Latvia
Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and 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 ethnolinguistic group of the Balts and speak Latvian, one of the only two surviving Baltic languages, a branch of the Indo-European language family. Russians are the most prominent minority in the country, at almost a quarter of the population; 37.7% of the population speak Russian as their native tongue.
Some of the key events about Latvia
- 1201Crusaders invaded Livonian territory, beginning centuries of foreign rule
- 1558Livonian War began, devastating the region and leading to the dissolution of Livonia
- 1710Great Northern War and plague decimated Latvia's population
- 1812Napoleon's army invaded Latvia, causing widespread destruction
- 1918Latvia declared independence from Russia and Germany
- 1918German occupation of Latvia during World War I
- 1921Latvia was admitted to the League of Nations
- 1935The Freedom Monument was unveiled in Riga
- 1940Soviet Union forcibly annexed Latvia, ending its independence
- 1941Nazi Germany occupied Latvia during World War II
- 1944Soviet forces reoccupied Latvia, beginning a long period of Soviet rule
- 1949Mass deportations of Latvians to Siberia by Soviet authorities
- 1986Chernobyl nuclear disaster affected Latvia with radioactive fallout
- 1988The Latvian Popular Front was established, leading the push for independence
- 1990The Supreme Council of Latvia adopted the Declaration on the Restoration of Independence
- 1991Latvia regained full independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union
- 1994The last Russian troops withdrew from Latvia
- 2004Latvia joined both NATO and the European Union
- 2014Latvia adopted the euro as its official currency
- 2016Latvia became a member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
Disclaimer: This material is written based on information taken from open sources, including Wikipedia, news media, podcasts, and other public sources.
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