| The Republic of Latvia (Latvian: Latvijas
Republika), or Latvia (Latvian: Latvija), is a
country in Northern Europe. Latvia has land borders with its two
fellow Baltic states—Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south—and Russia and Belarus to the east. In the west Latvia
shares a maritime border with Sweden.
History
Main article: History of Latvia
Known for the most part as Livonia, the area that now constitutes Latvia was under
the influence of the German Sword Brethren from the 13th century onward. However,
in the 18th and 19th
century, Russia gained control over Latvia and neighbouring regions. With Russia
devastated by revolution and World War I, Latvia declared its independence on November
18, 1918. From 1934 Latvia was an authoritarian state. This period of independence lasted only briefly, as the
Soviet Union annexed the country on 17 June 1940 in accordance with the Soviet-Nazi agreement (Ribbentrop-Molotov pact) of 1939.
Except for a brief period of German occupation during World War II, Latvia remained Soviet territory until reforms in Soviet communism
such as glasnost stimulated the Latvian independence movement, and the country regained its independence on 21 August 1991. It has since reinforced its links
with the West and in 2004 became a member of both NATO and the European Union.
Politics
Main article: Politics of Latvia
The 100-seat unicameral Latvian parliament, the Saeima, is elected by direct, popular vote
every four years. The president is elected by the Saeima in a separate election also every four years. The president
appoints a prime minister who, together with his cabinet, forms the executive branch of
the government.
On 20 September 2003 in a
nationwide referendum 66.9% of the Latvians voted in favour of joining the European Union. Latvia's EU membership took effect on 1 May 2004. Latvia is a NATO member since March 29, 2004.
Counties
Main article: Counties of Latvia
Latvia is divided into 26 counties called rajons. 7 cities have a separate status.
Geography
Main article: Geography of Latvia
Large parts of Latvia are covered by forests, and the country has over 12,000 small rivers and over 3,000 lakes. Most of the
country consists of fertile, low-lying plains with some hills in the east, the highest point being the Gaizinkalns at 312 m.
An inlet of the Baltic Sea, the shallow Gulf of Riga is situated in the
northwest of the country. The capital city Riga is located on the shores of this inlet, where the Daugava river flows into it. Other major cities include Daugavpils further upriver and Liepaja along the Baltic coast.
The Latvian climate is maritime and temperate in nature, with cool summers and wet, moderate winters.
Economy
Main article: Economy of Latvia
Latvia is a transitional economy. It
has had high GDP growth since 2000. In 2003, GDP
growth was 7.5% and inflation was 2.9%. Unemployment was 8.8% in 2003, almost unchanged compared to the previous two years.
Privatization is mostly complete, except for some of the large state-owned utilities. Latvia officially joined the World Trade Organisation in February 1999 and the European Union in May 2004.
Religion
The population is mostly Christian (majority being Lutheran, Catholic in the and Russian
Orthodox). Another religion is Dievturi (The Godkeepers), which has historical
roots based on prechristian era mythology.
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Latvia
Latvians are the indigenous people of Latvia. Only around 60% of the population are ethnic Latvians. Up to 29% are Russian
which is the largest national minority in Latvia. In some cities (Daugavpils
and Rezekne, for example) Latvians are even outnumbered by Russians. Minorities from
other countries such as Belarus, Ukraine,
Lithuania, Poland etc. also live in
Latvia. The ethnic mix of the population of Latvia is largely the result of massive post-war immigration, which resulted in a
decline in the share of ethnic Latvians from 77% in 1935 to 52% in 1989.
Language
Latvian which is a member of the Baltic language group, is the only official language in Latvia, but
Russian is widely spoken among the Russian community.
Culture
International rankings
Miscellaneous topics
External links
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