Where in the world is Belarus?

Thanks for asking!

Here's some info about Belarus and where exactly I'm going.

I'm headed to Brest, Belarus which is located in the southwest tip of Belarus on the border of Poland (in fact, we're flying into Poland and driving to Belarus!).

According to the CIA World Factbook (a great resource for you students out there!), despite gaining independence from the USSR in 1991, Belarus still has very close ties to Russia in terms of political and economic integration. In fact while Belarusian is an official language, the most common language in Belarus is Russian (also an official language). The conventional long name of Belarus is the "Republic of Belarus" despite having a dictatorship as the governmental system. Restraints on freedom of speech, press, peaceful assembly, and religion are still in place.

Some other interesting facts thanks to the CIA World Factbook: 

• 80% of Belarusians identify as Eastern Orthodox and 20% of Belarusians identify as other (Muslim, Roman Catholic, Protestant, or Jewish). 
• Belarus is just slightly smaller than Kentucky in area!
• Unfortunately, Belarus is "a source, transit, and destination country for women, men, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor." (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/bo.html)