Latvia
Geography - People - Economy - Government - Communications - Transportation - Military - Transnational IssuesCountry name - conventional long form : Republic of Latvia
Country name - conventional short form : Latvia
Country name - local long form : Latvijas Republika
Country name - local short form : Latvija
Country name - former : Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic
Government type : parliamentary democracy
Capital - name : Riga
Capital - time difference : UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
National holiday : Independence Day, 18 November (1918); note - 18 November 1918 was the date Latvia declared itself independent from Soviet Russia; 4 May 1990 is when it declared the renewal of independence; 21 August 1991 was the date of de facto independence from the Soviet Union
Population : 2,245,423 (July 2008 est.)
Nationality - noun : Latvian(s)
Nationality - adjective : Latvian
Languages : Latvian (official) 58.2%, Russian 37.5%, Lithuanian and other 4.3% (2000 census)
Currency (code) : lat (LVL)
Currency code : LVL
Major infectious diseases - degree of risk : intermediate
Latvia is located Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Estonia and Lithuania. The climate is maritime; wet, moderate winters. The terrain is low plain.
Background
This entry usually highlights major historic events and current issues and may include a statement about one or two key future trends.Background : The name "Latvia" originates from the ancient Latgalians, one of four eastern Baltic tribes that formed the ethnic core of the Latvian people (ca. 8th-12th centuries A.D.). The region subsequently came under the control of Germans, Poles, Swedes, and finally, Russians. A Latvian republic emerged following World War I, but it was annexed by the USSR in 1940 - an action never recognized by the US and many other countries. Latvia reestablished its independence in 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union. Although the last Russian troops left in 1994, the status of the Russian minority (some 30% of the population) remains of concern to Moscow. Latvia joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004.
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