Geography

The expanses of homeland

The land of Uzda is a unique Belarusian place which is known far beyond its borders. Here the most essentially Belarusian river – “Father Neman” springs from its sources - Nemanets and Losha. Together with the inflows of Ussa, Losha, Nemanets, Shat and Turya its length exceeds 90 kilometers. The Losha reservoir and the Neman game reserve are strikingly beautiful. 

The territory of the region is crossed by the Baltic-Black Sea watershed. The basin of the Neman and Ptich encompasses 19 rivers and 23 streams the total length of which is 444 kilometers. This is why the ancient trade road from the Varangians to the Greeks lay vie the land of Uzda.

The land of Uzda abounds in ravishingly beautiful groves and oak-woods, meadows and willow-bushes, boulders and springs.

The total area of the region is 1.2 thousand square kilometers which places it third after the Nesvizh and Kletsk regions of the Minsk oblast. The territory is quite compact: 50 kilometers from west to east and 36 kilometers from north to south. 

The Stolbtsy plain covers the greater part of the land. The hills of the Minsk Upland reach only the northern part of the region. Up third of the territory is covered by pine, birch, spruce and aspen trees. The soils are predominantly sod-podzol.

The region has some deposits of peat, sand gravel and clay.

The climate of the region is moderately continental; its territory is open to warm and wet Atlantic winds from the west and cold winds from the north. The annual precipitation is up 600 mm; the vegetation period lasts about 189 days.

The Uzda region is situated in the central part of the Minsk oblast. It borders on the Dzerzhinsk, Kopyl, Stolbtsy, Slutsk and Pukhovichi regions.

At present, the region numbers 203 settlements including the town of Uzda which is situated 61 kilometers away from the capital and 22 away from the railway station Negoreloye on the Minsk-Baranovichi railway line. The highways of the national significance connect Uzda with Maryina Gorka and Kopyl. The Minsk-Mikashevichi highway crosses the region in the east.  Four branches of the gas pipe line Yamal – Torzhok – Minsk – Ivatsevichi – Western Europe.

The region is divided into 10 village councils: Kamenkovsky, Litvyansky, Loshansky, Namansky, Ozersky, Semenovichsky, Telyakovsky, Teplensky, Uzdensky, Khotlyansky.