Outline of Latvia

Short description: Overview of and topical guide to Latvia

The Flag of Latvia

The Coat of arms of Latvia

The location 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: /ˈlætviə/
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

Latvia is: a country
Location:
- Northern Hemisphere and Eastern Hemisphere
- Eurasia
  - Europe
    - Northern Europe
    - Eastern Europe
- Time zone: Eastern European Time (UTC+02), Eastern European Summer Time (UTC+03)
- Extreme points of Latvia
  - High: Gaizinkalns 312 m (1,024 ft)
  - Low: Baltic Sea 0 m
- Land boundaries: 1,382 km

Lithuania 576 km

Estonia 343 km

Russia 292 km

Belarus 171 km

Coastline: Baltic Sea 498 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

Ecoregions in 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

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

Head of state: President of Latvia, Egils Levits
Head of government: Prime Minister of Latvia, Arturs Krišjānis Kariņš
Cabinet of Latvia

Legislative branch of the government of Latvia

Parliament of Latvia (unicameral)

Judicial branch of the government of Latvia

Court system of Latvia

Supreme Court 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]

Australia Group
Baltic Assembly (BA)
Bank for International Settlements (BIS)
Council of Europe (CE)
Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS)
Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC)
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
European Investment Bank (EIB)
European Union (EU)
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
International Criminal Court (ICCt)
International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol)
International Development Association (IDA)
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRCS)
International Finance Corporation (IFC)
International Hydrographic Organization (IHO)
International Labour Organization (ILO)
International Maritime Organization (IMO)
International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO)
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
International Olympic Committee (IOC)
International Organization for Migration (IOM)
International Organization for Standardization (ISO) (correspondent)

International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (ICRM)
International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)
Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)
Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)
Nordic Investment Bank (NIB)
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG)
Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) (observer)
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)
Organization of American States (OAS) (observer)
Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA)
Schengen Convention
United Nations (UN)
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Universal Postal Union (UPU)
Western European Union (WEU) (associate partner)
World Customs Organization (WCO)
World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU)
World Health Organization (WHO)
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
World Trade Organization (WTO)

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

Command
- Commander-in-chief:
  - Ministry of Defence of Latvia
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

History of Latvia

Timeline of the history of Latvia
Current events of Latvia
Military history 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
  - Roman Catholicism in Latvia
  - Latvian Orthodox Church
- 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

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
- National Bank of Latvia
Communications in Latvia
- Internet in Latvia
- Telephone numbers in Latvia
Companies of Latvia
Currency of Latvia: Euro
- ISO 4217: EUR
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

Civil society organisations in Latvia

Latvian Medical Foundation
School of Young Geographers

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 "Latvia". The World Factbook. United States Central Intelligence Agency. July 2, 2009. https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/latvia/.

External links

The President of Latvia
National Statistics Agency — Statistical information on economic, demographic, social, and environmental phenomena and processes of Latvia
Latvia from The World Factbook
Virtual World of Latvia (Latvian Institute)
The Latvian Institute — Publications on Latvian society, economy, culture and history

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[CIA_World_Factbook-1] 1.0 ^1.1 "Latvia". The World Factbook. United States Central Intelligence Agency. July 2, 2009. https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/latvia/.

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