Vous voulez explorer la géographie, l’histoire, l’économie, la culture, la gastronomie et le sport de la Biélorussie ?
📌 Abonnez-vous pour ne rien manquer des prochains épisodes !
📷 Instagram : instagram.com/fredtalk_tout_savoir_sur
📺 Vidéos similaires à découvrir :
▶️ Russie de l’Oural : • Pourquoi l’Oural est-il bien plus qu’une s…
▶️ Finlande : • Comment ce pays s’est-il hissé au sommet d…
▶️ Norvège : • Comment la Norvège est devenue la nation l…
▶️ Groenland : • Pourquoi tout le monde veut ce territoire …
▶️ Philippines : • Tout Savoir sur les Philippines:Comment ce…
📌 Retrouvez toutes les vidéos ici : Playlist “Tout Savoir sur…”
⏳ Chapitres de la vidéo :
0:00 Introduction
1:27 Géographie
12:07 Tourisme
14:07 Langues
15:19 Histoire – Les origines
18:25 Union avec la Lituanie puis la Pologne
21:18 Dominion russe
24:31 Période contemporaine
27:49 Politique
28:41 Économie
32:19 Culture et société
33:29 Gastronomie
35:14 Sport et défis
🎓 À propos de FredTalk
La chaîne FredTalk propose une série de vidéos éducatives intitulée “Tout savoir sur…” 🌍
Chaque vidéo offre une analyse complète sur l’histoire, la géographie, l’économie, la culture et le sport d’un pays.
📚 Une ressource idéale pour les passionnés de voyages, histoire et géopolitique !
💡 Pensez à liker 👍 et à commenter pour partager votre avis !
#biélorussie #bielorussia #belarus #HistoireBielorussie #GeographieBielorussie #EuropeDeLEst
Hello everyone. I’m very happy to introduce you to a new destination. A country whose currency is the ruble, where the KGB still exists, and where one of the official languages is Russian, but I won’t take you to Russia. A country, therefore, which has two official languages, but whose national language is less widely used than Russian. Finally, a country covered with 40 percent forests, some of which are still primary, where European bison still live in the wild, and the European bison, the national animal of this country. Well, this country is Belarus, and if you’re interested, I strongly encourage you to discover the following. So? Belarus is an Eastern European country of 27,600 km², if you will. It’s roughly the size of Romania or the United Kingdom. Its neighbors are Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest, which we’ve mentioned in previous videos. To the northeast and east, it shares its longest border with Russia, 959 km, and finally another, to the south, with Ukraine, almost as long, since it is 891 kilometers. It is a landlocked country. It is the largest landlocked country in Europe, in terms of area. We can see that Belarus shares 85 percent of its borders with countries of the former USSR, or even today, it shares a third of its borders with countries of the European Union. The name Belarus comes from White Russia, as opposed to Red Russia, which designates a part of the Ukrainian territory. But also from Black Russia, which designates a part of the Belarusian territory. By “white”, in fact, we mean a part that was preserved from the Mongol invasions, which remained pure of any invasion. It should also be noted that the term I will be using in this video is “Belarus,” as it is the term rooted in the French language, but the official name of the country is “Belarus,” which refers to Kievan Rus’. Let’s take a closer look at the relief, starting with its altitude. The first thing we can see is that the country is extremely flat. The average altitude is 160 meters. Indeed, the country is located in the East European Plain, which we mentioned in the videos on Russia or the Baltic States. On this plain, we find the Belarusian chain, made up of low, rolling hills, extending for 500 kilometers in a southwesterly direction near Brest, to the northeast, towards the Russian border. On these heights, we find the highest point in the country, Mount Dzerzhinsky, at 345 meters. To the south, we must mention the Belarusian Polesie. It is a flat , very marshy and wooded territory, which occupies thirty percent of the country’s territory. It is a territory that is not very suitable for agriculture, due to its poor and humid soil, but it is also a natural reservoir of biodiversity, due to its peat bogs and virgin forests. Regarding the rivers, some have their source in the Belarusian heights, at the level of the Minsk Plateau, starting with the Neman, 937 kilometers long; it spends half of its length in Belarusian territory before crossing into Lithuania, as we saw previously. Then the Neris or Vilia, 510 kilometers long: it has its source in these same heights before continuing into Lithuania. Further north, we have the Daugava, which crosses from east to west before joining Latvia, as we mentioned in this video. But if there is one river that we must mention in Belarus, it is above all the