Geography of Belarus

Detailed map of Belarus

File:Satellite image of Belarus in December 2002.jpg

Satellite image of Belarus in December 2002.

File:Belarus - average temperature (January).png

Average temperature in January (all numbers are in °C)

Average temperature in July (all numbers are in °C)

File:Belarus - average precipitation (January).png

Average precipitation in January (all numbers are in millimeters)

File:Belarus - average precipitation (July).png

Average precipitation in July (all numbers are in millimeters)

File:Forests share in Belarus by raions, 2014.png

Share of forests in rayons' (districts') area in Belarus.

  over 60%

  50—60%

  40—50%

  30—40%

  20—30%

  less than 20%

Belarus, a landlocked, generally flat country (the average elevation is 162 meters (531 ft) above sea level) without natural borders, occupies an area of 207,600 square kilometers (80,200 sq mi), or slightly smaller than the United Kingdom or the state of Kansas. Its neighbours are Russia to the east and northeast, Latvia to the north, Lithuania to the northwest, Poland to the west, and Ukraine to the south. Its extension from North to South is 560 km (350 mi), from west to east is 650 km (400 mi).

Topography and drainage

Belarus's mostly level terrain is broken up by the Belarusian Range (Byelaruskaya Hrada), a swathe of elevated territory, composed of individual highlands, that runs diagonally through the country from west-southwest to east-northeast. Its highest point is the 346-meter (1,135 ft) Mount Dzyarzhynskaya, named for Felix Dzerzhinsky, head of Cheka. Northern Belarus has hilly landscape with many lakes and gently sloping ridges created by glacial debris. In the south, about one-third of the republic's territory around the Pripiac River is taken up by the low-lying swampy plain of Palyessye, shared with Ukraine, Poland and Russia.

Glacial scouring accounts for the flatness of Belarusian terrain and for its numerous lakes.

Belarus's 3,000 streams and 4,000 lakes are major features of the landscape and are used for floating timber, shipping, and power generation. Major rivers are the west-flowing Western Dvina and Nyoman rivers, and the south-flowing Dniapro River with its tributaries, Berezina River, Sozh, and Prypyat rivers. The Prypyat River has served as a bridge between the Dnepr flowing to Ukraine and the Vistula in Poland since the period of Kievan Rus'. Lake Narach, the country's largest lake, covers eighty square kilometers.

Nearly one-third of the country is covered with pushchas, large unpopulated tracts of forests. In the north, conifers predominate in forests that also include birch and alder; farther south, other deciduous trees grow. The Belavezhskaya Pushcha (shared with Poland) in the far west is the oldest and most magnificent of the forests; a reservation here shelters animals and birds that became extinct elsewhere long ago.

Climate

Because of the proximity of the Baltic Sea (257 kilometers or 160 miles at the closest point), the country has temperate continental climate. Winters last between 105 and 145 days, and summers last up to 150 days. The average temperature in January is −6 °C (21 °F), and the average temperature for July is about 18 °C (64 °F), with high humidity. Average annual precipitation ranges from 550 to 700 millimeters (21.7 to 27.6 in) and is sometimes excessive.

Environmental concerns

Natural hazards

NA

Environment - current issues

• Soil pollution from pesticide use.
• South-Eastern part of the country contaminated with fallout from 1986 accident at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, Ukraine, receiving about 60% of total fallout. Vast amounts of territory in Homyel and Mahilyow voblasts rendered uninhabitable. Roughly 7,000 km² (2,700 sq mi) of soil were contaminated by caesium-137 to levels greater than 15 curies (550 gigabecquerels) per square kilometer, i.e., taken from human usage for indefinite time. In 1996 the areas contaminated with over 1 Ci/km² (37 GBq/km²) of caesium-137 constituted about 21% of the total territory (only 1% decrease compared to 1986), and in 2002 over 1.5 million people still lived in this area.

Environment - international agreements

• Party to treaties: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

Signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Chernobyl Disaster

The most notorious legacy of pollution from the Soviet era is the Chernobyl Disaster of 1986. Some 60% of the radiation spewed was carried by the wind to Belarus, where it affected at least 25% of the country—especially the Homyel and Mahilyow provinces, in the south and southeast, and 22% of the population. Although more than 2 million people (including 600,000 children) lived in areas affected by fallout from the disaster, the Soviet government tried to cover up the accident until Swedish scientists pressed for an explanation of the unusually high levels of atmospheric radiation in Sweden.

