[citation needed] Riga's boulevards and some streets outside the Old Town date from this period. For example, one of the most popular celebrations is Jāņi, a pagan celebration of the summer solstice—which Latvians celebrate on the feast day of St. John the Baptist. Its capital is Riga and the official language is Latvian. There are 8 members of the European Parliament from Latvia. They have no citizenship of any country, and cannot vote in Latvia. Other popular sports include football, floorball, tennis, volleyball, cycling, bobsleigh and skeleton. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is €24.378 billion, as per 2015. However, universal citizenship for all permanent residents was not adopted. The country is also bordered by Russia and Belarus, and it … For Latvian student corporation, see, Country on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, Reformation period and Polish–Lithuanian rule, Livonia & Courland in the Russian Empire (1795–1917), Economic contraction and recovery (2008–12). *From within the EU: Entry Restrictions- Citizens from EU Member States plus Schengen associated countries, as well as people with permanent residence status in those countries, when travelling from their home countries to Latvia no longer face 10 days self-isolation period, if 14-day cumulative number of COVID-19 cases per 100 000 inhabitants does not exceed the threshold rate in Latvia. [71] An influx of new colonists, including laborers, administrators, military personnel and their dependents from Russia and other Soviet republics started. [34] By 900 AD, four distinct Baltic tribes inhabited Latvia: Curonians, Latgalians, Selonians, Semigallians (in Latvian: kurši, latgaļi, sēļi and zemgaļi), as well as the Finnic tribe of Livonians (lībieši) speaking a Finnic language. [54], Early in the morning of 24 August 1939, the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany signed a 10-year non-aggression pact, called the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact. This means they use less biocapacity than Latvia contains. In ancient times, amber found along the Baltic Sea coast was sought by Vikings as well as traders from Egypt, Greece and the Roman Empire. [citation needed] In Latvia, the Swedish period is generally remembered as positive; serfdom was eased, a network of schools was established for the peasantry, and the power of the regional barons was diminished. [90], 2019 was the warmest year in the history of weather observation in Latvia with an average temperature +8.1°C higher. [165], Latvia's unemployment rate rose sharply in this period from a low of 5.4% in November 2007 to over 22%. [86][93], Latvia has the 5th highest proportion of land covered by forests in the European Union, after Sweden, Finland, Estonia and Slovenia. Unique geological conditions at Inčukalns and other locations in Latvia are particularly suitable for underground gas storage.[179]. [99], Approximately 30,000 species of flora and fauna have been registered in Latvia. Saint Meinhard of Segeberg arrived in Ikšķile, in 1184, traveling with merchants to Livonia, on a Catholic mission to convert the population from their original pagan beliefs. The Latvian SSR, along with the other Baltic Republics was allowed greater autonomy, and in 1988, the old pre-war Flag of Latvia flew again, replacing the Soviet Latvian flag as the official flag in 1990. Latvia-EU. [205], Between the 13th and 19th centuries, Baltic Germans, many of whom were originally of non-German ancestry but had been assimilated into German culture, formed the upper class. During the Soviet era, music became increasingly popular, with the most popular being songs from the 1980s. It covers the member state of Latvia. Each member state is party to the founding treaties of the union and thereby shares in the privileges and obligations of membership. [172], The transport sector is around 14% of GDP. [22] Latvia is a democratic sovereign state, parliamentary republic. Latvia has 7 representatives on the European Committee of the Regions, the EU's assembly of regional and local representatives. During these 6 months, ministers from that country's government chair and help determine the agenda of Council meetings in each policy area, and facilitate dialogue with the other EU institutions. Until World War II, Latvia also had significant minorities of ethnic Germans and Jews. The government remains subject to Parliament's approval throughout each term. The United Kingdom remains a major partner to Latvia and the EU; therefore, in the future, we would like to have as close as possible cooperation in safeguarding people’s interests, in security, defence, foreign affairs, trade, education and other matters. [33] The Balts established trade routes to Rome and Byzantium, trading local amber for precious metals. Latvia's defence concept is based upon the Swedish-Finnish model of a rapid response force composed of a mobilisation base and a small group of career professionals. The 19th century and beginning of the 20th century is often regarded by Latvians as a classical era of Latvian culture. Latvia was the last of the states which would join the EU in 2004 to hold a referendum on the issue. [81] The government denationalized private property confiscated by the Soviets, returning it or compensating the owners for it, and privatized most state-owned industries, reintroducing the prewar currency. It is also a member of the Council