Belarusians
37976
225237877
2008-07-12T16:59:38Z
195.210.193.11
{{Infobox Ethnic group|
|group=Belarusians
|image=[[Image:Famous Belarusians 1.jpg|280px|]]<!--Do not use unfree artwork here--><div style="background-color:#fee8ab"><small><small> [[Pavel Sukhoi|P. Sukhoi]] • [[Alexander Bogdanov|A. Bogdanov]] • [[Francysk Skaryna|F. Skaryna]] <br> [[Kazimir Malevich|K. Malevich]] • [[Euphrosyne of Polatsk]] • [[Maksim Bahdanovič|M. Bahdanovič]]</small></small>
|poptime= 9-10 million
|popplace={{flagcountry|Belarus}}: 8,159,073<ref>(1999 census)[http://belstat.gov.by/homep/en/census/p5.php]</ref>
|region1 = {{flagcountry|Russia}}
|pop1 = 807,970 <ref>(2002 census) [http://www.perepis2002.ru/ct/html/TOM_04_01.htm]</ref>
|region2 = {{flagcountry|Ukraine}}
|pop2 = 275,800<ref>(2001 census)[http://www.ukrcensus.gov.ua/eng/results/general/nationality/]</ref>
|region3 = {{flagcountry|Kazakhstan}}
|pop3 = 111,926<ref>(1999 census)[http://www.ide.go.jp/English/Publish/Mes/pdf/51_cap1_2.pdf]</ref>
|region4 = {{flagcountry|Latvia}}
|pop4 = 93,583<ref>(2002 census)[http://www.emz-berlin.de/Statistik_2/lat/lat_01.htm]</ref>
|region5 = {{flagcountry|Canada}}
|pop5 = 50,000 - 70,000 <ref>(est)[http://www.multiculturalcanada.ca/ecp/content/belarusans.html]</ref>
|region6 = {{flagcountry|Brazil}}
|pop6 = 45,000 - 80,000 <ref>(2002 census)[http://www.emz-berlin.de/Statistik_2/pl/pl_02.htm]</ref>
|region7 = {{flagcountry|Poland}}
|pop7 = 48,700<ref>(2002 census)[http://www.emz-berlin.de/Statistik_2/pl/pl_02.htm]</ref>
|region8 = {{flagcountry|Lithuania}}
|pop8 = 42,866<ref>(2001 census)[http://www.emz-berlin.de/Statistik_2/lit/lit_01.htm]</ref>
|region9 = {{flagcountry|Estonia}}
|pop9 = 17,241<ref>(2000 census)[http://www.emz-berlin.de/Statistik_2/ee/ee_02.htm]</ref>
|rels=Predominantly [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]] with a [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] minority. Many consider themselves [[Atheism|Atheists]].
|langs=[[Belarusian language|Belarusian]], [[Russian language|Russian]]
|related=Other [[Slavic peoples]], especially [[East Slavs]] ([[Russians]], [[Ukrainians]], [[Rusyns]])
}}
'''Belarusians''' or '''Belorussians''' ({{lang-be|Беларусы, Biełarusy}}, previously also spelled ''Belarussians'', ''Byelorussians'' and ''Belorusians'', also ''White Russians'') are an [[East Slavs|East Slavic]] [[ethnic group]] who populate the majority of the [[Belarus|Republic of Belarus]] and form minorities in neighboring [[Poland]] (especially in the former [[Białystok Voivodship|Bialystok province]]), [[Russia]], [[Lithuania]] and [[Ukraine]]. Noticeable numbers have immigrated to the [[United States]], [[Brazil]] and [[Canada]] in the early 20th century. Since the breakup of the [[USSR]] several hundred thousand have immigrated to the [[European Union]], [[United States]], [[Canada]] and [[Russia]]. Introduced to the world as a new state in the early 1990s, the [[Republic of Belarus]] brought with it the notion of a re-emerging Belarusian ethnicity, drawn upon the lines of the [[Belarusian language]]. There are over 8 million people who associate themselves with the Belarusian ethnicity today.
The native language of the territory of Belarus is [[Belarusian language|Belarusian]]; however the majority of Belarusians in Belarus are able to speak [[Russian language|Russian]] and often use it as their day-to-day language (especially in [[Minsk]] and other large cities).