Dnieper. So, the Dnieper, which we have already mentioned in the videos about Russia or Ukraine, is 2,200 kilometers long, of which about 700 kilometers cross the country from north to south, passing through the cities of Orsha or Mahilyow. Navigable, it plays an important role in river transport and local trade. In Belarus, a few small hydroelectric dams exist, but the majority are located downstream, in Ukraine, and the majority of Belarusian rivers flow more or less into the Dnieper. Starting with the Berezina. It rises in these Belarusian heights and flows entirely in Belarus. This river is best known for the Battle of the Berezina, which took place from the twenty-sixth to the twenty-ninth of November, one thousand eight hundred and twelve, and which was not even a defeat for Napoleon, even if today the name is synonymous with rout, due to the too great number of soldiers lost during this confrontation. Finally, we can mention as notable tributaries the Pripyat, which crosses the south for four hundred and ninety-five kilometers, before flowing into Ukraine, and the Soj, also in Russia, which passes through the city of Homyel. Finally, it should be noted that the climate of Belarus is continental. The population of Belarus is nine million, compared to ten million in the early nineteen-nineties. In other words, Belarus has lost nearly ten percent of its population. The factors are diverse. These include the collapse of the birth rate, the aging of the population, the departure of young people either to the West or Russia, or simply socio-economic conditions. Due to the Soviet legacy, seventy-eight percent of Belarusians live in cities, twenty-two percent in the countryside. So, let’s take a closer look at the cities, starting with the city of Minsk. Minsk is the capital and largest city of Belarus. It is located on the Svislach and Niamiha rivers. It has a population of two million. Founded in 167, it is the capital of the Principality of Minsk, a vassal of the Principality of Polotsk, before being annexed by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and was spared the Mongol invasions. During its integration into Lithuania, Belarusian elites enjoyed high status within Lithuanian society. Minsk was then annexed by the Russian Empire in 1793, following the Second Partition of Poland. In the 19th century, Minsk’s development was boosted by improved transportation. In 1897 , half of Minsk’s inhabitants were Jewish. And at the beginning of the 20th century, Minsk was a major center of the labor movement, but factories were relocated during the First World War because, as we know from the various videos, it was located too close to the front line. Occupied by the Germans during the First World War, it was recaptured by the Red Army and was, from 1919 to 1991, the capital of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. During the Second World War, due to its resistance to the Nazi occupation, the city was 80 percent destroyed and was rebuilt in a Stalinist style in the 1950s . It finally experienced rapid growth due to massive industrialization. Next, we must mention Gomel (or Homiel). It is the second largest city in Belarus. For a very long time, it was the capital of the principality of the same name, before being annexed to the Principality of Chernihiv, which we mentioned in the video on Russia. However, it was severely damaged by the Mongol invasions. In 1335, the region was annexed to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania by Algirdas (see the video on Lithuania). Then it was on the front line between Lithuania and Russia, before being permanently attached to the Russian Empire in 1772. Gomel experienced rapid development in the nineteenth century with the arrival of the railway and several factories in metallurgy, shipyards and even shoes. The city was occupied by the Germans during the Second World War and unfortunately destroyed eighty percent. It was gradually rebuilt in a Stalinist style after the war. In 1986, Gomel suffered radioactive contamination following the Chernobyl disaster. Finally, we must mention Mogilev (or Mahilyow), which is the third largest city in Belarus, located to the east on the Dnieper River, near the Russian border. This city was founded in 1267. It was part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania before being annexed by Russia in 1772 and became the center of the Mogilev Governorate. In 1938, it was decided that the city would be the Belarusian capital because Minsk was too close to the border with Poland at the time. Until World War II, half of the inhabitants were Jewish. Constitutionally, Belarus is a unitary bicameral republic with two chambers, divided into six provinces, called voblasts. Although the city of