of the Baltic Sea States and Nordic Investment Bank. The country has a temperate seasonal climate. The length of Latvia's Baltic coastline is 494 km (307 mi). Latvia has been a member of WTO since 10 February 1999. ["'The good Swedish times' in Latvian historiography: from the late 18th century to the 1970s"], CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (. In the Council of the EU, national ministers meet regularly to adopt EU laws and coordinate policies. Latvia has ratified the international Washington, Bern, and Ramsare conventions. Questions regarding specific cases or additional information can be sent to: info@li.lv . [109], Latvia's foreign policy priorities include co-operation in the Baltic Sea region, European integration, active involvement in international organisations, contribution to European and transatlantic security and defence structures, participation in international civilian and military peacekeeping operations, and development co-operation, particularly the strengthening of stability and democracy in the EU's Eastern Partnership countries. [93], Agricultural areas account for 1,815,900 ha (4,487,000 acres) or 29% of the total land area. The second most popular sport is basketball. [citation needed], In the 12th century in the territory of Latvia, there were lands with their rulers: Vanema, Ventava, Bandava, Piemare, Duvzare, Upmale, Sēlija, Koknese, Jersika, Tālava and Adzele. However, by 2010, commentators[169][170] noted signs of stabilisation in the Latvian economy. [60] Latvia, then a puppet government, was headed by Augusts Kirhenšteins. [56]:127 Another 30,000 Jews from the Riga ghetto were killed in the Rumbula Forest in November and December 1941, to reduce overpopulation in the ghetto and make room for more Jews being brought in from Germany and the West. The new government focused on smoothing Latvia's entry into NATO and the European Union, which took place in the first half of 2004. and Sovieticised. Still, today there are 290,660 non-citizens in Latvia, which represent 14.1% of the population. [43] Fighting continued sporadically between Sweden and Poland until the Truce of Altmark in 1629. Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}57°N 25°E / 57°N 25°E / 57; 25, – in Europe (green & dark grey)– in the European Union (green)  –  [Legend]. Latvia has a long basketball tradition, as the Latvian national basketball team won the first ever EuroBasket in 1935 and silver medals in 1939, after losing the final to Lithuania by one point. Latvia has acceded to most relevant human rights instruments and is party to both the 1954 and 1961 statelessness conventions. [37] Riga became an important point of east–west trading[37] and formed close cultural links with Western Europe. [173], The four biggest ports of Latvia are located in Riga, Ventspils, Liepāja and Skulte. [216] Dinamo Riga is the country's strongest hockey club, playing in the Kontinental Hockey League. Extraordinary Brussels European Council confirms the EU's determination to conclude accession negotiations with 10 EU candidate states, including Latvia, at the Copenhagen European Council on December 12 – 13 and to sign the accession treaty in April, 2003. Latvia has a long and successful tradition of extra-curricular education, called interest-related or hobby education. [20] The Baltic Sea moderates the climate, although the country has four distinct seasons and snowy winters. [85], The total length of Latvia's boundary is 1,866 km (1,159 mi). Latvia has a total area of 64,559 km (24,926 sq mi) of which 62,157 km (23,999 sq mi) land, 18,159 km (7,011 sq mi) agricultural land, 34,964 km (13,500 sq mi) forest land and 2,402 km (927 sq mi) inland water. He works within the European External Action Service (EEAS), the European Union’s diplomatic service, which makes sure the voice of the European Union is heard in the world. Latvia submitted its application for membership to the European Union on 27 October 1995. 18 November. On 18 February 2012, Latvia held a constitutional referendum on whether to adopt Russian as a second official language. [15][16][17] Since Latvia's independence in 1918, it has been referred to as one of the Baltic states. [citation needed] The rise in use of the Latvian language in literature and society became known as the First National Awakening. [citation needed] On 15 May 1934, Ulmanis staged a bloodless coup, establishing a nationalist dictatorship that lasted until 1940. [217], Latvia has participated successfully in both Winter and Summer Olympics. [61] The Soviet Union incorporated Latvia on 5 August 1940, as The Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic. [171], The IMF concluded the First Post-Program Monitoring Discussions with the Republic of Latvia in July 2012 announcing that Latvia's economy has been recovering strongly since 2010, following the deep downturn in 2008–09. The Country Office is the focal point for WHO activities in Latvia and the Country team consists of 2 staff members. On 4 May 1990, the Supreme Council adopted the Declaration on the Restoration of Independence of the Republic of Latvia, and the Latvian SSR was renamed Republic of Latvia. There are 2,256 lakes that are bigger than 1 ha (2.5 acres), with a collective area of 1,000 km2 (390 sq mi). A referendum on European Union membership was held in Latvia on 20 September 2003. [103] Non-marine molluscs of Latvia include 159 species. It was a member of the League of Nations (1921–1946). [194] About 21% of the total population is not affiliated with a specific religion.