Latvia in Brief

The name "Latvia" originates from an ancient Baltic (Indo-European) tribe - the Latgalians (in Latvian: latgali), who formed the ethnic core of the Latvian people.

The Republic of Latvia was founded in 1918. It has been continuously recognised as a state by other countries since 1920 despite occupations by the Soviet Union (1940-1941, 1945-1991) and Nazi Germany (1941-1945). On August 21, 1991 Latvia declared the restoration of its de facto independence.

Latvia is the central country of the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania). On the world map Latvia is to be found in North-eastern Europe, on the east coast of the Baltic Sea. The landscape of the country is marked by lowland plains and rolling hills.
Most of the countryside is less than 100 metres above sea level. There are thousands of rivers and lakes in Latvia.
Latvia borders Estonia, Russia, Belarus and Lithuania.
Latvia is a country of splendid and diverse natural landscapes. Forests cover 44 percent of the territory. The larger forest tracts are to be found in the northern part of Kurzeme. Here it is still possible to enjoy the beauty and uniqueness of nature untouched by man.
The ethnic mix of the population of Latvia is largely the result of massive post-war immigration, which resulted in a decline in the share of ethnic Latvians from 77% in 1935 to 52% in 1989.
The Latvian language is a Baltic language, which belongs to the Indo-European family of languages. The Latvian language is considered one of the oldest of the Indo-European (European) languages. It is a non-slavic and a non-germanic language, similar only to Lithuanian.

Largest Religious Confessions:
Evangelic Lutheran, Roman Catholic and Russian Orthodox

Type of Government: democratic, parliamentary republic.

Legislative power is in the hands of a single chamber parliament - the Saeima, consisting of 100 deputies. Parliamentary elections take place every 4 years.
Nearly one third of Latvia's population (747 thousand) lives in the capital city Riga. Riga, the oldest still existing medieval city, was founded in 1201. The value of Riga's cultural and historical significance has been recognised by the fact that its old city centre has been included in UNESCO's list of the world's most important cultural and natural sites.

Climate
Latvia's weather is governed by a moderate oceanic climate, with changing high and low pressure and a considerable amount of precipitation.