White Russia - Name

Name

In English, as well as in most other languages, White Russia loses important distinction between historical Rus' (Ruthenia), and modern Russia. It seems to suggest that this territory is describing the present-day Russian Federation, whereas it is a demonym deriving from the more ancient toponym Rus or Ruthenia (see also Etymology of Rus and derivatives, Etymology of the name Belarus). Because of that, usage of "White Russia" is a sensitive issue in Belarus, and could be seen as inappropriate. Unlike it, the term White Ruthenia does not suffer from such ambiguity.

Ruthenia is the latinized version of Rus’, a region in Eastern Europe inhabited by Slavs and the cradle of Kievan Rus’, a 9th to 12th-century state that existed in the territories of modern-day Belarus, Ukraine, Russia and Eastern Poland.

In English, the use of the term "White Russia" to refer to all of Belarus is obsolete. Many other languages, however, continue to use a literal translation of "White Russia" to refer to Belarus.

Belarus translates to White Russia in many modern languages (particularly, most Germanic languages). But only in the modern Polish, Ukrainian and Belarusian languages is there a distinction between the modern country of Russia and the suffix "-rus" (it is a part of heritage of The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth):

• Polish: Białoruś (White Rus), but Rosja (Russia);
• Ukrainian: Білорусь Bilorus (White Rus), but Росія Rosia (Russia);

In the German language, the usual name for the state of Belarus still today is Weißrussland (White Russia). In official use (e.g. by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs), the name Belarus is often preferred. However, even the German Chancellor Angela Merkel used the term Weißrussland in her speech to the European Council Summit in March 2007. Likewise, it is still Wit-Rusland in Dutch, Hviderusland in Danish, Hviterussland or Kviterussland in Norwegian, Vitryssland in Swedish, Բելառուս in Armenian, Λευκορωσία in Greek, "Biélorussie" in French, "Bielorrusia" in Spanish, "Bielorrússia" in Portuguese, Valko-Venäjä in Finnish, Valgevene in Estonian, Baltkrievija in Latvian, Baltarusija in Lithuanian and Fehéroroszország in Hungarian.