Minsk has a special status. Let’s take a closer look at these voblasts, starting with the Minsk voblast. Although it bears the name Minsk, the city of Minsk is not administratively included. It is the largest in terms of area. It therefore comprises the center of the country, and its economy revolves around agriculture, particularly grain, potatoes, livestock, and the agri-food industry. It boasts numerous natural sites, including Lake Narach, as well as numerous churches and castles, including Mir Castle and Niasvizh Castle. We must mention the Grodno voblast, whose capital is Grodno, one of the most beautiful cities in Belarus. The economy of this voblast is focused on agriculture, but also on industry, including chemicals, food, and textiles. It takes advantage of its geographical position to conduct cross-border trade with the European Union, particularly Poland and Lithuania. Culturally, it is a very diverse region, with Belarusians, Poles, Lithuanians, Russians, and even a Jewish community. There is also a large Catholic community, much more present than in the rest of Belarus. We must also mention the Vitebsk Voblast, centered around the city of Vitebsk, known as the cultural capital of Belarus. It is the northernmost region of the country and a strategic crossroads, with an economy centered on light industry (especially textiles, wood, and food), energy production (with hydroelectric dams on the Dvina), and agriculture. Then there is the Mahilyow Voblast, with the capital Mogilev (or Mahilyow), which we mentioned earlier. The region is an important industrial, military, and historical center. It is highly industrialized, with mechanical factories, metallurgy, chemistry, and agriculture. It’s a region of plains with many rivers. Finally, the Homiel (or Gomel) Voblast, with Homiel as its capital, hosts a diversified industry centered around engineering, building materials, chemistry, wood processing, and textiles. Agriculture is limited due to the rehabilitation areas, let’s say, post-Chernobyl. And finally, the Brest Voblast—Brest, not in Brittany—Brest located on the Polish border. This is the region of Belarusian Polesie, with swamps, forests, rivers, and the Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park. Economically, it’s a border trade area with Poland, and its industry revolves around agribusiness, textiles, building materials, and wood processing. Regarding tourism, we must first mention Minsk. So Minsk, with Independence Square, one of the largest squares in Europe, surrounded by remarkable buildings, and its Old Town, this picturesque district with colorful houses, cafes and galleries, not to mention the Museum of the Great Patriotic War and the National Library of Belarus. We must also mention the Mir Castle, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This 16th-century medieval castle combines Gothic, Baroque, and Renaissance styles. Niasvizh Castle, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a former residence of the Radziwill princes. The castle is surrounded by picturesque gardens and offers a rich history. Then you have Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park, which is a nature reserve famous for being home to the European bison I mentioned in the introduction. It’s one of the last primeval forests in Europe. But also Brest and its fortress. So, the Brest Fortress is a memorial monument dedicated to the heroic defense of the city during World War II. And then Sovetskaya Street is a charming pedestrian area with cafes and shops. Then, the city of Vitebsk, which was Marc Chagall’s birthplace, with a museum dedicated to the artist and an international music festival: the Slavianski Bazaar. Polotsk, considered one of the oldest cities in Belarus, is also worth mentioning, with its Saint Sophia Cathedral, a Baroque architectural masterpiece. The Printing Museum is also a testament to the region’s cultural and educational history. Lake Narach, the largest lake in Belarus, is ideal for relaxation, water sports, and fishing. Also worth a visit is Grodno, with its Old and New Castles, a blend of architectural styles, and St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, an 18th-century Baroque church. Finally, Braslaw Lakes National Park, a group of picturesque lakes with opportunities for camping, hiking, and wildlife observation, is worth mentioning. The two official languages of Belarus, as I mentioned in the introduction, are Russian and Belarusian. Belarusian is an East Slavic language, just like Ukrainian or Russian. It is written using the Cyrillic alphabet and is more or less understood by fewer than ten million speakers. However, it is less widely used than Russian—for example, in schools, the media, or government offices. It