Belarus is a landlocked country that occupies an area of . It lacks natural borders, and the average elevation of Belarus is above sea level. Its neighbors are Russia to the east and northeast, Latvia to the north, Lithuania to the northwest, Poland to the west, and Ukraine to the south. Its extension from north to south is , from west to east is .
Topography and drainage Belarus's level terrain is broken up by the Belarusian Ridge (Byelaruskaya Hrada), a swathe of elevated territory of individual highlands, that runs diagonally through the country from west-southwest to east-northeast. Its highest point is the Mount Dzyarzhynskaya, named after Felix Dzerzhinsky, head of Cheka. Northern Belarus has a hilly landscape with many lakes and gently sloping ridges created by glacial debris. In the south, about one-third of the republic's territory around the Pripiac River is taken up by the low-lying swampy plain of Palyessye, shared with Ukraine, Poland, and Russia. On March 29, 2024, an information sign - a monument - was opened in the extreme eastern point of Belarus, Khotimsk.
Belarus's 3,000 streams and 4,000 lakes are major features of the landscape and are used for floating timber, shipping, and power generation. Major rivers are the west-flowing Western Dvina and Nyoman, and the south-flowing Dnieper with its tributaries, the Berezina, Sozh, and Prypyat. The Prypyat river has served as a bridge between the Dnieper, flowing to Ukraine, and the Vistula in Poland since the period of Kievan Rus'.
Glacial scouring accounts for the flatness of Belarusian terrain and for its numerous lakes. Lake Narach, the country's largest lake, covers 79.6 km2. Other big lakes are the Osveya (52.8 km2), the Chervonoye (43.8 km2), the Lukomlskoye (36.7 km2) and the Dryvyaty (36.1 km2). Lake Drūkšiai (44.8 km2) straddles the border of Belarus and Lithuania. The deepest lake in Belarus is the Doŭhaje (53.7 m). The Chervonoye is the most shallow among the large lakes, with a maximum depth of 4 m. The majority of large lakes are situated in northern Belarus. In Braslaw and Ušačy districts, lakes cover more than 10% of their territory.Азёры і вадасховшічы // Беларуская энцыклапедыя [Belarusian Encyclopedia]. — Т. 18, ч. 2: Беларусь [Vol. 18, part 2]. — Мн.: Беларуская энцыклапедыя, 2004. — С. 49–53.
Nearly one-third of the country is covered with pushchas, large unpopulated tracts of forests. The share of area covered by forests ranges from 34% in the Brest and Hrodna regions to 45% in the Homiel region. Forests cover 36–37.5% of the Minsk, Mahilioŭ and Vitsebsk regions. Districts with the highest percentage of area covered by forests are Rasony and Lielčycy, in the extreme northern and southern parts of Belarus respectively. The level of woodiness had declined – from 60% in 1600 to 22% in 1922 but has started to increase since the middle of the 20th century.Раслінны свет // Беларуская энцыклапедыя [Belarusian Encyclopedia]. — Т. 18, ч. 2: Беларусь [Vol. 18, part 2]. — Мн.: Беларуская энцыклапедыя, 2004. — С. 56–65. The Białowieża Forest, shared with Poland in the far west, is the oldest and most magnificent of the forests; a reservation here shelters animals and birds that became extinct elsewhere in the distant past.
Climate Because of the proximity of the Baltic Sea ( at the closest point), the country has a temperate continental climate. Winters last between 105 and 145 days, and summers last up to 150 days. The average temperature in January is , and the average temperature for July is about , with high humidity. Average temperature for July ranges from in the north, 18.5– in the south. For January, it ranges from in the southwest to in the northeast. Average annual precipitation ranges from and is sometimes excessive.Клімат // Беларуская энцыклапедыя [Belarusian Encyclopedia]. — Т. 18, ч. 2: Беларусь [Vol. 18, part 2]. — Мн.: Беларуская энцыклапедыя, 2004. — С. 40–45.
The highest average yearly precipitation is in Navahrudak (769 mm per year). The highest yearly precipitation ever recorded was in Vasilievičy (1,115 mm per year), the lowest – in Brahin (298 mm). 70% of precipitation falls from April to October. Heavy rains are common in summer. Sometimes one-day precipitation during summer rainfall exceeds average monthly precipitation. The heaviest rain ever was recorded in July 1973 in Slaŭnaje in Talachyn Raion – 148 mm in one day. The highest humidity level is observed in December and January (90%), the lowest – in May and June (65–70%) with an average level of 80%. Days with humidity lower than 30% are rare – usually less than 20 every year, with only 3–5 such days in some regions. On the contrary, there are more than 100 days with high humidity (over 80%), in some regions – up to 152. Due to high humidity, areas around Minsk and Navahrudak have from 65 to 100 foggy days every year. +Average daily maximum and minimum temperatures for the six largest cities in BelarusLocationJuly (°C)July (°F)January (°C)January (°F)Minsk 23/14 74/57 −2/−6 28/20Gomel 25/15 77/58 −2/−7 28/19Mogilev 23/12 74/55 −1/−6 30/21Vitebsk 23/13 74/56 −3/−7 26/18Grodno 24/12 75/55 −1/−6 30/21Brest 25/14 77/58 0/−5 31/23
Flora and fauna In Belarus, there are nearly 1,500 species of vascular plants (including 1,422 flowering plants), 450 mosses, 2,000 algae and 1,500 fungus species. Forest cover is around 43% of the total land area, equivalent to 8,767,600 hectares (ha) of forest in 2020, up from 7,780,000 ha in 1990. In 2020, naturally regenerating forest covered 6,555,600 ha and planted forest covered 2,212,000 ha. Of the naturally regenerating forest 2% was reported to be primary forest (consisting of native tree species with no clearly visible indications of human activity) and around 16% of the forest area was found within protected areas. For 2015, 100% of the forest area was reported to be under public ownership.
