Latvia

Republic of Latvia Latvijas Republika
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem:  Dievs, svētī Latviju! God Bless Latvia!
Location of  Latvia  (dark green) – in Europe  (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 languages		Latviana
Ethnic groups (2011[1][2])		62.1% Latvians 26.9% Russians 3.3% Belarusians 2.2% Ukrainians 2.2% Poles 1.2% Lithuanians 0.4% Jews 0.3% Roma 1.4% others / unspecified
Demonym		Latvian
Government		Parliamentary republic
-	President	Andris Bērziņš
-	Prime Minister	Laimdota Straujuma
Legislature		Saeima
Independence from the Russian Empire
-	Declaredb	18 November 1918
-	Recognized	26 January 1921
-	Soviet occupation	5 August 1940
-	Nazi German occupation	10 July 1941
-	Soviet re-occupation	1944
-	Announced independence	4 May 1990
-	Restored independence	21 August 1991[3]
Area
-	Total	64,589 km2 (124th) 24,938 sq mi
-	Water (%)	1.57% (1,014 km2)
Population
-	2013 estimate	2,005,200 [4] (148th)
-	2011 census	2,070,371[5]
-	Density	34.3/km2 (166th) 88.9/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2012 estimate
-	Total	$42,471 billion[6]
-	Per capita	$20,969[6] (49th)
GDP (nominal)		2012 estimate
-	Total	$28,324 billion[6]
-	Per capita	$13,984[6]
Gini (2012)		35.9[7] medium
HDI (2013)		0.814[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
a.	Latvian is the sole official language.[9][10] Livonian is considered an indigenous language and has special legal status.[11] Latgalian written language and Latvian Sign Language also have special legal status.[12]
b.	Latvia is de jure continuous with its declaration of 18 November 1918.
c.	The .eu domain is also used, as it is shared with other European Union member states.

Latvia ⁱ/ˈlætviə/ (Latvian: Latvija) officially the Republic of Latvia (Latvian: Latvijas Republika), is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Estonia, Lithuania, Russia, Belarus and by a maritime border to the west with Sweden. Latvia has 2,008,700 inhabitants^[5] and a territory of 64,589 km² (24,938 sq mi).^[13] The country has a temperate seasonal climate.

Latvia is a democratic parliamentary republic established in 1918. The capital city is Riga, the European Capital of Culture 2014. Latvian is the official language. Latvia is a unitary state, divided into 118 administrative divisions of which 109 are municipalities and 9 are cities. There are five planning regions: Kurzeme, Latgale, Riga, Vidzeme and Zemgale.

The Latvians are Baltic people, culturally related to the Lithuanians. Latvians and Livs are the indigenous people of Latvia.^[13] Latvian is an Indo-European language; it and Lithuanian are the only two surviving Baltic languages. Despite foreign rule from the 13th to the 20th centuries, the Latvian nation maintained its identity throughout the generations via the language and musical traditions. Latvia and Estonia share a long common history. As a consequence of the Soviet occupation both countries are home to a large number of ethnic Russians (26.9% in Latvia^[2] and 25.5% in Estonia^[14]) of whom some are non-citizens. Latvia is historically predominantly Protestant Lutheran, except for the Latgale region in the southeast, which has historically been predominantly Roman Catholic.

The Republic of Latvia was founded on 18 November 1918. However, its de facto independence was interrupted at the outset of World War II. In 1940, the country was forcibly incorporated into the Soviet Union, invaded and occupied by Nazi Germany in 1941, and re-occupied 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 of Soviet rule. It ended with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, and Latvia declared the restoration of its de facto independence on 21 August 1991.

Latvia is a member of NATO, European Union, United Nations, Council of Europe, CBSS, IMF, NB8, NIB, OSCE, WTO and OECD. For 2013, Latvia is listed 44th on the Human Development Index and as a high income country.^[15][16] Its currency, the Latvian lats, was replaced by the euro on 1 January 2014.^[17]

Etymology

The name Latvija is derived from the name of the ancient Latgalians, one of four Indo-European Baltic tribes (along with Couronians, Selonians and Semigallians), which formed the ethnic core of modern Latvians along with the Finnic Livonians.^[18]

History

Around the beginning of the third millennium BC (3000 BC), the proto-Baltic ancestors of the Latvian people settled on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea.^[19] The Balts established trade routes to Rome and Byzantium, trading local amber for precious metals.^[20] By 900 AD, four distinct Baltic tribes inhabited Latvia: Curonians, Latgalians, Selonians, Semigallians (in Latvian: kurši, latgaļi, sēļi and zemgaļi), as well as the Livonians (lībieši) speaking a Finnic language.

The Medieval period

Although the local people had contact with the outside world for centuries, they were more fully integrated into European society in the 12th century.^[21] The first missionaries, sent by the Pope, sailed up the Daugava River in the late 12th century, seeking converts.^[22] The local people, however, did not convert to Christianity as readily as hoped.^[22] German crusaders were sent into Latvia to convert the population from their original pagan beliefs by force of arms.^[23]

In the beginning of the 13th century, large parts of today's Latvia were ruled by Germans.^[22] Together with Southern Estonia, these conquered areas formed the crusader state that became known as Terra Mariana or Livonia. In 1282, Riga, and later the cities of Cēsis, Limbaži, Koknese and Valmiera, were included in the Hanseatic League.^[22] Riga became an important point of east-west trading^[22] and formed close cultural contacts with Western Europe.^{[citation needed]}

The Reformation period

The 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries were a time of great change for the inhabitants of Latvia, including the reformation, the collapse of the Livonian state, and the time when the Latvian territory was divided up among foreign powers.

After the Livonian War (1558–1583), Livonia (Latvia) fell under Polish and Lithuanian rule.^[22] The southern part of Estonia and the northern part of Latvia were ceded to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and formed into the Ducatus Ultradunensis (Pārdaugavas hercogiste). Gotthard Kettler, the last Master of the Order of Livonia, formed the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia.^{[citation needed]} Though the duchy was a vassal state to Poland, it retained a considerable degree of autonomy and experienced a golden age in the 17th century. Latgalia, the easternmost region of Latvia, became a part of the Polish district of Inflanty.

The 17th and early 18th centuries saw a struggle between the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Sweden, and Russia for supremacy in the eastern Baltic. After the Polish–Swedish War (1600–1611), northern Livonia (including Vidzeme) came under Swedish rule. Riga became the capital of Swedish Livonia and the largest city in the entire Swedish Empire.^[24] Fighting continued sporadically between Sweden and Poland until the Truce of Altmark in 1629.^{[citation needed]} In Latvia, the Swedish period is generally remembered as positive; serfdom was eased, a network of schools was established for the peasantry, and the power of the regional barons was diminished.^[25][26]

Several important cultural changes occurred during this time. Under Swedish and largely German rule, western Latvia adopted Lutheranism as its main religion. The ancient tribes of the Couronians, Semigallians, Selonians, Livs and northern Latgallians assimilated to form the Latvian people, speaking one Latvian language. Throughout all the centuries, however, no such thing as a Latvian state existed so the borders and definitions of who exactly fell within that group are largely subjective. Meanwhile, largely isolated from the rest of Latvia, southern Latgallians adopted Catholicism under Polish/Jesuit influence. The native dialect remained distinct, although it acquired many Polish and Russian loanwords.^[27]

Latvia in the Russian Empire (1710–1917)

The Capitulation of Estonia and Livonia in 1710 and the Treaty of Nystad, ending the Great Northern War in 1721, gave Vidzeme to Russia (it became part of the Riga Governorate).^{[citation needed]} The Latgale region remained part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth as Inflanty Voivodeship until 1772, when it was incorporated into Russia. The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia became an autonomous Russian province (the Courland Governorate) in 1795, bringing all of what is now Latvia into the Russian Empire. All three Baltic provinces preserved local laws, German as the local official language and their own parliament, the Landtag.^{[citation needed]}

During the Great Northern War (1700–1721), the Baltic area was once again the scene of great devastation, with Peter the Great's scorched-earth policy, ^{[citation needed]} famine, and Great Plague of Riga being responsible for catastrophic loss of human life: as much as 40% of the population in Latvian lands were killed.^[28] In 1710, the plague reached Riga, where it was active until 1711 and claimed the lives of about half the population.^[29]

The promises Peter the Great made to the Baltic German nobility at the fall of Riga in 1710, confirmed by the Treaty of Nystad and known as "the Capitulations", largely reversed the Swedish reforms.^{[citation needed]} Peter seriously considered moving Russian capital into Riga and visited Riga for several long stays (he stayed in his own palace offered as a gift by Riga Magistrate together with keys from Riga; palace purchased by him is still standing; keys are exhibited in Moscow Kremlin museum).

