About Latvia

 THE REPUBLIC OF LATVIA

Latvia is situated on the shore of the Baltic Sea, and it shares borders with Lithuania at the South, Estonia at the North, Russia at the East and Belarus at the South East. Latvia is one of three Baltic states.

Territory and population of Latvia

The area of Latvia is about 64,6 thousand square kilometres. The population of the Republic of Latvia is 2,2 million people, of which 59% Latvians, 28% Russians, 4% Belarusians, as well as Ukrainians, Poles, Lithuanians, Jews and other nations.
The biggest cities are: Riga (722 thousand inhabitants), Daugavpils (108 thousand inhabitants), Liepaja (85 thousand inhabitants), Jelgava (66 thousand inhabitants), Jurmala (55 thousand inhabitants) and Ventspils (43 thousand inhabitants).
Latvia is divided into four historical areas: Vidzeme, Kurzeme, Latgale and Zemgale. The highest peak is Gaizinsh standing at 311,5 meters. The climate in Latvia is moderate with some temperature fluctuation.

Languages in Latvia

The official language is Latvian. Russian language is often spoken, English and German not too common but in use.

Religions in Latvia

Latvia has no official religion. There are 25 registered religions in Latvia such as Lutheran, Catholicism, Ortodox, Vaishnava etc. The largest religions in Latvia are Catholicism, Lutheran and Ortodox. In general the society is tolerant to different religious, however the church does influence the mood of society.
More about Latvia you read in section about Latvia.

State symbols of Latvia

The Latvian flag is very similar to the Austrian flag, but darker in colour. It is made of bands of dark red, white, and dark red (from top to bottom). The white band is narrower than the red ones.
The national anthem “Dievs, svēti Latviju!” (God, bless Latvia!) was written by a Latvian Composer Karlis Baumanis in the second half of the 19th century and became the national anthem in 1918.
The Latvian Coat of Arms – a shield with a rising sun on the blue background at the top; the red lion on the silver background to the left and the silver griffin on the red background to the right.

State political system

Latvia is a Democratic Republic. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President of the Republic and is the head of the government. The President of Latvia is elected by the Parliament and runs a four year period. The President is mostly s representative power, however he can block some decisions of the parliament.
More about business politics and economics you read in section http://visas.lv/taxes-in-Latvia.htm

International relations

After the restoration of independence in September 1991 Latvia headed towards joining European and international organizations, since April 2004 Latvia is a member of NATO and since May 2004 – Latvia is member of the European Union. Latvia is a member of WTO. and Latvia is also part of Schengen. More about Latvia in Europu you can read in section Latvia in Europen Union.