| Republic of Latvia
Latvijas Republika (Latvian)
| |
|---|---|
![Location of Latvia (dark green)– in Europe (green & dark grey)– in the European Union (green) – [Legend]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:EU-Latvia.svg)
Location of Latvia (dark green)
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| Capital and largest city | Riga 56°57′N24°6′E |
| Official languages | Latviana |
| Ethnic groups (2017[1]) |
|
| Demonym | Latvian |
| Government | Unitaryparliamentaryconstitutional republic |
| Raimonds Vējonis | |
| Māris Kučinskis | |
| Legislature | Saeima |
| Independence | |
• Declaredb
| 18 November 1918[2] |
| 26 January 1921 | |
| 5 August 1940 | |
| 10 July 1941 | |
| 1944 | |
| 4 May 1990 | |
| 21 August 1991[3] | |
• Independence recognized by the Soviet Union
| 6 September 1991 |
| 17 September 1991 | |
• Joined the European Union
| 1 May 2004 |
| Area | |
• Total
| 64,589 km2(24,938 sq mi) (122nd) |
• Water (%)
| 1.57% (1,014 km2) |
| Population | |
• 2016 estimate
| 1,953,200[4](148th) |
• 2011 census
| 2,070,371[5] |
• Density
| 34.3/km2(88.8/sq mi) (166th) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2018 estimate |
• Total
| $53.467 billion[6] |
• Per capita
| $29,489[6] |
| GDP (nominal) | 2018 estimate |
• Total
| $30.176 billion[6] |
• Per capita
| $18,472[6] |
| Gini (2016) | 34.5[7] medium |
| HDI (2015) |  0.830[8]very high · 44th |
| Currency | Euro (€) (EUR) |
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) |
• Summer (DST)
| EEST (UTC+3) |
| Drives on the | right |
| Calling code | +371 |
| ISO 3166 code | LV |
| Internet TLD | .lvc |
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Latvia (/ˈlætviə/ (
listen); Latvian: Latvija [ˈlatvija]), officially the Republic of Latvia (Latvian: Latvijas Republika), is a sovereign state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe.[13] Since its independence, Latvia has been referred to as one of the Baltic states. It is bordered by Estonia in the northern region, Lithuania in the southern, to the east is Russia, and Belarus to the southeast, as well as sharing a maritime border with Sweden to the west. Latvia has 1,957,200 inhabitants[14] and a territory of 64,589 km2 (24,938 sq mi).[15] The country has a temperate seasonal climate.[16]
listen); Latvian: Latvija [ˈlatvija]), officially the Republic of Latvia (Latvian: Latvijas Republika), is a sovereign state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe.[13] Since its independence, Latvia has been referred to as one of the Baltic states. It is bordered by Estonia in the northern region, Lithuania in the southern, to the east is Russia, and Belarus to the southeast, as well as sharing a maritime border with Sweden to the west. Latvia has 1,957,200 inhabitants[14] and a territory of 64,589 km2 (24,938 sq mi).[15] The country has a temperate seasonal climate.[16]
After centuries of Swedish, Livonian, Polish and Russian rule, a rule mainly executed by the Baltic German aristocracy, the Republic of Latvia was established on 18 November 1918 when it broke away and declared independence from Russia in the aftermath of World War I.[2] However, by the 1930s, the country became increasingly autocratic after the coup in 1934 establishing an authoritarian regime under Kārlis Ulmanis. The country's de facto independence was interrupted at the outset of World War II, beginning with Latvia's forcible incorporation into the Soviet Union, followed by the invasion and occupation by Nazi Germany in 1941, and the re-occupation by the Soviets in 1944 to form the Latvian SSR for the next fifty years. The peaceful Singing Revolution, starting in 1987, called for Baltic emancipation from Soviet rule and condemning the "Stalinist" regime's illegal takeover.[17] It ended with the Declaration on the Restoration of Independence of the Republic of Latvia on 4 May 1990, and restoring de facto independence on 21 August 1991.[18]
Latvia is a democratic republic and a very highly developed country according to the United Nations Human Development Index.[19] Its capital Riga served as the European Capital of Culture in 2014. Latvian is the official language. Latvia is a unitary state, divided into 119 administrative divisions, of which 110 are municipalities and 9 are cities.[20] Latvians are the indigenous people of Latvia.[15] Latvian and Lithuanian are the only two surviving Baltic languages. Despite foreign rule from the 13th to 20th centuries, the Latvian nation maintained its identity throughout the generations via the language and musical traditions. As a consequence of centuries of Russian rule (1710–1918) and later Soviet occupation, Latvia is home to a large number of ethnic Russians (26.9% in Latvia[21]), some of whom (14.1% of Latvian residents) have not gained citizenship, leaving them with no citizenship at all. Until World War II, Latvia also had significant minorities of ethnic Germans and Jews. Latvia is historically predominantly Lutheran Protestant, except for the Latgale region in the southeast, which has historically been predominantly Roman Catholic.[22] The Russian population has also brought a significant portion of Eastern Orthodox Christians.
It is a member of the European Union, NATO, the Council of Europe, the United Nations, CBSS, the IMF, NB8, NIB, OECD, OSCE, and WTO. For 2014, Latvia was listed 46th on the Human Development Index and as a high income country on 1 July 2014.[23][24] A full member of the Eurozone, it uses the euro as its currency since 1 January 2014, replacing the Latvian lats.[25]