"text":"Several eastern Baltic tribes merged in medieval times to form the ethnic core of the Latvian people (ca. 8th-12th centuries A.D.). The region subsequently came under the control of Germans, Poles, Swedes, and finally Russians. A Latvian republic emerged following World War I, but the USSR annexed it in 1940 -- an action never recognized by the US and many other countries. Latvia reestablished its independence in 1991 after the breakup of the Soviet Union. Although the last Russian troops left in 1994, the status of the Russian minority (some 25% of the population) remains of concern to Moscow. Latvia joined both NATO and the EU in 2004; it joined the euro zone in 2014 and the OECD in 2016."
"note":"<strong>note:</strong> land in Latvia is often too wet and in need of drainage not irrigation; approximately 16,000 sq km or 85% of agricultural land has been improved by drainage"
"text":"largest concentration of people is found in and around the port and capital city of Riga; small agglomerations are scattered throughout the country"
},
"Natural hazards":{
"text":"large percentage of agricultural fields can become waterlogged and require drainage"
},
"Geography - note":{
"text":"most of the country is composed of fertile low-lying plains with some hills in the east"
"text":"<br>World Factbook, neaizstājams avots pamata informāciju. (Latvian)<br><br>The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information."
"text":"largest concentration of people is found in and around the port and capital city of Riga; small agglomerations are scattered throughout the country"
"text":"while land, water, and air pollution are evident, Latvia's environment has benefited from a shift to service industries after the country regained independence; improvements have occurred in drinking water quality, sewage treatment, household and hazardous waste management, as well as reduction of air pollution; concerns include nature protection and the management of water resources and the protection of the Baltic Sea"
},
"Environment - international agreements":{
"party to":{
"text":"Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Multi-effect Protocol, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands"
"text":"the name \"Latvia\" originates from the ancient Latgalians, one of four eastern Baltic tribes that formed the ethnic core of the Latvian people (ca. 8th-12th centuries A.D.)"
}
},
"Government type":{
"text":"parliamentary republic"
},
"Capital":{
"name":{
"text":"Riga"
},
"geographic coordinates":{
"text":"56 57 N, 24 06 E"
},
"time difference":{
"text":"UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)"
},
"daylight saving time":{
"text":"+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October"
"text":"of the several theories explaining the name's origin, the one relating to the city's role in Baltic and North Sea commerce is the most probable; the name is likely related to the Latvian word \"rija,\" meaning \"warehouse,\" where the 'j' became a 'g' under the heavy German influence in the city from the late Middle Ages to the early 20th century"
"text":"18 November 1918 (from Soviet Russia); 4 May 1990 (declared from the Soviet Union); 6 September 1991 (recognized by the Soviet Union)"
},
"National holiday":{
"text":"Independence Day (Republic of Latvia Proclamation Day), 18 November (1918); note - 18 November 1918 was the date Latvia established its statehood and its concomitant independence from Soviet Russia; 4 May 1990 was the date it declared the restoration of Latvian statehood and its concomitant independence from the Soviet Union"
"text":"several previous (pre-1991 independence); note - following the restoration of independence in 1991, parts of the 1922 constitution were reintroduced 4 May 1990 and fully reintroduced 6 July 1993"
},
"amendments":{
"text":"proposed by two thirds of Parliament members or by petition of one tenth of qualified voters submitted through the president; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote of Parliament in each of three readings; amendment of constitutional articles, including national sovereignty, language, the parliamentary electoral system, and constitutional amendment procedures, requires passage in a referendum by majority vote of at least one half of the electorate; amended several times, last in 2019"
}
},
"International law organization participation":{
"text":"has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction"
},
"Citizenship":{
"citizenship by birth":{
"text":"no"
},
"citizenship by descent only":{
