Eastern Europe.

GMT + 2 (GMT + 3 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October).

207,595 sq km (80,153 sq miles).

9.8 million (UN estimate 2005).

47.2 per sq km.

Minsk. Population: 1.7 million (2003).

Belarus is bordered by Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine and the Russian Federation. It is covered largely by forests and lakes, which are rich in wildlife, and is crossed by major rivers such as the Dnieper.

Republic since 1991.

President Aleksandr Lukashenko since 1994.

Prime Minister Sergey Sidorsky since 2003.

The current leader of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, originally came to power at the 1994 presidential election. An important element of his platform was a promise to end corruption. Unfortunately, Lukashenko's rule became characterised by ever greater corruption, nepotism, censorship and arbitrary decision-making; it has since deteriorated further, with restrictions on religious and political assembly and, in the worst cases, the disappearance and death of prominent critics. In 1996, a dubious referendum had endorsed Lukashenko's intention to extend both his powers and his term of office to 2001.

The Lukashenko government's conduct has completely undermined Belarus' relations with the West, which it had initially sought to develop. Lukashenko is now looking to Moscow and especially the integration project, under which the two countries will become united at political and economic levels, adding to an already extensive set of bilateral agreements. However, the issue of government corruption still taints Belarus. In early 2005, Belarus was listed by the USA as Europe's only remaining outpost of tyranny. The EU extended travel restrictions on senior officials and the USA imposed sanctions. Street protests throughout 2004 have highlighted that Belarusians wish to keep these complaints at the forefront of worldwide media.

The official results of a referendum in October 2004 showed almost unanimous support for the removal of the two-term limit on Lukashenko's rule. At parliamentary elections held at the same time, official results also showed that opposition parties failed to win a single seat. Foreign observers claim that there was widespread corruption involved with both votes, and protests on the streets followed the elections.

Alexander Lukashenko was re-elected at the March 2006 presidential elections with more than 82% of the votes. Opposition leader Alexander Milinkevich said the result was a 'fraud' and international observers commented that the ballot 'did not meet the required international standards for free and fair elections'.

The official languages are Belarusian and Russian.

Christian, mainly Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic with small Protestant, Jewish and Muslim communities.

220V, 50Hz. Adaptors are recommended.

Handshaking is the usual form of greeting. Hospitality is part of the tradition and people are welcoming and friendly. Company or business gifts are well received. Avoid taking photographs of military or government installations.