Belarus

presidential republic in name, although in fact a dictatorship

After seven decades as a constituent republic of the USSR, Belarus attained its independence in 1991. It has retained closer political and economic ties to Russia than any of the other former Soviet republics. In 1999, Belarus and Russia signed a treaty on a two-state union, envisioning greater political and economic integration.

Profile

CapitalMinsk

Population9.5M

GDP$265.2B

Area207,600 km²

LanguageRussian (official) 71.4%, Belarusian (official) 26%, other 0.3% (includes small Polish- and Ukrainian-speaking minorities), unspecified 2.3% (2019 est.)

CurrencyBelarusian rubles (BYB/BYR) per US dollar -