Minsk Upland

located between the upper reaches of the Neman River and Lake Lukoml’skoe in the central part of the Byelorussian SSR. The Minsk Upland is the highest point in the southwestern Byelorussian Range, with elevations ranging from 200 to 300 m and a maximum altitude of 345 m. (Mount Dzerzhinskaia is the highest point in Byelorussia.) The upland is made up of a system of curved, elongated, strongly dissected terminal moraine ridges, plateau-like sections, and numerous valleys. The foundation of the Minsk Upland consists of Devonian, Cretaceous, and Paleocene rocks. Pine and spruce and pine forests mixed with birch are found on the summits of the hills and along the sandy lowlands. The slopes are plowed, especially in the south.