Belarus: 12 questions
BLIK editorial board

1. This Belarusian city’s coat of arms shows a wisent head. Name the city.
Hrodna
The wisent is the emblem of Belovezhskaya Pushcha, near the Hrodna region.
2. A 1992 Minsk building is nicknamed “the diamond” for its glass facets. Which institution is it?
National Library
The rhombicuboctahedron is now one of the city’s landmarks.
3. This river flows through Polotsk and Vitebsk into the Gulf of Riga. Name it.
Western Dvina / Daugava
In Latvia the same river is called the Daugava.
4. Which Belarusian writer received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2015?
Svetlana Alexievich
Awarded for polyphonic writings, a monument to suffering and courage.
5. Name the traditional Belarusian dance that mimics work with flax.
Lyavonikha
Lyavonikha is one of the best-known Belarusian folk dances.
6. In 1569 the Grand Duchy of Lithuania joined a union whose capital was Kraków, later Warsaw. Name it.
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Union of Lublin, 1569.
7. Which Belarusian city sits at the Nemunas and Harodnichanka confluence and has a hilltop castle?
Hrodna
The Old and New Castles dominate the historic centre.
8. Name the Belarusian struck-string instrument related to the cimbalom.
Tsymbaly
Tsymbaly are part of the state concert orchestra.
9. Which is the deepest lake in Belarus?
Dovhaje / Dolgoe Lake (Hlybokaye district)
Its depth exceeds 50 metres.
10. In which year did Minsk first become the capital of the Byelorussian SSR?
1919
In January 1919, after Smolensk.
11. Who wrote the poem “New Land” (Novaya ziamlia)?
Yakub Kolas
The poem is an encyclopedia of early-20th-century peasant life.
12. Which bird appears on the coat of arms of Vitebsk?
Christ the Saviour (no bird; that answer is accepted).
The historic arms show Christ the Saviour, not a bird.