Geography of Belarus

Coordinates: 53°N 28°E / 53°N 28°E / 53; 28
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from
Climate of Belarus
)
Detailed map of Belarus
Average temperature in January (all numbers are in °C)[1]
Average temperature in July (all numbers are in °C)[1]
All-time temperature records in major cities of Belarus
Average precipitation in January (all numbers are in millimeters)[2]
Average precipitation in July (all numbers are in millimeters)[2]
Share of forests in rayons' (districts') area in Belarus.
  over 60%
  50–60%
  40–50%
  30–40%
  20–30%
  less than 20%
Satellite image of Belarus in December 2002.

landlocked, generally flat country (the average elevation is 162 meters (531 ft) above sea level) without natural borders, that occupies an area of 207,600 square kilometers (80,200 sq mi).[3][a] Its neighbors are Russia to the east and northeast, Latvia to the north, Lithuania to the northwest, Poland to the west, and Ukraine to the south.[3] Its extension from north to south is 560 km (350 mi), from west to east is 650 km (400 mi).[4]

Topography and drainage

Belarus's level terrain is broken up by the

Pripiac River is taken up by the low-lying swampy plain of Palyessye, shared with Ukraine, Poland, and Russia.[3]

Belarus's 3,000 streams and 4,000 lakes are major features of the landscape and are used for floating timber, shipping, and power generation.

Glacial scouring accounts for the flatness of Belarusian terrain and for its numerous lakes.

Lake Narach, the country's largest lake, covers 79.6 km2. Other big lakes are the Osveya (52.8 km2), the Chervonoye (43.8 km2), the Lukomlskoye (36.7 km2) and the Dryvyaty (36.1 km2). Lake Drūkšiai (44.8 km2) straddles the border of Belarus and Lithuania. The deepest lake in Belarus is the Doŭhaje (53.7 m). The Chervonoye is the most shallow among the large lakes, with a maximum depth of 4 m. The majority of large lakes are situated in northern Belarus. In Braslaw and Ušačy districts, lakes cover more than 10% of their territory.[5]

Nearly one-third of the country is covered with pushchas, large unpopulated tracts of forests.[3] Share of area covered with forests ranges from 34% in the Brest and Hrodna regions to 45% in the Homiel region. Forests cover 36–37.5% of the Minsk, Mahilioŭ and Vitsebsk regions. Districts with the highest percentage of area covered by forests are Rasony and Lielčycy, in the extreme northern and southern parts of Belarus respectively. The level of woodiness had declined during history – from 60% in 1600 AD to 22% in 1922 but started to increase in the middle of the 20th century.[6] The Białowieża Forest, shared with Poland in the far west, is the oldest and most magnificent of the forests; a reservation here shelters animals and birds that became extinct elsewhere in the distant past.[3]

Climate

Because of the proximity of the

temperate continental climate.[3] Winters last between 105 and 145 days, and summers last up to 150 days. The average temperature in January is −6 °C (21 °F), and the average temperature for July is about 18 °C (64 °F), with high humidity.[3] Average temperature for July ranges from 17.5 °C (64 °F) in the north, 18.5–19 °C (66 °F) in the south. For January, it ranges from −4.5 °C (24 °F) in the southwest to −8 °C (18 °F) in the northeast. Average annual precipitation ranges from 550 to 700 millimeters (21.7 to 27.6 in) and is sometimes excessive.[7][3]

The highest average yearly precipitation is recorded in

Navahrudak have from 65 to 100 foggy days every year.[7]

Average daily maximum and minimum temperatures for the six largest cities in Belarus[8]
Location July (°C) July (°F) January (°C) January (°F)
Minsk 23/14 74/57 −2/−6 28/20
Gomel 25/15 77/58 −2/−7 28/19
Mogilev 23/12 74/55 −1/−6 30/21
Vitebsk 23/13 74/56 −3/−7 26/18
Grodno 24/12 75/55 −1/−6 30/21
Brest 25/14 77/58 0/−5 31/23

Flora and fauna

In Belarus, nearly 1,500 species of

gray alder – 2.3%, aspen – 2.1%.[6] 15.4% of Belarus is covered by meadows with one third being natural and the rest being specially cultivated. The most common plants on natural meadows are Deschampsia and several different sedges (Carex). In the marshes, 267 species of Embryophyta are growing – herbs (167 species), trees and bushes (37 species), Bryidae (32 species) and Sphagnopsida (31 species). 50 of them are considered drug plants.[6]

Animals in Belarus are those common to Central and Eastern Europe.

