What is the terrain and geography like in Belarus?
Overview
Belarus occupies 80,154 square miles (207,600 square kilometers) and is approximately the size of Great Britain or the State of Kansas. It is a landlocked country bounded by Poland on the west; Ukraine on the south; on the northeast by Russia; and on the northwest by Latvia and Lithuania. From east to west, Belarus covers 404 miles (650 kilometers); from north to south is 348 miles (560 kilometers).
The highest point in Belarus, Dzyarzhynskaya Hara, is 1,135 feet (346 meters). Averaging only 656 feet above sea level (200 meters), the country is predominately gently rolling fields in the north and marshy lowlands in the south. More than half the land is used for agriculture. Some one-third is densely forested with large stands of spruce, pine, oak, and/or beech, everywhere interspersed with beautiful white/silver birch. It is a land of more than 11,000 lakes — the largest, Lake Naroch, lies in the northwest. It is also a nation of many rivers and countless streams (more than 20,000). The most important river is the Dnjapro, which flows well into Belarus from Russia, then south into Ukraine — ultimately providing an all-important shipping channel between the Baltic and Black Seas. Natural resources are timber and deposits of peat, granite, potassium salts, dolomitic limestone, and chalk.
Geography - note
Landlocked; glacial scouring accounts for the flatness of Belarusian terrain and for its 11,000 lakes; the country is geologically well endowed with extensive deposits of granite, dolomitic limestone, marl, chalk, sand, gravel, and clay
Climate
Belarus is located on the 53rd latitude--roughly the same as Hamburg, Germany; Dublin, Ireland; and Edmonton, Canada. It has a temperate continental climate. Average summer temperatures are in the mid-60s to mid-70s. (July is the warmest month.) It can be cold from October to April. Average winter temperatures are in the low teens and 20s F. Frost can occur 6 to 7 months of the year. Snow/ice can be expected from December to March, and occasionally into April. Winter days are short. Spring, summer, and fall bring long hours of welcome light. Average annual precipitation is 22-28 inches; June, July, and August are the wettest months.