Curiously, Peter the Great's wife Marta (later Catherine I of Russia) was the only Latvian person ever becoming royal.

The emancipation of the serfs took place in Courland in 1817 and in Vidzeme in 1819.^{[citation needed]} In practice, however, the emancipation was actually advantageous to the landowners and nobility,^{[citation needed]} as it dispossessed peasants of their land without compensation, forcing them to return to work at the estates "of their own free will".

During the 19th century, the social structure changed dramatically.^{[citation needed]} A class of independent farmers established itself after reforms allowed the peasants to repurchase their land, but many landless peasants remained.^{[citation needed]} There also developed a growing urban proletariat and an increasingly influential Latvian bourgeoisie. The Young Latvian (Latvian: Jaunlatvieši) movement laid the groundwork for nationalism from the middle of the century, many of its leaders looking to the Slavophiles for support against the prevailing German-dominated social order.^{[citation needed]} The rise in use of the Latvian language in literature and society became known as the First National Awakening. Russification began in Latgale after the Polish led the January Uprising in 1863: this spread to the rest of what is now Latvia by the 1880s.^{[citation needed]} The Young Latvians were largely eclipsed by the New Current, a broad leftist social and political movement, in the 1890s. Popular discontent exploded in the 1905 Russian Revolution, which took a nationalist character in the Baltic provinces.

During these two centuries Latvia experienced economic and construction boom – ports were expanded (Riga became the largest port in the Russian Empire), railways built; new factories, banks and University were established; many residential, public (theatres and museums) and school buildings erected; new parks formed; etc. Riga's boulevards and streets with beautiful buildings outside the Old Town date from this period.

Declaration of Independence

World War I devastated the territory of what would become the state of Latvia, including other western parts of the Russian Empire. Demands for self-determination were at first confined to autonomy, but the Russian 1917 Revolution, treaty with Germany at Brest-Litovsk, and allied armistice with Germany on November 11, 1918, created a power vacuum. The People's Council of Latvia proclaimed the independence of the new country in Riga on 18 November 1918, with Kārlis Ulmanis becoming the head of the provisional government.

The War of Independence that followed was part of a general chaotic period of civil and new border wars in Eastern Europe. By the spring of 1919, there were actually three governments — Ulmanis's government; the Latvian Soviet government led by Pēteris Stučka, whose forces, supported by the Red Army, occupied almost all of the country; and the Baltic German government of the United Baltic Duchy, headed by Andrievs Niedra and supported by the Baltische Landeswehr and the German Freikorps unit Iron Division.

Estonian and Latvian forces^{[citation needed]} defeated the Germans at the Battle of Wenden in June 1919, and a massive attack by a predominantly German force — the West Russian Volunteer Army — under Pavel Bermondt-Avalov was repelled in November. Eastern Latvia was cleared of Red Army forces by Latvian and Polish troops in early 1920 (from the Polish perspective the Battle of Daugavpils was a part of the Polish-Soviet War).^{[citation needed]}

A freely elected Constituent assembly convened on 1 May 1920, and adopted a liberal constitution, the Satversme, in February 1922.^[30] The constitution was partly suspended by Kārlis Ulmanis after his coup in 1934 but reaffirmed in 1990. Since then, it has been amended and is still in effect in Latvia today. With most of Latvia's industrial base evacuated to the interior of Russia in 1915, radical land reform was the central political question for the young state. In 1897, 61.2% of the rural population had been landless; by 1936, that percentage had been reduced to 18%.^[31]

By 1923, the extent of cultivated land surpassed the pre-war level. Innovation and rising productivity led to rapid growth of the economy, but it soon suffered from the effects of the Great Depression. Latvia showed signs of economic recovery, and the electorate had steadily moved toward the centre during the parliamentary period.^{[citation needed]} On 15 May 1934, Ulmanis staged a bloodless coup, establishing a nationalist dictatorship that lasted until 1940.^[32] After 1934, Ulmanis established government corporations to buy up private firms with the aim of "Latvianising" the economy.^[33]

Latvia in World War II

Early in the morning of 24 August 1939, the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany signed a 10-year non-aggression pact, called the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact. The pact contained a secret protocol, revealed only after Germany's defeat in 1945, according to which the states of Northern and Eastern Europe were divided into German and Soviet "spheres of influence".^[34] In the North, Latvia, Finland and Estonia were assigned to the Soviet sphere.^[34] Thereafter, Germany and the Soviet union invaded their respective portions of Poland.

After the conclusion of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, most of the Baltic Germans left Latvia by agreement between Ulmanis' government and Nazi Germany under the Heim ins Reich programme.^[35] In total 50,000 Baltic Germans left by the deadline of December 1939, with 1,600 remaining to conclude business and 13,000 choosing to remain in Latvia.^[35] Most of those who remained left for Germany in summer 1940, when a second resettlement ^{[citation needed]} scheme was agreed.^[36]

On 5 October 1939, Latvia was forced to accept a "mutual assistance" pact with the Soviet Union, granting the Soviets the right to station between 25,000 and 30,000 troops on Latvian territory.^[37] After staging border incidents, on 16 June 1940 the government of the USSR handed the Latvian ambassador in Moscow a note, in which Latvia was accused of breaching the articles of the agreement of 5 October 1939, and demands were made for sending in additional Soviet troops and to change the government. The Latvian government capitulated in the face of overwhelming force. On 17 June Soviet troops invaded Latvian territory. In his address by radio, Kārlis Ulmanis announced:

Soviet forces are marching into our land this very morning. This is happening with the knowledge and consent of the government, which in turn stems from the amicable relations that exist between Latvia and the Soviet Union. It is, therefore, my wish that the residents of our country also show friendship towards the advancing military units ... The government has resigned. I shall remain in my place, you remain in yours.

No opposition was shown towards the Soviet forces; on the contrary, part of the population accepted the news of their arrival with enthusiasm, which was heavily exploited by Soviet propaganda.^{[citation needed]} The well known Russian lawyer and public figure of Latvia, Pyotr Yakobi, wrote:

Taken from the German model, the authoritarian beginning in our country has turned into a government of national bureaucracy, having satisfied a limited circle of citizens, who have adapted themselves to the state pie. Clearly, any hardship is not in vain. And so now the down-trodden have raised their voice and demand a return of their rights that have been trampled on ...^{[citation needed]}

Those unhappy with the regime of Kārlis Ulmanis included people who were anxious about the deteriorating economic situation and had no desire to end up under Nazi German rule.

State administrators were liquidated and replaced by Soviet cadres,^[38] in which 34,250 Latvians were deported or killed.^[39] Elections were held with single pro-Soviet candidates listed for many positions. The resulting people's assembly immediately requested admission into the USSR, which the Soviet Union granted.^[38] Latvia, then a puppet government, was headed by Augusts Kirhenšteins.^[40] The Soviet Union incorporated Latvia on 5 August 1940, as The Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic.

