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Latvia (/ˈlɑːtviə/ or /ˈlætviə/ (listen); Latvian: Latvija [ˈlatvija]; Latgalian: Latveja; Livonian: Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia (Latvian: Latvijas Republika, Latgalian: Latvejas Republika, Livonian: Leţmō Vabāmō), is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the Baltic states; and is bordered by Estonia to the north, Lithuania to the south, Russia to the east, Belarus to the southeast, and shares a maritime border with Sweden to the west. Latvia covers an area of 64,589 km² (24,938 sq mi), with a population of 1.9 million. The country has a temperate seasonal climate. Its capital and largest city is Riga. Latvians belong to the ethno-linguistic group of the Balts and speak Latvian, one of the only two surviving Baltic languages. Russians are the most prominent minority in the country, at almost a quarter of the population.

After centuries of Teutonic, Swedish, Polish-Lithuanian and Russian rule, which was mainly executed by the local Baltic German aristocracy, the independent Republic of Latvia was established on 18 November 1918 when it broke away from the German Empire and declared independence in the aftermath of World War I. However, by the 1930s the country became increasingly autocratic after the coup in 1934 establishing an authoritarian regime under Kārlis Ulmanis. The country's de facto independence was interrupted at the outset of World War II, beginning with Latvia's forcible incorporation into the Soviet Union, followed by the invasion and occupation by Nazi Germany in 1941, and the re-occupation by the Soviets in 1944 to form the Latvian SSR for the next 45 years. As a result of extensive immigration during the Soviet occupation, ethnic Russians became the most prominent minority in the country, now constituting nearly a quarter of the population. The peaceful Singing Revolution started in 1987, and ended with the restoration of de facto independence on 21 August 1991. Since then, Latvia has been a democratic unitary parliamentary republic.

Latvia is a developed country, with a high-income advanced economy; ranking very high in the Human Development Index. It performs favorably in measurements of civil liberties, press freedom, internet freedom, democratic governance, living standards, and peacefulness. Latvia is a member of the European Union, Eurozone, NATO, the Council of Europe, the United Nations, the Council of the Baltic Sea States, the International Monetary Fund, the Nordic-Baltic Eight, the Nordic Investment Bank, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and the World Trade Organization. (Full article...)

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A good example of Riga's Art Nouveau architecture in its combination of rationality and decoration is this 1902 building on Smilšu iela 2 by Konstantīns Pēkšēns.

The Art Nouveau architecture in Riga makes up roughly one third of all the buildings in the centre of Riga, making Latvia's capital the city with the highest concentration of Art Nouveau architecture anywhere in the world. Built during a period of rapid economic growth, most of Riga's Art Nouveau buildings date from between 1904 and 1914. The style is most commonly represented in multi-storey apartment buildings. Stylistic influences derived not least from present-day Austria, Finland and Germany, while the establishment of a faculty of architecture in Riga in 1869 was instrumental in providing a local cadre of architects. This included, but was not limited to, some of the first formally trained ethnic Latvian architects. As elsewhere, the Art Nouveau movement in Riga was driven by a desire to express greater individuality, local attachment and a more rational kind of architecture than that which had dominated during the 19th century. Stylistically, the Art Nouveau architecture of Riga can be further divided into four different stages: Eclectic, Perpendicular, National Romantic; and Neo-Classical. (Full article...)

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Gauja river near Sigulda

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Russia	Lithuania	Estonia	Belarus	Europe	European Union

Latvia Dates

January 1, 1876 - J. Akuraters born
January 1, 1883 - Rūdolfs Blaumanis born
January 10, 1905 - Baumaņu Kārlis dies
January 11, 1920 - Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music founded
January 13, 1991 - Barricades are erected around the parliament and Latvian citizens stand guard
January 16, 1919 - Kalpaks' battalion engages in the first battle at Lielauce
January 16, 1861 - Doku Atis born
January 20, 1991 - Soviet Black Berets (OMON troops) attempt to put down freedom
January 24, 1828 - Neredzīgais (Blind) Indriķis dies
January 25, 1880 - Fricis Bārda born
January 26, 1921 - The Great Powers recognize Latvia de iure
January 28, 1935 - President Kārlis Ulmanis proclaims the "draudzīgais aicinājums" (friendly invitation)

Holidays and observances in Latvia

January 1 - New Year’s Day
January 20 - Commemoration Day of Defenders of the Barricades in 1991
January 26 - International (de jure) Recognition of the Republic of Latvia

General images

The following are images from various Latvia-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Flag of the Republic of Latvia. (from History of Latvia)
Image 2Latvian peasant couple working, 18–19th century (from History of Latvia)
Image 3Map of Riga and Reval Lieutenancies, 1783 (from History of Latvia)
Image 4British Navy ships in Liepāja port, December 1918 (from History of Latvia)
Image 5Soviet Latvia's 5 ruble note (from History of Latvia)
Image 6Baltic tribes (purple) in 7–8th centuries (from History of Latvia)
Image 7According to the 1939 Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact "the Baltic States (Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania)" were divided into German and Soviet "spheres of influence" (German copy) (from History of Latvia)
Image 8Baltic bronze necklace from the village of Aizkraukle, Latvia dating to 12th century AD now in the British Museum. (from History of Latvia)
Image 9Duke Adolf Friedrich of Mecklenburg (from History of Latvia)
Image 10Iskolat flag (from History of Latvia)
Image 11May 1, 1919 celebrations in Soviet Riga (from History of Latvia)
Image 12Duchy of Courland and Semigallia in 1740 (from History of Latvia)
Image 13Winnig's note of November 26, 1918 (from History of Latvia)
Image 14Divisions of Livonia, 1560–85 (from History of Latvia)
Image 15All of Livonia was occupied by Sweden during the Second Northern War (from History of Latvia)
Image 16George W. Bush, Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, Arnold Rüütel, and Valdas Adamkus in Riga, May 7, 2005. (from History of Latvia)
Image 17Nicholas gate of Daugavpils fortress (from History of Latvia)
Image 18Comb pottery example from Estonia, 4000–2000 BC (from History of Latvia)
Image 19Barricade in Riga to prevent the Soviet Army from reaching the Latvian Parliament, July 1991. (from History of Latvia)
Image 20Estimated territories under Jersika rule (from History of Latvia)
Image 21Krišjānis Barons, 1910 (from History of Latvia)
Image 22Local counteroffensives, 1919–1920 (from History of Latvia)
Image 23Hard times for the fatherland, sons, sons, help! A patriotic postcard, 1916. (from History of Latvia)
Image 24Neolithic bone tools (from History of Latvia)
Image 25Valka Town Hall, where December 2, 1917 Declaration of Autonomy was issued. Now Valga in Estonia. (from History of Latvia)
Image 26Āraiši lake dwelling site dates back to the late Iron Age (from History of Latvia)
Image 27Maximum reach of Muscovite occupation, 1577 (from History of Latvia)
Image 28Corded Ware culture area included Latvia (from History of Latvia)
Image 29Latvian Song Festival, 2008 (from History of Latvia)
Image 30Medieval Livonia in 1260. (from History of Latvia)
Image 31Baltic Tribes, circa 1200 CE. (from History of Latvia)
Image 32Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (from History of Latvia)
Image 33Soviet offensive, 1918–1919 (from History of Latvia)
Image 34Church of Ikšķile, the first stone building in Latvia built by Saint Meinhard in 1185 (from History of Latvia)
Image 35Flag of the Latvian SSR. (from History of Latvia)
Image 36Swedish Baltic possessions, with Polish Livonia (from History of Latvia)

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