 5252 m cubic m.

Agriculture of the Republic n Almost half of the territory of the Republic of Belarus, covering 20. 7 m ha, is occupied by agricultural lands. The number of workers engaged in agricultural production in 1997 reached 740 thousand people or 17. 0% of all the workers, engaged in the national economy. Agriculture produces more than 11% of the gross national product of the republic. The profitability of agricultural production makes about 20%. Each agricultural worker “feeds” nearly 13 people. A large part of agricultural production is made by large agricultural enterprises: collective farms-ready-made production and all their assets are the property of all the members of these farms, and state farms-ready-made production and all their assets are the property of the state, and their workers are state employees.

Education in Belarus The National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, founded in 1929, is the leading scientific center of Belarus. The Academy scientists have achieved significant success in R&D activities in the field of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, Earth science, social sciences and the humanities. As of 01. 07. 2002, the staff of the Academy and affiliated institutions included more than 17, 000 researchers and technicians, 611 Doctors of Sciences (equivalent of Prof. ) and about 2, 270 Candidates of Sciences (equivalent of Ph. D. ). Intergovernmental agreements on cooperation in the field of sciences and technologies have been signed with 60 countries, including Great Britain, Germany, India, China, Russia, the US, and Japan.

Belarus is a country with highly developed science and advanced education. The adult literacy rate in Belarus is 99. 7%, and the country has a high primary, secondary and tertiary gross enrolment ratio (the highest in the CIS countries according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics). The ratio of university students (303 per 10, 000 people) is the level of leading European countries, including Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Finland. The Belarusian educational system includes more than 5, 000 preschool institutions, nearly the same number of comprehensive schools, colleges and lyceums, and 58 higher educational institutions. Students from 83 countries study at the Belarusian universities.

Nowadays the number of students attending different educational establishments has not changed. The republic guarantees its citizens the right to universal secondary education and creates means for further professional education. It tries to preserve the democratic character of education, paying much attention to common human values, developing independent critical thinking instead of simple perception of information. The republic is reforming its system of education today with the aim of creating an independent, qualitatively new national school, corresponding to international standards and ensuring each citizen the right to the high-quality education according to his abilities and inclinations.

The republic is reforming its system of education today with the aim of creating an independent, qualitatively new national school, corresponding to international standards and ensuring each citizen the right to the high-quality education according to his abilities and inclinations. The reform envisages a continuity of study at all stages, such as pre-school, secondary school, vocational training and specialized secondary school, and at the higher school level. It gives teachers and students freedom in the choice of educational forms and methods, while the results must correspond to the state educational standards. The main principles of the educational system in Belarus are the priority of human values, national culture as the basis of education, humanism, sense of ecological purpose, scientific basis, democracy, support of gifted children and so on. In the period from 1996 till 2010 the reform envisages: 12 year secondary school. Academic education in the 11— 12 th forms according to the main trends of the higher education: humane, natural, aesthetic and technological. Primary vocational training at vocational schools. Secondary vocational training at secondary specialized schools and colleges. Higher education at two levels: the first level for those seeking a bachelor's degree (4— 5 years) and the second level to obtain a master's degree (5— 6 years). Possibility for masters to obtain doctoral degree. There have been changes in the organization of education itself. New types of educational

The political portrait of the country.

The President of the Republic Belarus

The Premier Minister of Belarus Sergey Sidorsky

The Minister of Defense Leonid Maltsev

The House of the Government

The State Power in Belarus The Executive Power The Legislative The Judicial Power (The National Assembly) The President of the Republic Court The Council of Ministers (The Government) The House of Representatives The Constitutional regional courts The Council of the Republic (110 deputies are elected by the people of RB) (8 members are appointed by the President)

BELARUS IS MY HOMELAND “THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE HOME”