The Soviets dealt harshly with their opponents – prior to the German invasion, in less than a year, at least 27,586 people were arrested. Most were deported for cooperating with the German army,^{[citation needed]} and about 945 were shot.^{[citation needed]} Under German occupation, Latvia was administered as part of Reichskommissariat Ostland. Latvian paramilitary and Auxiliary Police units established by the occupation authority participated in the Holocaust as well.^[32]

More than 200,000 Latvian citizens died during World War II, including approximately 75,000 Latvian Jews murdered during the Nazi occupation.^[32] Latvian soldiers fought on both sides of the conflict, including in the Latvian Legion of the Waffen-SS, most of them conscripted by the occupying Nazi and Soviet authorities.^{[citation needed]}

Soviet era (1940–1941, 1944–1991)

In 1944, when Soviet military advances reached the area, heavy fighting took place in Latvia between German and Soviet troops, which ended in another German defeat. In the course of the war, both occupying forces conscripted Latvians into their armies, in this way increasing the loss of the nation's "live resources". In 1944, part of the Latvian territory once more came under Soviet control. The Soviets immediately began to reinstate the Soviet system. After the German surrender, it became clear that Soviet forces were there to stay, and Latvian national partisans, soon joined by German collaborators, began to fight against the new occupier.^[41]

Anywhere from 120,000 to as many as 300,000 Latvians took refuge from the Soviet army by fleeing to Germany and Sweden.^[42] Most sources count 200,000 to 250,000 refugees leaving Latvia, with perhaps as many as 80,000 to 100,000 of them recaptured by the Soviets or, during few months immediately after the end of war,^[43] returned by the West.^[44] The Soviets reoccupied the country in 1944–1945, and further deportations followed as the country was collectivised and Sovieticised.^[32]

On 25 March 1949, 43,000 rural residents ("kulaks") and Latvian patriots ("nationalists") were deported to Siberia in a sweeping Operation Priboi in all three Baltic states, which was carefully planned and approved in Moscow already on 29 January 1949.^[45] Between 136,000 and 190,000 Latvians, depending on the sources, were imprisoned, repressed or deported to Soviet concentration camps (the Gulag) in the post war years, from 1945 to 1952.^[46] Some managed to escape arrest and joined the partisans.^{[citation needed]}

In the post-war period, Latvia was made to adopt Soviet farming methods. Rural areas were forced into collectivisation.^[47] An extensive programme to impose bilingualism was initiated in Latvia, limiting the use of Latvian language in official uses in favour of using Russian as the main language. All of the minority schools (Jewish, Polish, Belorussian, Estonian, Lithuanian) were closed down leaving only two media of instructions in the schools: Latvian and Russian.^[48] An influx of labourers, administrators, military personnel and their dependants from Russia and other Soviet republics started. By 1959 about 400,000 people arrived from other Soviet republics and the ethnic Latvian population had fallen to 62%.^[49]

Since Latvia had maintained a well-developed infrastructure and educated specialists, Moscow decided to base some of the Soviet Union's most advanced manufacturing in Latvia. New industry was created in Latvia, including a major machinery factory RAF in Jelgava, electrotechnical factories in Riga, chemical factories in Daugavpils, Valmiera and Olaine—and some food and oil processing plants.^[50] Latvia manufactured trains, ships, minibuses, mopeds, telephones, radios and hi-fi systems, electrical and diesel engines, textiles, furniture, clothing, bags and luggage, shoes, musical instruments, home appliances, watches, tools and equipment, aviation and agricultural equipment and long list of other goods. Latvia had its own film industry and musical records factory (LPs). However, there were not enough people to operate the newly built factories.^{[citation needed]} To maintain and expand industrial production, skilled workers were migrating from all over the Soviet Union, decreasing the proportion of ethnic Latvians in the republic.^[51] Population of Latvia reached its peak in 1990 at just under 2.7 million people.

Restoration of Independence in 1991

In the second half of the 1980s, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev started to introduce political and economic reforms in the Soviet Union that were called glasnost and perestroika. In the summer of 1987, the first large demonstrations were held in Riga at the Freedom Monument—a symbol of independence. In the summer of 1988, a national movement, coalescing in the Popular Front of Latvia, was opposed by the Interfront. The Latvian SSR, along with the other Baltic Republics was allowed greater autonomy, and in 1988, the old pre-war Flag of Latvia flew again, replacing the Soviet Latvian flag as the official flag in 1990.

In 1989, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted a resolution on the Occupation of the Baltic states, in which it declared the occupation "not in accordance with law," and not the "will of the Soviet people." Pro-independence Popular Front of Latvia candidates gained a two-thirds majority in the Supreme Council in the March 1990 democratic elections. On 4 May 1990, the Supreme Soviet of the Latvian SSR adopted the Declaration On the Restoration of Independence of the Republic of Latvia, and the Latvian SSR was renamed Republic of Latvia.

However, the central power in Moscow continued to regard Latvia as a Soviet republic in 1990 and 1991.^{[citation needed]} In January 1991, Soviet political and military forces tried unsuccessfully to overthrow the Republic of Latvia authorities by occupying the central publishing house in Riga and establishing a Committee of National Salvation to usurp governmental functions.^{[citation needed]} During the transitional period, Moscow maintained many central Soviet state authorities in Latvia.

In spite of this, 73% of all Latvian residents confirmed their strong support for independence on 3 March 1991, in a nonbinding advisory referendum.^{[citation needed]} The Popular Front of Latvia advocated that all permanent residents be eligible for Latvian citizenship. However, universal citizenship for all permanent residents was not adopted. A majority of ethnic non-Latvians did not receive Latvian citizenship. Many of them were born in Latvia, but still became non-citizens. By 2011, more than half of non-citizens had taken naturalisation exams and received Latvian citizenship. Still, today there are 290,660 non-citizens in Latvia, which represent 14.1% of population. They have no citizenship of any country, and cannot vote in Latvia. The Republic of Latvia declared the end of the transitional period and restored full independence on 21 August 1991, in the aftermath of the failed Soviet coup attempt.^[3]

The Saeima, Latvia's parliament, was again elected in 1993. Russia ended its military presence by completing its troop withdrawal in 1994 and shutting down the Skrunda-1 radar station in 1998. The major goals of Latvia in the 1990s, to join NATO and the European Union, were achieved in 2004.

Language and citizenship laws have been opposed by many Russophones. (Citizenship was not automatically extended to former Soviet citizens who settled during the Soviet occupation, or to their offspring. This caused a situation where people who have lived and worked in the Soviet Union for over 50 years were nonetheless unable to vote, partially excluding the ethnic Russian voice from the parliament and the government.^{[citation needed]} Children born to non-nationals after the reestablishment of independence are automatically entitled to citizenship.) Approximately 72% of Latvian citizens are Latvian, while 20% are Russian; less than 1% of non-citizens are Latvian, while 71% are Russian.^[52] The government denationalised private property confiscated by the Soviet rule, returning it or compensating the owners for it, and privatised most state-owned industries, reintroducing the prewar currency. Albeit having experienced a difficult transition to a liberal economy and its re-orientation toward Western Europe, its economy had one of the highest growth rates until the 2008–2010 Latvian financial crisis.^{[citation needed]}

Geography

Latvia lies in Northern Europe, on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea and northwestern part of the East European craton, between latitudes 55° and 58° N (a small area is north of 58°), and longitudes 21° and 29° E (a small area is west of 21°). Latvia has a total area of 64,559 km² (24,926 sq mi) of which 62,157 km² (23,999 sq mi) land, 18,159 km² (7,011 sq mi) agricultural land,^[53] 34,964 km² (13,500 sq mi) forest land^[54] and 2,402 km² (927 sq mi) inland water.^[55]

The total length of Latvia's boundary is 1,866 km (1,159 mi). The total length of its land boundary is 1,368 km (850 mi), of which 343 km (213 mi) is shared with Estonia to the north, 276 km (171 mi) with the Russian Federation to the east, 161 km (100 mi) with Belarus to the southeast and 588 km (365 mi) with Lithuania to the south. The total length of its maritime boundary is 498 km (309 mi), which is shared with Estonia, Sweden and Lithuania. Extension from north to south is 210 km (130 mi) and from west to east 450 km (280 mi).^[55]

Most of Latvia's territory is less than 100 m (330 ft) above sea level. Its largest lake Lubāns is 80.7 km² (31.2 sq mi), its deepest lake Drīdzis is 65.1 m (214 ft). The longest river on Latvian territory is the Gauja, 452 km (281 mi). The longest river flowing through Latvian territory is the Daugava, which has a total length 1,005 km (624 mi) of which 352 km (219 mi) on Latvian territory. Latvia's highest point is Gaiziņkalns, 311.6 m (1,022 ft). The length of Latvia's Baltic coastline is 494 km (307 mi). An inlet of the Baltic Sea, the shallow Gulf of Riga is situated in the northwest of the country.^[56]

Climate

Latvia has a temperate climate that has been described in various sources as either humid continental (Köppen Dfb) or oceanic/maritime^[57][58][59] (Köppen Cfb.)

