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Belarus is an Eastern European landlocked nation that shares its borders with Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania. Minsk is the biggest city in Belarus and also the country’s capital. Belarus is a heavily forested country with nearly 40% of the land area being occupied by forests. The population of the country is 9.49 million people as of January 2016. 70% of the country’s residents live in the urban areas of the country. Minsk, Homel, Mogilev, Vitebsk, and Grodno are the five biggest cities in Belarus.

The Five Biggest Cities In Belarus

Minsk

Situated on the banks of the Svislach and Nyamiha rivers, Minsk is Belarus’ capital and largest city. According to the earliest recorded evidence, Minsk was a provincial city of the 11th century. Today, Minsk is not only the administrative center of the country but also a major industrial city and the economic capital of Belarus. The industrial and service sectors of Minsk serve the entire nation and contributes nearly 46% of the budget of Belarus. The city hosts more than 250 factories and plants. Minsk also has a well-developed public infrastructural system and is served by over 70 trolleybus lines, 8 tramway lines, 100 bus lines and also an underground metro.

Homel

Homel ranks second among the biggest cities in Belarus and is the administrative center of the Gomel Voblast. The city suffered radioactive contamination on April 26, 1986, as a consequence of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster. This created an ecological and socio-economic crisis in the city and triggered a sharp decline in living standards and high rates of emigration. The city once again started recovering from the early 21st century. The state pays considerable attention to the health of the citizens of Gomel and thus encourages the development of sports facilities in the city. Athletics is of incredible importance in the city and athletes are rigorously trained at many of Gomel’s sports centers to compete and win in international events like the Olympic Games.

Mogilev

Mogilev is an eastern Belarusian city and the administrative center of Mogilev Region of the country. It is also the third largest city in Belarus. Mogilev is a heavily industrialized city and houses a large number of factories of cars, cranes, chemical plants, textiles, etc. A domestic airport and a busy inland port on the River Dnieper are also located in Mogilev.

Vitebsk

Vitebsk ranks fourth among the biggest cities in Belarus. It is the capital of the country’s Vitebsk Region and served by the Vitebsk Vostochny Airport. The Annunciation Church, one of the oldest buildings in the country is located here and is an important tourist spot in the city.

Grodno

Grodno is a western Belarusian city that is located close to the country’s borders of Lithuania and Poland. It serves as the capital of the Grodno Region of the country. It houses one of the largest Roman Catholic population in the country and also a large Eastern Orthodox population. Grodno is also an important center of Polish culture. The churches of the city are known for their architectural magnificence.