is also less widely used in cities. Russian is more prevalent. It is more widely used in the countryside. In fact, Russian was added as a second official language following a referendum held in 1995. According to the country’s statistics, 84% of Belarusians are Belarusian, but 70% of its residents use Russian at home, and 60% declare Belarusian as their mother tongue. In fact, half of Belarusians use only Russian. And a third of the population is actually bilingual in Russian and Belarus. And ultimately, there are very few monolingual Belarusian speakers. So, how can this linguistic situation be explained? Well, here again, history will provide us with some elements. The first tribes that populated the Belarusian territory were Baltic tribes, around the second millennium BC, until the Middle Ages. These were the Yotvingians (or Sudovians), and it is assumed that there were Balts living on the Dnieper. Then, from the 6th century, the Slavs began to migrate en masse to the present-day territory of Belarus. Among these Slavic tribes, we can cite the Krivitches, the Dregovitches, and the Radimitches. They practiced agriculture, trade, and livestock breeding. So, how can we explain that the Slavs gained the upper hand over the indigenous tribes? Well, because the Slavs initially practiced slash-and-burn agriculture, which made it possible to feed many families in new territories. They formed dense and mobile villages, also facilitating their expansion into less populated lands. It is recalled that these lands had been depopulated following barbarian invasions, such as the Goths or the Huns. While the Balts, themselves, lived on less fertile and much more isolated lands, around thicker forests and swamps, which limited their population growth. Finally, the Slavs occupied more central areas. The Proto-Slavic hearth was located between the Dnieper and the Vistula, in other words between present-day Ukraine and Poland. These rivers attracted traders, notably the Varangians, whom we mentioned in Various Varangian tribes will either ally themselves with or impose their authority on local tribes, in order to control the trade of honey, wax, slaves or even furs. These alliances led the Varangians to establish local dynasties, which quickly became Slavic and which gave rise to Kievan Rus’, the first geopolitical entity in the region, with major centers in Kiev (in Ukraine), Novgorod, which we have seen, but also in Polotsk and the Principality of Polotsk. It is simply a principality founded in the 9th century, which became one of the important urban centers of the present-day territory of Belarus, populated by Eastern Slavs. It is almost independent of Kievan Rus’, but it is formally part of it. The charismatic prince was Rogvolod, and his son Vseslav, the Sorcerer or Magician. Of Slavic culture and Byzantine Orthodox religion, it saw monasteries established on its territory, such as that of Saint Euphrosyne of Polotsk. In this, the principality of Polotsk acts as a true center of Eastern Slavic culture: it animates schools, monasteries, manuscripts, but also advanced religious architecture. But it was not the only one on Belarusian territory. We can also cite the principalities of Volhynia (in the southwest), even if Volodymyr, its capital, is located in present-day Ukraine. Similarly, the Principality of Kiev extended into southern Belarus, and the Principalities of Smolensk and Chernihiv to the east. It was in the 13th century, following the Mongol invasions, that the Principality of Polotsk began to decline. Gradually weakened, it was integrated into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, mainly through military conquests and dynastic marriages. The process began during the reign of the Lithuanian King Mindaugas and led to the official annexation of the Principality of Polotsk in 1307, if you will. Integration into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania led to a true unification, both economic, political, and cultural, of the lands corresponding to present-day Belarus. Indeed, due to the small proportion of Lithuanians in this medieval entity, the Ruthenians occupied a central position in the cultural and administrative life of the state. We already mentioned all of this in the video on Lithuania. Orthodox Christianity and the Ruthenian language were widespread there, to the point that the latter became the language of the chancellery. But from the 15th century onward, following repeated assaults by Ivan III of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was forced to turn to Poland to ensure its own survival. This dynamic led to the signing of the Union of Lublin, which we also mentioned in the video on Lithuania, which established