National Parks

The National Parks are a huge part of the country's identity. The people of Belarus are particularly proud of their country's national parks. Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park is a preserved part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Białowieża Forest in Belarus since 1992. Later, the Council of Europe stated that the park was one of the most conservation conscious areas. Many animals can be found in these parks, i.e., red deer, wild boar and elk.[9]

Environmental concerns

Environment – Current Issues
Environment – international agreements
  • Party to treaties: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

Area and boundaries

Area
  • Total: 207,600 km² (81,054 sq mi)
country comparison to the world: 86
  • Land: 202,900 km² (81,054 sq mi)
  • Water: 4,7000 km²
Area comparative
Land boundaries
Coastline
0 km (0 mi). Belarus is landlocked; the nearest body of water is the Baltic Sea, yet Lithuania and Latvia block access to the Baltic.
Maritime claims
None (landlocked)
Elevation extremes

Natural resources

fossil fuels are in red (L — lignite, OS — oil shale, P — petroleum; peat is not shown); non-metallic minerals are in green (DL — dolomite, K — potash, NaCl — salt, P2O5phosphorite
).
Potash mine near Salihorsk.

The natural resources of Belarus include timber, peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas, granite, dolomitic limestone, marl, chalk, sand, gravel, clay, potash, and halite (salt).

Potash, halite and phosphorite

Belarus has a large number of potash deposits – all formed during the Famennian stage of the Late Devonian epoch – with commercial reserves of 10 billion metric tonnes. Three main potash deposits have been explored – Starobin (Belarusian: Старобінскае, Russian: Старобинское), Petrikov (Belarusian: Петрыкаўскае, Russian: Петриковское) and Oktyabrsky (Belarusian: Акцябрскае, Russian: Октябрьское). Sylvinite (potash ore) from these three deposits contains up to 28%, 40% and 39% KCl respectively. Amounts of MgCl2 vary from 0.15–0.3% in Starobin to 1.5–4% in Petrikov and more than 5% in Oktyabrsky. The Starobin deposit has 2.6 billion tonnes of proven reserves (A, B, C1 categories) and 600 million tonnes of prognosed reserves (C2 category) of potash. Reserves at the Petrikov deposit are estimated at 2.12 billion tonnes (C1 and C2 categories) of potash. The Oktyabrsky deposit has 637 million tonnes of potash (C1 and C2) and 1.1 billion tonnes of carnallite.[12] Only the Starobin deposit is used, but in 2014 construction of the first factory in the Petrikov deposit began.[12][13] Several smaller, less-explored deposits are known, mainly in Gomel and Minsk Regions.[12]

Large halite (salt) deposits were formed during Frasnian and Famennian stages of the Late Devonian epoch. Saliferous formations cover 26,000 km2 in the southeastern part of the country. Three deposits have been explored – Starobin (in Minsk Region), Mazyr and Davydaŭskaje (both in Gomel Region). The Davydaŭskaje deposit is the biggest, with proven reserves over 20 billion tonnes, but only the Starobin and Mazyr deposits are used to produce salt. More than 350,000 tonnes of halite are mined in the Starobin deposit per year (2004). In the Mazyr deposit, the saliferous liquid is extracted via wells, and up to 360,000 tonnes of salt are produced annually (2004).[12]

There are known

Krychaw Raion) in eastern Belarus (Mogilev Region). They contain over 400 million tonnes of phosphorites (prognosed reserves: C1 and C2 categories). Two lesser deposits are known in Brest Region with prognosed reserves of 95 million tonnes.[12]
None of the deposits are used.