The prefix ''Bela-'' translates into "White" so these people were sometimes called ''[[White Russia]]ns'' (though not to be confused with the political group of [[White Army|White Russians]] that opposed the [[Bolshevik]]s during the [[Russian Civil War]]). This name was in use in the [[West]] for some time in history, together with ''White Ruthenes'', ''[[Ruthenia#Belarusians|White Ruthenians]]'' and similar forms. Using the term "White Russians" is misleading as it incorrectly suggests being a subgroup of [[Russians]] and some Belarusians take offense for it being applied. Belarusians trace their name back to the people of Rus and not to [[Russians]], who are also descendants of the people of Rus.
[[Image:Rzeczpospolita2nar.png|250px|left|thumb|Commonwealth of Polish Kingdom and Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 17th century
{{legend|hotpink|Kingdom of Poland}}
{{legend|lightpink|Duchy of Prussia, Polish fief}}
{{legend|plum|Grand Duchy of Lithuania}}
{{legend|lightgrey|Duchy of Courland, a joint fief}}
{{legend|darkgrey|Livonia}}]]
The Belarusian people trace their distinct culture to the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]] and earlier [[Kievan Rus]] and the [[Principality of Polatsk]]. Most Belarusians are descendants of the East Slav tribes [[Dregovichs]], [[Krivich]]s and [[Radimich]]s. [[Early East Slavs]] also mixed with the local [[Balts]], especially in the west and north-west of today's Belarus. In 13th-18th centuries Belarusians were mostly known under the name of ''Rusins'' ([[Ruthenians]]) or '''Litvins''' (Lithuanians), which refers to the state of the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]] (''Litva'', ''Vialikaja Litva'') of which the White Ruthenian lands were part of since the 13th-14th centuries and where [[Ruthenian language]] was widely used. On the grounds of the dominance of Ruthenian language (which later evolved into modern [[Belarusian language]]) some Belarusian historians believe the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]] to have been their national state when it existed. Another name that was originally commonly used to describe those people was [[Ruthenians]], by the name of the [[Ruthenia]]n state which the [[White Russia]] area originally belonged to.
After [[World War I]] Belarusians had their own statehood, with varying degrees of independence - first as the short-lived [[Belarusian National Republic]] under German occupation, then as the [[Byelorussian SSR]] from 1919 until 1991, which merged with other republics to become a constituent member of the [[Soviet Union]] in 1922). Belarus gained full independence with the [[History of the Soviet Union (1985-1991)|dissolution of the Soviet Union]] in 1991.
==External links==
* [http://www.pravapis.org/art_belarus_ethnographic_map1953.asp Ethnographic Map (New York, 1953)]
* [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/bo.html CIA World Fact Book 2005]
==References and notes==
{{Reflist|2}}
==See also==
* [[List of Belarusians (ethnic group)]]
* [[Demographics of Belarus]]
* [[Litvins]]
* [[Krivich]]
* [[Dregovichs]]
* [[Radimichs]]
* [[History of Belarus]]
* [[Belarusian language]]
* [[White Ruthenia]]
[[Category:Belarusian people|*]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Kazakhstan]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Europe]]
[[Category:Slavic nations|Belarusians]]
[[Category:Ruthenia]]
[[be:Беларусы]]
[[be-x-old:Беларусы]]
[[bg:Беларуси]]
[[cs:Bělorusové]]
[[da:Hviderussere]]
[[de:Weißrussen]]
[[es:Bielorrusos]]
[[eo:Belorusoj]]
[[fr:Biélorusses]]
[[ko:벨라루스인]]
[[hr:Bjelorusi]]
[[it:Bielorussi]]
[[ka:ბელორუსები]]
[[la:Rutheni Albi]]
[[lv:Baltkrievi]]
[[lt:Baltarusiai]]
[[mk:Белоруси]]
[[nl:Wit-Russen]]
[[ja:ベラルーシ人]]
[[pl:Białorusini]]
[[pt:Bielorrussos]]
[[ro:Belaruşi]]
[[ru:Белорусы]]
[[sk:Bielorusi]]
[[cu:Бѣлорѹси]]
[[sl:Belorusi]]
[[sr:Белоруси]]
[[sh:Belorusi]]
[[fi:Valkovenäläiset]]
[[sv:Vitryssar]]
[[uk:Білоруси]]
[[zh:白俄罗斯族]]