the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. While the Grand Duchy retained some of its own structures, such as its own legal code, the entire new state was more dominated by Poland, whose population was much larger and politically influential. This domination of Poland also led to a gradual Polonization of the elites. Although several Belarusian cities, such as Mogilev, reached or exceeded 10,000 inhabitants, Polish gradually became the language of the nobility and the administration. In 1696, for example, it officially replaced Ruthenian as the administrative language— Ruthenian being a language much closer to modern-day Belarusian or Ukrainian. At the same time, the promotion of Roman Catholicism increased with the creation of the Uniate Church—the Greek Catholic Church. In fact, it was a Church where the faithful retained the Byzantine rite of origin (Orthodox rite), but recognized the authority of the Pope. In summary, if we map Belarus at that time, you had: countryside populated mainly by Ruthenians, a nobility that was more Polonized, and very cosmopolitan cities, with both Ruthenian workers, Lithuanians and Poles (more in the administration), German merchants, and also a large Jewish community fleeing persecution in Western Europe. Then, as we have previously said, Belarus will be more or less integrated, after the various partitions of Poland towards the end of the 18th century, into the Russian Empire. Administratively, these territories were divided into several governorates. A governorate is an imperial administrative subdivision. These governorates included Minsk, Grodno, Vitebsk, Mogilev, but also Vilnius and Kaunas, which are now in Lithuania but had a large Belarusian population. Politically, the feudal structures of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania were maintained. These included the szlachta—that is, the nobility—primarily Polish or Polonized, and Catholic, which retained its privileges and dominated a rather Ruthenian population, which would begin, in the 19th century, to be referred to as Belarusian, but which remained predominantly peasant. And ultimately, it was this Polish, or Polonized, nobility that would actively participate in the uprisings against the Russians, in 1830, but also in 1864, driven precisely by this ideology of Polish nationalism. In return, the Tsarist authorities pursued policies of Russification and depolonization. This did not prevent the emergence of a Belarusian national awakening at the end of the 19th century. In the 19th century, various authors began to publish in Belarusian, and the first newspaper in modern Belarus, Mużyckaja Prauda, was published in Latin script in 1863. Then, the socio-economic transformations of the late 19th century amplified this movement, starting, for example, with the abolition of serfdom in 1861, or the arrival of the industrial revolution, which led to a rural exodus. And remember: the countryside was predominantly populated by Belarusian Ruthenians. We can also mention literacy and the spread of national ideas. And thus, during the 1897 census, out of a population of six million inhabitants, the majority declared their mother tongue to be Belarusian. Although there was no national consciousness yet, we can at least glimpse the beginnings of an identity linked to a language. Then, during the First World War, German troops occupied a large part of Belarus. Following the signing of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk—which was also signed in Belarus—the German occupation led to the proclamation, by Belarusian intellectuals, of the Belarusian People’s Republic. This attempt at independence remained without any real effective power, since no major power recognized this independence. And nine months later, the Red Army regained control of the territory and proclaimed the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic. Unlike Poland, Finland, or the Baltic states, Belarus failed to maintain its independence. So why? Because Belarus did not yet have a tradition of autonomous statehood. It also did not possess a strong state structure or a national consensus. In January 1919, the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed in Smolensk. It became the third socialist republic founded, after those of Russia and Ukraine. And so, in 1922, the Byelorussian SSR even became one of the founding members of the USSR. During the interwar period, Eastern Belarus experienced the same socio-economic changes as the rest of Russia. These policies led to famines and deportations, while in Western Belarus, In the 1920s and 1930s, the inhabitants experienced a policy of Polonization. This included, for example: the closure of schools teaching in Belarusian, the prohibition or marginalization of the public