Belarus

Belarus, formerly called Belorussia or White Russia, is a country in eastern Europe. Minsk is its capital city. It has a surface area of 207,600 sq km. The name of its currency is rubel. Belorussian is its official language.

Belarus became a republic of the former Soviet Union in 1921 and became independent as a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States in 1991 after dissolution of Soviet Union. However, a treaty signed by the country in 1996 with Russia made it a member of the Community of Sovereign Republics. Belarus signed another agreement with Russia for a closer political and economic integration between the two.