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Belarus
Belarus<!-- begin quick bar -->
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<tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center; border-bottom: 1px solid #C9AFFF; background-color: #ddddff">Flag</td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center; padding: 2px">Image:bo-flag.png</td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center; border-bottom: 1px solid #C9AFFF; border-top: 1px solid #C9AFFF; background-color: #ddddff">Quick Facts</td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Capital'''</td><td>Minsk</td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Government'''</td><td>republic<br/></td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Currency'''</td><td>Belarusian ruble (BYB/BYR)</td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Area'''</td><td>''total:'' 207,600 sq km <br>''water:'' 0 sq km <br>''land:'' 207,600 sq km</td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Population'''</td><td>10,335,382 (July 2002 est.)</td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Language'''</td><td>Belarusian, Russian, other</td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Religion'''</td><td>Eastern Orthodox 80%, other (including Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 20% (1997 est.)</td></tr>
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'''Belarus''' is in Eastern Europe|Eastern Europe. It has borders with Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.
Image:bo-map.gif|frame|Map of Belarus
==Cities==
*Minsk
*Brest
*Hrodna
==Understand==
After seven decades as a constituent republic of the USSR, Belarus attained its independence in 1991. It has retained closer political and economic ties to Russia than any of the other former Soviet republics. Belarus and Russia signed a treaty on a two-state union on 8 December 1999 envisioning greater political and economic integration. Although Belarus agreed to a framework to carry out the accord, serious implementation has yet to take place.
==Get in==
===Visa requirements===
Many visitors to Belarus will need a visa. For those exempt see [http://www.mfa.gov.by/eng/index.php?d=consul&id=3 here]. You will also need the dreaded 'letter of invitation', issued by a state-approved travel agent. For a transit visa you will need evidence of tickets for onward travel. You are permitted a one a night stay in Belarus with a transit visa.
===Visa fees===
Visa fees and processing changes so make sure that you check with the local embassy or consulate before you plan your travel. A visa will take a full page of your passport so make sure you have at least 1 page free.
*Transit visa US$30 ($50 if Belarus has an embassy in your home country and you get the visa in another embassy), £15 in the UK
*Tourist visa US$50/$60 (£19 in the UK)
*Business visas
#Visa on arrival. Business visas can be obtainable on arrival with the appropriate invitation letter. If you choose this route you will need to pay US$140/EUR110 in cash after a lengthy queuing process. Note that you should have clean banknotes and take some spares, it's not uncommon for marked notes to be rejected by the visa officials
#Embassy/Consulate issued visas. With an invitation letter and the appropriate forms, you can go or send your passport to have a visa issued. Costs depend on urgency of application and number of visits. Visas are issued for single, double, triple or multiple entries and valid for up to a year. As an example, a multiple entry visa costs US$350. Latest prices and procedures are available from the [http://www.belarusembassy.org/consular/visa_requirements.htm Embassy Sites]. Pre-issued visas save a lot of time on entry.
*Medical insurance
There is a compulsory state [http://www.belarusembassy.org/consular/medical_insurance.htm medical insurance] for visitors to Belarus. For a week's visit you will need to fill out a form and pay US$3.
===By plane===
[http://www.belavia.by Belavia] is the main carrier.
===By train===
===By car===
===By bus===
==Get around==
==Talk==
'''Belarusian''' is an official language, but '''Russian phrasebook|Russian''' is more widely spoken. It will be difficult to get by without some Russian. The two languages are closely related, so even the Belarusian monolinguals understand Russian.
==Buy==
==Eat==
==Drink==
==Sleep==
==Learn==
==Work==
==Stay safe==
==Stay healthy==
==Respect==
==Contact==
==External links==
*[http://www.paris-minsk.org/ French association on Belarus]
*[http://members.aol.com/imershein/belarus2.html Everbrite's Belarus Page]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belarus Wikipedia on Belarus]
*http://www.mybelarus.info/
*[http://www.belarusembassy.org American Embassy]
*[http://belembassy.org/uk/ British Embassy]
{{msg:stub}}
ro:Belarus
fr:Biélorussie
de:Weißrussland
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