Coastal regions, especially the western coast of Courland Peninsula, possess a more maritime climate with cooler summers and milder winters, while eastern parts exhibit a more continental climate with warmer summers and harsher winters.^[57] Daugavpils in southeastern Latvia has been the site for both the lowest and highest temperatures ever recorded.

Latvia has four pronounced seasons of near-equal length. Winter starts in mid-December and lasts until mid-March. Winters have average temperatures of −6 °C (21 °F) and are characterized by stable snow cover, bright sunshine, and short days. Severe spells of winter weather with cold winds, extreme temperatures of around −30 °C (−22 °F) and heavy snowfalls are common. Summer starts in June and lasts until August. Summers are usually warm and sunny, with cool evenings and nights. Summers have average temperatures of around 19 °C (66 °F), with extremes of 35 °C (95 °F). Spring and autumn bring fairly mild weather.^[60]

Average temperatures in Latvia in 2011[61]

Month

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Average temperatures (°C)

-3.0

-8.9

-0.5

+6.8

+11.2

+17.3

+19.8

+16.8

+13.4

+7.8

+4.4

+2.1

Weather records in Latvia^[62]

Weather record	Value	Location	Date
Highest T	36.4 °C (98 °F)	Daugavpils	28 August 1943
Lowest T	−43.2 °C (−46 °F)	Daugavpils	8 February 1956
Last spring frost	–	large parts of territory	24 June 1982
First fall frost	–	Cenas parish	15 August 1975
Highest yearly precipitation	1,007 mm (39.6 in)	Priekuļi parish	1928
Lowest yearly precipitation	384 mm (15.1 in)	Ainaži	1939
Highest daily precipitation	160 mm (6.3 in)	Ventspils	9 July 1973
Highest monthly precipitation	330 mm (13.0 in)	Nīca parish	August 1972
Lowest monthly precipitation	0 mm (0 in)	large parts of territory	May 1938 and May 1941
Thickest snow cover	126 cm (49.6 in)	Gaiziņkalns	March 1931
Month with the most days with blizzards	19 days	Liepāja	February 1956
The most days with fog in a year	143 days	Gaiziņkalns area	1946
Longest-lasting fog	93 hours	Alūksne	1958
Highest atmospheric pressure	799.5 mm (31.5 in) Hg	Liepāja	January 1907
Lowest atmospheric pressure	699.7 mm (27.5 in) Hg	Vidzeme Upland	13 February 1962
The most days with thunderstorms in a year	52 days	Vidzeme Upland	1954
Strongest wind	34 m/s, up to 48 m/s	not specified	2 November 1969

Environment

Most of the country is composed of fertile lowland plains and moderate hills. In a typical Latvian landscape, a mosaic of vast forests alternates with fields, farmsteads, and pastures. Arable is spotted with birch groves and wooded clusters, which afford a habitat for numerous plants and animals. Latvia has hundreds of kilometres of undeveloped seashore—lined by pine forests, dunes, and continuous white sand beaches.^[56][63]

Latvia has the 5th highest proportion of land covered by forests in the European Union, after Sweden, Finland, Estonia and Slovenia.^[64] Forests account for 3,497,000 ha (8,640,000 acres) or 56% of the total land area.^[54]

Latvia has over 12,500 rivers, which stretch for 38,000 km (24,000 mi). Major rivers include the Daugava River, Lielupe, Gauja, Venta, and Salaca, the largest spawning ground for salmon in the eastern Baltics. There are 2,256 lakes that are bigger than 1 ha (2.5 acres), with a collective area of 1,000 km² (390 sq mi). Mires occupy 9.9% of Latvia's territory. Of these, 42% are raised bogs; 49% are fens; and 9% are transitional mires. 70% percent of the mires are untouched by civilisation, and they are a refuge for many rare species of plants and animals.^[63]

Agricultural areas account for 1,815,900 ha (4,487,000 acres) or 29% of the total land area.^[53] With the dismantling of collective farms, the area devoted to farming decreased dramatically – now farms are predominantly small. Approximately 200 farms, occupying 2,750 ha (6,800 acres), are engaged in ecologically pure farming (i.e., using no artificial fertilisers or pesticides).^[63]

Latvia's national parks are Gauja National Park in Vidzeme (since 1973), Ķemeri National Park in Zemgale (1997), Slītere National Park in Kurzeme (1999) and Rāzna National Park in Latgale (2007).

Latvia has a long tradition of conservation. The first laws and regulations were promulgated in the 16th and 17th centuries.^[63] There are 706 specially state-level protected natural areas in Latvia, of which: 4 national parks, 1 biosphere reserve, 42 nature parks, 9 areas of protected landscapes, 260 nature reserves, 4 strict nature reserves, 355 nature monuments, 7 protected marine areas and 24 microreserves.^[65] Nationally protected areas account for 12,790 km² (4,940 sq mi) or around 20% of Latvia's total land area.^[55] Latvia's Red Book (Endangered Species List of Latvia), which was established in 1977, contains 112 plant species and 119 animal species. Latvia has ratified the international Washington, Bern, and Ramsare conventions.^[63]

The 2012 Environmental Performance Index ranks Latvia 2nd after Switzerland, based on the environmental performance of the country's policies.^[66]

• 

  Venta Rapid in Kuldīga is the widest waterfall in Europe and a natural monument of Latvia

• 

  Devonian sandstone cliffs in Gauja National Park, Latvia's largest and oldest national park

• 

  Ķemeri National Park is home to mires, natural mineral-springs, muds and lakes that are former lagoons of the Littorina Sea

• 

  Slītere National Park at Cape Kolka includes several Livonian fisherman villages of the Livonian Coast (Livonian: Līvõd Rānda)

Biodiversity

Approximately 27,700 species of flora and fauna have been registered in Latvia.^[63] Common species of wildlife in Latvia include deer, wild boar, moose, lynx, bear, fox, beaver and wolves.^[67] Non-marine molluscs of Latvia include 159 species.

Species that are endangered in other European countries but common in Latvia include: black stork (Ciconia nigra), corncrake (Crex crex), lesser spotted eagle (Aquila pomarina), white-backed woodpecker (Picoides leucotos), crane (Grus grus), Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber), Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra), European wolf (Canis lupus), and the European lynx (Felis lynx).^[63]

Phytogeographically, Latvia is shared between the Central European and Northern European provinces of the Circumboreal Region within the Boreal Kingdom. According to the WWF, the territory of Latvia belongs to the ecoregion of Sarmatic mixed forests. More than half of Latvia's territory is covered by forests, mostly Scots Pine, birch and Norway Spruce.

Several species of flora and fauna are considered national symbols. Oak (Quercus robur, Latvian: ozols), and linden (Tilia cordata, Latvian: liepa) are Latvia's national trees and the daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare, Latvian: pīpene) its national flower. The white wagtail (Motacilla alba, Latvian: baltā cielava) is Latvia's national bird. Its national insect is the Two-spot Ladybird (Adalia bipunctata, Latvian: mārīte). Amber, fossilized tree resin, is one of Latvia's most important cultural symbols. In ancient times, amber found along the Baltic Sea coast was sought by Vikings as well as traders from Egypt, Greece and the Roman Empire. This led to the development of the Amber Road.^[68]

Several Nature Reserves protect unspoiled landscapes with a variety of large animals. At Pape Nature Reserve, where European bison, wild horses and recreated aurochs have been reintroduced, one can find now an almost complete Holocene Megafauna including also moose, deer and wolf.

