RB is Russia's closest neighbor and reliable economic and political partner. In this article, we will take a detailed look at the area and population of Belarus. Let's note the main trends in the development and demography of the country.
Quick reference
At the moment, the territory of the Republic of Belarus is divided into six regions and more than a hundred municipal districts. List of main administrative divisions of the country:
- Brest region;
- Vitebsk region;
- Gomel region;
- Grodno region;
- Minsk region;
- Mogilev region.
The largest and most developed, from an economic point of view, is the Minsk agglomeration. Before we answer the question of what is the area of Belarus, let's consider the key aspects of the administrative division of the country. The region consists of 22 isolated districts. The capital of the state Minsk is not included in the subdivision of any of the regions. It is home to one third of the country's population. It is an important political and industrial center of the state.
The area of Belarus is 207,595 square kilometers. It is home to about ten millionHuman. And Minsk itself occupies an area of 348 km². It has almost two million inhabitants. It is divided into several large districts. The central part of the capital is represented by the architectural heritage of the Stalin era. The new neighborhoods are distinguished by their height and abundance of recreational areas.
What is the area of Belarus by regions? The Brest region stretches over 32,786 km². It has 1,400,000 registered people. The area of Vitebsk exceeds 40,000 km². The number of its inhabitants has reached 1,187,000. The territory of Gomel is 40,371 km2, and the population is 1,420,000.
Grodno region is the smallest. It occupies a land of 25,126 km². It has 1,000,000 inhabitants. The area of the Minsk region, excluding the capital city, is 39,853 km². The number of inhabitants has almost reached 1,500,000. The Mogilev region is distinguished by its compact size, its area is 29,067 km². One million people are registered in it.
Historical background
The area of Belarus today differs from that which the country occupied in the 10th century. For centuries, the state was part of various powers, and its territory was redrawn. The republic was part of the Polotsk and Smolensk principalities. In the 16th century it was part of the Commonwe alth. In the 18th century it was part of the Russian Empire.
Until 1930, Belarus Square belonged to Poland. The republic withdrew from the USSR in 1991, declaring its own sovereignty. At the beginning of the 20th century, the state was divided not into regions and districts, but intovoivodeships, provinces, and later on districts. Administrative units were abolished. Large areas were divided, new provinces were formed. The modern structure of the republic has remained unchanged since 2009.
Geography and Landscape
The territory of Belarus exceeds 200,000 square kilometers. The country is located in the eastern part of Europe. It has common borders with Ukraine, the Russian Federation, Lithuania, Poland and Latvia. Their total length is almost 3,000 km. The length of the state is 650 km. The distance from Minsk to Moscow is 700 kilometers.
According to the rating of world powers, the area of Belarus in km2 takes 84th position. The territory of the country is predominantly flat. The maximum height of the hills reaches 350 meters above sea level. Grodno region is located in the Neman lowland. Its height is only 80 meters above sea level.
Extreme points of the republic:
- high city;
- Khotimsk;
- Mosquito;
- settlements of the Verkhnedvinsky district, located on the northern side of Lake Osveisky.
Weather conditions
The climate throughout Belarus is temperate continental. It is characterized by mild and snowy winters and hot and humid summer months. Meteorologists note a gradual warming of the climate. Winter in the republic has become 1°C warmer.
Demographic picture
The beginning of this century in the Republic of Belarus is markedan increase in the rate of natural decline in the population and a decrease in the number of young people. At the same time, the area of the Republic of Belarus allows increasing the population density. In recent years, the number of newborns per one thousand people has reached 11 children. Until 2000, this figure was 9.9. Life expectancy exceeded 70 years abroad.
The positive balance of migration has exceeded 10,300. The infant mortality rate is steadily decreasing. The level of demography in the country, with a total area of Belarus of 207 thousand km², corresponds to all-European standards. The natural decline is gradually decreasing. At the same time, the magnitude of the social burden on the able-bodied population of the state remains high.
Doctors are concerned about the total complication of pregnancy in Belarusian women. Seven out of ten women in labor have chronic diagnoses. The number of pathologies diagnosed in adolescents is growing. In the list of the main causes of the weakening of the he alth of the nation is the abuse of alcoholic beverages. The ubiquitous use of tobacco is also detrimental.
The priority of the local authorities is to improve the quality of the migration flow entering the territory of the republic. Demographers state that the mass outflow of young people from the agricultural regions of the country to the large industrial centers of Belarus continues. If the demographic situation is not corrected, then in fifty years the republic will come close to the point of irreversibility of the processes of independent replenishment of the nation.
In addition to the ongoing federal programs, the governmentthe country needs to restore the stability of economic, social and political conditions of life. The National Development Plan was signed in 2015.
Social support
About three million families are registered on the territory of the republic. Of these, only half are raising children. At the moment, the country's leadership provides social and material support to parents with many children. Loans are provided to young couples to build their own homes.
The system of social support for minors covers more than 500,000 children. Toddlers under the age of two are provided by the state with food and hygiene products, medicines. Along with the increase in the birth rate, there was an increase in the number of children left without parental care. More than two thousand children are kept in social shelters.
Life expectancy
The goal of the republic's he althcare system is to create a unified, accessible and efficient network of medical centers. The programs being implemented have made it possible to reduce the maternal mortality rate. In 2015, it was 0.9 women per thousand live births. In modern perinatal complexes, babies born with a body weight of less than one kilogram are nursed. Reproductive technologies used by doctors have produced more than six hundred babies.
The death rate from myocardial infarction has decreased by 12 percent. Gradual aging of the population leads toan increase in chronic diseases. There are 500,000 people with disabilities on the territory of the republic. Every year, about fifty thousand receive the status of a disabled person. Of these, forty percent are people who have not yet reached working age.
The state of he alth of preschoolers causes concern. About 90% of children who do not have chronic diseases come to the first grade. Only 80% of teenagers graduate he althy. The list of the most common diseases includes pathologies of the organs of hearing and vision, disorders of the musculoskeletal system, cardiac and nervous systems.
List of tasks assigned to he althcare workers of the republic:
- abortion prevention;
- medical examination;
- premarital counseling;
- prevention of chronic diseases.
Migration processes
Since the area of Belarus (km2) is 207 thousand, and the population density is only 46 people per km², the attraction of foreign citizens is of great importance in stabilizing the demographic situation. Today, the state plays the role of recipient and donor. Every year, 33,000 visitors receive a temporary residence permit in the country. 13,000 people remain on the territory of the republic.
To increase the quality of the migration flow, the government provides financial assistance to migrants. Ethnic Belarusians have priority.
Ethnic composition
In the ranking of world powers by sizeof the territory, the country occupies the 84th position, because the area of Belarus barely exceeds 200,000 km². Dozens of nationalities live in the republic. The dominant ethnic group is Belarusians. Their share is 84%. Russians - only 8%, Poles - 3%, Ukrainians - 2%. The number of Jews is 13,000, Armenians - 8,500, Tatars - 7,300, Gypsies - 7,000 people.
There are 5,500 Azerbaijanis in the republic, 5,000 Lithuanians. Moldovans, Georgians, Germans, Turkmens and Uzbeks live in the country. As well as Kazakhs, Chuvashs, Arabs, Chinese and Latvians. There is a reduction in Russians, Ukrainians and representatives of other Slavic peoples. But the number of Asian nationalities is increasing.
