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.