Latvia
sovereign state in northeastern Europe / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Latvia (Latvian: Latvija), officially the Republic of Latvia (Latvian: Latvijas Republika), is a country in Northern Europe. The capital is Riga. It is one of the Baltic States, together with Estonia in the north and Lithuania in the south. Latvia's neighbours to the east are the countries Russia and Belarus. Latvia is split into four parts called Kurzeme, Vidzeme, Zemgale, and Latgale.
Quick Facts Republic of LatviaLatvijas Republika, Capitaland largest city ...
Republic of Latvia Latvijas Republika | |
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Anthem: Dievs, svētī Latviju! God Bless Latvia! | |
Capital and largest city | Riga 56°57′N 24°6′E |
Official languages | Latvian |
Recognised languages | Russian |
Recognised regional languages |
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Spoken languages | Latvian, Russian, Belarusian, Lithuanian, Ukrainian, Polish, Romani |
Ethnic groups (2011) | 62.1% Latvians, 26.9% Russians, 3.4% Belarusians, 2.2% Ukrainians, 2.2% Poles, 1.2% Lithuanians, 2% others and unspecified[1] |
Demonym(s) | Latvian |
Government | Parliamentary republic |
Edgars Rinkēvičs | |
Evika Siliņa | |
• Speaker of the Saeima | Edvards Smiltēns |
Independence | |
• Declared1 | 18 November 1918 |
• Recognized | 26 January 1921 |
• Soviet occupation | 5 August 1940 |
• Nazi German occupation | 10 July 1941 |
• Soviet occupation | 8 May 1945 |
• Announced | 4 May 1990 |
• Restored | 21 August 1991[2] |
Area | |
• Total | 64,589 km2 (24,938 sq mi) (124th) |
• Water (%) | 1.57% (1,014 km2) |
Population | |
• 2011 estimate | 2,229,641[3] (143rd) |
• 2000 census | 2,377,383 |
• Density | 34.3/km2 (88.8/sq mi) (166th) |
GDP (PPP) | 2010 estimate |
• Total | $32.513 billion[4] |
• Per capita | $14,460[4] |
GDP (nominal) | 2010 estimate |
• Total | $24.045 billion[4] |
• Per capita | $10,694[4] |
Gini (2003) | 37.7 medium |
HDI (2011) | 0.805[5] very high · 43rd |
Currency | Euro (€) (EUR) |
Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
UTC+3 (EEST) | |
Driving side | right |
Calling code | +371 |
ISO 3166 code | LV |
Internet TLD | .lv |
1 Latvia is de jure continuous with its declaration 18 November 1918. |
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People from Latvia are called Latvians. They speak the Latvian language, which is a little like the Lithuanian language, though not close enough to be understood.