|RNature and climate:|N Hilly land with vast deciduous forests and vast swamps.
Average temperature in January -8°C and in July +19°C.
Percipitation 700 mm.
|RPeople:|N 80% Belarus, 12% Russians and the rest Polish, Ukrainians and Jews.
|REconomy:|N Belarus was a poor agricultural nation that suffered hard from the Second World War.
The only natural resources worth extracting are forests and peat.
Most important crops are grain, cotton, potatoes, flax and sugarbeats.
Manufacturing has been strongly developed since the war. Here are big industries for manufacturing of lorries, agricultural machinery, instruments and watches.
A extensive chemical industry has been built along the pipelines transporting oil from Russia to continental Europe.
Also important forestry, textile and agricultural manufacturing.
|RHistory:|N From the 9th century Belarus belonged to the duchies of Pototsk, Minsk and Smolensk under the great duchy of Kiev. Belonged to Latvia in the 14th century, to Poland in the 16th century and to Russia from the 18th century.
The troops of Napoleon devastated the nation 1812 and the German troops in 1918.
1919-1920 the area was occupied by Poland and in 1921 it was divided between Poland and the Sovjetunion. The whole Belarus was annexed by the Sovjetunion in 1939.
Occupied by Germany 1941 to 1944.
It was a constituent republic within the Sovjetunion, and a member of the UN.
The independent Republic of Belarus was proclaimed just before the Sovjetunion disbanded in december 1991.
