ABSTRACT
In 1926, before the onset of industrialization, only 10% of the Belarusian population lived in towns. The origin of the Belarusian language, the Belarusian culture and the Belarusian nation itself should be looked for in the Great Principality of Lithuania, where 90% of the population was Slavonic and the state language was old Belarusian. Belarus is situated on the western part of the Russian plain. The Predpolesye is in the central part of Belarus and is confined to the area around the Belarusian Ridge and its southern foothills, which are also of glacial moraine origin from the Moscow glaciation. Belarus has certain physical constraints on its industrial development and agriculture. In general, the larger Belarusian cities are relatively free of air and water pollution. The moist climate of Belarus results in brine infiltrating from the waste storage sites into water-bearing strata.