Regions and divisions

Latvia is a unitary state, currently divided into 110 one-level municipalities (Latvian: novadi) and 9 republican cities (Latvian: republikas pilsētas) with their own city council and administration: Daugavpils, Jēkabpils, Jelgava, Jūrmala, Liepāja, Rēzekne, Riga, Valmiera and Ventspils. There are four historical and cultural regions in Latvia – Courland, Latgale, Vidzeme, Zemgale, which are recognised in Constitution of Latvia. Selonia, a part of Zemgale, is sometimes considered culturally distinct region, but it is not part of any formal division. The borders of historical and cultural regions usually are not explicit definite and in several sources may vary. In formal divisions Riga region, which includes capital and parts of other regions that have strong relationship to capital, is also often included in regional divisions e.g. there are five planning regions of Latvia (Latvian: plānošanas reģioni), which were created in 2009 to promote balanced development of all regions, under this division Riga region includes large parts of what traditionally is considered Vidzeme, Courland and Zemgale. Statistical regions of Latvia, established in accordance with EU Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics, duplicate this division, but divides Riga region into two parts with capital alone being a separate region.

Politics

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 held every four years. The president appoints a prime minister who, together with his cabinet, forms the executive branch of the government, which has to receive a confidence vote by the Saeima. This system also existed before World War II.^[69] Highest civil servants are sixteen Secretaries of State.

Foreign relations

Latvia is a member of the United Nations, European Union, Council of Europe, NATO, OSCE, IMF and WTO. It is also a member of the Council of the Baltic Sea States and Nordic Investment Bank. It was a member of the League of Nations (1921–1946). Latvia is part of the Schengen Area and joined the Eurozone on 1 January 2014. Latvia holds accession talks with the OECD.^[70][71]

Latvia has established diplomatic relations with 158 countries. It has 44 diplomatic and consular missions and maintains 34 embassies and 9 permanent representations abroad. There are 37 foreign embassies and 11 international organisations in Latvia's capital Riga. Latvia hosts one European Union institution, the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC).^[72]

Latvia’s foreign policy priorities include co-operation in the Baltic Sea region, European integration, active involvement in international organisations, contribution to European and transatlantic security and defence structures, participation in international civilian and military peacekeeping operations, and development co-operation, particularly the strengthening of stability and democracy in the EU's Eastern Partnership countries.^[73][74][75]

Since the early 1990s, Latvia is involved in active trilateral Baltic states co-operation with its neighbours Estonia and Lithuania, and Nordic-Baltic co-operation with the Nordic countries. The Baltic Council is the joint forum of the interparliamentary Baltic Assembly (BA) and the intergovernmental Baltic Council of Ministers (BCM).^[76] Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB-8) is the joint co-operation of the governments of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden.^[77] Nordic-Baltic Six (NB-6), comprising Nordic-Baltic countries that are European Union member states, is a framework for meetings on EU-related issues. Interparliamentary co-operation between the Baltic Assembly and Nordic Council was signed in 1992 and since 2006 annual meetings are held as well as regular meetings on other levels.^[77] Joint Nordic-Baltic co-operation initiatives include the education programme NordPlus^[78] and mobility programmes for public administration,^[79] business and industry^[80] and culture.^[81] The Nordic Council of Ministers has an office in Riga.^[82]

Latvia participates in the Northern Dimension and Baltic Sea Region Programme, European Union initiatives to foster cross-border co-operation in the Baltic Sea region and Northern Europe. The secretariat of the Northern Dimension Partnership on Culture (NDPC) will be located in Riga.^[83] In 2013 Riga hosted the annual Northern Future Forum, a two-day informal meeting of the prime ministers of the Nordic-Baltic countries and the UK.^[84] The Enhanced Partnership in Northern Europe or e-Pine is the U.S. Department of State diplomatic framework for co-operation with the Nordic-Baltic countries.^[85]

Latvia hosted the 2006 NATO Summit and since the annual Riga Conference has become a leading foreign and security policy forum in Northern Europe.^[86] Latvia will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2015.

Human rights

According to the reports by Freedom House and the US Department of State, human rights in Latvia are generally respected by the government:^[87][88] Latvia is ranked above-average among the world's sovereign states in democracy,^[89] press freedom,^[90] privacy ^[91] and human development.^[92]

On the other hand, human rights organisations have reported multiple problems.

The country has a large ethnic Russian community, which was guaranteed basic rights under the constitution and international human rights laws ratified by the Latvian government.^[87][93] Non-citizens – including stateless persons – have limited access to some political rights – only citizens are allowed to participate in parliamentary or municipal elections, although there are no limitations in regards to joining political parties or other political organizations.^[94][95] Additionally, there have been reports of police abuse of detainees and arrestees, poor prison conditions and overcrowding, judicial corruption, discrimination against women, incidents of violence against ethnic minorities, and societal violence and incidents of government discrimination against homosexuals.^[87][96][97]

Military

The National Armed Forces (Latvian: Nacionālie Bruņotie Spēki (NAF)) of Latvia consists of the Land Forces, Naval Forces, Air Force, National Guard, Special Tasks Unit, Military Police, NAF Staff Battalion, Training and Doctrine Command and Logistics Command. Latvia's defence concept is based upon the Swedish-Finnish model of a rapid response force composed of a mobilisation base and a small group of career professionals. From the 1st of January 2007, Latvia switched to a professional fully contract-based army.

Latvia participates in international peacekeeping and security operations. Latvian armed forces have contributed to NATO and EU military operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1996–2009), Albania (1999), Kosovo (2000–2009), Macedonia (2003), Iraq (2005–2006), Afghanistan (since 2003), Somalia (since 2011) and Mali (since 2013).^{[98][99][100]} Latvia also took part in the US-led Multi-National Force operation in Iraq (2003–2008)^[101] and OSCE missions in Georgia, Kosovo and Macedonia.^[102] Latvian armed forces will contribute to a UK-led Battlegroup in 2013 and the Nordic Battlegroup in 2015 under the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) of the European Union.^[103] Latvia acts as the lead nation in the coordination of the Northern Distribution Network for transportation of non-lethal ISAF cargo by air and rail to Afghanistan.^{[104][105][106]} It is part of the Nordic Transition Support Unit (NTSU), which renders joint force contributions in support of Afghan security structures ahead of the withdrawal of Nordic and Baltic ISAF forces in 2014.^[107] Since 1996 more than 3600 military personnel have participated in international operations,^[99] of whom 7 soldiers perished.^[108] Per capita, Latvia is one of the largest contributors to international military operations.^[109]

Latvian civilian experts have contributed to EU civilian missions: border assistance mission to Moldova and Ukraine (2005–2009), rule of law missions in Iraq (2006 and 2007) and Kosovo (since 2008), police mission in Afghanistan (since 2007) and monitoring mission in Georgia (since 2008).^[98]

Since March 2004, when the Baltic states joined NATO, fighter jets of NATO members are on rotational basis deployed for the Baltic Air Policing mission at Šiauliai Airport in Lithuania to guard the Baltic airspace. Latvia participates in several NATO Centres of Excellence: Civil-Military Co-operation in the Netherlands, Cooperative Cyber Defence in Estonia and Energy Security in Lithuania. It plans to establish the NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence in Riga.^[110]

Latvia co-operates with Estonia and Lithuania in several trilateral Baltic defence co-operation initiatives:

• Baltic Battalion (BALTBAT) – infantry battalion for participation in international peace support operations, headquartered near Riga, Latvia;
• Baltic Naval Squadron (BALTRON) – naval force with mine countermeasures capabilities, headquartered near Tallinn, Estonia;
• Baltic Air Surveillance Network (BALTNET) – air surveillance information system, headquartered near Kaunas, Lithuania;
• Joint military educational institutions: Baltic Defence College in Tartu, Estonia, Baltic Diving Training Centre in Liepāja, Latvia and Baltic Naval Communications Training Centre in Tallinn, Estonia.^[111]

Future co-operation will include sharing of national infrastructures for training purposes and specialisation of training areas (BALTTRAIN) and collective formation of battalion-sized contingents for use in the NATO rapid-response force.^[112] In January 2011, the Baltic states were invited to join NORDEFCO, the defence framework of the Nordic countries.^[113] In November 2012, the three countries agreed to create a joint military staff in 2013.^[114]

Economy

Latvia is a member of the World Trade Organisation (1999) and the European Union (2004). On 1 January 2014, the Euro became the country's currency, superseding the Lats. According to statistics in late 2013, 45% of the population supported the introduction of the euro, while 52% opposed it.^[115] Following the introduction of the Euro, Eurobarometer surveys in January 2014 showed support for the Euro to be around 53%, close to the European average.^[116]

Since the year 2000, Latvia has had one of the highest (GDP) growth rates in Europe.^[117] However, the chiefly consumption-driven growth in Latvia resulted in the collapse of the Latvian GDP in late 2008 and early 2009, exacerbated by the global economic crisis, shortage of credit and huge money resources needed for bailout of Parex bank.^[118] Latvian economy fell 18% in the first three months of 2009, the biggest fall in the European Union.^[119][120]

The economic crisis of 2009 proved earlier assumptions that the fast growing economy was heading for implosion of the economic bubble, because it was driven mainly by growth of domestic consumption, financed by a serious increase of private debt, as well as a negative foreign trade balance. The prices of real estate, which were at some points appreciating at approximately 5% a month, were long perceived to be too high for the economy, which mainly produces low-value goods and raw materials.

