Latvia

Latvijas Republika Republic of Latvia
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "Tēvzemei un Brīvībai"  (Latvian) "For Fatherland and Freedom"
Anthem: Dievs, svētī Latviju!  (Latvian) "God, bless Latvia!"
Location of  Latvia  (orange) – on the European continent  (camel & white) – in the European Union  (camel)
Capital (and largest city)	Riga 56°57′N 24°6′E
Official languages	Latvian
Ethnic groups	60.5% Latvians 28.5% Russians   4.5% Belarussians   2.1% Poles   3.4% others
Government	Parliamentary democracy
- President	Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga
- Prime Minister	Aigars Kalvītis
Independence1	from Russia
- Declared	November 18, 1918
- Recognized	January 26, 1921
- Proclaimed2	May 4, 1990
- Completed	September 6, 1991
Accession to EU	May 1, 2004
Area
- Total	64,589 km² (124th) 24,937 sq mi
- Water (%)	1.5
Population
- July 2005 estimate	2,307,000 (141st)
- 2000 census	2 375 000
- Density	36 /km² (166th) 93 /sq mi
GDP (PPP)	2005 estimate
- Total	$29.214 billion (95th)
- Per capita	$12,622 (53rd)
HDI (2004)	0.845 (high) (45th)
Currency	Lats (Ls) (LVL)
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
- Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Internet TLD	.lv 3
Calling code	+371
1 Latvia considers itself continuous with the first republic. 2 Secession from Soviet Union begun. 3 Also .eu, shared with other European Union member states.

Latvia (historically Lattonia, Lettonia, or Lettland), officially the Republic of Latvia (Latvian: Latvija or Latvijas Republika, Livonian: Lețmō), is a country in Northern Europe. Latvia shares land borders with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south – and both Russia and Belarus to the east. In the west, Latvia shares a maritime border with Sweden. The capital of Latvia is Riga (Latvian: Rīga). Latvia has been a member state of the European Union since May 1, 2004.