Minsk, Belarus

Minsk Мінск  · Минск
City
Clockwise from top left: Minsk City Hall, the Red Church, Railway Station Square, Independence Square, Opera and Ballet Theatre and the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul.
Flag Coat of arms
Minsk Location of Minsk, shown within the Minsk Voblast
Coordinates: 53°54′N 27°34′E / 53.900°N 27.567°E / 53.900; 27.567Coordinates: 53°54′N 27°34′E / 53.900°N 27.567°E / 53.900; 27.567
Country	Belarus
Founded	1067
Government
• Mayor	Andrei Shorets
Area
• City	409.5 km2 (158.1 sq mi)
Elevation	280.6 m (920.6 ft)
Population (2014)
• City	1,921,807
• Density	5,966/km2 (15,450/sq mi)
• Urban	2,101,018
Time zone	FET (UTC+3)
Postal Code	220001-220141
Area code(s)	+375 17
License plate	7
- Nominal GDP 2012	$13 billion
- Nominal GDP Per capita 2012	$7,000
Website	www.minsk.gov.by

Minsk (Belarusian: Мінск pronounced [mʲinsk]; is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Belarus, situated on the Svislach and Nyamiha rivers. It is the administrative centre of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). As the national capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administrative centre of Minsk Region (voblast) and Minsk raion (district). In 2013, it had a population of 2,002,600.

The earliest historical references to Minsk date to the 11th century (1067), when it was noted as a provincial city within the principality of Polotsk. The settlement developed on the rivers. In 1242, Minsk became a part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It received town privileges in 1499.

From 1569, it was a capital of the Minsk Voivodship in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was part of a region annexed by the Russian Empire in 1793, as a consequence of the Second Partition of Poland. From 1919 to 1991, after the Russian Revolution, Minsk was the capital of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic within the Soviet Union. Minsk will host the 2019 European Games.

Minsk is located on the southeastern slope of the Minsk Hills, a region of rolling hills running from the southwest (upper reaches of the river Nioman) to the northeast – that is, to Lukomskaye Lake in northwestern Belarus. The average altitude above sea level is 220 metres (720 ft). The physical geography of Minsk was shaped over the two most recent ice ages. The Svislach River, which flows across the city from the northwest to the southeast, is in the urstromtal, an ancient river valley formed by water flowing from melting ice sheets at the end of the last Ice Age. There are six smaller rivers within the city limits, all part of the Black Sea basin.