Short description: Overview of and topical guide to Latvia
The Coat of arms of Latvia
An enlargeable map of the Republic of Latvia
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Latvia:
Latvia – sovereign country located in the Baltic region of Northern Europe.[1] Latvia is bordered to the north by Estonia (343 km), to the south by Lithuania (588 km), and to the east both by Belarus (141 km) and the Russia (276 km). Across the Baltic Sea to the west lies Sweden. The territory of Latvia covers 64,589 km2 and is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate.
The Latvians are a Baltic people closely related to the Lithuanians, with the Latvian language sharing many similarities to Lithuanian. Today the Latvians and Lithuanians are the only surviving members of the Baltic peoples and Baltic languages of the Indo-European family. The modern name of Latvia is thought to originate from the ancient Latvian name Latvji, which may have originated from the word Latve which is a name of the river that presumably flowed through what is now eastern Latvia.[citation needed]
Latvia is a democratic parliamentary republic and is divided into 26 districts. The capital and largest city is Riga. Latvia has been a member of the United Nations since 17 September 1991, of the European Union since 1 May 2004 and of NATO since 29 March 2004.
General reference
An enlargeable relief map of Latvia
- Pronunciation:
- Common English country name: Latvia
- Official English country name: The Republic of Latvia
- Common endonym(s): Latvija
- Official endonym(s): Latvija
- Adjectival(s): Latvian
- Demonym(s): Latvian
- Etymology: Name of Latvia
- International rankings of Latvia
- ISO country codes: LV, LVA, 428
- ISO region codes: See LV
- Internet country code top-level domain: .lv
Geography of Latvia
- Lithuania 576 km
- Estonia 343 km
- Russia 292 km
- Belarus 171 km
- Population of Latvia: 2,068,000 (February, 2012) - 144th most populous country
- Area of Latvia: 64,589 km2
- Atlas of Latvia
Environment of Latvia
An enlargeable satellite image of Latvia
- Climate of Latvia
- Renewable energy in Latvia
- Geology of Latvia
- Protected areas of Latvia
- Biosphere reserves in Latvia
- National parks of Latvia
- Wildlife of Latvia
- Fauna of Latvia
- Birds of Latvia
- Mammals of Latvia
Natural geographic features of Latvia
- Rivers of Latvia
- World Heritage Sites in Latvia
Ecoregions of Latvia
List of ecoregions in Latvia
Administrative divisions of Latvia
Administrative divisions of Latvia
- Districts of Latvia
- Subdivisions of Latvia
- Planning regions of Latvia
Regions of Latvia
Regions of Latvia
(current article is actually about the provinces of Latvia. The new Latvian regions were developed in accordance with EU-standardisation)
Districts of Latvia
Districts of Latvia
Subdivisions of Latvia
Subdivisions of Latvia
Municipalities of Latvia
- Capital of Latvia: Riga
- List of cities in Latvia
Demography of Latvia
Demographics of Latvia
Government and politics of Latvia
Politics of Latvia
- Form of government: Representative democracy; unitary parliamentary republic
- Capital of Latvia: Riga
- Elections in Latvia
- Political parties in Latvia
Branches of the government of Latvia
Government of Latvia
Executive branch of the government of Latvia
Legislative branch of the government of Latvia
- Parliament of Latvia (unicameral)
Judicial branch of the government of Latvia
Court system of Latvia
Foreign relations of Latvia
Foreign relations of Latvia
- Diplomatic missions in Latvia
- Diplomatic missions of Latvia
International organization membership
The Republic of Latvia is a member of:[1]
Law and order in Latvia
Law of Latvia
- Capital punishment in Latvia
- Constitution of Latvia
- Crime in Latvia
- Human rights in Latvia
- Latvian citizenship law
- LGBT rights in Latvia
- Freedom of religion in Latvia
- Law enforcement in Latvia
Military of Latvia
Military of Latvia
- Command
- Forces
- Army of Latvia
- Navy of Latvia
- Air Force of Latvia
- Special forces of Latvia
- Military history of Latvia
- Military ranks of Latvia
Local government in Latvia
Local government in Latvia
History of Latvia
History of Latvia
- Timeline of the history of Latvia
- Current events of Latvia
- Military history of Latvia
Culture of Latvia
Culture of Latvia
- Architecture of Latvia
- Cuisine of Latvia
- Festivals in Latvia
- Humor in Latvia
- Languages of Latvia
- Media in Latvia
- National symbols of Latvia
- Coat of arms of Latvia
- Flag of Latvia
- National anthem of Latvia
- People of Latvia
- Prostitution in Latvia
- Public holidays in Latvia
- Records of Latvia
- Religion in Latvia
- Christianity in Latvia
- Islam in Latvia
- Judaism in Latvia
- Sikhism in Latvia
- World Heritage Sites in Latvia
Art in Latvia
- Art in Latvia
- Cinema of Latvia
- Literature of Latvia
- Music of Latvia
- Television in Latvia
- Theatre in Latvia
Sports in Latvia
Sports in Latvia
- Football in Latvia
- Ice Hockey in Latvia
- Basketball in Latvia
- Athletics in Latvia
- Tennis in Latvia
- Cycling in Latvia
- Floorball in Latvia
- Latvia at the Olympics
Economy and infrastructure of Latvia
Economy of Latvia
- Economic rank, by nominal GDP (2007): 82nd (eighty-second)
- Agriculture in Latvia
- Banking in Latvia
- Communications in Latvia
- Internet in Latvia
- Telephone numbers in Latvia
- Companies of Latvia
- Currency of Latvia: Euro
- Energy in Latvia
- Energy policy of Latvia
- Oil industry in Latvia
- Health care in Latvia
- Mining in Latvia
- Latvian Real Estate (needs fixing)
- Riga Stock Exchange
- Tourism in Latvia
- Transport in Latvia
- Airports in Latvia
- Rail transport in Latvia
- Roads in Latvia
Education in Latvia
Education in Latvia
Civil society organisations in Latvia
- Latvian Medical Foundation
- School of Young Geographers
See also
Latvia
- Index of Latvia-related articles
- List of international rankings
- Member state of the European Union
- Member state of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
- Member state of the United Nations
- Outline of Europe
- Outline of geography
References
External links