Belarus is situated in the East-European Plain. The average altitude is 160 meters above sea level. The maximum altitude is 345 meters above sea level (Mount Dzerzhinskaya in the Dzerzhinsk region, Minsk oblast); the minimum altitude is 80 meters above sea level (the Neman River valley in the Grodno region, close to the border with Lithuania).

Plains dominate the landscape of Belarus. The typical Belarusian landscape is uplands, plains or lowlands interlaced with swamps and lakes. Lowlands occupy 70% of the country’s territory.

The climate in Belarus is moderately continental. It is influenced by the Atlantic Ocean. The average temperature in January ranges from -4°С to -8°С, in July from +17°С to +19°С. The average annual precipitation is 550 to 650mm in lowlands and 650 to 750mm in plains and highlands.

Belarus is called “blue-eyed” and there is a reason for that. There are over 10,800 lakes in Belarus, covering roughly 2,000 square kilometers. The biggest lake is Naroch (79,600 square kilometers) and the deepest is Dolgoye (53,6 meters deep).

Belarus has around 20,800 rivers and streams which flow to the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea. The aggregate length of rivers and streams in Belarus is 90,600 kilometers.

The biggest rivers which span more than 500km are the Dnieper and its tributaries Pripyat, Sozh, and Berezina; the Neman and its tributary Vilia; the Western Dvina. All major rivers and also the Dnieper-Bug canal are navigable.

There are nearly 150 relatively big and 1,500 small artificial water reservoirs in Belarus. Of special importance is the Vileiskoye water reservoir (75 sq. km.). It gives rise to the Vileika-Minsk water system which delivers the Vilia waters to Minsk.

Forests are a predominant vegetation type in Belarus. They play an important biosphere role and make a great contribution to the ecological stability of Eastern and Central Europe. Forests occupy 39% of the territory of Belarus. The percentage of woodland per capita in Belarus is 0.84 hectares and 139 cubic meters of wood supplies, which is nearly two times more than the average European level.

Swamps occupy 1.7 million hectares of Belarus. They are very important for preserving biodiversity. They are mostly found in Brest and Minsk oblasts.

There are 76 species of mammals, 309 species of birds, 12 amphibian species and 7 species of reptiles.