Belarus ( ; , tr. , ; ), officially the
Republic of Belarus, is a
landlocked country in
Eastern Europe bordered by
Russia to the northeast,
Ukraine to the south,
Poland to the west, and
Lithuania and
Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is
Minsk; other major cities include
Brest,
Hrodna (Grodno),
Homiel (Gomel),
Mahiliou (Mogilev) and
Vitsebsk (Vitebsk). Over 40% of its is forested. Its strongest economic sectors are service industries and manufacturing.