Next on my “World Heraldry 3D “list
was Belarus. In this case I have decided to focus on the historical coat of
arms and flag, rather than the ones used by current regime. Belarus (Belarusian: Беларусь Russian:Беларусь, Белоруссия, Belarus', Belorussiya), officially the Republic ofBelarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe,bordered clockwise by Russia
to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and
Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include
Brest, Grodno (Hrodna), Gomel (Homiel), Mogilev (Mahilyow) and Vitebsk
(Vitsebsk). Over forty percent of its 207,600 square kilometres (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, including the
Principality of Polotsk, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Polish–Lithuanian
Commonwealth, and the Russian Empire. In the aftermath of the Russian
Revolution, Belarus became a founding constituent republic of the Soviet Union
and was renamed as the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR). The
borders of Belarus took their modern shape in 1939 when some lands of the
Second Polish Republic were incorporated into it after the Soviet invasion of
Poland. The nation and its territory were devastated in World War II, during
which Belarus lost about a third of its population and more than half of its
economic resources. The republic was redeveloped in the post-war years. In 1945
the Belorussian SSR became a founding member of the United Nations, along with
the Soviet Union and the Ukrainian SSR.
The parliament of the republic
declared the sovereignty of Belarus on 27 July 1990, and during the dissolution
of the Soviet Union, Belarus declared independence on 25 August 1991. Alexander
Lukashenko has been the country's president since 1994. Despite objections from
Western governments, Lukashenko has continued Soviet-era policies, such as
state ownership of the economy. According to some organizations and countries,
elections have been unfair, and political opponents have been violently
suppressed. In 2000, Belarus and Russia signed a treaty for greater
cooperation, with some hints of forming a Union State.
Over 70% of Belarus's
population of 9.49 million reside in the urban areas. More than 80% of the
population are ethnic Belarusians, with sizable minorities of Russians, Poles
and Ukrainians. Since a referendum in 1995, the country has had two official
languages: Belarusian and Russian. The Constitution of Belarus does not declare
an official religion, although the primary religion in the country is Russian
Orthodox Christianity. The second most popular, Roman Catholicism, has a much
smaller following, but both Orthodox and Catholic Christmas and Easter are
celebrated as national holidays. Belarus also has the highest Human Development
Index among members of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
The Armed Forces of Belarus
have three branches: the Army, the Air Force, and the Ministry of Defense joint
staff. Colonel-General Leonid Maltsev heads the Ministry of Defense, and
Alexander Lukashenko (as president) serves as Commander-in-Chief. The Armed
Forces were formed in 1992 using parts of the former Soviet Armed Forces on the
new republic's territory. The transformation of the ex-Soviet forces into the
Armed Forces of Belarus, which was completed in 1997, reduced the number of its
soldiers by 30,000 and restructured its leadership and military formations.
Most of Belarus's service
members are conscripts, who serve for 12 months if they have higher education or
18 months if they do not. However, demographic decreases in the Belarusians of
conscription age have increased the importance of contract soldiers, who numbered
12,000 as of 2001. In 2005, about 1.4% of Belarus's gross domestic product was
devoted to military expenditures. Belarus has not expressed a desire to join
NATO but has participated in the Individual Partnership Program since 1997, and
Belarus provides refueling and airspace support for the ISAF mission in
Afghanistan. Belarus first began to cooperate with NATO upon signing documents
to participate in their Partnership for Peace Program in 1995. However, Belarus
cannot join NATO because it is a member of the Collective Security Treaty
Organization. Tensions between NATO and Belarus reached a peak after the March
2006 presidential election in Belarus.
Belarus is divided into six regions (Belarusian: вобласць, Russian: область), which are named after the cities that serve as their administrative centers. Each region has a provincial legislative authority, called a region council (Belarusian: абласны Савет Дэпутатаў, Russian: областной Совет Депутатов), which is elected by its residents, and a provincial executive authority called a region administration (Belarusian: абласны выканаўчы камітэт, Russian: областной исполнительный комитет), whose chairman is appointed by the president. Regions are further subdivided into raions, commonly translated as districts or regions (Belarusian: раён, Russian: район)
The Pahonia Belarusian: Паго́ня, transliteration: Pahonya, Lithuanian: Vytis, Pagaunė, (translated as Chaser) is a historical symbol of Grand Duchy of Lithuania, of which the eastern part later became known as Belarus. Pahonia was the official state symbol of the Belarusian National Republic in 1918 and the official coat of arms of Belarus from 1991 to 1995. The heraldic shield features a red field with an armored knight on a white (silver) horse holding a silver sword in his right hand above his head. A silver shield hangs on the left shoulder of the charging knight, and a golden (yellow) Patriarchal cross appears on the shield.
As always, the “Belarus“Belarus 3D” designs are available on a limited number of selected hi quality products via
my “World Heraldry” galleries at Zazzle. You may simply follow the direct links
in the article to navigate to the corresponding galleries. I will also make my
designs available free of charge for non-commercial use to any government and
military officials of the corresponding countries, as well as for non-commercial
and personal use, such as school projects, presentations, forum avatars to
businesses and individuals.
The above information provided in part
by Wikipedia, The Heraldry Society, Global Security, and official websites of
the above-mentioned countries.