Belarus

1
Belarus

• A beginners guide

2
Where is Belarus?

• Belarus is a country in Eastern Europe, it was
  once part of Russia (until 1991).

Gusford Primary School
3
Belarus

• 9.7 million people live in Belarus (50.8 million
  people live in England).
• The capital of Belarus is Minsk. 1.8 million
  people live there (7.3 million people live in
  London).
• Belarus covers 207,600km2 (England covers
  130,195km2).

4
The National flag, anthem and emblem
5
Facts about Belarus

• The people of Belarus are called Belarusians.
• There are two common languages Russian and
  Belarusian.
• The currency is called roubles.

6
Eating Belarus style

• A Belarusian diet consists mainly of vegetables,
  meat (especially pork), and breads.
• Foods are usually either slowly cooked or stewed.
  
• A typical Belarusian eats a very light breakfast
  and two hearty meals, with dinner being the
  largest meal of the day.
• To show hospitality, a host traditionally
  presents an offering of bread and salt when
  greeting a guest or visitor.
• Popular drinks in Belarus include Russian wheat
  vodka and kvass, a soft drink made from malted
  brown bread or rye flour. Kvass may also be
  combined with sliced vegetables to create a cold
  soup called okroshka.

7
Traditional dress

• The traditional Belarusian dress originates from
  the 800 years ago.
• Because of the cool climate, clothes, usually
  composed of flax or wool, were designed to keep
  the body warm.
• They are decorated with ornate patterns.
• Each region of Belarus has developed specific
  design patterns. An ornamental pattern used on
  some early dresses is currently used to decorate
  the hoist of the Belarusian national flag.

8
The Chernobyl disaster

• On April 26th 1986 a nuclear power station
  exploded in Ukraine, a country 12 miles from the
  border of Belarus.
• The explosion sent a cloud of poisonous gases and
  chemicals high into the air.
• The cloud spread for hundreds of miles.

9
The effect on Belarus

• The poisonous gas and chemicals fell to Earth.
• They got into the rivers and streams, and into
  the soil that the people of Belarus were growing
  their vegetables in.
• This led to the Belarusian people being poisoned.

10
The effects on the people

• Due to the chemicals in the air, drinking water
  and food many people became ill.
• People in Belarus die younger due to the effects.
• Children in Belarus can be born with disabilities.

11
Our Visitors

• Children are visiting for 6 weeks.
• They are looked after by host families.
• They have visited the seaside and Colchester Zoo.
• During their visit the children will also go to
  see a dentist as they dont have the opportunity
  to do so in Belarus.
• By spending time in England drinking clean
  water, eating clean food and breathing clean
  air they will live longer.

12
Your Challenge

• A group of children will spend the day with year
  4 next Wednesday.
• Your challenge is to think of ways to communicate
  with the Belarusian children and make them feel
  welcome at Gusford.

We could learn some phrases to say to the children