Minsk | |
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Population | 1982444 |
Minsk (Belarusian: Мінск/Менск [mʲinsk], Russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislač and the Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administrative centre of Minsk Region (voblasć) and Minsk District (rajon). As of January 2018, its population was 1,982,444, (not including suburbs), making Minsk the 11th most populous city in Europe. Minsk is the administrative capital of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and seat of its Executive Secretary.
The earliest historical references to Minsk date to the 11th century (1067), when it was noted as a provincial city within the Principality of Polotsk.
Vlora | |
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Population | 130827 |
Vlorë ( VLO-re, Albanian: [ˈvlɔɾə] or [ˈvlɔɾa]) is the third most populous city of the Republic of Albania and the capital of the eponymous county and municipality.Geographically, the city is located on the Bay of Vlorë and the foothills of the Ceraunian Mountains at the Strait of Otranto along the Adriatic and Ionian Sea within the Mediterranean Sea. Its climate is profoundly affected by the sea and therefore it experiences a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters.
Historically, the city was founded as Aulon as an Ancient Greek colony in Illyria and was centuries later conquered by the Romans, Byzantines, Normans, Venetians and Ottomans. Between the 18th and 19th centuries, the Albanian people gathered both spiritual and intellectual strength for national consciousness in the city which conclusively led to the Albanian Renaissance.