Statistics

Latvijas Republika (Republic of Latvia)

After a brief period of independence between the two World Wars, Latvia was annexed by the USSR in 1940 - an action never recognized by many countries. 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.

Motto: "Tēvzemei un Brīvībai"  (Latvian)
("For Fatherland and Freedom")

Anthem: "Dievs, svētī Latviju!"  (Latvian)
("God, bless Latvia!")

Borders of Latvia: Belarus 167 km, Estonia 343 km, Lithuania 576 km, Russia 282 km

Population: 2,300,500

GDP per capita: $6,973.19 per capita

Capital with population: Riga - 874,000

Largest city: Riga

Official languages: Latvian

Ethnic groups: 59.0% Latvians
28.5% Russians
3.8% Belarusians
2.4% Poles
6.3% others

Government: Parliamentary democracy
- President: Valdis Zatlers
- Prime Minister: Ivars Godmanis

Independence from Russia and Germany
-     Declared: November 18, 1918
-     Recognized: January 26, 1921
-     Proclaimed: May 4, 1990
-     Completed: September 6, 1991

Accession to the European Union: May 1, 2004

Area: total 64,589 km² (124th)
24,937 sq mi
water (%) 1.5

Population
-     January 2006 estimate: 2,291,000 (143rd)
-     2000 census: 2 375 000
-     Density: 36 /km² (166th)
93 /sq mi

GDP (PPP)    2006 estimate
-     Total: $29.214 billion (95th)
-     Per capita: $15,549 (51st)

Gini (2003): 37.7 (medium)

HDI (2004): 0.845 (high) (45th)

Currency: Lats (Ls) (LVL)

Time zone: EET (UTC+2)

-     Summer (DST)    EEST (UTC+3)

Internet TLD: .lv

Calling code: +371