Latvia

Latvia

Location

It borders Estonia to the north, the Russian Federation to the east, Belarus to the southeast, and Lithuania to the south. The Gulf of Riga lies in the northwest of the country and faces the Baltic Sea to the west.

Area

Approx. 65,000 km2

Capital (approximate population)

Riga(660,000)

Business-related cities other than Riga (approximate population)

Daugavpils(93,000), Liepaja(77,000), etc.

Population

about 1.92 million

Racial Composition

62.3% Latvian, 24.9% Russian, 3.2% Belarus, 2.2% Ukrainian, etc.

Language

Latvian is the official language

Religion

Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Orthodox, etc.

Culture

With over 1,000 years of history, Latvia's uniquely beautiful and diverse culture is alive and well.
- Gaujas Nacionalais parks
- Rundales pils
- Turaida Museum Reserve
- Cesu pils

Education

Two years of pre-primary education and nine years of primary education are free and compulsory.
- Latvijas Universitate
- Rigas Tehniska universitate
- Riga Stradins University

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- Latvijas Nacionala biblioteka

Overview of modern and contemporary history of Latvia

1918 declaration of independence
1920 Peace treaty signed with Russia
1940 incorporated into the Soviet Union
1990 declaration of restoration of independence
1991 Soviet Union recognizes Baltic independence
2004 NATO Membership, EU Membership
2014 euro introduction

Politics

It is a multi-party parliamentary democratic republic. The parliament is unicameral. The head of state is the president, and the government is run by the prime minister.
- Rigas pils
- The Parliament of Latvia - Latvijas Republikas Saeima
- Latvijas Republikas Augstaka tiesa

GDP per capita

$19,105

Economy

It grew rapidly after 2000, but fell sharply in 2008-09, then recovered and grew from 2013 onwards.

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Europe

Ukraine, Finland, Sweden, United Kingdom, Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands, Switzerland, Norway, Germany, Austria, France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Slovenia, Portugal, Czech, Hungary, Estonia, Poland, Slovakia, Latvia, Greece, Romania, Croatia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Russia, Iceland, Belarus, Moldova, Northern Macedonia, Albania, Luxembourg, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, Serbia, Montenegro, Andorra, Kosovo, San Marino, Vatican, Malta, Liechtenstein, Monaco

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