Latvia

Republic of Latvia Latvijas Republika
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: Dievs, svētī Latviju!   God Bless Latvia!
Location of  Latvia  (dark green) – on the European continent  (green & dark grey) – in the European Union  (green)  —  [Legend]
Capital and largest city	Riga 56°57′N 24°6′E / 56.950°N 24.100°E / 56.950; 24.100
Official languages	Latvian
Recognised languages	Russian
Recognised regional languages	Latgalian Livonian
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
• President	Edgars Rinkēvičs
• Prime Minister	Evika Siliņa
• Speaker of the Saeima	Edvards Smiltēns
Independence  from Germany and Russia
• 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)
• Summer (DST)	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.

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.

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.

1. ↑ "Etniskais sastāvs un mazākumtautību kultūras identitātes veicināšana". Latvijas Republikas Ārlietu Ministrija. Archived from the original on 12 July 2011. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
2. ↑ Cite error: The named reference FINemb was used but no text was provided for refs named (see the help page).
3. ↑ "Total population". Centrālās statistikas pārvaldes datu bāzes. 2011. Archived from the original on 26 May 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3} "Latvia". International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 2011-04-30.
5. ↑ "Human Development Index Report 2011". United Nations. 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2011.