[2]. Instead, its work is led by the country holding the Council presidency, which rotates every 6 months. BK Ventspils, which participates in EuroChallenge, is the second strongest basketball club in Latvia, previously winning LBL eight times and BBL in 2013. World War I devastated the territory of what became the state of Latvia, and other western parts of the Russian Empire. Most of the Hindus are local converts from the work of the Hare Krishna movement; some are foreign workers from India. At this time, songs often made fun of the characteristics of Soviet life and were concerned about preserving Latvian identity. [73] Latvia manufactured trains, ships, minibuses, mopeds, telephones, radios and hi-fi systems, electrical and diesel engines, textiles, furniture, clothing, bags and luggage, shoes, musical instruments, home appliances, watches, tools and equipment, aviation and agricultural equipment and long list of other goods. Big European events have been celebrated in Riga such as the Eurovision Song Contest 2003 and the European Film Awards 2014. Under this division Riga region includes large parts of what traditionally is considered Vidzeme, Courland, and Zemgale. [citation needed] Latvia’s currency is Euro (€) since it became a member of the Eurozone on January 1, 2014. [140], Since March 2004, when the Baltic states joined NATO, fighter jets of NATO members have been deployed on a rotational basis for the Baltic Air Policing mission at Šiauliai Airport in Lithuania to guard the Baltic airspace. To qualify for a Blue Card, you must hold a university or college diploma from an educational programme that lasted three years or longer. Eager to join Western economic institutions like the World Trade Organization, OECD, and the European Union, Latvia signed a Europe Agreement with the EU in 1995—with a 4-year transition period. Summer starts in June and lasts until August. The most important sectors of Latvia’s economy in 2018 were wholesale and retail trade, transport, accommodation and food services (25.4%), industry (16.1%) and public administration, defence, education, human health and social work activities (15.8%). As a result, Latvia is running a biocapacity reserve. There were some spontaneous uprisings by Latvians against the Red Army which helped the Germans. The largest city in Latvia is Riga, the second largest city is Daugavpils and the third largest city is Liepaja. [130], More than 56% of leading positions are held by women in Latvia, which ranks 1st in Europe; Latvia ranks 1st in the world in women's rights sharing the position with five other European countries according to World Bank. Real GDP growth of 5.5 percent in 2011 was underpinned by export growth and a recovery in domestic demand. [42], In the 17th and early 18th centuries, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Sweden, and Russia struggled for supremacy in the eastern Baltic. [citation needed], In the post-war period, Latvia was made to adopt Soviet farming methods. [56]:78–96 The occupation was followed immediately by SS Einsatzgruppen troops who were to act in accordance with the Nazi Generalplan Ost which required the population of Latvia to be cut by 50 percent. There were 290,660 "non-citizens" living in Latvia or 14.1% of Latvian residents, mainly Russian settlers who arrived after the occupation of 1940 and their descendants. [55] In the north, Latvia, Finland and Estonia were assigned to the Soviet sphere. [200] It is among the lowest-ranked healthcare systems in Europe, due to excessive waiting times for treatment, insufficient access to the latest medicines, and other factors. Meanwhile, largely isolated from the rest of Latvia, southern Latgallians adopted Catholicism under Polish/Jesuit influence. [19] Latvian and Lithuanian are the only two surviving Baltic languages. Both nowadays cover a variety of different fields. [114] Nordic-Baltic Six (NB-6), comprising Nordic-Baltic countries that are European Union member states, is a framework for meetings on EU-related issues. CCPR/CO/79/LVA, 1 December 2003, "A new kind of citizenship accepted by EU? Latvia is historically predominantly Lutheran Protestant, except for the Latgale region in the southeast, which has historically been predominantly Roman Catholic. Common ingredients in Latvian recipes are found locally, such as potatoes, wheat, barley, cabbage, onions, eggs, and pork. In October 1999, Latvia received a favourable evaluation in the Commission's Annual Review of Accession Preparations. It has survived in German Baltic families to this day, in spite of their dispersal to Germany, the United States, Canada and other countries in the early 20th century. Since then, Lutheranism has declined to a slightly greater extent than Roman Catholicism in all three Baltic states. [110][111][112], Since the early 1990s, Latvia has been involved in active trilateral Baltic states co-operation with its neighbours Estonia and Lithuania, and Nordic-Baltic co-operation with the Nordic countries. [169] Latvia's current account, which had been in deficit by 27% in late 2006 was in surplus in February 2010. In 2012, 45.0% of births were to unmarried women. [145] Latvia acts as the lead nation in the coordination of the Northern Distribution Network for transportation of non-lethal ISAF cargo by air and rail to Afghanistan. [citation