Regions of Belarus and their features

Belarus has a simpler administrative division when compared with Russia. The country consists of six regions and the capital. The regions of Belarus differ from each other much less than the Russian regions. Where the territory is larger and the population more diverse in ethnic composition.

History

Now in Belarus there are only 6 regions, but once there were more. For example, in the post-war 1946-1954, there were such:

1. Polotsk.
2. Molodechno.
3. Bobruisk.
4. Pinskaya.
5. Polesskaya (its center was the city of Mozyr).
6. Baranavichy.

In 1939-1945, the Białystok region existed for a short period in the BSSR; nowadays, most of it is part of Poland. This is due to the fact that the majority of the population there were Poles, and the USSR returned it to Poland.

In 1949-1944, the Vileika region existed. Its center was the small town of Vileyka in the territory of modern Minsk region.

The division into regions in Belarus was introduced in 1938. In the Soviet part of the country, their names corresponded to modern ones (Minsk, Mogilev, Gomel, Vitebsk) and there was still a separate Polesskaya with its center in Mozyr. Until 1930, the eastern part of the country was divided into districts, and the western - into voivodships.

During the time of the Russian Empire, regional division did not exist. The territory of Belarus then consisted of provinces whose names are similar to today's regions, except that there was no Brest province, and the territory of the Brest region was occupied by the Grodno province.

Territory and population

In total, 9.5 million people live in the country, of which about 2 million are in the capital. Consequently, the remaining 7.5 million are distributed by region. The list of regions of Belarus in terms of population is as follows:

1. Minsk The capital region, the most populated.
2. Gomel. On its territory is the second largest city in the country.
3. Brest. 1.38 million people.
4. Vitebsk. It is inhabited by 1.87 million people.
5. Mogilev. 1.06 million inhabitants.
6. Grodno. 1.04 million people.

If you make a list of the regions of Belarus by area, the list will be slightly different:

1. Gomel. Its area is 40.3 thousand square meters. km
2. Vitebsk. It is slightly less than 40 thousand square meters. km
3. Minsk 39.8 thousand square meters km Thus, the territory of these three regions is almost no different.
4. Brest. 32.7 thousand square meters km
5. Mogilev. 29 thousand square meters km
6. Grodno. 25.1 thousand square meters km

From the above, it is easy to estimate the population density of different regions of the country. The least populated is the Vitebsk region.

As in Russia, the regions have their numbers. There are only six of them, and the seventh in a row is the capital. The regions of Belarus are numbered alphabetically, from Brest to Mogilev.

Features of the regions of the western part

The country can be divided into "west" and "east" conditionally either along the border of 1920-1930 or according to the location of regions and districts relative to the capital region.

It is interesting that all regions of the country, except the Minsk region, are borderline and border on two or three states, for example, roads from Vitebsk region lead to Russia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Two western regions - Brest and Grodno may interest the guests of the republic with their natural and cultural attractions. The most famous include:

1. Brest Fortress.
2. Castles in the World, Grodno and Lida.
3. Bialowieza Forest with the residence of the local Santa Claus.
4. The estates of T. Kostyushko, A. Mitskevich, M. Oginsky.
5. Kolozha Church in Grodno, one of the oldest stone buildings in the country.
6. Tower in Kamenetz near Brest.

It is convenient to navigate the territory of the regions by car, since the roads in the country are generally good, as well as on buses and local trains or trains. The latter are characterized by lower tariffs when compared with Russian Railways.

Features of the regions of eastern Belarus

The eastern part of the country may seem less interesting. In the Vitebsk region it is worth visiting Polotsk. In this city, one of the three ancient Russian stone cathedrals of St. Sophia has been preserved. In addition, in the city it is realistic to visit a dozen museums, which is a lot for its small population.

Braslav lakes are suitable for swimming in the summer.

In the Mogilev region, it is worth visiting the city of Bobruisk (there is a museum and a fortress), as well as a museum in the regional center, which is depicted on one of the Belarusian banknotes.

In the Gomel region, the most interesting object is located in the regional center - the Paskevich palace. The only palace and park ensemble in this small country.

The metropolitan area also has enough interesting places - Lake Naroch, the castle in Nesvizh, the museums of Zaslavl and the highest point in the country - a hill 345 meters high.