Belarus as a tourist destination
11t is a country of wide plains, deep dark forests and over ten thousand lakes. There are also large tracts of wild, desolate marshland. Everywhere, the land is relatively flat with three major rivers running through it. These are the Neman, the Pripyat, and the Dnepr. The Dnepr river flows southward towards the Black Sea, whilst both the Neman and the Pripyat flow eastward and into the Dnepr. The forests cover over one third of Belarus' 80,000 square miles (about the same size as the state of Kansas or Great Britain). They are incredibly beautiful and mysterious places where birches, oaks, maple and pines provide shelter for European bison, bears, wolves, lynx, elk and deer. Where the forest ends, the tourist will find picturesque villages and historical monuments in the form of churches, monasteries and castles that date back to the twelfth century. Minsk is the capital city where nearly two million inhabitants live. It is situated in a picturesque location by the river Svisloch which was once one of the busiest trade routes connecting the Baltic and the Black seas. The city is a great centre of Belarusian culture, presenting the country's story in its many museums and exhibitions. It is also the home of the world famous Belarusian Ballet. Despite the collapse of the Soviet Union, Belarus remains very much a state controlled economy and is a presidential republic It is a country that invites exploration by those blessed with a sense of adventure or just the desire to visit places that have not been spoiled by mass tourism. Yet Belarus is not difficult to get to, with regular flights from London and many other European cities. An alternative that will appeal to many is to combine a holiday in Belarus with a tour of adjoining countries: for example, flying out to Warsaw, touring Poland and then travelling by road into Belarus.
The modern Belarus facts and figures Territory 207,6 thousand sq. km Location Eastern part of Europe
Borders with Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Russia, the Ukraine
Climate moderate continental, with mild and humid winter and warm summer.
Nature the relief is mainly flat and hilly, the highest point is only 345 m above the sea
level.36% of the territory is covered with woods, 45% are agricultural areas.
Population 10 million people
Capital Minsk, 1,7 million people
Administrative division 6 regions with centers in Minsk, Brest, Vitebsk, Gomel, Grodno, Mogilev.
Government presidential republic
Nationalities except Belarussians there are Russians, Poles, Ukrainians and some other nationalities
Language Belarusian and Russian
Religion 26 confessions, approximately 70% of the population are orthodox, 15 to 20% - catholic and 2% protestant.
Money the national currency is the Belarussian rouble
Belarus economy
Belarus is a middle-sized European country with area of 207000 square kilometers and more than 10 million inhabitants. It is situated in the centre of Eastern Europe. The republic stretches for 569 kms from the north to the south and for 650 kms from the west to the east. Most of its citizens live in towns and cities, the major of which are the capital Minsk, Gomel, Mogilev, Vitebsk, Brest and Grodno.
The Republic of Belarus is a sovereign independent state with its flag and symbols* It is a presidential republic.
Belarus is situated in the temperate zone and its moderately continental climate is favourable for life and economic activities of the people. It is not very rich in natural resources, but possesses considerable reserves of construction raw materials, some salts, oil, brown coal, iron ore and mineral waters.
Most of Belarus territory is farming land and in the past Belarus was mainly an agricultural country. The lands here arc not very rich. Four-fifths of its arable land is constituted by acid soil which needs constant improvement. And we cannot avoid (he fact that colossal damage was made to the Belarussian soil by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Today agriculture specializes in meat and milk production. The main crops grown here are potatoes, grain, flax and vegetables. The backbone of Belarus economy is constituted by industry. Our republic is rather a highly industrially developed country. The industry produces nearly 70% of GNP(gross national product).Its main branches are machine building, instrument making,wood processing, light, chemical and food industries. Over 100 large enterprises arc the basis of Belarus economy. These are such large plants as Minsk Tractor Plant, the Refrigerator producing Amalgamation At hint, the TV sets Producing Amalgamation Gorizont, Belarus Amalgamation of Heavy-load Trucks Production BelavtoMAZ, Novopolotsk and Mozyr oil-processing plants, Zhlobin metallurgy plant, artificial fibres producing plants and many others.
There is a number of enterprises in Belarus that produce unique goods. Atnoii^ them are Smorgon optical machine building plant, Belarusian optic and mechanical amalgamation, Minsk plant of wheeled prime movers, Bobruisk tire producing plant and some others.
However, in the recent past the economic situation in the republic has changed greatly. As a result of several objective and subjective reasons there is now a drop in industry and agriculture, a high inflation rate in Belarus. All this is connected with the economic transition, which is currently undergoing, and with the lack of normal economic relations between the countries of the former USSR as well as the lack ot such relations with developed countries of Europe, Asia, America.
Alongside the energy problems Belarus economy has a number of other difficulties, caused mainly by the creation of a, new political and economic status and by the beginning of the economic reforms. Naturally the state of economy influences the Belarusian people well-being. The Belarusian GNP in relative prices has dropped considerably which worsens the financial state of the country and of the people, limits the possibilities of investment of social programs.
But in spite of serious economic difficulties and crisis features faced by ihe country, it has great potential to overcome them. Belarus is a fairly stable state. Here there is significant manufacturing capacity in high value-added industries. The work force is intelligent and well-educated. Belarus has a great deal of potential as a trading partner in Eastern Europe. And there are currently competitive possibilities in global markets for low-priced, high-quality goods.