Brest

Baranavichy

Brest, in full Brestskaya Voblasts, voblasts (province), southwestern Belarus, in the basin of the upper Pripet River and its tributaries. Centred on Brest city, it was formed in 1939 from areas held by Poland from 1919. Except in the north, where the land rises to the morainic hills of the Belarusian Ridge, the province is exceptionally flat and swampy, with huge areas of reed and grass marsh, peat bog, and standing waters. Higher and drier areas are mostly forested. Some drainage has been undertaken since 1873; these reclaimed areas are cultivated for flax, hemp, potatoes, and sugar beets. Dairying and forestry are both important, and the towns are engaged chiefly in processing agricultural produce and timber. Peat is used for power generation. The Dnieper-Bug Canal links the Pripet and Dnieper rivers to the Bug and Vistula. The province is crossed by the Moscow-Warsaw railway and highway. Area 12,500 square miles (32,300 square km). Pop. (2008 est.) 1,435,100.