Belarus is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordering Russia to its East, Ukraine to its South, Poland to its West, Lithuania and Latvia to its North. Its capital is Minsk. One third of the country's surface is forest. At different points in history, today's territory of Belarus has been part of several countries including the Duchy of Polatsk, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Russian Empire. Belarus became a Soviet republic in 1922. The republic officially declared its sovereignty on 27 August 1990, and following the collapse of the Soviet Union, declared independence on 25 August 1991.