BELARUS

Republic of Belarus Respublika Belarus CAPITAL: Minsk FLAG: Two horizontal bands of red (top) and green, with the red band twice as wide as the green. At the hoist is a vertical band showing a traditional Belarusian ornamental pattern. ANTHEM: Maladaya Belarus. MONETARY UNIT: The Belarus ruble (BR) circulates along with the Russian rouble (R). The government has a varying exchange rate for trade between Belarus and Russia. BR1 = $0.0004938 (or $1 = BR2025) as of May 2003. WEIGHTS AND MEASURES: The metric system is in force. HOLIDAYS: New Year’s Day, 1 January; Orthodox Christmas, 7 January; International Women’s Day, 8 March; Labor Day, 1 May; Victory Day, 9 May; Independence Day, 27 July; Day of Commemoration, 2 November; Christmas, 25 December. TIME: 2 PM = noon GMT.