Belarus is located in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia in the east, the Ukraine to the south, Latvia and Lithuania in the north and Poland to the west. The total landmass of Belarus measures 208,000 sq km and is comprised of a mostly flat terrain. Toward the centre there are a few rolling hills but even the highest point of elevation is only 346m. The south of the country is littered with areas of boggy marshland including the Pripet Marshes. This area of fertile land is served by the Pripet River, a river that eventually flows southwards into the Ukraine. The other main rivers of Belarus include the Neman, Dnjaparo and Berezina. Belarus also boasts a collection of 10,000 or so small lakes. It is worth mentioning that the south east corner of Belarus shares half the affected area of the nuclear Chernobyl disaster with the Ukraine. One fifth of Belarus was affected or contaminated by the Chernobyl disaster.

Formerly one of the Soviet states that made up the former Soviet Union, Belarus announced independence in September 1991 and became known as the Republic of Belarus. Since independence, the one aspect that the country tried to strengthen was the national language. The national unit of currency is the Belarusian Rouble. The capital city is Minsk. Minsk is where industry and Soviet street planning are clearly more evident than in any other Belarusian city.

Belarus is heavily industrialised, thanks to the Soviet era of mass industrialisation and urban development. It goes without saying that industry is a large economic contributor. Agriculture is also a big economic sector within Belarus and much of the land is fertile and arable. The main crops are potatoes, sugar beet and grain.

Belarus experiences a temperate climate with warm summers and very cold winters, where ice and snow can severely disrupt and even block some roads. Typical daytime winter temperatures might measure -10c. During wintertime (usually from December to late March) snow covers most of the country. The warmest months tend to be July and August. Most of the rainfall arrives during the warmer summer months.