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.

Accommodation in the Republic of Belarus

Living costs in Belarus are significantly lower than in European countries, North America or Russia. At the same time, the living conditions in Belarus are more comfortable, as our country has a stable situation, developed infrastructure and friendly attitude towards foreigners.

Foreign students living in the dormitories of BrSU are provided with furnished rooms for 3-4 people. There is also a common kitchen for 5 rooms and a common shower room for 2 rooms. If you want to connect Wi-Fi, you can contact the operator of the Republic of Belarus for the provision of telecommunication services «Beltelecom». The cost of accommodation per month is $30.

If for some reason the university dormitory is not suitable for you, you should look for a rented flat or a room. It will cost more, but you will be able to choose the location, level of comfort and even neighbours. In such a case, a foreign citizen will look for accommodation on his/her own and be sure to provide the university with the contact number of the landlord.

INFORMATION: Rent of a one-room flat in Brest is from 100 USD to 300 USD per month, a two-room flat – from 200 USD.

Safety measures

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

A CALL FROM ANY PHONE – FREE OF CHARGE!

Public transport

The following types of public transport operate in Brest: trolleybuses, buses, shuttle buses.

• Bus, trolleybus – about 0.3 USD
• Shuttle taxi – about 0.6 USD

The payment for public transport is a travel ticket, which is purchased at the bus stop at the Kiosks ‘SoyuzPerechat’ or from the driver and is composted during the journey. A more universal way to pay for travel is to purchase travel documents for a period of ten days to a month for some or all types of transport.

There are 10 river ports in Belarus, and waterways are open on the Dnieper, Berezina, Sozh, Pripyat, Zapadnaya Dvina, Neman, Mukhavets, and the Dnieper-Bug Canal. Water tourist excursions are very popular in the warm season.

In Brest, boat trips on the Mukhavets River are organised.

Belarusian cuisine

Belarusian cuisine is considered to be one of the most diverse cuisines in Europe. Traditional dishes of this country mainly consist of vegetables, meat and bread. Today, visitors to Belarus can taste both peasant cuisine of the countryside and exquisite dishes for the nobility.

• Cup of coffee – 1,5-2 USD
• Lunch in a café – from 3,5 USD
• Lunch in the university canteen – from 2 USD

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.

The stay of foreign citizens in the Republic of Belarus is governed by special rules, the violation of which may subject a foreign citizen to administrative penalties or deportation. Therefore, always carry your identity documents with you.

Detailed information about the rules of stay of foreign citizens in the Republic of Belarus will be provided to you by the Department of International Affairs (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