Get to know about Belarus

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General Information about Belarus Republic

The Republic of Belarus is situated in the centre of Europe. Within its territory are laid the shortest transport communications connecting the CIS countries with the states of West Europe. Belarus shares common frontier with Poland, the Baltic States, Russia and Ukraine. The territory of Belarus is 207, 000 sq. km., population - about 10 millions and 70% of them lives in cities. The population of Minsk city, the capital of Belarus is about one fifth of the country population. In accordance with the political division Belarus consists of six regions (oblast). The state languages are Belarusian and Russian. The most popular languages of business communication are Russian, English and German.

Territory

The total area of Belarus is 207.6 thousand square kilometers. It extends 560 kilometers (350 miles) from North to South and 650 kilometers (460 miles) from West to East. Its total area is larger than that of Austria, Ireland, Portugal, and Greece. The city of Minsk is the capital of Belarus. It is situated on the same latitude as Hamburg and Dublin. The highest point is Dzierzhinsky Hill (345 meters above the sea level) in the Minsk Oblast. The country's lowest place is the Neman Valley in the Grodno Oblast (80–90 meters above sea level).

Administrative Division

Belarus is divided administratively into six oblasts, with their centers in Minsk, Brest, Vitebsk, Gomel, Grodno and Mogilev. Each oblast is divided into smaller administrative districts, called rayons, they also include cities and other territorial and administrative entities. There are more than one thousand towns and cities in Belarus, including 12 cities with population more than 100 thousand people.