Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country situated in Eastern Europe, bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. With an area of 207,600 km² and a population of approximately 9.4 million people, the nation's geography is characterized by a mix of plains and heavily forested areas. The capital and largest city, Minsk, is administered separately and serves as the primary economic and cultural hub. The country's history has been deeply intertwined with the geopolitical dynamics of Eastern Europe, leading to periods of Soviet influence and subsequent efforts to maintain national sovereignty.