OFFICIAL NAME

the Republic of Belarus

ALSO KNOWN AS

Byelorussia, Byelorussian SSR, White Russia

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Before the revolutionary collapse of the Russian Empire in 1917 was generally referred to as the so-called North-West region. Declared as the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic on 1st January 1919. One of the 4 co-founders and initial members of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) since December 1922. One of the co-founders and 50 original member states of the United Nations Organization (UNO) since 1945. Upon dissolution of the USSR in December 1991 became an independent state, one of the 3 co-founders and initial members of the so-called Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). In April 1997 Belarusian formed an interstate union with Russia.

LOCATION

Eastern Europe (west of Russia, east of Poland)

BORDER COUNTRIES

Poland (605 km), Lithuania (502 km), Latvia (141 km), Russia (959 km), Ukraine (891 km)

CAPITAL CITY

Minsk (1.7 million inhabitants), industrial, scientific and cultural centre of the country

DISTANCES TO MINSK

from Berlin - 1060 km, from Warsaw - 500 km, from Moscow - 700 km, from St.Peterburg - 900 km, from Kiev - 650 km

INTERNATIONAL TRADE ROUTES

2 trans-European routes are crossing here - West-East (Paris-Berlin-Warsaw-Minsk-Moscow) and North-South (Helsinki-St.Peterburg-Orsha-Kiev-Odessa-Istanbul)

ECONOMY

one of the most developed in the former USSR

SOME EXPORT ITEMS

tractors and other agricultural machines, road and dump trucks, superheavy quarry dump trucks, road construction machines, motorcycles and bicycles, refrigerators and freezers, TV-sets, photographic cameras and night vision optics, watches (quartz and mechanical), electronic components (integrated circuits and transistors), plastic products (synthetic fibres, low density polyethylene), chemical products (including urea), potash fertilizers, lumber and plywood

TERRITORY

207.6 thousand square km (560 km from North to South, 650 km from West to East)

COMPARATIVE AREA

exceeds such European states as Austria, Ireland, Portugal or Greece, slightly smaller than Kansas, USA

ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS

6 provinces (regions) and 1 municipality (Minsk)

CLIMATE

transitional between maritime and continental with mild and humid winters, warm summers and wet autumns

LANDSCAPE

generally flat covered with forests, numerous rivers and lakes

NATURAL RESOURCES

forests (approx. a third of the territory), large potash ore deposits, peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas

POPULATION

10.4 million (1996 estimate), approx. 64% of the population live in more than 100 cities and towns

ETHNIC DIVISIONS

Belarusian - 77.9%, Russian - 13.2%, Polish - 4.1%, Ukrainian - 2.9%

NATIONAL LANGUAGES

Russian and Belarusian

RELIGIONS

mainly Eastern Orthodox (approx. 60%) and Roman Catholic (approx. 40%)