Flag of Belarus

What the flag looks like

A red horizontal band over a narrower green band (2:1), with a vertical white strip at the hoist bearing a red traditional ornament.

What it means

Red is associated with historical banners and the struggle against invaders, green with hope and the country's forests; the ornament is a traditional folk textile pattern.

How to remember it

Red over green with an embroidered strip running down the hoist: Belarus is the only flag that looks like it has a folk towel stitched to its edge.

Fun facts

• The design was chosen in a 1995 referendum, replacing a white-red-white flag used since 1991.
• The hoist ornament is based on a traditional towel (rushnyk) pattern created in 1917 by Matrona Markevich; its drawing was slightly revised in 2012.

Belarus at a glance

Capital

Minsk

Region

Eastern Europe

Population

9.1 million

Area

207,600 km²

Languages

Belarusian, Russian

Currency

Belarusian ruble (Br)

Flag adopted

1995