After a brief period of independence between
the two World Wars, Latvia was annexed by the USSR in 1940. It
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.
Location:
Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea,
between Estonia and Lithuania
Area:
64,589 sq km
Border countries:
Belarus 167 km, Estonia 343 km, Lithuania 576
km, Russia 282 km
Climate:
maritime; wet, moderate winters
Geography:
most of the country is composed of fertile,
low-lying plains, with some hills in the east
Population:
2,274,735
Nationality:
Latvian(s)
Ethnic groups:
Latvian 57.7%, Russian 29.6%, Belarusian
4.1%, Ukrainian 2.7%, Polish 2.5%, Lithuanian 1.4%, other 2%
Religions:
Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox
Languages:
Latvian (official) 58.2%, Russian 37.5%,
Lithuanian and other 4.3%
Government type:
parliamentary democracy
Capital:
Riga
Time zone:
GMT/UTC +02:00
National holiday:
Independence Day, 18 November (1918); note -
18 November 1918 is the date Latvia declared itself independent
from Soviet Russia; 4 May 1990 is when it declared the renewal
of independence; 21 August 1991 is the date of de facto
independence from the Soviet Union
Currency:
Latvian lat (LVL)
Communications:
Telephones - main lines in use: 731,000,
Telephone system: recent efforts focused on bringing competition
to the telecommunications sector, beginning in 2003; the number
of fixed lines is decreasing as wireless telephony expands
Transportation:
Airports: 46, Railways: 2,303 km, Roadways:
69,532 km, Waterways: 300 km