Why it's the capital
From 1919 to 1991 Minsk was the capital of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. When the Soviet Union broke up, it became the capital of the newly independent Republic of Belarus.
Minsk
Capital of BelarusMinsk lies on the southeastern slope of the Minsk Hills, on the Svislach River. A second river, the Nyamiha, now flows underground beneath the city.
Fun facts
- Minsk is first mentioned in a chronicle for the year 1067, in connection with a battle on the River Nemiga.
- About 80% of its houses were destroyed in the Second World War, and in 1974 it received the title of Hero City.
- The National Library of Belarus, opened in 2006, is shaped like a giant rhombicuboctahedron, a solid with 18 square and 8 triangular faces.
Finding it on the globe
Belarus is landlocked between Poland and Russia. Draw a line from Warsaw to Moscow: Minsk sits on it, near the middle of Belarus.
Sources: Wikipedia: Minsk, Wikipedia: National Library of Belarus, Wikipedia: Belarus, Wikipedia: Rhombicuboctahedron