use of the Belarusian language. In addition, thirty thousand families of Polish veterans — the osadniks — were settled in the region, often on land expropriated from the former Russian nobility or the tsars. Despite this, the Polish census of 1931 indicated that two-thirds of the inhabitants of this region were Belarusian, while in Poland as a whole , Belarusians represented only about 3% of the total population. During the Second World War, Belarus was the Soviet Socialist Republic most affected by the conflict. As early as 1941, the Nazi Germans invaded the country as part of Operation Barbarossa, which we have mentioned. They had a plan for the total destruction of the Belarusian people, either by extermination, deportation, or enslavement, in their logic of Lebensraum—living space. A powerful partisan movement was organized, with nearly 350,000 fighters. Moreover, Belarus was, during the Second World War, one of the major centers of Soviet resistance. On June 22, 1944, Operation Bagration was launched by the Red Army, and allowed the USSR to completely retake Belarus. After 1944: hundreds of thousands of Poles were expelled westward to a reshaped Poland, and the Jewish population, unfortunately, was almost entirely exterminated in the Holocaust. In total, in 1944, Belarus lost nearly a quarter of its population. Cities like Minsk and Vitebsk were completely destroyed, and both industry and infrastructure were largely wiped out. Belarus certainly expanded its territory by 40%, incorporating regions in the west, including Brest and Grodno, which were formerly Polish. But reconstruction was so urgent that it was massive—and directed from Moscow. Large industrial complexes were built, notably: MAZ (for trucks), MTZ (the tractors in Minsk), and BelAZ (the giant trucks in Zhodzina). This industrialization was accompanied by the arrival of Soviet workers, which amplified the Russification of Belarus. Russian became the official language of administration, further marginalizing the Belarusian language. And then, in 1986, we must also mention the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. This disaster severely affected southeastern Belarus. 200,000 people were evacuated, and entire areas are still contaminated. The health and environmental effects persist today, with an increase in cancers and other radiation-related pathologies. But with the fall of the Wall With the fall of the Berlin Wall, Belarus proclaimed its independence a second time in 1990, with Stanislav Shushkevich, Chairman of the Supreme Soviet, who met with Russian leader Boris Yeltsin and Ukrainian leader Kravchuk, to declare, on December 8, the dissolution of the USSR and the formation of the Commonwealth of Independent States. A Constitution was adopted in 1994, followed by presidential elections. Today, Belarus is a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States, as we mentioned, but also of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, which is a bit like NATO, and of the Eurasian Economic Union, created in 2015, which aims for advanced economic integration, with a customs union and a common market, somewhat inspired by the model of the European Union. Economy Regarding its economy, from its independence until 1994, as has been seen in other cases, Belarus’s planned economy completely collapsed. The loss of Soviet subsidies, but also the fact of no longer having access to the Russian market, would be the basis for significant changes and profound transformations, including attempts at economic liberalization and privatization. After 1994, there was a rejection of the liberal model and a return to a greater centralization of the economic model, with the reestablishment of economic planning and strengthened state control over prices, production, and foreign trade. Thus, we observed slow growth in Belarus in the 1990s, but more stable than that of other ex-Soviet countries. Between 2000 and 2010, we observed a close economic relationship with Russia. For Belarus, this meant access to low-cost energy and a major export market—which explains why, in 2006, the growth rate reached 10%. This growth allowed for the modernization of certain sectors such as chemicals, machine tools, and armaments, but Belarus remained a state-controlled economy, which was heavily dependent on its neighbor. Then, the decade 2011-2019 was unfortunately a decade of economic crisis for Belarus. We observed monetary crises in 2011 and 2014, inflation, currency devaluation… But – because the growth of the previous decade was mainly based on Russian energy advantages – this period is also marked by adjustments, such as a cautious opening to the private sector, especially in ICT (information and communication technologies). Belarus’s