Minsk
Minsk is the capital of the Republic of Belarus, its largest political, economic, cultural and scientific center. Minsk is located in the middle of Belarus, it is the centre of the region and district bearing the same name. The city lies along the Svisloch River. Minsk covers an area of 307, 9 square kilometers. The population of Minsk is 1 885 100 thousand people. Minsk is divided into 9 city districts. The city is granted a special status of the capital, its charter, coat of arms and hymn.
Minsk is a city of quite an ancient history. It was first mentioned in chronicles in 1067. In 1974 Minsk was awarded the title of City-Hero in the commemoration of its citizens` services in their struggle against Nazism during World War II. Minsk is a headquarter of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the place where the Parliament and the Government of the Republic of Belarus are located.
Brest
The City of Brest (Latitude: 52.06N – Longitude: 23.42E) is in the western part of Belarus, also known as Belorussian Polessye (Polesie). The current population is approximately 300,000. The city is situated at the junction of the Mukhavets River and the Western Bug River. Brest is the administrative center of the Brest Region.
Being situated on the main railway line connecting Berlin and Moscow, and an intercontinental highway (the European route E30), Brest became a principal border crossing since World War II in Soviet times. Today it links the European Union and the Commonwealth of Independent States. Because of the break-of-gauge at Brest, where the Russian broad gauge meets the European standard gauge, all passenger trains, coming from Poland, must have their bogies replaced here, to travel on across Belarus, and the freight must be transloaded from cars of one gauge to cars of another. Some of the land in the Brest rail yards remains contaminated as a result of the transshipment of radioactive materials here since Soviet days although cleanup operations have been taking place.
Vitebsk
Vitebsk (Viciebs or Witebsk) is a Belarussian city situated on the North-East of the Belarus in the land of glacier lakes on the picturesque banks of the three rivers: the Zakhodnyaya Dzvina (in Russian – Zapadnaya Dvina, in old Belarusian -Rubon, in Latvian – Daugava) river, the Vitba and the Luchesa river. It is one of the oldest settlements in Europe. According to a legend Vitebsk was founded in 974 by Princess Olga of Kiev after successful campaign against the Baltic tribe Jacviahi. But the first information about the town in chronicles was in 1021. It had sprung up on a busy road “from Varangians to Greeks” and stood witness to a great number of glorious events and heroic deeds. Since early times the town had been known as a “warrior”. So it is not by chance that its ancient emblem featured a horseman holding a spear and shield.
Polotsk
Polotsk was founded in 862 and not only is it the oldest town in the country, it is one of the oldest in the whole Slavic region, making it a popular tourist attraction in Belarus. The town is located 250km north of Minsk in the Vitebsk region of Belarus. In its eventful history the town has endured Viking incursions from the north, fought against crusaders and had been occupied numerous times. Polotsk became the centre of Christianity during the first Russian state of Rus. The town was a birthplace for the first Belarusian canonized woman Euphrosyne of Polotsk. In the 10-13th centuries Polotsk was the centre of the powerful Polotsk Duchy. In 1307 the town became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and became self-governing in 1498.
Mogilev
The Mogilev region, in the east of the country, is one of the six administrative regions (or oblasts) of Belarus. Mogilev region of Belarus borders Russia in the east. Just over half of the region is agricultural land and more than a third is forest. Mogilev is the main city of the region. There are a further 13 towns, of which four have their own regional administrations.