Sometimes geopolitical changes make headlines, but other times they slip quietly under the radar. Such is the case with the flag of Belarus, which was changed without fanfare (or explanation) by a government decree back in 2012. We don't want you to miss any changes to the world's list of countries and flags, so we now present a belated report on this little-known event.
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| Flag of Belarus, 2012-present |
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| Flag of Belarus, 1995-2012 |
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| Flag of Belarus, 1991-1995 |
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By Caleb Centanni
Belarus, a former Soviet state in Eastern Europe, made a slight change to its flag in early 2012. On Feb. 10 of that year, the
State Committee for the Standardization of the Republic of Belarus announced a minor change to the ornamental pattern on the left margin of the flag.
The pattern originally occupied one-twelfth of the flag's total length, and was located inside a white margin making up one-ninth of the flag design. The ornamental pattern has now been extended to fill the entire one-ninth margin. The Belarusian government apparently provided no specific reason for the change.
Other than this minor adjustment, the current flag of Belarus has been in place since 1995, when it replaced the traditional white-red-white flag after a
controversial referendum that critics
denounced as unconstitutional.
Belarusian President Alexander
Lukashenko supported the adoption of the 1995 flag, which is very similar to the
Soviet-era flag. State-owned media argued the traditional tricolor flag was unacceptable due to its
use by Nazi collaborators in World War II.
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