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Places in News: Belarus
Context:
Belarus has formally become a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
About Belarus:
- Location: It is a landlocked country of Eastern Europe.
- Borders: Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest.
- Capital: Minsk
- Official Language: Belarusian and Russian
- Major Rivers: The Dnieper River (flowing south towards the Black Sea), the Pripyat River (the main tributary of the Dnieper), and the Neman River.
- Bodies of Water: Many streams and over 10,000 small lakes are scattered across the country.
- Landscape: Predominantly flat with large tracts of marshy land. The highest peak, Dzyarzhynskaya Hara at 345 metres, to the lowest point at Neman River, 90 metres above sea level.
- Climate: Cool continental climate moderated by maritime influences from the Atlantic Ocean.
- Natural vegetation: Mixed deciduous and coniferous forest.
- Currency: Belarusian Ruble (BYN)
Key Alliances: Member of the United Nations, Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), and recently the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).