| Vitebsk Oblast |
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Vitsebsk Voblast (Province) or '''Vitebsk Oblast''' (; ''Vitsebskaya Voblast''; ; ''Vitebskaya Oblast'') is a Province ( Voblast ) of Belarus with its Administrative Center being Vitebsk . As of a 2005 estimate, the voblast has a population of 1,294,700. It also has the lowest population density in Belarus at 32 p/km&2. Important cities within the voblast' include: Vitebsk , Orsha , and Navapolatsk . GEOGRAPHY The Vitsebsk Voblast covers an area of 40,100 km&2, which is about 19.4 % of the national total. It is bordered on the north by Pskov Oblast of Russia , by Smolensk Oblast of Russia on the east, on the south by Minsk and Mahilyow Voblast s, on the southwest by Minsk and Hrodna Voblast s, and on the west and northwest by Vilnius County and Daugavpils District of Lithuania and Latvia . In 2000 Belarusian scientists Alexey Solomonov and Valery Anoshko published a report in which they stated that the geographic centre of Europe was located near lake Sho () in Vitsebsk Voblast. {Link without Title} ECONOMY The Vitebsk Voblast has a number of important transport connections with Russia, Ukraine , the Baltic countries, and Poland . Having strong economic ties with the neighboring Baltic countries and Russia, the voblast tries to maintain a free trade area around its administrative center, Vitsebsk, now attracting foreign investments. ADMINISTRATIVE SUBDIVISIONS The Vitsebsk Voblast is subdivided into 21 Raion s, 5 cities of oblast subordinance, 19 additional cities, 249 Selsovet s, and 26 Urban-type Settlement s.
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