Latvia, << LAT vee uh, >> is a country on the Baltic Sea in northeastern Europe. The country’s name in Latvian, the official language, is Latvijas Republika (Republic of Latvia). Riga is Latvia’s capital and largest city.
Latvia’s rulers have included Germans, Poles, Lithuanians, Swedes, and Russians. The country was independent from 1918 to 1940, when the Soviet Union occupied it and forced it to become one of the 15 republics of the Soviet Union. Latvia regained its independence in 1991.
Government.
Latvia has a legislature of 100 members, elected by the people to four-year terms. The legislature elects a president to a four-year term. The president serves as the ceremonial head of state. With the legislature’s approval, the president chooses a prime minister. The prime minister heads the government and, with the aid of a cabinet, carries out government operations. For purposes of local government, Latvia is divided into 36 municipalities and 7 cities.
The people.
About 60 percent of the people are Latvians, also called Letts. They are ethnically related to the Lithuanians but have their own culture and language. Russians make up nearly 30 percent of the population. Latvia also has small populations of Belarusians, Lithuanians, Poles, and Ukrainians. 
The Latvian language is one of the oldest in Europe. It is related to Sanskrit, a language of ancient India.
Most of the people live in urban areas. Latvians generally wear Western-style clothing. But many Latvians wear colorful national costumes during holiday festivals. Latvians have a rich tradition of folklore, especially folk songs. Ice hockey is a favorite sport in Latvia, and many enjoy watching the national hockey team play. Basketball, soccer, and other sports are also popular. Many Latvians enjoy ballet, drama, and opera. 
A majority of the people of Latvia belong to the Lutheran, Roman Catholic, or Russian Orthodox churches. Latvia has a number of colleges and universities, the largest of which is the University of Latvia in Riga.
Land and climate.
Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania are often called the Baltic States. These three countries make up a region that forms part of the large coastal plain of northern Europe. Latvia consists chiefly of low hills and shallow valleys. It has many small lakes and swamps. Forests cover about 40 percent of the land. The country’s highest point is a hill that rises 1,020 feet (311 meters) above sea level.
Latvia’s chief river is the Western Dvina (Daugava in Latvian). It flows northwest from Belarus through central Latvia and empties into the Gulf of Riga. Latvia has about 293 miles (472 kilometers) of coastline. Many of its beaches are popular resort areas.
Temperatures in Latvia range from about 24 to 31 °F (–4 to 0 °C) in January to about 62 to 65 °F (16 to 18 °C) in July. Latvia receives about 23 inches (57 centimeters) of rain annually.
Economy.
Service industries account for over half of both Latvia’s economic production and its work force. Hotels, restaurants, and shops benefit from the increasing number of tourists who visit Latvia from Germany, Lithuania, Russia, and other places.
Manufacturing is also important to Latvia’s economy. The chief products include clothing and textiles, processed foods, transportation equipment, and wood products. Riga is Latvia’s main industrial center. Latvia’s mined products include gypsum and peat.
Agriculture is dwindling in importance in Latvia. Farmers raise beef and dairy cattle, chickens, and hogs. Leading crops include barley, potatoes, rapeseed, rye, and wheat.
Latvia exports food products, iron and steel, machinery, and wood products. The country imports cars, machinery, petroleum, and pharmaceuticals (medicinal drugs). Latvia’s main trading partners include Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, and Russia.
History.
People lived in what is now Latvia as far back as about 9000 B.C. They were forced out about 2,000 years ago by invaders who became the ancestors of the Latvians. In time, these people established trade with Arabs, Estonians, Lithuanians, Romans, and other groups, and they developed their own language and culture.
Early rulers.
The Vikings raided Latvia during the A.D. 800’s, and Russian forces attacked several times in the 900’s. The Teutonic Knights, an organization of German crusaders, invaded Latvia in the 1200’s (see Teutonic Knights). War between the Latvians and the Knights lasted until the late 1200’s, when the Latvians surrendered.
For over 200 years, the Knights governed Latvia as part of a larger state called Livonia. But by 1562, most of Latvia had come under the rule of Poland and Lithuania. A German-ruled duchy was also set up there. Sweden conquered northern Latvia in 1621, and Russia took control of this area in 1710. By 1800, Russia ruled all of Latvia. But German merchants and landowners in Latvia continued to hold much political power.
Independence.
During the late 1800’s, the Latvians began to organize an independence movement. The movement became stronger in the early 1900’s as Russian and German authority declined in Latvia. On Nov. 18, 1918, just after the end of World War I, Latvia proclaimed itself independent. Russia and Germany tried to keep control of the new nation, but they finally recognized Latvia’s independence in 1920.
