General Information about Belarus
Official country name
The official name is the Republic of Belarus.
Short version is Belarus.
Area
About 207,600 sq. km.
Capital city
Minsk is the capital of the republic.
Population
Approximately 9,500,000 people.
People
The majority of the population is Belarusian. The largest minorities are the Russians, Poles, and Ukrainians.
Climate
The basic features of the moderate continental climate of Belarus is a moderately hot but a bit rainy summer, mild winter with frequent thaws, changing weather in spring and autumn. The major weather benefit in Belarus is absence of natural disasters, such as tornadoes, floods, earthquakes. The country is mostly flat, has no mountains, but hills only.
Currency
Belarus uses the Belarusian ruble. The sign for the Belarusian Ruble (BYN) is Br. Only Belarusian rubles are accepted as payment. Main currency is US dollars and Euro, both can be easily exchaned at our ATM and banks. In most cases cards (Visa, Maestro, MasterCard) are accepted.
Languages
There are two official languages in Belarus – Russian and Belarusian. The majority of the population speaks the Russian language, the Belarusian one is used mostly by progressive youth, elderly people and at rural areas. English as a foreign language is the most widely spread.
Religion
Most people are Christian, of which about 70% are Eastern Orthodox and 20% are Roman Catholic. All other religions including Buddhism, Judaism and Islam are freely practiced.
Georaphy
Geographically Belarus is situated in the center of Europe.
It borders with Russia in the north and east, with Ukraine in the south, with Poland in the West, with Lithuania and Latvia in the north-west. Belarus is made up of 6 regions, they are Brest, Vitebsk, Gomel, Grodno, Mogilev, Minsk regions.
Government
Belarus is an elected democracy, a presidential republic, where president Alexander Lukashenko is recognized as a head of state. The legislative authority is the parliament made up of two Chambers, executive authority is the Council of Ministers.
Economy profile
The type of economy is market socially-oriented economy. Agriculture is an important highly efficient industry that along with machine-building and exports of mineral fertilizers are major contributors to the economy.
Electricity
Voltage is 220 volts AC at 50HZ. Appliances generally use standard 2-pin plugs and sockets as in Europe. Uk and the USA visitors might need adapters.