Belarus
History : Formerly a part of the USSR. Retained closer ties to Russia than any of the other former Soviet states did. Location : East of Poland Area : Over 200,000 sq km, 85th in the world Slightly smaller than Kansas Coast : None, landlocked Environment : Southern part of the country contaminated with fallout from Chernobyl Population : Over 9.5 million; 88th in the world Capital : Minsk Fertility rate : 1.26 children/woman; 215/224 in the world Cuisine : Very similar to Poland and Lithuania, Belarusians were called "potato-eaters" in the Soviet Union because of their prevalence Leader : Their president, Aleksandr Lukashenko, has been called the last dictator in Europe. As I was researching recipes for them, there was an article in the Washington Post where they interviewed him. He sounds absolutely crazy. It wasn't hard finding, at a high-level, what I wanted to make for Belarus. Everywhere I lo...