Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia (Latvian: Latvijas Republika), is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. 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 and a territory of 64,589 km2 (24,938 sq mi). The country has a temperate seasonal climate.

Despite foreign rule from the 13th to 20th centuries, the Latvian nation maintained its identity throughout the generations via the language and musical traditions. However, 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), 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. The Russian population are largely Eastern Orthodox Christians.

Demonym	Latvian
Capital	Riga
Anthem	Dievs, svētī Latviju! ("God Bless Latvia!")
Official Motto	Tēvzemei un Brīvībai ("For Fatherland and Freedom")
Official Flag
Official Language(s)	Latvian
Approximate Size	Total: 24,938 sq mi (64,589 km2) % Water: 1.57% (1,014 km2)
Population	1,957,200 (2016)
Currency	Euro (EUR €)
Drives	On the Right
International Dialing Code	+371

Posted By Gremelin Posted on September 23rd, 2018

Baltic Hardiness Maps are ©1999, Shane Kelley/Kelley Graphics
Wikipedia contributors, "Latvia," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Latvia&oldid=860734696 (accessed September 23, 2018).

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