Minsk
Capital and largest city of Belarus / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Minsk (Belarusian: Мінск, IPA: [mʲinsk]; Russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administrative centre of Minsk Region and Minsk District. As of 2024, it has a population of about two million,[2] making Minsk the 11th-most populous city in Europe. Minsk is one of the administrative capitals of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).
Minsk
Мінск · Минск | |
|---|---|
 .jpg)    .jpg) Clockwise from top: Minsk business district (Pieramožcaŭ Avenue), the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul, Railway Station Square, the Red Church, National Opera and Ballet Theatre, and Minsk City Hall | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Interactive map of Minsk | |
  Minsk Location within Belarus Show map of Belarus Minsk Location within Europe Show map of Europe | |
| Coordinates: 53°54′N 27°34′E | |
| Country | Belarus |
| First mentioned | 1067 |
| Government | |
| • Chairman | Vladimir Kukharev[1] |
| Area | |
| • Total | 409.53 km2 (158.12 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 280.6 m (920.6 ft) |
| Population (2024)[2] | |
| • Total | 1,992,862 |
| • Density | 4,900/km2 (13,000/sq mi) |
| GDP | |
| • Total | Br 65.5 billion (€18.4 billion) |
| • Per capita | Br 33,000 (€9,300) |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (MSK) |
| Postal Code | 220001-220141 |
| Area code | +375 17 |
| ISO 3166 code | BY-HM |
| License plate | 7 |
| Website | minsk.gov.by |
First mentioned in 1067, Minsk became the capital of the Principality of Minsk, an appanage of the Principality of Polotsk, before being annexed by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1242. It received town privileges in 1499.[4] From 1569, it was the capital of Minsk Voivodeship, an administrative division of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was part of the territories annexed by the Russian Empire in 1793, as a consequence of the Second Partition of Poland. From 1919 to 1991, after the Russian Revolution, Minsk was the capital of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, which became a republic of the Soviet Union in 1922. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Minsk became the capital of the newly independent Republic of Belarus.
