General Information On Belarus

Official name

The Republic of Belarus

Area

207.6 square km Belarus is located in the centre of Europe and borders on five countries: Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.

The country has no access to sea but is a major trading and transport corridor between Europe and the FSU states due to its geographical position.

Population

9,463,800 (data as of January 1, 2013)

Urban population: 76.3%.

Capital Minsk (1,901,100)

The city was first mentioned in written sources in 1067. Over its history, Minsk has been destroyed dozens of times. The city suffered most during WW2 when it was ruined almost completely.

Regional centres

Belarus is divided into six regions, each headed with an administrative centre (population data as of January 1, 2013):

• Brest (326,400)
• Vitebsk (369,400)
• Gomel (515,000)
• Grodno (352,500)
• Mogilev (366,800)

Ethnic composition

Belarusians– 83.4%, Russians – 8.2%, Polish – 3.1%, Ukrainians – 1.7%, Jews – 0.13% , other nationalities – 3.5% (2009 census data).

Official languages

Belarusian, Russian

National currency

Belarusian rouble

Climate

Due to the impact of air masses from the Atlantic, Belarus has a moderately continental climate with rainy cool summers, mild winters with frequent thaws, and unsteady weather in the autumn and winter.

Urban transportation in Belarus

Public transportation in Minsk and other Belarusian cities and towns includes

buses, trolleybuses, trams, and fixed route taxi buses (in Minsk and major cities).

The only metro in Belarus operates in Minsk.  Minsk metro scheme.

Tickets to pay the fare for using the public urban transport are sold in tickets booths at the stops, or by conductors or drivers.

The current cost of one trip by Minsk public transport (bus, trolleybus, tram, metro) is 4,500 roubles. The fares in other cities tend to be lower.

10-, 15- or 30 (31)-day tickets for repeated use of one or more urban transport types are available.

The routes and running times of Minsk urban transport are available at the official websitewww.minsktrans.by.