Privatisation in Latvia is almost complete. Virtually all of the previously state-owned small and medium companies have been privatised, leaving only a small number of politically sensitive large state companies. The private sector accounted for nearly 68% of the country's GDP in 2000.

Foreign investment in Latvia is still modest compared with the levels in north-central Europe. A law expanding the scope for selling land, including to foreigners, was passed in 1997. Representing 10.2% of Latvia's total foreign direct investment, American companies invested $127 million in 1999. In the same year, the United States of America exported $58.2 million of goods and services to Latvia and imported $87.9 million. Eager to join Western economic institutions like the World Trade Organisation, OECD, and the European Union, Latvia signed a Europe Agreement with the EU in 1995—with a 4-year transition period. Latvia and the United States have signed treaties on investment, trade, and intellectual property protection and avoidance of double taxation.

Economic contraction and recovery (2008–2012)

The Latvian economy entered a phase of fiscal contraction during the second half of 2008 after an extended period of credit-based speculation and unrealistic appreciation in real estate values. The national account deficit for 2007, for example, represented more than 22% of the GDP for the year while inflation was running at 10%.^[121]

Latvia's unemployment rate rose sharply in this period from a low of 5.4% in November 2007 to over 22%.^[122] In April 2010 Latvia had the highest unemployment rate in the EU, at 22.5%, ahead of Spain, which had 19.7%.^[123]

Paul Krugman, the Nobel Laureate in economics for 2008, wrote in his New York Times Op-Ed column on 15 December 2008:

"The most acute problems are on Europe’s periphery, where many smaller economies are experiencing crises strongly reminiscent of past crises in Latin America and Asia: Latvia is the new Argentina " ^[124]

However, by 2010, commentators^[125][126] noted signs of stabilisation in the Latvian economy. Rating agency Standard & Poor's raised its outlook on Latvia's debt from negative to stable.^[125] Latvia's current account, which had been in deficit by 27% in late 2006 was in surplus in February 2010.^[125] Kenneth Orchard, senior analyst at Moody's investors service argued that:

"The strengthening regional economy is supporting Latvian production and exports, while the sharp swing in the current account balance suggests that the country’s ‘internal devaluation’ is working." ^[127]

The IMF concluded the First Post-Program Monitoring Discussions with the Republic of Latvia in July 2012 announcing that Latvia’s economy has been recovering strongly since 2010, following the deep downturn in 2008–09. Real GDP growth of 5.5 percent in 2011 was underpinned by export growth and a recovery in domestic demand. The growth momentum has continued into 2012 despite deteriorating external conditions, and the economy is expected to expand by 3.5 percent. The unemployment rate has receded from its peak of more than 20 percent in 2010, but remains high at more than 16 percent in 2012.^[128]

Infrastructure

The transport sector is around 14% of GDP. Transit between Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan as well as other Asian countries and the West is large.^[129]

Three biggest ports of Latvia are located in Riga, Ventspils, and Liepāja. Most transit traffic uses these and half the cargo is crude oil and oil products.^[129] Free port of Ventspils is the busiest port in the Baltic states. Apart from road and railway connections, Ventspils is also linked to oil extraction fields and transportation routes of Russian Federation via system of two pipelines from Polotsk, Belarus.

Riga International Airport is the busiest airport in the Baltic states with 4.7 million passengers in 2012. It has direct flight to over 80 destinations in 30 countries. airBaltic is the Latvian flag carrier airline and a low-cost carrier.

Latvia has three big hydroelectric power stations in Pļaviņu HES (825MW), Rīgas HES (402 MW) and Ķeguma HES-2 (192 MW). In the recent years a couple of dozen of wind farms as well as biogas or biomass power stations of different scale have been built in Latvia.

Latvia operates Inčukalns underground gas storage facility, one of the largest underground gas storage facilities in Europe and the only one in the Baltic states. Unique geological conditions at Inčukalns and other locations in Latvia are particularly suitable for underground gas storage.^[130]

Demographics

The total fertility rate (TFR) in 2013 was estimated at 1.34 children born/woman, which is lower than the replacement rate of 2.1.^[131] In 2012, 45.0% of births were to unmarried women.^[132] The life expectancy in 2013 was estimated at 73.19 years (68.13 years male, 78.53 years female).^[131]

Ethnic groups

Latvia's population has been multiethnic for centuries, though the demographics shifted dramatically in the 20th century due to the World Wars, the emigration and removal of Baltic Germans, the Holocaust, and occupation by the Soviet Union. According to the Russian Empire Census of 1897, Latvians formed 68.3% of the total population of 1.93 million; Russians accounted for 12%, Jews for 7.4%, Germans for 6.2%, and Poles for 3.4%.^[133]

As of March 2011, Latvians and Livonians (about 400 people), the indigenous peoples of Latvia, form about 62.1% of the population, while 26.9% are Russians, Belarusians 3.3%, Ukrainians 2.2%, Poles 2.2%, Lithuanians 1.2%, Jews 0.3%, Romani people 0.3%, Germans 0.1%, Estonians 0.1% and others 1.3%. There were 290,660 non-citizens living in Latvia or 14.1% of Latvian residents, mainly ethnic Russians who arrived after the occupation of 1940 and their descendants.^[134]

In some cities, e.g. Daugavpils and Rēzekne, ethnic Latvians constitute a minority of the total population. Despite the fact that the proportion of ethnic Latvians has been steadily increasing for more than a decade, ethnic Latvians also make up slightly less than a half of the population of the capital city of Latvia – Rīga.

The share of ethnic Latvians had fallen from 77% (1,467,035) in 1935 to 52% (1,387,757) in 1989.^[135] In 2011 there were even fewer Latvians than in 1989, though their share of the population was larger — 1,284,194 (62.1% of the population).

Language

The sole official language of Latvia is Latvian, which belongs to the Baltic language group of the Indo-European language family. Another notable language of Latvia is the nearly extinct Livonian language of the Finnic branch of the Uralic language family, which enjoys protection by law; Latgalian — referred as either dialect or distinct separate language of Latvian — is also formally protected by Latvian law but only as a historical variation of the Latvian language. Russian, which was widely spoken during the Soviet period, is still the most widely used minority language by far (about 34% speak it at home, including persons who are not ethnically Russian).^[136] While it is now required that all school students learn Latvian, most schools also include English and either German or Russian in their curricula. The English language is widely accepted in Latvia, especially in business and tourism. As of 2014 there are 109 schools for minorities that use Russian as the language of instruction for 40% of subjects (the rest 60% of subjects are taught in Latvian), however Latvian government is planning to completely abolish Russian as the language of instruction by 2018.^[137]

On 18 February 2012, Latvia held a constitutional referendum on whether to adopt Russian as a second official language.^[138] According to the Central Election Commission, 74.8% voted against, 24.88% voted for and the voter turnout was 71.11%.^[139] However, a large part of Latvia's Russian speaking community (290,660 or 14.1%^{[citation needed]} of Latvia's entire population) could not vote in this referendum because they hold non-citizen status and thus have no right to vote.

