Belarus

Minsk is the capital and largest city of Belarus, serving as the country’s political, economic, and cultural hub. Centrally located on the Svislach River, it hosts the national government and is also the headquarters of the Commonwealth of Independent States. Much of Minsk was rebuilt after World War II, giving it its signature wide boulevards and monumental Soviet-era architecture. Memory tip: think “Minsk is the main-sk city”—the main seat of power in the middle of Belarus. The other options are important regional centers—Brest (famous fortress on the Polish border), Grodno/Hrodna (western city), and Vitebsk (northeast, associated with artist Marc Chagall)—but none is the capital.