Latvia - Country Information

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Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia, to the south by Lithuania (588 km), to the east by the Russian Federation, and to the southeast by Belarus. Across the Baltic Sea to the west lies Sweden.

Latvia is a unitary parliamentary republic and is divided into 118 municipalities (109 counties and 9 cities) with the capital in Riga. Latvia population is 2.22 million people with 59.49% Latvians, 27.37% Russians and considerable part of national miniorities. The sole official language of Latvia is Latvian. Russian, which was widely spoken during the Soviet period, and also during the Russian Imperial period, is by far the most widely used minority language, and is understood by virtually all Latvians who started their education during the period of Soviet rule. The largest religion in Latvia is Christianity.

Baltic people inhabited this territory since since approximately 3000 BC. In the 12th century Latvia was occupied by German crusaders travelling east to spread the Catholic faith and the expansion of feudalism. The occupied territories established the state of Livonia, a political union of territories belonging to the Livonian Order of Knights and to the Catholic Church. The city of Riga was founded in 1201 and became an important point of east-west trading. After the Livonian Wars (1558-1583), Livonia was divided between Sweden and Poland-Lithuania. The addition of Latvian territories to the Russian Empire began after the Great Northern War (1700-1721). The period of change from feudalism to capitalist industrialism began at the end of the 18th century, and with the abolishment of serfdom, industry began to develop rapidly and the population grew. The peiod, called First National Awakening was marked by the rise in use of the Latvian language in literature and resisted the broad risification condUcated by the Russian government and remaining influence of German landlords. Growing Latvian nationalism developed into the New Current, a broad leftist social and political movement that culminated in the 1905 Russian Revolution. Following the Russian Revolution of 1917, Latvia declared its independence on November 18, 1918, and, after a period of fighting, the new nation was recognized by Soviet Russia and Germany in 1920. According to the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact signed between the USSR and Nazi Germany, Latvian land was the subject of the Soviet "sphere of influence" and in 1939 the first Soviet millitary base appeared in Latvian. In 1940 the Soviet Red Army moved into Latvia, which was soon incorporated into the Soviet Union. Nazi Germany held Latvia from 1941 to 1944. The land was heavily devastated. More than 200,000 Latvian citizens died during World War II, including approximately 75,000 Latvian Jews murdered during the Nazi occupation. Latvia was retaken by the Red Army in 1944. The Soviets immediately began to reinstate the Soviet system. Mass deportations followed as the country was forcibly collectivised and Sovieticised. An extensive programme to impose bilingualism was initiated in Latvia. New industry was created in Latvia and skilled workers were transferred into the republic from all over the Soviet Union. Latvia was one of the most prosperous and highly industrialized parts of the Soviet Union. Introduction of political reforms undertaken by Mikhail Gorbachev in the late 1980s, made Latvians begin seeking indepencnce. Latvia finally declared restoration its independence in May, 1990. The full independence from the Soviet Union was attained in August 21, 1991. The Saeima, Latvia's parliament, was again elected in 1993, and Russia completed its military withdrawal in 1994. The major goals of Latvia in the 1990s, to join NATO and the European Union, were achieved in 2004. 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 - Latvian lats. Latvian citizenshop became a privilege of Latvian nationals and 20% Russian that had lived in the country for long years were unable to vote.

After gaining its independence Latvia experienced a difficult transition to a liberal economy. Considerable foreign aid was received to rebuilt the economy. The country's economy had one of the highest growth rates until the 2008–2010 Latvian financial crisis. Today's economy is based on light industry and services. The main exports are wood, clothing and basic metal. The main import is machinery and equipment, food and chemical products. The countries of the EU are Latvia's main trading partners. Because of its deficiency in natural resources, Latvia relies heavily on imports of fuels, electric power, and industrial raw materials. Energy is generated domestically by three hydroelectric power plants on the Daugava River. Latvia is an industrial and agrarian country. Under Soviet rule, Latvia was a major supplier of meat and dairy products to the Soviet Union. As the centralized Soviet system collapsed, a shortage of feed and the rising costs of farm equipment took a toll. Today's agriculture is in high demand of reforms and government support. The transport sector is a considerable part of national GDP. Transit between Russia and the West is large. Key ports are in Riga, Ventspils, and Liepāja. Most transit traffic uses these and half the cargo is crude oil and oil products. Riga International Airport is the largest airport with 3.7 million passengers in 2008.

Riga Technical University and University of Latvia are two major universities in the country. Riga Stradiņš University, Latvian university of Agriculture and Daugavpils University are other important centers of education.

The culture of Latvia combines traditional Latvian and Livonian heritage with influences of the country's varied historical heritage. Traditional Latvian folklore, especially the dance of the folk songs (dainas) date back over a thousand years. Latvia has a number of theaters (mostly in Riga), an opera, a symphony orchestra, and a permanent circus. Riga's Dome Cathedral houses one of the largest and most famous organs in the world. The works of many prominent Latvian artists are displayed at the National Fine Arts Museum and at the many art galleries in Riga. Other museums include the Museum of History and Navigation, the Latvian Museum of Architecture, the Latvian Museum of Photography and the Museum of Natural History.

Most popular Latvian sights and attractions include Freedom Monument, located in Riga, Latvia, is a memorial in honor of soldiers killed in action during the Latvian War of Independence; House of the Blackheads, errected in the 14th century (Riga); Occupation Museum of Latvia (Riga); Riga Castle, Built in 1330 as a residence for Livonian order; Great and Small Guilds, Powder Tower, architectural ensemble Three Brothers.

More about Latvia at Wikipedia

UKRAINE: Kiev Sevastopol Poltava Simferopol Nikolaev Odessa Dnepropetrovsk Vinnitsa Chernigov Kirovograd Sumy Krivoy Rog Lugansk Kherson Kharkov Mariupol Donetsk Dneprodzerzhinsk Melitopol Cherkasy Zaporozhye Yalta Kerch Yevpatoria BELARUS: Minsk Vitebsk Mogilev Grodno Gomel KYRGYZSTAN: Bishkek LATVIA: Riga MOLDOVA: Chisinau RUSSIA: Moscow Ekaterinburg Volgograd Volzhsky Saratov Gelendzhik Sochi Samara Novosibirsk St.Petersburg Ufa Penza Stavropol Kazan

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