Belarus is bordered by Poland to the west, Ukraine to the south and southwest, Russia to the east, and Lithuania and Latvia to the north. It is landlocked and flat with many lakes, measuring about 207,600 square kilometers (80,000 square miles). In July 2003 its population was estimated at 10 million. The capital of Belarus is located in Minsk.

Belarus, meaning "white Russia," was not an independent nation until 1991, when the Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic declared independence from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Upon independence, Belarus became one of the three founding countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). This organization of former Soviet republics allows for collaboration while permitting each country to maintain its autonomy and independence. Belarus is also a member of the United Nations (UN). Economic and political changes have been very slow in Belarus, and the country has maintained extremely close political and economic ties...