24. Belarus

1. Let’s talk about Belarus. What do you know about our country?

2. Do you know any symbols of our country?

3. What questions will you ask a zoologist who works in the Belovezhskaya Puscha?

4. What would you like to show to your guests from England in Belarus?

5. What sights in our country belong to world heritage?

Let’s talk about Belarus. What do you know about our country?

The republic of Belarus is situated in the centre of Europe. It occupies in the extreme western part of the East-European Plain within the basins of the Dnieper, the western Dvina and the Upper Neman. It borders on Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Russian Federation and Ukraine.

Belarus is a river country. About 20.000 rivers and streams run in all directions across the country. Seven of them are more than 500 kilometres long each. They are Dnieper, the Neman, the Western Dvina, the Pripyat, the Berezina, the Sozh and the Vilia.

Belarus is also country of lakes. There are about 10,800 lakes here. The largest is Lake Naroch. The lakes in Belarus are noted for their great depth, transparent waters and beautiful scenery around them.

The swamps of Belarus deserve separate mention. They are even entered in the Guinness Book of records.

The real treasure of Belarus is forests. Large and small, old and new, they cover a third part of Belarus. There are many reserves in Belarus. It's a Belovezhskaya Pushcha, Braslavsky and Narochansky National parks, Berezinsky reserve and others. In it people protected animals, birds and kinds of plants.

The climate of Belarus is moderate continental with mild and humid winters, warm summers

and rainy days in autumn. The average temperature in January is minus 5-8 degrees Celsius and that in July is plus 20 degrees Celsius.

Do you know any symbols of our country?

The symbols of our country are the national flag, the national emblem and the national anthem, the national costume. There are 3 colours on the flag of Belarus: green, red and white. A green stripe is a symbol of peace. Our national costumes are very beautiful. The blouses and the shirts of our national costume are white with beautiful red ornaments-crosses and stripes.

Belarus is also famous for its white storks. They are a symbol of good luck. The symbol of Belovezhskaya Puscha is the bison, a very strong animal. And the symbol of Belarusian fields is the cornflower, a small blue flower. People call Belarus the blue-eyed country.

What questions will you ask a zoologist who works in the Belovezhskaya Puscha?

1. What kind of animals live in Belovezhskaya Puscha?

2. What animal is the symbol of Belovezhskaya Puscha?

3. Do many people visit Belovezhskaya Puscha every year?

4. How do you take care animals?

5. Where is Belovezhskaya Puscha situated?

What would you like to show to your guests from England in Belarus?

→ Билет 21, вопрос 4 ←

What sights in our country belong to world heritage?

There are 3 World Heritage Sites in Belarus. They are Belovezhskaya Puscha, The Mir Castle Complex and Nesvizh Palace.

Belovezhskaya Puscha is a reserve where many rare animals and birds live. The Puscha is a kind of museum of natural history and a Zoo where animals are protected. Belovezhskaya Puscha is famous for it bison. Scientists and foresters take care of the trees, plants and animals there.

Mir is a small town in the Grodno region. The town is famous for an outstanding work of stone architecture – its ancient castle. Its great towers, tall walls and a palace of three storeys keep mysterious traces of the past and look majestic now.

Nesvizh, a district center in the Minsk region, is one of the oldest settlements in Belarus. From the 16th century it was the residence of a rich family – the Radziwills. There is a monument to Radziwill-Sirotka in Nesvizh. The castles in Mir and Nesvizh are very interesting. They are famous for their ghosts.