Basic info on Belarus

Belarus is located in the heart of Europe, in the crossroads of west-east and north-south trade routes. It links Russia and Asian states with the countries of Western Europe. Belarus borders Russia to the north and east, the Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the north.

The territory of the country is 207 thousand square kilometers, populated by 9 million 689,7 thousand (as of January 1, 2008), which is similar to Sweden, Belgium or Michigan. 73% of them live is urban population. One fifth of the population lives in Minsk, the capital of Belarus. Belarus is divided into six regions. Belarusian and Russian are the official state languages.

The area of the country can be compared to Great Britain, Minnesota or Kansas. Belarus is larger than Austria, Ireland, or Greece.

The type of government is the presidential republic. President: Alexander Lukashenko (Lukashenka).

 

The Republic of Belarus is a member of the United Nations Organization and its institutions, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Central European Initiative. Belarus cooperates with the European Union, countries of the Asian-Pacific Region, South-East Asia, Middle East, Africa, North and Latin America.

 

On the 8th of December 1991, in Viskuli (Belarus, Brest region), the leaders of the founding republics of the Soviet Union, i.e. Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine, made a decision to dissolve the USSR. The Republic of Belarus became an independent state. In 1994, the Constitution was adopted. Legislative power is vested in the Parliament, which is comprised of the House of Representatives (110 members) and the Council of the Republic (64 members).

 

The Belarusian national currency is the Belarusian ruble (Br, BUR). As of 1 January 2008, the exchange rate was 2,150 rubles for 1 USD.

 

Belarus is the country of rich history and unique culture. Many historical places are located in the territory of Belarus. For example, this is Novogrudok, the first capital of the Great Duchy of Lithuania, Polotsk, the capital of the Principality of Polotsk, Turov and Grodno, the centers of the Slavic principalities of the 9th -12th centuries.

 

The area code for Belarus is +375. The area code of Minsk is 17, the phone number itself is a 7-digit code.