The Belarusian government's request to the Soviet government for a minimum of 17 billion rubles to deal with the consequences was answered with Moscow's offer of only 3 billion rubles. According to one official in 1993, the per capita expenditure on the accident was one kopeck in Russia, three kopecks in Ukraine, and one rouble (100 kopecks) in Belarus.

Despite the government's establishment of the State Committee for Chernobyl, the enactment of laws limiting who may stay in contaminated areas, and the institution of a national program for research on the effects, little progress was made in coping with the consequences of the disaster, owing to the lack of money and the government's sluggish attitude. In 1994 a resettlement program for 170,000 residents was woefully underbudgeted and far behind schedule. To assist victims of Chernobyl, a Western organization, the Know-How Fund, provided many Belarusian doctors with training in the latest bone-marrow techniques in Europe and the United States.

The long-range effects of the disaster include an increasing incidence of various kinds of cancer and birth defects; congenital defects in newborns are reported to be 40% higher than before the accident. Tainted water, livestock, farm produce, and land are widespread, and the extensive wetlands retain high concentrations of radiation. Cleanup of the disaster accounted for 14% of the state budget in 1995. Other environmental problems include widespread chemical pollution of the soil, which shows excessive pesticide levels, and the industrial pollution found in nearly all the large cities.

Area and boundaries

Area

• Total: 207,600 km² (81,054 sq mi)

country comparison to the world: 86

• Land: 202,900 km² (81,054 sq mi)
• Water: 4,7000 km²

Area comparative

• Australia comparative: slightly smaller than Victoria
• Canada comparative: half the size of Newfoundland and Labrador
• Europe comparative: 13th place, slightly smaller than the United Kingdom or Romania
• United States comparative: slightly smaller than Kansas

Land boundaries

• Total: 3,642 km
• Border countries: Latvia 161 km, Lithuania 640 km, Poland 418 km, Russia 1,312 km, Ukraine 1,111 km

Coastline

0 km (0 mi). Belarus is landlocked; the nearest body of water is the Baltic Sea, yet Lithuania and Latvia block access to the Baltic.

Maritime claims

None (landlocked)

Elevation extremes

• Lowest point: Neman River 90 m (295 ft)
• Highest point: Dzyarzhynskaya Hara 346 m (1,135 ft)

Natural resources

Natural resources include timber, peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas, granite, dolomitic limestone, marl, chalk, sand, gravel, clay, potash, halite (salt).

Potash, halite, phosphorite

Belarus has large amounts of potash with commercial reserves of 10 billion metric tones. All deposits were formed during the Famennian stage of the Late Devonian epoch. Three main potash deposits have been explored — Starobin (Belarusian: Старобінскае, Russian: Старобинское), Petrikov (Belarusian: Петрыкаўскае, Russian: Петриковское) and Oktyabrsky (Belarusian: Акцябрскае, Russian: Октябрьское). Sylvinite (potash ore) from the Starobin deposit contains up to 28% KCl, sylvinite from the Petrikov deposit — up to 40% KCl, and from the Oktyabrsky deposit — up to 39% KCl. Amounts of MgCl₂ vary from 0.15—0.3% in Starobin to 1.5—4% in Petrikov and more than 5% in Oktyabrsky. Starobin deposit has 2.6 billion tones of proven reserves (A, B, C₁ categories) and 600 million tones of prognosed reserves (C₂ category) of potash, reserves at Petrikov deposit are estimated at 2.12 billion tones (C₁ and C₂ categories) of potash, Oktyabrsky deposit has 637 million tones of potash (C₁ and C₂) and 1.1 billion tones of carnallite. Only Starobin deposit is used, but in 2014 construction of the first factory in the Petrikov deposit began. Several less explored and lesser deposits are known, mainly in Homiel Voblasts and Minsk Voblasts.

