Vast marsh region, southern Belarus and northwestern Ukraine.
The largest swamp of the European continent, the marshes lie in the thickly forested basin of the Pripet River . They cover an area of about 104,000 sq mi (270,000 sq km). Densely wooded and largely uninhabited, the region has supported a diversified lumber industry. A vast amount of land reclamation took place during the 20th century, including the regulation of water drainage, permitting the development of agricultural areas.