In 1922, Latvia adopted a constitution that established a democratic form of government. The new democratic government passed land reform laws that broke up the large estates owned by a few wealthy people. The government divided this land into small farms and distributed the farms among the people.
In 1934, during the worldwide business slump called the Great Depression, democracy in Latvia suffered a setback. The country’s president seized power and reduced the role of the parliament and the rights of the nation’s political parties.
Soviet rule.
In 1939, shortly before World War II began, the Soviet Union and Germany agreed secretly to divide much of eastern Europe between themselves. (The Soviet Union had been formed in 1922 under Russia’s leadership.) The Soviet Union made Latvia sign a treaty that let the Soviets build military bases in Latvia. Soviet troops occupied Latvia in June 1940, and Latvian Communists took over the government. In August, the Soviets made Latvia part of the Soviet Union.
German forces invaded Latvia in 1941. They occupied Latvia until 1944, when Soviet troops recaptured it. Many Latvians tried to prevent the Soviets from taking over their country again. But the Soviets killed or deported tens of thousands of people who opposed them.
Life in Latvia changed greatly under the Soviets. The Soviet Union established a powerful Communist government and took control of all industry and land. The Communist Party became Latvia’s only legal political party. The Soviets banned the Latvian flag and national anthem.
The Soviets made Latvians use the Russian language. During most of the Soviet period, Russian was the first language in many government and business offices. It was also the primary language of most newspapers and television programs.
The Soviets sent many Russians to live in Latvia. The large number of Russian immigrants reduced the influence of the Latvian language and culture and threatened to make the Latvians a minority in their own land. At the time of the Soviet take-over, Latvians made up about 75 percent of the population. When the country regained its independence in 1991, Latvians accounted for about 52 percent of the population.
The Soviet Union restricted religion in Latvia by permitting religious services but no religious teaching. The Soviet Union also discouraged the people from going to church. For example, church attendance barred people from good educational and job opportunities.
Before Latvia became a Soviet republic, most of the people lived in rural areas. During the Soviet period, thousands of Latvians moved from the rural areas to the cities in order to work in various industries.
Resistance to Soviet rule.
Through the years, Latvians expressed their national spirit and opposition to Soviet rule. Latvian nationalism became especially strong during the mid-1980’s, when Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet leader, began calling for greater openness of expression in the Soviet Union.
In 1988, Latvian reformers established the Popular Front—or People’s Front—a large non-Communist organization. The Popular Front sought to gain for Latvia the rights to govern itself and to manage its own economy. Most members of the Latvian non-Communist groups sought complete independence from the Soviet Union.
Large numbers of Latvians showed their support for the aims of the Popular Front by holding demonstrations and by electing Popular Front representatives to the Soviet parliament that had been created in 1989. In the late 1980’s, the government of the republic agreed to restore the national Latvian flag and anthem, and it began to allow freedom to the press and to religious groups. It restored Latvian as the common language. It also began to lessen government control of the economy. The government began to allow private businesses and farms.
Independence regained.
In late December 1989, Latvia’s parliament voted to end the Communist Party’s monopoly on power. A multiparty political system was established in January 1990. In February, the parliament condemned the Soviet Union’s 1940 take-over of Latvia. New parliamentary elections were held in March. Candidates who favored independence from the Soviet Union won a two-thirds majority of the parliamentary seats. On May 4, 1990, the parliament declared the restoration of Latvian independence and called for a gradual separation from the Soviet Union. The Soviet government called the declaration illegal.
In August 1991, hard-line Communist officials failed in an attempt to overthrow Gorbachev and take over the Soviet Union’s central government. In the upheaval that followed, Latvia declared immediate independence. In September, the Soviet Union recognized Latvia’s independence. In December, most of the Soviet republics formed a loose association called the Commonwealth of Independent States. Latvia declined to join because it feared that Russia would control the association. On December 25, the Soviet Union was dissolved.
Recent developments.
After becoming independent, Latvia sought closer economic and political ties with the countries of western Europe. The government continued reducing its control of the economy, and most farms and many businesses became privately owned.
The government also sought to decrease the Russian influences that had been imposed by the Soviet Union. It denied citizenship to many Russians who had moved to Latvia after the Soviet take-over. It set difficult requirements for Russians to become citizens. It also ordered schools to teach mainly in Latvian. Russia withdrew its troops from Latvia in 1994.
In 2004, Latvia joined both the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The EU is a group of European countries that promotes economic and political cooperation among its members. NATO is a military alliance that includes the United States and many European countries.
See also Baltic States; Riga.
