About Belarus

	The official name:	the Republic of Belarus
	The structure of the state:	the unitary democratic social state of law. Presidential republic
	The President:	Alexander Lukashenko
	The state symbols:	the State Flag, the State Emblem, the State Anthem
	The basic Law:	Constitution of the Republic of Belarus
	The area of the territory:	207.6 thousand square kilometres (84th in the world and 13th among European States)
	The length:	560 km – north to south 650 km – west to east
	The population:	9,255,524 people (as of 1 January 2022, 0.12% of the world's total population)
	The capital:	Minsk
	Languages:	Belarusian, Russian
	The State holiday:	Independence Day of the Republic of Belarus – 3 July
	The National currency:	Belarusian Rouble (BYN)
	The timezone:	UTC+03:00
	The telephone code:	+375
	The climate:	Temperate-continental

The State Emblem of the Republic of Belarus	The State Flag of the Republic of Belarus

The Republic of Belarus is located in the centre of Europe and borders on five countries:
Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia and Russia. The central position of Belarus in Europe is of great importance for the development of trade, economic and humanitarian relations and international tourism.

Belarus is divided into 6 regions with administrative centres:
Brest region, Vitebsk region, Gomel region, Grodno region, Mogilev region, Minsk region.

The Republic of Belarus is a country with ancient history and rich traditions, picturesque nature and amazing architecture, industrial giants and developed agriculture, original dishes and hospitable people.

Here are a few important aspects to be known by any foreign citizen coming to Belarus.

The Belarusians are a peace-loving and well-wishing nation. One of the typical features of the Belarusian mentality is tolerance towards the people of different nations, races or confessions. During all its history our country has been a cross cultural area, where Western individualism, East European self-discipline, Northern tranquility, and Southern temperament met.

Today, Belarus is the home for people of more than 100 different nationalities. Many foreign students who have lived for some time in the other European countries make special mention of Belarusian hospitality, cordiality and the well wishing treatment of the Belarusians to people from abroad.

Still one must keep in mind that like any other city,  Brest is not homogenous regarding safety. We recommend you to be attentive in the streets, watch over your personal belongings, and avoid late visits to the distant parts of the city.

Given below are the numbers one can dial in case of emergency:

• Emergency Service (Fire Brigade) – 101
• Police – 102
• Ambulance – 103

You can call to these services for free from any public phone!

The stay of foreign citizens is regulated by the special rules. In case if a foreign citizen violates these rules he or she is subject to an administrative penalty or deportation. That is why we recommend you to have identifying documents with you. Obligatory for you is to make a photocopy of your passport and have it with you all the time.

For more detailed information please consult Department of International Affairs of the University (room 117, the main building).

The link to the official website of the Republic of Belarus: https://www.belarus.by/en
The link to the official website of the President of the Republic of Belarus: https://president.gov.by/en