GDP has fallen, between 2000 and today, from $12 billion to around $60 billion. While the GNP per capita has increased from $1,000 to $7,000 per capita. Finally, note that the currency is the Belarusian ruble. Economic sectors Regarding the country’s economic sectors: Primary sector: Belarus has a high agricultural GDP (nearly 8%), because many kolkhozes have been maintained. The country produces many basic foodstuffs, such as potatoes or dairy products, which are mainly intended for export. Secondary sector: Belarus has retained a significant industrial base: machine tools, tractors, trucks, chemicals, fertilizers, refined oil. The country has not experienced widespread deindustrialization like Western European countries. Tertiary sector: It represents only 48 % of GDP because the economy remains relatively unopen to the global market, due to a lack of foreign direct investment (FDI), particularly in services. Major groups The country’s major groups are: BELAZ (Жодино) One of the world’s largest manufacturers of vehicles for open-pit mines. It exports to more than 70 countries. MTZ – Minsk Tractor Works Specialist in agricultural tractors, still very present in the markets of Central Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe. MAZ – Minsk Automobile Plant Specializes in trucks, buses, and transport vehicles. Naftan Specializes in refining crude oil, particularly from Russia. Grodno Azot Specializes in the production of nitrogen fertilizers and ammonia. A major fertilizer supplier in Eastern Europe. Belneftekhim State Holding oversees the entire petrochemical sector. Savushkin Product Major agribusiness brand, specializing in dairy products (yogurt, cheese, milk). Belarusbank The country’s largest state-controlled bank. In the Belarusian language at the beginning of the 20th century, they are considered national symbols. Regarding artists, we must first mention Marc Chagall, born in Vitebsk, who is actually a major 20th-century painter, linked to surrealism and Russian Jewish modernism. His works, very colorful and dreamlike, are inspired by life in shtetls, Jewish villages. And then there is also Pavel Latushko, former director of the National Theater. Among the scientists, we must mention Zhores Alferov, born in Vitebsk, Nobel Prize winner in Physics in 2000 for his work on semiconductors. And finally, Barys Kit, mathematician and astronautics engineer. Gastronomy: We must mention: draniki, which are grated potato pancakes, machanka, a pork stew in a sour cream and onion sauce; Belarusian borscht, a beetroot soup (Belarusian version); zrazy, which are stuffed meat rolls; kislye shchi, fermented cabbage soup. Regarding desserts, we must mention: syrniki, which are cottage cheese fritters; pyrižki, small filled buns (sweet or savory); medovik, a honey and cream cake. Sports The national sport in Belarus is ice hockey, with leading teams such as Dinamo Minsk, which plays in the KHL, the Russian league, which we mentioned earlier. Belarus also hosts numerous World Hockey Championships. Football is also very popular in Belarus. The country relies on notable clubs such as BATE Borisov, which has participated in the Champions League, or Dinamo Minsk. Combat sports such as boxing, wrestling, sambo, and judo are also widely practiced. Cross-country skiing and biathlon also allow Belarus to collect medals in winter sports. Finally, cycling, rhythmic gymnastics, and athletics should be mentioned, with a good level in certain individual disciplines, especially at the Olympic Games. Olympic Games Belarus has participated in the Olympic Games since 1994, winning a total of 105 medals, including 21 gold, notably in: biathlon, athletics, canoeing, wrestling, and weightlifting. Among the well-known athletes, we can mention Darya Domracheva, who won six Olympic medals, including four gold. This is explained by the Soviet legacy: the presence of numerous amateur clubs that allow the detection of young talent, with significant public funding. Conclusion: Challenges I have finished my presentation on the challenges facing Belarus. Belarus must, on the one hand, continue to explore new cooperation opportunities with countries in Asia and Africa, while maintaining its traditional partnerships. From a political perspective, the country must maintain its national sovereignty. From an economic perspective, the country has begun a tentative opening toward the private sector, and must continue to do so. Finally, from an environmental perspective, we have seen that the country has immense forest and marshland areas, and must strive to continue to preserve them. So, as usual, if you enjoyed this, please feel free to like, share, and subscribe. As for me, well, I’ll see you in the next video. See you soon, goodbye.