Belarus

Belarus is located on the continent of Europe, where it has a landlocked position and is bordered by Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Ukraine. There are seven continents in the world: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe, Antarctica, Australia (Oceania). Europe is the world's second smallest continent, spanning a total area of 10,180,000 km2. Europe has 51 countries, with some countries belonging to both Europe and Asia, and forms 6.8% of the world's landmass. Belarus is a landlocked country that stretches across a total area of approximately 207,600 km2. It is a medium size country situated on the mainland of Europe.

The following information provides a guideline to the approximate border lengths of Belarus:
Latvia 161 km, Lithuania 640 km, Poland 418 km, Russia 1,312 km, Ukraine 1,111 km.

Belarus has a temperate climate; the summers are cool with temperatures averaging around 18 degrees Celsius and the winters are cold, and sometimes snowy, with temperatures often falling below 0 degrees Celsius. The geography of Belarus comprises majorly of flatland, low rolling hills forming the Belarusian Ridge, uplands, river valleys, marshland, forest areas which span around one third of the country, mountainous regions and thousands of streams, rivers and lakes that formed mainly as a result of glacial scouring. The names of some of the most major rivers in Belarus include Nyoman, Western Dvina, Dniapro, Sozh, Prypyat, and Berezina River. The names of the country's major lakes include Lake Narach which is the largest, and Lake Douhaje which is the deepest. Names of other large lakes include Lake Osveya, Chervonoye, Lukomiskoye, and Drysvyaty. The lowest point of Belarus is the Nyoman River at 90m, and the highest point of elevation is Dzyarzhynskaya Hara at 346m.

The official languages of Belarus are Russian and Belarusian (official language of Belarus). Other languages that are spoken by a small percentage of the population include Polish and Ukrainian.

The primary religion of Belarus is Orthodox at approximately 48% of the population. Around 7% are Roman Catholic. The remaining population either belongs to other religions or no religion at all.

Natural resources can be described as materials and substances found naturally occurring on Earth. Natural resources are very important across the world, and can be exploited for economic gain. The level of resources that occur naturally in an individual country are influenced by varying factors such as the geography, climate and location of that country. Some countries are very rich in natural resources, where as others have limited to none. Countries that have particularly rich resources include Russia, The United States, Saudi Arabia and Canada. Three of the primary uses of natural resources are food, transport and construction. The following examples provide information on the everyday uses of natural resources: Fish occurs naturally in many bodies of water and can be caught for food consumption. Crude oils can be refined into various fuels in order to power vehicles/cars. Wood/timber can be extracted from forests and used to construct houses and furniture. The natural resources found in Belarus include timber, peat, oil, natural gas, granite, dolomitic limestone, marl, gravel, clay, chalk and sand.

Each country across the world has its own unique culture, history and identity. Flags, emblems, symbols, colors, mottos, anthems and songs are used to symbolize the pride and individuality of a nation. These national symbols are forged through a nation's unique history and can represent both hardship and prosperity, embodying freedom, strength and unity. Flags, emblems, songs, mottos and colors reflect the past, present and future hopes of a country, and create an important image to the rest of the world. National symbols can represent a combination of things that are important to a country such as birds, animals, plants, geographical features, tools of agriculture, crops, and tools of war. Here are some important facts on the symbols, songs and colors of Belarus: