Latvia

Facts

Area: 64,000 sq km

Population: 2,290,240

Capital City: Riga

Currency: Latvian lats LVL

TimeZone: GMT / UTC +1

Language: Latvian, Russian,

Religion: Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox

Government: parliamentary democracy


Latvia

Latvia is a unitary parliamentary republic and is divided into 118 municipalities (109 counties and 9 cities). The capital and largest city is Riga. For centuries Latvia was primarily an agricultural country, with seafaring, fishing and forestry as other important factors in its economy. Following a period of Soviet occupation after World War II, Latvia regained its independence in 1991.