Religion

The largest religion in Latvia is Christianity,^[121] though only about 7% of the population attends religious services regularly.^[141] The largest groups as of 2011 were:

• Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia – 708,773^[140]
• Roman Catholic – 500,000^[140]
• Russian Orthodox – 370,000^[140]

In the Eurobarometer Poll 2005,^[142] 37% of Latvian citizens responded that "they believe there is a god", while 49% answered that "they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force" and 10% stated that "they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, god, or life force".

Lutheranism was more prominent before the Soviet occupation, when it was a majority religion due to strong historical links with the Nordic countries and Northern Germany. Since then, Lutheranism has declined to a slightly greater extent than Roman Catholicism in all three Baltic states. The Evangelical Lutheran Church, with an estimated 600,000 members in 1956, was affected most adversely. An internal document of 18 March 1987, near the end of communist rule, spoke of an active membership that had shrunk to only 25,000 in Latvia, but the faith has since experienced a revival.^[143] The country's Orthodox Christians belong to the Latvian Orthodox Church, a semi-autonomous body within the Russian Orthodox Church. In 2011, there were 416 Jews and 319 Muslims living in Latvia.^[140]

There are more than 600 Latvian neopagans, Dievturi (The Godskeepers), whose religion is based on Latvian mythology.^[144] About 21% of the total population is not affiliated with a specific religion.^[140]

Education

Riga Technical University and University of Latvia are two major universities in the country, both been established on the basis of Riga Polytechnical Institute and located in Riga.^[145] Another two important universities, which were established on the base of State University of Latvia, are Latvia University of Agriculture (established in 1939 on the basis of the Faculty of Agriculture) and Riga Stradiņš University (established in 1950 on the basis of the Faculty of Medicine) – both nowadays cover a variety of different fields. Daugavpils University is another significant centre of education. Latvia closed 131 schools between 2006 and 2010, which is a 12.9% decline, and in the same period enrolment in educational institutions has fallen by over 54,000 people, a 10.3% decline.^[146]

Health

The Latvian healthcare system is a universal programme, largely funded through government taxation.^[147] It is among the lowest-ranked healthcare systems in Europe, due to excessive waiting times for treatment, insufficient access to the latest medicines, and other factors.^[148] There were 59 hospitals in Latvia in 2009, down from 94 in 2007, and 121 in 2006.^{[149][150][151]}

Corruption is relatively widespread in the Latvian healthcare system, though the situation has improved since the early 1990s. It has been noted that an environment conducive to corruption has been promulgated by low salaries and poorly implemented systemic reforms.^[152] This also results in brain drain, mostly to Western EU nations.

As of 2009, there were approximately 8,600 inhabitants of Latvia living with HIV/AIDS, accounting for a 0.7% adult HIV prevalence rate.^[121] There were 32,376 (1.44%) individual instances of clinically reported alcoholism in Latvia in 2008, as well as cases of addictions to other substances.^[153] The annual number of births per 1,000 adolescent women aged 15 to 19 has declined from 49.9 in 1990 to 17.9 in 2007.^[154] In 2005, Latvia had a suicide rate of 24.5 per 100,000 inhabitants (down from 40.7 in 1995), the 7th highest in the world.^[155]

Culture

Traditional Latvian folklore, especially the dance of the folk songs, date back well over a thousand years. More than 1.2 million texts and 30,000 melodies of folk songs have been identified.^[156]

Between the 13th and 19th century, Baltic Germans, many of whom were originally of non-German ancestry but had been assimilated into German culture, formed the upper class.^{[citation needed]} They developed distinct cultural heritage, characterised by both Latvian and German influences. It has survived in German Baltic families to this day, in spite of their dispersal to Germany, the USA, Canada and other countries in the early 20th century. However, most indigenous Latvians did not participate in this particular cultural life.^{[citation needed]} Thus, the mostly peasant local pagan heritage was preserved, partly merging with Christian traditions. For example, one of the most popular celebrations is Jāņi, a pagan celebration of the summer solstice—which Latvians celebrate on the feast day of St. John the Baptist.

In the 19th century, Latvian nationalist movements emerged. They promoted Latvian culture and encouraged Latvians to take part in cultural activities. The 19th century and beginning of the 20th century is often regarded as a classical era of Latvian culture. Posters show the influence of other European cultures, for example, works of artists such as the Baltic-German artist Bernhard Borchert and the French Raoul Dufy.^{[citation needed]} With the onset of World War II, many Latvian artists and other members of the cultural elite fled the country yet continued to produce their work, largely for a Latvian émigré audience.^[157]

Latvian Song and Dance Festival is an important event in Latvian culture and social life. It has been held since 1873, normally every five years. Approximately 30,000 performers altogether participate in the event.^[158] Although usually folksongs and classical choir songs are sung, with emphasis on a cappella singing, recently modern popular songs have been incorporated into the repertoire as well.

After incorporation into the Soviet Union, Latvian artists and writers were forced to follow the Socialist realism style of art. During the Soviet era, music became increasingly popular, with the most popular being songs from the 1980s. At this time, songs often made fun of the characteristics of Soviet life and were concerned about preserving Latvian identity. This aroused popular protests against the USSR and also gave rise to an increasing popularity of poetry. Since independence, theatre, scenography, choir music, and classical music have become the most notable branches of Latvian culture.^{[citation needed]}

During July 2014, Riga will host the 8th World Choir Games as it plays host to over 15 000 choristers representing over 300 choirs and over 60 countries. The festival is the biggest of its kind in the world and is held every two years in a different host city.

Cuisine

Latvian cuisine typically consists of agricultural products, with meat featuring in most main meal dishes. Fish is commonly consumed due to Latvia's location on the Baltic Sea. Latvian cuisine has been influenced by the neighbouring countries. Common ingredients in Latvian recipes are found locally, such as potatoes, wheat, barley, cabbage, onions, eggs and pork. Latvian food is generally quite fatty, and uses few spices.

Grey peas and ham are generally considered as staple foods of Latvians. Sorrel soup is also consumed by Latvians.^[159] Rupjmaize is a dark bread made from rye, considered the national staple.

Sport

Ice hockey is usually considered the most popular sport in Latvia. Latvia has had many famous hockey stars like Helmut Balderis, Artūrs Irbe, Kārlis Skrastiņš and Sandis Ozoliņš among others. Dinamo Riga is the country's strongest hockey club, playing in the Kontinental Hockey League. The 2006 IIHF World Championship was held in Riga, Latvia.

The second most popular sport is basketball.^{[citation needed]} At the moment the best known Latvian player is Andris Biedriņš who plays in the NBA. Latvia has a long basketballing tradition, as the Latvian national basketball team won the first ever EuroBasket in 1935 and silver medals in 1939, after losing an impressively tenacious final to fellow Balts – Lithuanians by one point. Latvia had many European basketball stars like Jānis Krūmiņš, Maigonis Valdmanis, Valdis Muižnieks, Valdis Valters, Igors Miglinieks, as well as the first Latvian NBA player Gundars Vētra. Former Latvian basketball club ASK Riga won prestigious Euroleague tournament three times in a row before being defunct. Currently, VEF Rīga, which competes in EuroCup, is the strongest professional basketball club in Latvia. BK Ventspils, which participates in EuroChallenge, is the second strongest basketball club in Latvia, previously winning LBL eight times and BBL in 2013.

Other popular sports include volleyball, floorball, football, tennis, cycling and bobsleigh. The Latvian national football team participated in 2004 UEFA Euro for the first time.

Latvia has participated successfully in both Winter and Summer Olympics. The most successful Olympic athlete in the history of independent Latvia has been Māris Štrombergs, who became a two-time Olympic champion in 2008 and 2012 at Men's BMX.

International rankings

The following are links to international rankings of Latvia.