Large halite (salt) deposits were formed during Frasnian and Famennian stages of the Late Devonian epoch. Saliferous formations cover 26 thousand km² in the southeastern part of the country. Three deposits have been explored — Starobin, Mazyr and Davydaŭskaje (first in Minsk Voblasts, two in Homiel Voblasts). The latter has proven reserves over 20 billion tones of salt, but only lesser Starobin and Mazyr deposits are used to produce salt. More than 350,000 tones of halite is mined in the Starobin deposit per year (2004). In Mazyr deposit, the saliferous liquid is extracted via wells, and up to 360,000 tones of salt is produced every year (2004).

Phosphorite ore deposits are known near Mstsislaw and in Labkovičy (Krychaw Raion) in the eastern Belarus (Mahilyow Voblasts). They have over 400 million tones of phosphorites (prognosed reserves: C₁ and C₂ categories). Two lesser deposits are known in Brest voblast with prognosed reserves of 95 million tones. None of the deposits are used.

Fossil fules

Belarus is very rich in peat because of high level of marshiness. 9191 peat deposits are known with 5.7 billion tones of overall reserves. Before the beginning of land improvement projects in 20th century, peat covered 14% of Belarus. The country has no deposits of high-ranked coal, but amount of lower-ranked lignite is estimated at 553 million tones. Its average heat content is 25.2 MJ/kg. Amount of oil shale in southern Belarus is estimated at 8.8 billion tones with 3.6 billion in Lyuban (Belarusian: Любанскае, Russian: Любанское) and Turaŭ (Belarusian: Тураўскае, Russian: Туровское) deposits alone. Oil shale lies at a depth of 66—600 m and deeper. Layer thickness of oil shale deposits is usually 0.1—3.7 m, average heat content is 6.7 MJ/kg. Belarusian oil shale was formed in Late Devonian and Early Carboniferous periods.

Southeastern part of Belarus has many small oil fields. The first oil deposit was discovered near Rechytsa in 1964. Belarus extracts circa 1.8 million tones of oil per year, which provide 17—18% of country's needs (2004). Oil is usually found in the Late Devonian sediments and is usually connected with salt layers, but two deposits are situated among the Late Proterozoic sediments.

Metals

Belarus has two big iron deposits — Akolaŭskaje (Okolovskoye; in Stowbtsy Raion) with 175 million tones of ore and Navasiolkaŭskaje (Novosyolkovskoye; in Karelichy District), but none of them are used. Akolaŭskaje deposit lies at 235—338 m under the surface with 24.5% of iron (Fe₂₊, Fe₃₊) in ore. Share of iron in ores from Navasiolkaŭskaje deposit varies from 16% to 52%. Ores from the latter deposit have significant amounts of titanium (up to 7% of TiO₂) and vanadium (up to 0.16% of V₂O₅). Several small deposits (ore occurrences) of copper (chalcopyrite, other copper-containing minerals and native copper) and aluminium (boxite-dawsonite) are known. Small deposits of rare earth elements are known in central and southern parts of the country. The biggest one is Dyjabazavaye (Diabazovoye; in Zhytkavichy Raion), containing berillium and rare earth elements.

Other minerals

The biggest dolomite deposit is located near Viciebsk. Many marl and chalk deposits are mined. Large amounts are used to produce cement in Krychaw, Kastsyukovichy and Vawkavysk. Two big deposits of freestone are mined — in Mikashevichy (Luninets District) and in Hluškavičy (Lyelchytsy District). All Belarusian glassworks and brickworks use local sand and clay respectively.

Land use

Land use

• Arable land: 27.21%
• Permanent crops: 0.59%
• Other: 72.19% (2012)

Irrigated land

1,150 km² (2003)

Total renewable water resources

58 km³ (2011)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

Total: 4.34 km³/yr (32%/65%/3%)

Per capita: 435.4 m³/yr (200p)

Water resources

About 42 rivers and streams, with the total length of 91,000 km, and about 11,000 lakes, including 470 lakes with the area exceeding 0.5 km² each. Narach is the largest lake (79.2 km², the deepest point about 25 m). Significant amounts of swampy area, notably in the Polesie region.

References

•  This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Library of Congress Country Studies.
• This article contains material from the CIA World Factbook (2000, 2003, 2009) which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain.

External links

• Current Status of United Nations Romanization Systems for Geographical Names of Belarus
• Chernobyl data for Belarus
• Utility for transliteration of Belarusian geographical names with letters of Latin script