Territories

Belarus is divided into six regions (oblasts), with their centers in Minsk, Brest, Vitebsk, Gomel, Grodno and Mogilev. Each region is divided into administrative districts, called rayons. There are 118 administrative districts, 102 cities and 110 towns in Belarus.

The city of Minsk – the capital of Belarus – is a separate administrative unit. Its population is about 1.7 million people. The population of region centers (Brest, Vitebsk, Gomel, Grodno, Mogilev) is 300,000 – 500,000. Other large cities such as Bobruisk, Baranovichi, Borisov, Pinsk, Orsha, Mozyr have the population of over 100,000 people.

Social infrastructure is concentrated in the capital and region centers. The major chemical and petrochemical enterprises are located in Vitebsk, Grodno, Gomel, Minsk, and in Mogilev region.