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GEOGRAPHY
Latvia is situated on the Baltic coast. It borders
Estonia in the north, Lithuania in the south, the
Russian Federation in the east and Belarus in the
southeast. The coastal plain is mostly flat, but inland
to the east the land is hilly with forests and lakes.
Forests cover a total of 44% of the country. Ten
percent consists of peat bogs, 2-3% is fresh water
reservoirs, 40% is used for agriculture and 4%
consists of towns, villages and roads. Razna Lake is
the largest clear water surface lake in Latvia. It
stretches over 58 square kilometres. The total
number of lakes in Latvia is 2,300. There are about
12,000 rivers in Latvia, but only 17 are longer than
100 kilometres. The largest is the Daugava (1005
kilometres, of which 352 kilometres runs through
Latvia). The ports of Riga, Liepaja and Ventspils are
ice-free during the winter.
CLIMATE
Latvia has a temperate climate, but with considerable
temperature variations. Summer is warm with
relatively mild weather patterns during the spring and
autumn. Winter, which lasts from December to
mid-March, can be very cold. Rainfall is distributed
throughout the year with the heaviest in August.
Snowfall is common in winter months.
HISTORY
The largest of the three Baltic republics, Latvia has
been an important trading center and strategic pawn
in the Baltic region for centuries. The various Latvian
tribes functioned under local self-government until the
end of the 13th century when the German Teutonic
Knights conquered the territory. Latvia was subject to
sporadic invasions by the Poles and the Swedes until
the 18th century when Russia, under Peter the Great,
emerged as a major European power. By 1795, the
entire Latvian territory was under Russian control. The
Bolshevik revolution of 1917 heralded the end of the
Russian Empire, which was decided at the 1918
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. Under this treaty, Russia was
obliged to cede its Baltic territories. The Bolsheviks
invaded Latvia the following year, but were driven out.
The treaty of Versailles also forced the Germans to
leave. That allowed the Latvians to assert their
independence for the first time in over 600 years. In
1940, the Russians again took over, after which Latvia
was incorporated into the Soviet Union. The Russians
were driven out by the Nazi invasion in 1941, but
returned three years later. Campaigning for
democracy and independence did not begin in
earnest until October 1988 with the formation of the
Popular Front of Latvia. During the elections of the
Supreme Soviet in March 1990, the Popular Front
won a convincing victory by taking 131 of 201 seats.
Latvia's independence was finally secured in August
1991 after the attempted coup in Moscow failed.
Latvia's independence was quickly recognized
internationally and the country was readmitted into
the United Nations. At the end of July 1992, the
Latvian rouble replaced the Soviet rouble. The Lat
then replaced the Latvian rouble in October 1993. The
government is pressing ahead with reforms to
introduce a market economy and encourage foreign
investment. Latvians see the future of their country in
the ranks of EU and NATO to ensure their
independence and prosperity.
GOVERNMENT
The constitution of Latvia was adopted in 1922, but it
was annulled after the Soviet occupation in 1940.
Now, it has been renewed and is in force again.
Legislative powers are vested in the elected 100
member Saeima. The head of state is the President,
elected by Saeima. The president chooses the Prime
Minister, called President of Ministers, who, on his
turn, has to win the approval of the Saeima. Cabinet
of Ministers is led by the Prime Minister and it
consists of 14 Ministers.
LANGUAGE
Latvian is the official language of the country. It is an
Indo-European, non-Slavic and non-Germanic
language and is similar only to Lithuanian. Russian,
English and German are widely spoken.
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