landlocked; glacial scouring accounts for the flatness of Belarusian terrain and for its 11,000 lakes; the country is geologically well endowed with extensive deposits of granite, dolomitic limestone, marl, chalk, sand, gravel, and clay
Established in 1067, the city, on the Svisloch River retains little of its long history. A must-see is the Troitskoye Predmestye suburb, where a flavour of the old Minsk can still be savoured.