Belarus

Byelorussia or Belorussia (ˌbjɛləʊˈrʌʃə, ˌbɛl-)

/ (ˈbɛləˌrʌs, -ˌrʊs) /


noun
  1. a republic in E Europe; part of the medieval Lithuanian and Polish empires before being occupied by Russia; a Soviet republic (1919–91); in 1997 formed a close political and economic union with Russia: mainly low-lying and forested. Languages: Belarussian; Russian. Religion: believers are mostly Christian. Currency: rouble. Capital: Minsk. Pop: 9 625 888 (2013 est). Area: 207 600 sq km (80 134 sq miles): Also called: Byelorussian Republic, Bielorussia, White Russia

Words Nearby Belarus

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

How to use Belarus in a sentence

Cultural definitions for Belarus

Belarus

[ (bee-luh-roohs) ]


Republic in eastern Europe, bordered to the northwest by Russia, Lithuania, and Latvia, to the northeast, east, and southeast by Russia, to the south by Ukraine, and to the west by Poland. Its capital and largest city is Minsk.

Notes for Belarus

This former member of the Soviet Union declared its independence in 1991.

Notes for Belarus

Belarus is also known as White Russia or Belorussia.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.