Index	Rank	Countries reviewed
Environmental Performance Index 2012	2nd	132
Pilot Trend Environmental Performance Index 2012	1st	132
Global Gender Gap Report Global Gender Gap Index 2012	15th	135
Global Innovation Index (INSEAD) 2012	30th	141
Human Development Index 2011	43rd	187
Sustainable Society Index 2010	6th	151
Ease of doing business index 2012	21st	183

According to speedtest.net Latvia has one of the fastest Internet download and upload speeds in the world with an average download speed of 28.71 Mbit/s and upload speed of 18.84 Mbit/s.^[160]

See also

• Outline of Latvia
• List of Latvian people
• Flag of Latvia
• Public holidays in Latvia

Notes and references

Bibliography

External links

Find more about Latvia at Wikipedia's sister projects
	Definitions and translations from Wiktionary
	Media from Commons
	Quotations from Wikiquote
	Source texts from Wikisource
	Textbooks from Wikibooks
	Travel guide from Wikivoyage
	Learning resources from Wikiversity

Government

• President of Latvia
• Parliament of Latvia
• Government of Latvia
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia
• Investment and Development Agency of Latvia
• Statistical Office of Latvia
• Latvian Institute
• Bank of Latvia

General information

• Latvia Online
• European Union country profile
• Britannica Online Encyclopedia
• BBC News country profile
• Latvia entry at The World Factbook
• Vifanord Nordic-Baltic Digital Library
• Latvia from UCB Libraries GovPubs
• Latvia on the Open Directory Project
• Key Development Forecasts for Latvia from International Futures

Culture

• Latvian Cultural Canon
• Latvian Culture Map
• Latvian Culture Portal
• Latvian Community
• Livonian Culture Portal
• State Agency of Cultural Heritage
• National Library of Latvia
• Latvian Heritage
• Latvian Music Information Centre

Travel

• Official Latvian Tourism Portal

Maps

• Wikimedia Atlas of Latvia
• Historical maps online from Museum of the Occupation of Latvia.
• Geographic data related to Latvia at OpenStreetMap

v t e Latvia topics History Ancient Latvia Kunda culture Narva culture Corded Ware culture Terra Mariana Kingdom of Livonia Swedish Livonia Polish Livonia Russian Livonia Latvian National Awakening New Current War of Independence Occupation by the Soviet Union (1940) by Nazi Germany by the Soviet Union (1944) Holocaust Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic 1944-1991 Independence Post independence Geography Climate Cultural regions Lakes Rivers Politics Administrative divisions Constitution Elections Foreign relations Government Human rights LGBT Law enforcement Military Political parties President Prime Minister Saeima (parliament) Economy Agriculture Central bank Energy Lats (currency) Euro (currency) Stock Exchange Telecommunications Transport 2008 financial crisis Society Demographics Education Ethnic groups Illegal immigration Language Public holidays Religion Culture Anthem Cinema Coat of arms Cuisine Flag Language policy Latvian names Literature Music Mythology Sport Television Outline Category Portal WikiProject

Geographic locale v t e Countries and dependencies of Europe Sovereign states Albania Andorra Armenia* Austria Azerbaijan* Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus* Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia* Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Kazakhstan* Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia* San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey* Ukraine United Kingdom Vatican City States with limited recognition Abkhazia* Kosovo Nagorno-Karabakh* Northern Cyprus* South Ossetia* Transnistria Dependencies and other territories Denmark Faroe Islands Finland Åland Islands United Kingdom Akrotiri and Dhekelia* Gibraltar Guernsey Isle of Man Jersey * Partially in Asia, or entirely in Asia with cultural links to Europe v t e Countries bordering the Baltic Sea  Denmark  Estonia  Finland  Germany  Latvia  Lithuania  Poland  Russia  Sweden v t e Baltic states  Estonia  Latvia  Lithuania Politics Baltic Assembly Baltic Entente United Baltic Duchy Baltic Way Occupation of the Baltic states June deportation Related Baltic Tiger

International membership v t e Member states of the European Union Austria Belgium Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Ireland Italy Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Netherlands Poland Portugal Romania Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden United Kingdom Member states by political system and GDP v t e North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) History North Atlantic Treaty Summit Operations Enlargement Structure North Atlantic Council (NAC) Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) Allied Command Transformation (ACT) People Secretary General Chairman of the NATO Military Committee (CMC) Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT) Members Albania Belgium Bulgaria Canada Croatia Czech Republic Denmark Estonia France Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Italy Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Slovakia Slovenia Spain Turkey United Kingdom United States v t e World Trade Organization System Accession and membership Appellate Body Dispute Settlement Body International Trade Centre Chronology of key events Issues Criticism Doha Development Round Singapore issues Quota Elimination Peace Clause Agreements General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade Agriculture Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Technical Barriers to Trade Trade Related Investment Measures Trade in Services Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights Government Procurement Information Technology Marrakech Agreement Doha Declaration Bali Package Ministerial Conferences 1st (1996) 2nd (1998) 3rd (1999) 4th (2001) 5th (2003) 6th (2005) 7th (2009) 8th (2011) 9th (2013) People Pascal Lamy (Director-General) Roberto Azevêdo (Elected Director-General) Supachai Panitchpakdi (Former Director-General) Deputy Directors-General: Alejandro Jara Valentine Rugwabiza Harsha Singh Rufus Yerxa Members Albania Algeria Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belize Benin Bolivia Botswana Brazil Brunei Burkina Faso Burma Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Democratic Republic of the Congo Republic of the Congo Costa Rica Côte d'Ivoire Cuba Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador European Union¹ Fiji Gabon The Gambia Georgia Ghana Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong² Iceland India Indonesia Israel Jamaica Japan Jordan Kenya South Korea Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lesotho Liechtenstein Macau² Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Moldova Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique Namibia Nepal New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Norway Oman Pakistan Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Qatar Russia Rwanda St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa Saudi Arabia Senegal Sierra Leone Singapore Solomon Islands South Africa Sri Lanka Suriname Swaziland Switzerland Taiwan³ Tanzania Thailand Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United States Uruguay Venezuela Vietnam Zambia Zimbabwe 1. All twenty-eight member states of the European Union are also members of the WTO in their own right: Austria Belgium Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Ireland Italy Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Netherlands Poland Portugal Romania Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden United Kingdom 2. Special administrative region of the People's Republic of China, participates as "Hong Kong, China" and "Macao China". 3. Officially the Republic of China, participates as "Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu" v t e Council of Europe Institutions Secretary General Committee of Ministers Parliamentary Assembly Congress Court of Human Rights Commissioner for Human Rights Commission for the Efficiency of Justice Commission against Racism and Intolerance Members Albania Andorra Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia1 Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom Observers Canada Israel Japan Mexico United States Vatican City Former Members Czechoslovakia (1991–1992) Saar (assoc. 1950–1956) 1 Provisionally referred to by the Council of Europe as "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia"; see Macedonia naming dispute. v t e La Francophonie Category Membership Members Albania Andorra Armenia Belgium French Community Benin Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada New Brunswick Quebec Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Comoros Cyprus1 Democratic Republic of the Congo Republic of the Congo Djibouti Dominica Egypt Equatorial Guinea France French Guiana Guadeloupe Martinique St. Pierre and Miquelon Gabon Ghana1 Greece Guinea Guinea-Bissau Haiti Ivory Coast Laos Luxembourg Lebanon Macedonia2 Madagascar Mali Mauritania Mauritius Moldova Monaco Morocco Niger Qatar Romania Rwanda St. Lucia São Tomé and Príncipe Senegal Seychelles Switzerland Togo Tunisia Vanuatu Vietnam Observers Austria Bosnia and Herzegovina Croatia Czech Republic Dominican Republic Georgia Hungary Latvia Lithuania Montenegro Mozambique Poland Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Thailand Ukraine United Arab Emirates Uruguay 1 Associate member. 2 Provisionally referred to by the Francophonie as the "former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia"; see Macedonia naming dispute. Organization Agence de Coopération Culturelle et Technique AUF Culture French language International Francophonie Day Jeux de la Francophonie Prix des cinq continents de la francophonie Senghor University AFFOI TV5Monde LGBT rights French Empire

Coordinates: 57°00′N 25°00′E / 57.000°N 25.000°E / 57.000; 25.000

	Baltic Sea	Estonia, Gulf of Riga	Russian Federation
	Baltic Sea		Russian Federation
	Republic of Latvia
	Baltic Sea	Republic of Lithuania	Republic of Belarus