needed] They developed distinct cultural heritage, characterised by both Latvian and German influences. Popular discontent exploded in the 1905 Russian Revolution, which took a nationalist character in the Baltic provinces. The agreement between the EU and the United Kingdom on future relationship discussed at the Cabinet and the Saeima commissions. All EU member States are WTO members, as is the EU (until 30 November 2009 known officially in the WTO as the European Communities for legal reasons) in its own right. The Commission is represented in each EU country by a local office, called a "representation". [56]:64[56]:56, Under German occupation, Latvia was administered as part of Reichskommissariat Ostland. ECDC will publish updates on the number of cases and deaths reported worldwide and aggregated by week every Thursday. Approximately 30,000 performers altogether participate in the event. Currently, VEF Rīga, which competes in EuroCup, is the strongest professional basketball club in Latvia. [29] It performs favorably in measurements of civil liberties, press freedom, internet freedom, democratic governance, living standards, and peacefulness. [51] The constitution was partly suspended by Kārlis Ulmanis after his coup in 1934 but reaffirmed in 1990. [210], Starting in 2019 Latvia hosts the inaugural Riga Jurmala Music Festival, a new festival in which world-famous orchestras and conductors perform across four weekends during the summer. Book your tour today. When peaceful means of conversion failed to produce results, Meinhard plotted to convert Livonians by force of arms. In January 1991, Soviet political and military forces tried unsuccessfully to overthrow the Republic of Latvia authorities by occupying the central publishing house in Riga and establishing a Committee of National Salvation to usurp governmental functions. Eastern Latvia was cleared of Red Army forces by Latvian and Polish troops in early 1920 (from the Polish perspective the Battle of Daugavpils was a part of the Polish–Soviet War). [107] The most senior civil servants are the thirteen Secretaries of State. Latvia plans to base the development of its scientific potential on existing scientific traditions, particularly in organic chemistry, medical chemistry, genetic engineering, physics, materials science and information technologies. [citation needed] It had a 2019 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 2.09/10, ranking it 159th globally out of 172 countries. [80], Language and citizenship laws have been opposed by many Russophones. These have their own city councils and municipal administrations. [93] There are 706 specially state-level protected natural areas in Latvia: four national parks, one biosphere reserve, 42 nature parks, nine areas of protected landscapes, 260 nature reserves, four strict nature reserves, 355 nature monuments, seven protected marine areas and 24 microreserves. The University of Latvia and Riga Technical University are two major universities in the country, both established on the basis of[clarification needed] Riga Polytechnical Institute and located in Riga. In Boxing, Mairis Briedis is the first Latvian to win a boxing world title, having held the WBC cruiserweight title from 2017 to 2018, and the WBO cruiserweight title in 2019. [57] Most of those who remained left for Germany in summer 1940, when a second resettlement scheme was agreed. Children born to non-nationals after the reestablishment of independence are automatically entitled to citizenship. Latvia is a member of the European Union, Eurozone, NATO, the Council of Europe, the United Nations, CBSS, the IMF, NB8, NIB, OECD, OSCE, and WTO. Every year more boys are born. This aroused popular protests against the USSR and also gave rise to an increasing popularity of poetry. Official EU language(s): Bulgarian; EU member country: since 1 January 2007; Currency: Bulgarian lev BGN. Latvia is a unitary state, currently divided into 110 one-level municipalities (Latvian: novadi) and 9 republican cities (Latvian: republikas pilsētas) with their own city council and administration: Daugavpils, Jēkabpils, Jelgava, Jūrmala, Liepāja, Rēzekne, Riga, Valmiera, and Ventspils. Fish is commonly consumed due to Latvia's location on the Baltic Sea. An inlet of the Baltic Sea, the shallow Gulf of Riga is situated in the northwest of the country. Winters have average temperatures of −6 °C (21 °F) and are characterized by stable snow cover, bright sunshine, and short days. [118] The Nordic Council of Ministers has an office in Riga. Despite the fact that the proportion of ethnic Latvians has been steadily increasing for more than a decade, ethnic Latvians also make up slightly less than a half of the population of the capital city of Latvia – Riga. The country is subdivided into 110 one-level municipalities and 9 cities. The Commissioner nominated by Latvia to the European Commission is Valdis Dombrovskis, Executive Vice-President for an Economy that Works for People. [100] In 2016 Latvia used 6.4 global hectares of biocapacity per person - their ecological footprint of consumption. Healthcare system is a high-resolution image service featuring images of Latvia and the second highest Europe! Operations, [ 141 ] of Latvia, Finland and Estonia were assigned to the WWF, the three! The Germans Secretaries of state country ’ s accession to the exodus triggered by ’. 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