Facts About Belarus

Belarus is a country situated in the heart of Europe, right on the split of the Baltic Sea and Black Sea. It stands bordered by Poland in the west, Lithuania in the northwest, Latvia and Russia in the north, Russia in the northeast and east and Ukraine in the south. The country is spread over an area of approximately 207.6 thousand sq km, stretching 650 km from west to east and 560 km from north to south. In Europe, Belarus is only second to Great Britain and Rumania in the terms of size. If you want to explore the country further, make use of the information provided in the following lines.

 

Fun & Interesting Facts about Belarus 

• The official name of Belarus is the ‘Republic of Belarus.
• The official languages of Belarus are Belarusian and Russian. Polish and Ukranian are also spoken there.
• The Constitution of Belarus does not declare an official religion, although the primary religion in the country is Russian Orthodox.
• The currency of Belarus is Belarusian Rouble.
• The capital of Belarus is Minsk.
• Belarus follows the system of Presidential Republic.
• Belarus gained independence from the Soviet Union in July 1990.
• The final unification of Belarusian lands, as defined by the modern borders, took place in 1939.
• Since 1996, Belarus has been negotiating with Russia for unification into a single state, called the Union of Russia and Belarus.
• More than 80 percent of the population of Belarus comprise of native Belarusians. Apart from that, there are sizable minorities of Russians, Ukrainians and Poles as well.
• Belarus is, at times, also known as ’White Russia’.
• The highest point in Belarus is formed by Mount Dzyarzhynskaya (346 m). While, the lowest point is formed by Nyoman River (90 m).
• The largest lake in Belarus is Lake Naroch.
• Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park, the remainder of primeval European forest, is a World Heritage Site.
• The oldest city of Belarus is Polotsk, which has been known since 862 AD.
• The oldest monument in Belarus is St Sophia's Cathedral (Polotsk), built between 1044 and 1066.
• The Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic was one of the founders of the USSR.
• The main industries of Belarus include metal-cutting machine tools, tractors, trucks and earthmovers.
• Apart from Minsk, the other major cities of Belarus include Brest, Grodno, Gomel, Mogilev and Vitebsk.
• Majority of Belarusians reside in the urban areas surrounding Minsk and other oblast (regional) capitals.