"text":"at least one parent must be a citizen of Latvia"
"text":"president indirectly elected by Parliament for a 4-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 31 May 2023 (next to be held in 2027); prime minister appointed by the president, confirmed by Parliament"
"text":"<em><br>2023: </em>Edgars RINKEVICS elected president in the third round; Parliament vote - Edgars RINKEVICS (Unity Party) 52, Uldis Pīlēns (independent) 25; Evika SILINA confirmed as prime minister 53-39<br><em><br>2019:</em> Egils LEVITS elected president; Parliament vote - Egils LEVITS (independent) 61, Didzis SMITS (KPV LV) 24, Juris JANSONS (independent) 8; Krisjanis KARINS confirmed as prime minister 61-39"
"text":"unicameral Parliament or Saeima (100 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by party-list proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms)"
"text":"percent of vote by party - JV 19.2%, ZZS 12.6%, AS 11.1%, NA 9.4%, S! 6.9%, LPV 6.3%, PRO 6.2%; seats by party - JV 26, ZZS 16, AS 15, NA 13, S! 11, LPV 9, PRO 10; composition- men 68, women 32, percentage women 32%"
"text":"Supreme Court (consists of the Senate with 36 judges); Constitutional Court (consists of 7 judges)"
},
"judge selection and term of office":{
"text":"Supreme Court judges nominated by chief justice and confirmed by the Saeima; judges serve until age 70, but term can be extended 2 years; Constitutional Court judges - 3 nominated by Saeima members, 2 by Cabinet ministers, and 2 by plenum of Supreme Court; all judges confirmed by Saeima majority vote; Constitutional Court president and vice president serve in their positions for 3 years; all judges serve 10-year terms; mandatory retirement at age 70"
"text":"Development/For! or AP!<br>For Stability or S!<br>For Latvia's Development LA<br>Harmony or S<br>Honor to Serve Riga! or GKR<br>Latvia First LPV<br>Latvian Green Party or LZP<br>National Alliance or NA<br>New Unity or JV<br>People, Land, Statehood TZV<br>Social Democratic Party \"Harmony\" or S<br>The Progressives or PRO<br>Union of Greens and Farmers or ZZS<br>United List or AS<br>We for Talsi and Municipality or MTuN"
"text":"three horizontal bands of maroon (top), white (half-width), and maroon; the flag is one of the older banners in the world; a medieval chronicle mentions a red standard with a white stripe being used by Latvian tribes in about 1280"
},
"National symbol(s)":{
"text":"white wagtail (bird); national colors: maroon, white"
},
"National anthem":{
"name":{
"text":"\"Dievs, sveti Latviju!\" (God Bless Latvia)"
"note":"<strong>note:</strong> adopted 1920, restored 1990; first performed in 1873 while Latvia was a part of Russia; banned during the Soviet occupation from 1940 to 1990"
"text":"high-income EU and eurozone member; economic contraction triggered by export decline and energy shocks; recovery driven by easing inflation, wage growth, and investments supported by EU funds; challenges from skilled labor shortages, capital market access, large informal sector, and green and digital transitions "
"note":"<b>note:</b> central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenses converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated"
"note":"<strong>note:</strong> data cover general government debt, and includes debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities, including sub-sectors of central government, state government, local government, and social security funds"
"text":"<p>the telecom market continues to benefit from investment and from regulatory measures aimed at developing 5G and fiber-based infrastructure; the mobile market is dominated by three operators and there is effective competition between them, with the smallest among them having almost a quarter of the market by subscribers; these multi-service operators have focused investment on fiber networks and on expanding the reach of 5G; mobile network capacity has been improved since 2022 following the auction of spectrum in the 700MHz and 1.5GHz bands; operators have entered into agreements with neighboring Estonia and Lithuania to coordinate the use of spectrum for 5G in border areas, improving coverage to end-users without interference; in the fixed-line broadband sector, the country is ranked among the highest in Europe for fiber coverage; it has the second highest rural FttP coverage after Denmark; with this infrastructure in place, the country has also developed a sophisticated digital economy, with e-commerce and e-government services widely available</p> (2024)"