Fossil fuels

Due to the Belarus' high level of marshiness, it is very rich in peat. 9,191 peat deposits are known, totalling 5.7 billion tonnes of overall reserves. Before land improvement projects began in 20th century, peat covered 14% of Belarus. Although the country has no deposits of high-ranked coal, the amount of lower-ranked lignite is estimated at 553 million tonnes. Its average heat content is 25.2 MJ/kg. The amount of oil shale in southern Belarus is estimated at 8.8 billion tonnes with 3.6 billion in the Lyuban (Belarusian: Любанскае, Russian: Любанское) and Turaŭ (Belarusian: Тураўскае, Russian: Туровское) deposits alone. Oil shale lies at a depth of 66–600 m and deeper. The layer thickness of oil shale deposits is usually 0.1–3.7 m, and the average heat content is 6.7 MJ/kg. Belarusian oil shale was formed in Late Devonian and Early Carboniferous periods.[12]

The southeastern part of Belarus has many small oil fields. The first oil deposit was discovered near Rechytsa in 1964. Belarus extracts about 1.8 million tonnes of oil per year, which provides 17–18% of country's needs (2004). Oil is usually found in the Late Devonian sediments and is frequently connected with salt layers, but two deposits are situated among the Late Proterozoic sediments.[12]

Metals

Belarus has two big iron deposits – Akolaŭskaje (Okolovskoye; in

Zhytkavichy Raion), containing beryllium and rare earth elements.[12]

Other minerals

Many

Luninets District) and in Hluškavičy (Lyelchytsy District).[12] All Belarusian glassworks and brickworks use local sand and clay respectively. The biggest dolomite deposit is located near Vitebsk
.

Land use

Land use
  • Arable land: 27.21%
  • Permanent crops: 0.59%
  • Other: 72.19% (2012)
Irrigated land
1,150 km² (2003)
Total renewable water resources
58 km3 (2011)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)
Total: 4.34 km3/yr (32%/65%/3%)
Per capita: 435.4 m3/yr (200p)
Water resources
About 10,800 rivers and streams, with the total length of 91,000 km, and about 11,000 lakes, including 470 lakes with an area exceeding 0.5 km² each.
Polesie
region.

Notes

  1. ^ slightly smaller than the United Kingdom or the state of Kansas

References

  • This article contains material from the
    CIA World Factbook (2000, 2003, 2009) which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain
    .
  1. ^ a b Клімат // Беларуская энцыклапедыя [Belarusian Encyclopedia]. — Т. 18, ч. 2: Беларусь [Vol. 18, part 2]. — Мн.: Беларуская энцыклапедыя, 2004. — С. 41.
  2. ^ a b Клімат // Беларуская энцыклапедыя [Belarusian Encyclopedia]. — Т. 18, ч. 2: Беларусь [Vol. 18, part 2]. — Мн.: Беларуская энцыклапедыя, 2004. — С. 43.
  3. ^
    OCLC 33359277. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link
    )
  4. ^ "Main Geographic Characteristics of the Republic of Belarus". Land of Ancestors. The Scientific and Production State Republican Unitary Enterprise “National Cadastre Agency” of the State Property Committee of the Republic of Belarus. 2011. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
  5. ^ Азёры і вадасховшічы // Беларуская энцыклапедыя [Belarusian Encyclopedia]. — Т. 18, ч. 2: Беларусь [Vol. 18, part 2]. — Мн.: Беларуская энцыклапедыя, 2004. — С. 49–53.
  6. ^ a b c d Раслінны свет // Беларуская энцыклапедыя [Belarusian Encyclopedia]. — Т. 18, ч. 2: Беларусь [Vol. 18, part 2]. — Мн.: Беларуская энцыклапедыя, 2004. — С. 56–65.
  7. ^ a b Клімат // Беларуская энцыклапедыя [Belarusian Encyclopedia]. — Т. 18, ч. 2: Беларусь [Vol. 18, part 2]. — Мн.: Беларуская энцыклапедыя, 2004. — С. 40–45.
  8. ^ "Belarus climate information". Weatherbase. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  9. .
  10. ^ Batalevich, Luchina (November 24–25, 2016). "Actual Environmental Problems" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-03-01.
  11. ^ "Belarus" (PDF). Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2017-03-02. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i Карысныя выкапні // Беларуская энцыклапедыя [Belarusian Encyclopedia]. — Т. 18, ч. 2: Беларусь [Vol. 18, part 2]. — Мн.: Беларуская энцыклапедыя, 2004. — С. 28–34.
  13. ^ Belaruskali starts building new mining and processing factory, belarus.by, 27 August 2014

External links

53°N 28°E / 53°N 28°E / 53; 28