City Minsk - the capital of Belarus

Minsk is an independent territorial unit of Belarus with a special status of the capital of the republic. In addition, it is the administrative center of the region and district. The Hero City, a large scientific, economic and political center, as well as the cultural capital of Belarus.

The area of Minsk is 348 square meters. Km. The city is divided into 9 administrative-territorial units - districts.

First mentions

The first mention that on the bank of the river. Svisloch live small settlements, dating back to the IX century. In the valley of the river there are two Slavic tribes - Dregovichi and Krivichi. The description of the city and the activities of its first princes can be found in The Tale of Bygone Years. At one time the city of Menesk (the ancient name of modern Minsk) was part of the Polotsk principality, was part of Kievan Rus, existed as a separate administrative unit. After the attack of the Mongol-Tatars on Kievan Rus, Minsk was protected by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, then part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. And after its division at the end of the 18th century, he moved to the Russian Empire. A new Minsk province was formed, the capital of which was the city of Minsk. During the USSR, Minsk is the capital of the Byelorussian SSR. And after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the republic became an independent state. The capital of Belarus has not changed at the same time.

Name and location

The origin of the name is usually attributed to the river Menka, which had previously flowed on these lands. In translation from the Finnish-Ugric dialect - "small river".

Geographically, the city is located on a hill of moraine origin, which developed back in the times of the Sozhsky glaciation (220 thousand years ago). The average height of the plain is 220 m, the highest point of the city is 283 m.

Climatic conditions

The capital of Belarus lies in a temperate climate, there is a clear change of seasons. The weather and climatic conditions are largely influenced by air masses from the Atlantic. The average annual rainfall - 700-800 mm - is distributed throughout the year evenly. Average temperatures in July are + 18 ... + 20 ° С. Summer is moderately warm, moist and not hot. The average temperature in January is -4 ... -5 ° С. Winter is moderate, often there are thaws.

Population

Almost 2 million people live in Minsk. In recent years, there is a tendency to increase the number of people. The overwhelming majority (75%) are Belarusians. In a smaller number in the capital live: Ukrainians, Russians, Poles, Turkmens, Jews, Lithuanians. Also there are small agglomerations of Turks, Arabs, Georgians, Moldovans, Gypsies. Most of the population living in Minsk profess Orthodox Christianity.

Value of Minsk

The capital of Belarus is the title of "Hero City". It is worth noting that this is the locality where the headquarters of the Commonwealth of Independent States is located. In Europe, by the number of people, Minsk ranks 10th. And according to this criterion, on the territory of the Unified Energy System - the third position.

The capital of the Republic of Belarus is a large industrial center of the country. It develops in versatile branches, of which the most popular are food and light industry, automobile and tractor-building, metal processing and instrument making.

In addition, Minsk is a powerful educational center. The largest state educational institutions of the state are concentrated here, only 23 universities. More than half of Belarusian students study there.

The cultural sphere, which attracts tourists to Minsk, is also widely developed. The capital of Belarus has 13 museums, 10 theaters, more than 3,500 sports facilities (sports grounds, stadiums, tennis courts, ski trails).

Transport

The city has a well-developed transport system. All this is due to the fact that Minsk is the point of intersection between Russia, Poland, Ukraine and the Baltic, the so-called transport corridor. There is a metro and one airport in the city.

Tourism

The capital of Belarus will be interesting in terms of tourism. Among the sights, Victory Square and Independence Avenue, Trinity Suburb, National Library, numerous churches and churches are especially popular. To visit this city is necessary without fail, at least because of different cultural buildings. They fully reflect the history of Belarus and will be useful to many travelers.