Latvia

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Republic of Latvia
Latvijas Republika
Coat of arms of Latvia
Coat of arms
Anthem: Dievs, svētī Latviju!  
God Bless Latvia!
Location of  Latvia  (dark green) – on the European continent  (green & dark grey) – in the European Union  (green)  —  [Legend]
Location of  Latvia  (dark green)

– on the European continent  (green & dark grey)
– in the European Union  (green)  —  [Legend]

Capital
and largest city
Riga
56°57′N 24°6′E / 56.950°N 24.100°E / 56.950; 24.100
Official languagesLatvian
Recognised languagesRussian
Recognised regional languages
Spoken languagesLatvian, Russian, Belarusian, Lithuanian, Ukrainian, Polish, Romani
Ethnic groups
(2011)
62.1% Latvians,
26.9% Russians,
3.4% Belarusians,
2.2% Ukrainians,
2.2% Poles,
1.2% Lithuanians,
2% others and unspecified[1]
Demonym(s)Latvian
GovernmentParliamentary republic
• President
Edgars Rinkēvičs
Evika Siliņa
Edvards Smiltēns
Independence 
from Germany and Russia
• Declared1
18 November 1918
26 January 1921
5 August 1940
10 July 1941
8 May 1945
• Announced
4 May 1990
• Restored
21 August 1991[2]
Area
• Total
64,589 km2 (24,938 sq mi) (124th)
• Water (%)
1.57% (1,014 km2)
Population
• 2011 estimate
2,229,641[3] (143rd)
• 2000 census
2,377,383
• Density
34.3/km2 (88.8/sq mi) (166th)
GDP (PPP)2010 estimate
• Total
$32.513 billion[4]
• Per capita
$14,460[4]
GDP (nominal)2010 estimate
• Total
$24.045 billion[4]
• Per capita
$10,694[4]
Gini (2003)37.7
medium
HDI (2011)Increase 0.805[5]
very high · 43rd
CurrencyEuro () (EUR)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)
UTC+3 (EEST)
Driving sideright
Calling code+371
ISO 3166 codeLV
Internet TLD.lv
1 Latvia is de jure continuous with its declaration 18 November 1918.

Latvia (Latvian: Latvija), officially the Republic of Latvia (Latvian: Latvijas Republika), is a country in Northern Europe. The capital is Riga. It is one of the Baltic States, together with Estonia in the north and Lithuania in the south. Latvia's neighbours to the east are the countries Russia and Belarus. Latvia is split into four parts called Kurzeme, Vidzeme, Zemgale, and Latgale.

People from Latvia are called Latvians. They speak the Latvian language, which is a little like the Lithuanian language, though not close enough to be understood.

History[change | change source]

Latvia was settled by the Baltic tribes thousands of years ago. They mainly fished, hunted, and traded.

German traders and crusaders came to Latvia at the end of the 12th century. Latvians lost control of their homeland. Over the next 800 years, Germans, Danes, Swedes, Poles, and Russians all invaded Latvia. Latvia finally became independent in 1918.

During the 13-15th centuries there was the Teutonic Order state occupied Latvian territory.

Before World War I the aristocracy were mainly German.

During the Great Northern war (1700-1721) modern-day Latvia became the part of the Russian empire. There were organized Courland and Livonia.

Latvian workers took part in the revolutionary struggle in 1905.

In 1940 Latvia became the Soviet republic was incorporated in Soviet Union. It was under Nazi occupation during World War II in 1941-1944.

After the war a lot of factories were opened. Latvia became one of the successful Soviet republics.

In 1991 the Soviet Union collapsed and the independent Latvian republic was restored.

Politics[change | change source]

In Copenhagen on 13 December 2002, Latvia and nine other countries were invited to join the European Union. On 20 September 2003, Latvians held an election to vote on joining. Two thirds of Latvians voted to join, and on 1 May 2004, Latvia became a member of the EU.

Latvia has been a NATO member since 29 March 2004.

There are 43 local government units, set up in 2020. 36 are municipalities (Latvian: novadi) and 7 state cities. Before 2020 there were 110 municipalities and nine republic cities.[6]

International rankings[change | change source]

Rankings
Name Year Place Out of # Reference
CIA World FactbookGDP per capita (PPP) 2008 66th 229 [1] Archived 2013-04-24 at the Wayback Machine
CIA World Factbooklife expectancy 2008 120th 223 [2] Archived 2018-12-26 at the Wayback Machine
World Economic Forum – Enabling Trade Index ranking 2008 43rd 118 [3] Archived 2018-12-25 at the Wayback Machine
Yale University / Columbia UniversityEnvironmental Performance Index 2008 8th 149 [4]
The Economist Intelligence Unite-readiness 2008 37th 70 [5]
The Economist Intelligence UnitGlobal Peace Index 2008 39th 140 [6] Archived 2009-11-25 at the Wayback Machine
United States Patent and Trademark Office's list of patents by country 2007 95th 172 [7]
Save the Children – Mother's Index Rank 2007 25th 141 [8]
Save the Children – Women's Index Rank 2007 21st 141 [9]
Save the Children – Children's Index Rank 2007 33rd 141 [10]
Wall Street Journal / The Heritage FoundationIndex of Economic Freedom 2007 39th 157 [11] Archived 2008-02-13 at the Wayback Machine
United NationsHuman Development Index 2008 44th 179 [12]
World Economic Forum – Global Competitiveness Report 2007–2008 2007 45th 131 [13]
World Economic Forum – The Global Gender Gap Report 2007 2007 13th 128 [14] Archived 2008-11-03 at the Wayback Machine
World BankEase of Doing Business Index 2007–2008 29th 181 [15]
Reporters Without BordersWorldwide Press Freedom Index 2007 12th 169 [16] Archived 2010-01-18 at the Wayback Machine
Transparency InternationalCorruption Perceptions Index 2007 49th 180 [17] Archived 2019-01-10 at the Wayback Machine
The Economist Intelligence UnitIndex of Democracy 2007 43rd 167 [18]
Privacy InternationalPrivacy index (EU and 11 other selected countries) 2006 28th 36 [19] Archived 2012-01-10 at the Wayback Machine
New Economics FoundationHappy Planet Index 2006 160th 178 [20] Archived 2009-05-25 at the Wayback Machine
The Economist Intelligence UnitQuality-of-life index 2005 66th 111 [21]
Save the Children – % seats in the national government held by women 2004 23–25th 126 [22] Archived 2010-07-06 at the Wayback Machine
World Health Organizationsuicide rates by country (both sexes) 8th 101 [23]
NationMaster's index of civil and political liberties 17th 140 [24]

Related pages[change | change source]

References[change | change source]

  1. "Etniskais sastāvs un mazākumtautību kultūras identitātes veicināšana". Latvijas Republikas Ārlietu Ministrija. Archived from the original on 12 July 2011. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
  2. "History – Embassy of Finland, Riga". Embassy of Finland, Riga. 2008-07-09. Retrieved 2010-09-02. Latvia declared independence on 21 August 1991...The decision to restore diplomatic relations took effect on 29 August 1991
  3. "Total population". Centrālās statistikas pārvaldes datu bāzes. 2011. Archived from the original on 26 May 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "Latvia". International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 2011-04-30.
  5. "Human Development Index Report 2011". United Nations. 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
  6. "Saeima finally approves major regional reforms". eng.lsm.lv. Retrieved 2023-09-10.

Other websites[change | change source]