Belarus--English--People's Daily Online

	Belarus plays an important role in UN [ 15:56 September 23 2012]
	Regional organizations [ 15:49 September 23 2012]
	International economic organizations [ 15:20 September 23 2012]
	Bilateral cooperation of Belarus [ 15:19 September 23 2012]
	Foreign policy of Belarus [ 18:18 September 21 2012]
	Foreign Relations of Belarus [ 17:37 September 19 2012]

National Flag and Emblem

General Overview

·Official name – The Republic of Belarus
·Territory – 207,600 square kilometers
·Time zone – GMT+3
·Population – 9,471,900
·Capital – the City of Minsk
·Official languages – Belarusian and Russian
·Currency – the Belarusian ruble (BYR)
·Religion – Christians, Orthodox and Catholic
·Geographical position – the center of Europe (28-32° E longitude, 51-55° N latitude). It shares borders
with Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Russia, and Ukraine.
·Climate – mild winters and warm summers.
The hottest month is July, the coldest is January.
·National holiday – July 3
·Ethnic – Belarusians (over 80 percent), Russians