Population

Belarus 9,503,800 Minsk 1,850,000

Ethnic composition (Belarus, 2009)

Belarusians 83.7%

Russians 8.3%

Poles 3.1%

Ukrainians 1.7%

Others 3.2%

Territory

207,595 square kilometres Predominantly flat, landlocked country. Fertile lowland with around 11,000 lakes. Slightly smaller than Great Britain

Borders

Latvia 141km
Lithuania 502km
Poland 605km
Russia 959km
Ukraine 891km

Longest river

Dnieper (Belarusian, Dnyapro). One of the longest rivers in Europe, the Dnieper rises in the Valdai Hills of Russia and flows south 2,285km through Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine before emptying into the Black Sea

Largest lake

Narach 79.6 square kilometres

Highest point

Lysaya Gara (Bald Mountain) 365m