Throughout much of history, the area which is now known as Belarus was part of various countries including Lithuania, Poland and the Russian Empire. Eventually, in 1922, Belarus became a republic in the Soviet Union as the Byelorussian SSR. The republic officially declared its independence on 27 August 1990, following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Since 1994, amidst allegations of human rights violations and autocracy, Alexander Lukashenko has been the nation's president. As a consequence, Belarus has been excluded from joining the Council of Europe. The country also continues to suffer from the effects of nuclear fallout from the 1986 Chernobyl accident, which took place in neighboring Ukraine. Culturally, Belarus has had problems in the past due to the Soviet plan of Russification and the gradual phasing out of the Belarusian language in favor of Russian.

Officially, the country is known as the Republic of Belarus, while the short name is Belarus. The earlier name "Byelorussia" can still be found in use, although mainly in historical contexts. Some Belarusians consider the use of "Byelorussian" derogatory, as it brings back memories of Russification. The name has incorrectly been translated as "White Russia", a name that refers to a separate region.

Belarus is landlocked, relatively flat, and contains large tracts of marshy land. Lakes and rivers punctuate the country. The largest marsh territory is Polesie, which is also amongst the largest marshes in Europe. There are 11,000 lakes in Belarus, but the majority of the lakes are smaller than 0.5 km?. Three major rivers run through the country, the Neman River, the Pripyat River, and the Dnepr River. Belarus' highest point is Dzyarzhynskaya Hara (Dzyarzhynsk Hill), 345 m, and its lowest point is on the Neman River, 90 m. The climate ranges from harsh winters (average January temperatures are in the range ?8 °C to ?2 °C) to cool and moist summers (average temperature 15 °C to 20 °C).

Forest covers about 34 percent of the total landscape, making it one of the most dominant natural resources in Belarus. Other natural resources to be found in Belarus include peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas, granite, dolomitic limestone, marl, chalk, sand, gravel, and clay. About one fifth of the territory, mostly in the South-Eastern provinces of Homyel and Mahilyow, continues to be affected by fallout from the 1986 nuclear power plant disaster in Chernobyl, Ukraine. While the amount of radiation has decreased (by one percent) since the disaster, most of the area is considered uninhabitable.