"text":"several national and regional commercial TV stations are foreign-owned, 2 national TV stations are publicly owned; system supplemented by privately owned regional and local TV stations; cable and satellite multi-channel TV services with domestic and foreign broadcasts available; publicly owned broadcaster operates 4 radio networks with dozens of stations throughout the country; dozens of private broadcasters also operate radio stations"
"text":"National Armed Forces (Nacionalie Brunotie Speki or NBS): Land Forces (Latvijas Sauszemes Speki), Naval Force (Latvijas Juras Speki, includes Coast Guard (Latvijas Kara Flote)), Air Force (Latvijas Gaisa Speki), National Guard (aka Land Guard or Zemessardze) (2024)",
"note":"<strong>note: </strong>the National Armed Forces (including the National Guard), the Defense Intelligence and Security Service, and the Constitution Protection Bureau are subordinate to the Ministry of Defense; the State Police, State Border Guards, and State Security Service are under the Ministry of Interior; the State Border Guard may become part of the armed forces during an emergency"
"note":"<strong>note 1:</strong> conscription was reintroduced in 2024<br><br><strong>note 2:</strong> as of 2024, women comprised about 16.5% of the military's full-time personnel"
"text":"the National Armed Forces are responsible for the defense of the country’s sovereignty and territory; they also have some domestic security responsibilities, including coast guard functions, search and rescue, humanitarian assistance, and providing support to other internal security services, including the State Border Service, the State Police, and the State Security Service; the Military Police provides protection to the president and other government officials, foreign dignitaries, and key facilities; for external defense, Latvia’s primary security focus is Russia<br><br>in 2004, Latvia joined NATO and the EU, which it depends on to play a decisive role in Latvia’s security policy; the Latvian military has participated in NATO and EU missions abroad and regularly conducts training and exercises with NATO and EU partner forces<br><br>Latvia also hosts NATO partner forces; since 2017, it has hosted a Canadian-led multinational NATO ground force battlegroup as part of the Alliance’s Enhanced Forward Presence initiative; in addition, Latvia hosts a NATO-led divisional headquarters (Multinational Division North; activated 2020), which coordinates training and preparation activities of its respective subordinate NATO battlegroups in Estonia and Latvia<br><br>the Air Force has no combat aircraft; NATO has provided air protection for Latvia since 2004 through its Baltics Air Policing mission; NATO member countries that possess air combat capabilities voluntarily contribute to the mission on four-month rotations<br><br>Latvia is a member of the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force, a pool of high-readiness military forces from 10 Baltic and Scandinavian countries designed to respond to a wide range of contingencies in the North Atlantic, Baltic Sea, and High North regions (2024)"
"text":"195,354 (2022); note - individuals who were Latvian citizens prior to the 1940 Soviet occupation and their descendants were recognized as Latvian citizens when the country's independence was restored in 1991; citizens of the former Soviet Union residing in Latvia who have neither Latvian nor other citizenship are considered non-citizens (officially there is no statelessness in Latvia) and are entitled to non-citizen passports; children born after Latvian independence to stateless parents are entitled to Latvian citizenship upon their parents' request; non-citizens cannot vote or hold certain government jobs and are exempt from military service but can travel visa-free in the EU under the Schengen accord like Latvian citizens; non-citizens can obtain naturalization if they have been permanent residents of Latvia for at least five years, pass tests in Latvian language and history, and know the words of the Latvian national anthem"
"text":"transshipment and destination point for cocaine, synthetic drugs, opiates, and cannabis from Southwest Asia, Western Europe, Latin America, and neighboring Baltic countries; despite improved legislation, vulnerable to money laundering due to nascent enforcement capabilities and comparatively weak regulation of offshore companies and the gaming industry; CIS organized crime (including counterfeiting, corruption, extortion, stolen cars, and prostitution) accounts for most laundered proceeds"