In the north, conifers predominate in forests that also include birch and alder; farther south, other deciduous trees grow. Pines compose 50.2% of total forest area, spruces – 10%, black alder – 8.2%, oaks – 3.3%, gray alder – 2.3%, aspen – 2.1%. 15.4% of Belarus is covered by meadows with one third being natural and the rest being specially cultivated. The most common plants on natural meadows are Deschampsia and several different sedges (Carex). In the marshes, 267 species of Embryophyta are growing – herbs (167 species), trees and bushes (37 species), Bryidae (32 species) and Sphagnopsida (31 species). 50 of them are considered medicinal.
Animals in Belarus are those common to Central and Eastern Europe.
National parks The national parks are a huge part of the country's identity. The people of Belarus are particularly proud of their country's national parks. Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park is a preserved part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Białowieża Forest in Belarus since 1992. Later, the Council of Europe stated that the park was one of the most conservation conscious areas. Many animals can be found in these parks, i.e., red deer, wild boar and elk.
Environmental concerns Current issues Air quality in Belarus has been an issue for many years. Belarus is ranked third in the world for death associated with air pollution, 100 of every 100,000 deaths from 2010 to 2012. However, in recent years the quality of the air has been improving by almost 50% according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The increased use of natural gas and alternatives to coal is leading the fight against air pollution. Policies implemented in Belarus can also be seen as a leading cause of the quality of air improving. Fines and fees may be used to enforce rules and regulations and also to keep awareness of the issue known. The money brought in from the fees and fines are used by the Environmental Fund in Belarus. The south-eastern part of the country was contaminated with fallout from the 1986 accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, receiving about 70% of the radiation. Vast amounts of territory in Gomel and Mogilev Regions were rendered uninhabitable. Roughly of soil were contaminated by caesium-137 to levels greater than 15 curies (550 gigabecquerels) per square kilometer, i.e., taken from human usage for an indefinite time. The overall economic costs for containment and decontamination was estimated at $235 billion in Belarus.
International agreements Belarus is party to treaties involving: nitrogen oxides, sulfur 85, biodiversity, climate change, Kyoto Protocol, desertification, endangered species, environmental modification, hazardous wastes, law of the sea, marine dumping, ozone layer protection, ship pollution, and wetlands.
Area and boundaries Area Total: country rank in the world: 86th Land: Water: Area comparative Australia comparative: Belarus slightly smaller than Victoria Canada comparative: Belarus half the size of Newfoundland and Labrador Europe comparative: Belarus holds 13th place, slightly smaller than the United Kingdom or Romania United States comparative: Belarus slightly smaller than Kansas.
Land boundaries: Total Border countries: Latvia Lithuania Poland Russia Ukraine
Coastline 0 km (0 mi). Belarus is landlocked; the nearest body of water is the Baltic Sea, yet Lithuania and Latvia block access to the Baltic. Maritime claims None (landlocked) Elevation extremes Lowest point: Neman River Highest point: Dzyarzhynskaya Hara
Natural resources
The natural resources of Belarus include timber, peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas, granite, dolomitic limestone, marl, chalk, sand, gravel, clay, potash, and halite (salt).
Potash, halite and phosphorite Belarus has a large number of potash deposits – all formed during the Famennian stage of the Late Devonian epoch – with commercial reserves of 10 billion metric tonnes. Three main potash deposits have been explored – Starobin (, ), Petrikov (, ) and Oktyabrsky (, ). Sylvinite (potash ore) from these three deposits contains up to 28%, 40% and 39% KCl respectively. Amounts of MgCl2 vary from 0.15–0.3% in Starobin to 1.5–4% in Petrikov and more than 5% in Oktyabrsky. The Starobin deposit has 2.6 billion tonnes of proven reserves (A, B, C1 categories) and 600 million tonnes of prognosed reserves (C2 category) of potash. Reserves at the Petrikov deposit are estimated at 2.12 billion tonnes (C1 and C2 categories) of potash. The Oktyabrsky deposit has 637 million tonnes of potash (C1 and C2) and 1.1 billion tonnes of carnallite.Карысныя выкапні // Беларуская энцыклапедыя [Belarusian Encyclopedia]. — Т. 18, ч. 2: Беларусь [Vol. 18, part 2]. — Мн.: Беларуская энцыклапедыя, 2004. — С. 28–34. Only the Starobin deposit is used, but in 2014 construction of the first factory in the Petrikov deposit began.Belaruskali starts building new mining and processing factory, belarus.by, 27 August 2014 Several smaller, less-explored deposits are known, mainly in Gomel and Minsk Regions.
Large halite (salt) deposits were formed during Frasnian and Famennian stages of the Late Devonian epoch. Saliferous formations cover 26,000 km2 in the southeastern part of the country. Three deposits have been explored – Starobin (in Minsk Region), Mazyr and Davydaŭskaje (both in Gomel Region). The Davydaŭskaje deposit is the biggest, with proven reserves over 20 billion tonnes, but only the Starobin and Mazyr deposits are used to produce salt. More than 350,000 tonnes of halite are mined in the Starobin deposit per year (2004). In the Mazyr deposit, the saliferous liquid is extracted via wells, and up to 360,000 tonnes of salt are produced annually (2004).