Belarus is a landlocked country of just under 10,000,000 people in Eastern Europe that borders Lithuania and Latvia to the north, Russia to the north and east, Ukraine to the south and Poland to the west. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno, Gomel, Mogilev, Vitebsk and Bobruisk. A third of the country is forested, and agriculture and manufacturing are its strongest economic sectors. The agricultural industry was devastated following the Chernobyl disaster as contaminated products were rejected by former export customers.

Until the 20th century, the lands of modern-day Belarus belonged to several countries, including the Duchy of Polatsk, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the Russian Empire. After the short-lived Belarusian People's Republic (1918–19), The Byelorussian SSR., also know as White Russia became part of the Soviet Union,

The unification of Belarusian lands within its modern borders took place in 1939, when the ethnically Belarusian lands that had been part of interwar Poland were annexed by the USSR and attached to the Soviet Belarus. The territory and its nation were devastated in World War II, during which Belarus lost about a quarter of its population and more than half of its economic resources. Belarus at least partially recovered in the post-war years and became one of the founding members of the United Nations. The parliament of the republic declared the sovereignty of Belarus on July 27, 1990, and, Belarus declared independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union on August 25, 1991. Alexander Lukashenko has been the country's president since 1994. During his presidency Lukashenko has implemented Soviet-era policies.

Most of Belarus's population reside in the urban areas surrounding Minsk and other oblast (regional) capitals. More than 80% of the population are native Belarusian’s, with sizable minorities of Russians, Ukrainians and Poles. The country has two official languages: Belarusian and Russian and the government will accept documents in the language of diplomacy, French. Belarus does not have an official religion; the primary religion in the country is Russian Orthodox Catholic, there are Roman Catholic Communities and Protestant Churches have been growing rapidly since 1990. The Jewish community which once represented 20% of the population all but disappeared during the Second World War.

Although considerably further north, the climate of Belarus is very similar to Southern Ontario and Western New York, as is the flora and fauna. There are considerable cultural and economic differences, however the people are both friendly and hospitable and we have much more in common than the politicians would lead us to believe.