Belorussia, map of Belorussia

Brief information about the country

Official name:  Republic of Belorussia 

Location:  A state in the Eastern Europe . On the west in borders on Poland,  on the north –west  –  with Latvia and Lithuania, on the east and   north-east – on Russia,  on the south – on Ukraine.

Сapital city: Мinsk

Big cities: Мinsk,  Gomel, Мogilev,  Vitebsk,  Grodno,  Brest,  Bobruysk.

Area: 207 600 sq. m.

Population: 9 712 700 ( on January   2007 ). Nations —  Belorussians  (81 %),  Russians  (11 %),  Poles  (4 %),  Ukrainians  (2,5 %) and Jews  (0,3 %).

Climate:  wet , moderate,  more continental on the east.  The average temperature in January is  about  -8° С,  in July  +17° С.

Languages:  Russian, Belorussian

Political structure: presidential republic.  The president of the  Byelorussian republic is  A. G.  Lukashenko   ( starting  1994 ).

In  the year of 1945, Republic of Byelorussia  became the  founder –member of U.N.O., in 1991 -  Commonwealth of Independent States. Byelorussia is a member  of Eurasian Еconomic Community. Does not belong to  EU   or Schengen zone.

Time:  one hour behind the Moscow time.

How to get there:  by train from almost every city of the European part of Russia.

Currency:  Byelorussian Ruble  (100 BYR = 0,05 USD, 100 BYR =1,26 rubles – on   July  2007)

Religion:  Orthodoxy – dominates  (70%).

Reference web-site: «Wikipedia».