Belarus is officially known as the Republic of Belarus and is historically called Byelorussia. It is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It shares its borders with Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. It is spread across an area of 206,700 sq.kms., with a population of over nine million and it is the 13th largest and 12th populous country in Europe. The country is divided into 7 regions. Its capital is Minsk and it also happens to be its largest city. It proclaimed its sovereignty during the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1990 and declared its independence on 25th August 1991. BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES: Belarus can be described as a welfare state. It resisted efforts of privatization as a post-Soviet transition economy. It maintains a dominant state-controlled sector with full employment. Its main industries are metal-cutting machine tools, tractors, trucks, earthmovers, motorcycles, synthetic fibers, fertilizer, textiles, refrigerators, washing-machines and other household appliances Agricultural products: grain, potatoes, vegetables, sugar beets, flax; beef, milk. IMPORTS: Crude Petroleum, Petroleum Gas, Cars, Packaged Medicaments, and Vehicle Parts