Belarus
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. Belarus and Russia signed a treaty on a two-state union on 8 December 1999 envisioning greater political and economic integration. Although Belarus agreed to a framework to carry out the accord, serious implementation has yet to take place.

Location:
Eastern Europe, east of Poland

Area:
total: 207,600 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 207,600 sq km

Land boundaries:
total: 2,900 km
border countries: Latvia 141 km, Lithuania 502 km, Poland 407 km, Russia 959 km, Ukraine 891 km

Climate:
cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between continental and maritime

Terrain:
generally flat and contains much marshland

Land use:
arable land: 29.76%
permanent crops: 0.69%
other: 69.55% (1998 est.)

Population:
10,310,520 (July 2004 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Belarusian(s)
adjective: Belarusian

Languages:
Belarusian, Russian, other