Minsk is the capital of the Republic of Belarus, its largest political, economic, cultural and scientific center. Minsk is located in the middle of Belarus, it is the centre of the region and district bearing the same name. The city lies along the Svisloch River. Minsk covers an area of 307, 9 square kilometers. The population of Minsk is 1 885 100 thousand people. Minsk is divided into 9 city districts. The city is granted a special status of the capital, its charter, coat of arms and hymn.
Minsk is a city of quite an ancient history. It was first mentioned in chronicles in 1067. In 1974 Minsk was awarded the title of City-Hero in the commemoration of its citizens` services in their struggle against Nazism during World War II. Minsk is a headquarter of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the place where the Parliament and the Government of the Republic of Belarus are located.
Situated on the crossing of the strategic routes from West to East and from North to South, from Moscow to Warsaw and from Kiev to Vilnius, Minsk is a large transport hub with several bus terminals, a railway station, two airports (1 international) and a metro network.
Minsk has a highly-developed industrial, scientific, transport, management and finance infrastructure. The industry is represented by machine-building, electronics, textile, construction, food industries, etc. More than 300 enterprises operate in the capital. Minsk’s share in the country’s total industrial output exceeds 22%.
There are 30 higher educational establishments in Minsk, including Belarusian State University, Belarusian National Technical University and Minsk State Linguistic University. Besides, there are 43 secondary specialized educational establishments, 259 general education schools, more than 420 preschool institutions.
Minsk is the most important centre of science and technology. 202 scientific research centres and institutions are concentrated in Minsk including the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus.
Minsk is also the largest cultural centre of The Republic of Belarus. 17 museums, including the National Arts Museum of the Republic of Belarus, the Museum of History and Culture of Belarus, The Museum of History of Great Patriotic War are located in Minsk. There are also 11 theatres in the city, among the most popular are The National Academic Drama Theatre named after Gorky, Republican Theatre of Belarusian Drama, Belarusian State Music Theatre, The National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre of the Republic of Belarus, etc. Besides that there are 20 cinemas, 110 libraries in Minsk. About 300 magazines and more than 700 newspapers are edited there.
