Belarus - Białoruś

	Belarus; Беларусь
	Flag
	location
	Information
Capital city	Minsk
System	presidential republic
Currency	ruble (BYR, Br); 1 Br = 100 kopecks
Time zone	UTC 3
Surface	207,600 km²
Population	9 349 645
Official language	Belarusian, Russian
Dominant religion	Orthodoxy
Telephone code	375
Electric voltage	220 V / 50 Hz
Socket type	C, F
Car code	BY
Car traffic	right hand
Internet domain	.by

Belarus (Belarusian Беларусь, Russian Беларусь) - the village of Eastern Europe, bordering on Poland (in the West), Lithuania, Latvia (on the north), Russia (in the east) and Ukraine (on the south).

Characteristic

Geography

See on Wikipedia: The geography of Belarus

Belarus has no access to the sea. It is a lowland area with the highest elevation of 160 m above sea level. and the highest point of 345 m above sea level Natural vegetation covers over 70% of the country's area, and 38% are forests. There are many clean rivers (20,000) and lakes (11,000), and there are also wetlands.

Climate

Belarus has a temperate climate with continental features, with cold winters and warm summers.

History

See on Wikipedia: History of Belarus

Culture and art

Policy

See on Wikipedia: Political system of Belarus

Economy

Society

Traditions

An administrative division

Administrative division of Belarus

See on Wikipedia: Administrative division of Belarus

Belarus is divided into one city, Minsk, and 6 districts, which are divided into 118 districts. The city of Minsk is divided into 9 urban districts (districts).

Cities

See on Wikipedia: Cities in Belarus

Interesting places

Cities: Brest, Grodno, Mir, Pinsk, Minsk, Vitebsk, Połack, Mogilev, Gomel and Niasviž (on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List).

National parks: "Białowieża Primeval Forest", "Brasławskie Lakes", "Prypecki National Park" and the Berezyński Biosphere Reserve.

The Folk Museum in Dudutki devoted to traditional art and the way of life. It is the only private museum in all of Belarus, and if only for that reason it is worth visiting.

Drive

By plane

By train

Direct connection Minsk 15:29 - Poznań Główny 4:17

By car

An international driving license is not required, while the police very scrupulously checks whether drivers have mandatory car equipment (first aid kit, warning triangle, spare wheel), a valid technical inspection and insurance (the so-called green card). In the car's first aid kit, the set of medical and dressings must not be complete without, among others 10% solution of ammonia, iodine, sterile and elastic bandages, cotton wool, dressing plasters, a tourniquet or a pressure rubber hose, scissors with rounded tips, surgical gloves or tissues, cooling solution (ammonium nitrate with water). The condition of car first aid kits may be checked randomly by both the Belarusian border guard and the road militia patrols. Penalties are imposed in the event of non-compliance with the rules of the road. Drivers should take into account frequent speed radar checks. Despite constant price increases, fuel in Belarus is cheaper than in Poland. You can pay only in Belarusian rubles at gas stations. The main roads are wide, well-maintained and signposted, except for the roadside, which is difficult to see at night. After dark, pedestrians walking outside built-up areas are required to wear reflective elements. At night, unlit vehicles standing in the lanes are the greatest threat. Local drivers, although they usually do not drive fast, are quite careless: the norm is persistent driving in the fast lane, not using lights (even after dark) and indicators, sharp turns from the wrong lane or forcing the right of way. Particular care should be taken at pedestrian crossings. In the event of a road collision, it is absolutely necessary to wait for the arrival of the police, without changing the place where the car is parked. Finding a foreigner guilty of causing an accident resulting in death or serious bodily injury entails serious sanctions - up to and including absolute imprisonment.

From August 1, 2013, the BelToll electronic toll collection system (similar to the Polish viaTOLL) has been operating in Belarus. Tolls are required for vehicles registered outside the Euro-Asian Economic Union and all vehicles over 3.5 tons of capacity.

The system covers the entire road M-1 / E30 Brest - Minsk - border with the Russian Federation (Redki), i.e. Krasna Gorka on the Russian side (609 km in total), leading from the border with Poland the P-99 and M 6 roads and sections of exit roads from Minsk: M2, M3, M4, M5 and M6.

In order to use the toll road network, the car should be equipped with an electronic measuring device that can be borrowed against a deposit, on the basis of a contract, at one of the customer service points located at the entrances and exits of toll road sections and between them. Fees are charged in Belarusian rubles.

When installing the device, pay special attention to the type of windshield in the car. In the case of metallized glass panes, the device should only be mounted on the 'dotted' (radio wave permeable) surface in the vicinity of the rear-view mirror. In the absence of radio-permeable zones, a measuring device with an external antenna should be purchased. If the device does not work while driving under the toll gate, immediately go to the nearest service point. Violation of the conditions for the use of toll roads entails the consequences of having to pay an increased toll. The amount of the increased fee for one violation is:

≤ 3.5 t: for failure to pay the full fee - the equivalent of EUR 100.00, for the incomplete payment of the fee - the equivalent of EUR 50.00.

> 3.5 t: for failure to pay the full fee - the equivalent of EUR 260.00, for the incomplete payment of the fee - the equivalent of EUR 130.00.

Toll collection is controlled by the Belarusian Transport Inspection (source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs).

By bus

Transport

Trip

Tongue

The official languages in Belarus are Belarusian and Russian. However, in all offices in Belarus, only Russian is recognized. Russian is the de facto language in which 80% of Belarusians communicate with each other. Communication in English is possible in Belarus because young people are eager to learn foreign languages, especially English. Young people, artists and many other people speak Belarusian. Belarusian is spoken both in the countryside and in the city.

Shopping

You can buy various folk straw products, which is what Belarus is famous for. Beautiful linen shirts embroidered with Belarusian patterns are produced in Orsha. There are a lot of Russian goods in stores. You can buy everything in Minsk, there are a lot of exclusive shops. In larger cities, such as Minsk or Vitebsk, you can buy beautiful albums and quite good guides or tourist atlases about Belarus in the bookstore.

Gastronomy

Accommodation

Science

work

Security

The risk of crime is comparable to the situation in Poland. In principle, there are no attacks on drivers on the roads, but there are vehicle thefts and car break-ins, especially in less frequented places, as well as petty thefts in hotels. Militia patrols are very common, in large cities they are practically at every major intersection. Watch out for cars stopped by traffic police officers (GAI) in areas with heavy traffic (turns, roundabouts, etc.). Watch out for cars stopped by traffic police officers (GAI) in places with heavy traffic (turns, roundabouts, etc.).

Health

No vaccinations are required. The risk of infectious diseases, such as diphtheria (especially in summer), flu (in winter) and venereal diseases, is quite high. In summer and autumn in forests you should watch out for ticks that spread viral diseases.

Polish citizens are treated in Belarus against payment. A day in hospital costs the equivalent of about EUR 30, but in the case of specialist treatment, the price may be higher.

The level of hospital care and treatment conditions are lower than in Poland, and there may be problems with the availability of specialist medicines. When using the services of a medical clinic or dentist's offices, foreigners choose private facilities that have much better specialist equipment at their disposal (source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs).