Outline 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 Russian Federation (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
- 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 ISO 3166-2:LV
- Internet country code top-level domain: .lv
Geography of Latvia
- Latvia is: a country
- Location:
- Northern Hemisphere and Eastern Hemisphere
- Eurasia
- 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
-
- 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
- Climate of Latvia
- Renewable energy in Latvia
- Geology of Latvia
- Protected areas of Latvia
- Wildlife of Latvia
Natural geographic features of Latvia
Ecoregions of Latvia
Administrative divisions 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
Government and 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
Executive branch of the government of Latvia
- Head of state: President of Latvia, Raimonds Vējonis
- Head of government: Prime Minister of Latvia, Laimdota Straujuma
- Cabinet of Latvia
Legislative branch of the government of Latvia
Judicial branch of the government of Latvia
Foreign relations of Latvia
International organization membership
The Republic of Latvia is a member of:[1]
Law and order in Latvia
- Capital punishment in Latvia
- Constitution of Latvia
- Crime in Latvia
- Human rights in Latvia
- Law enforcement in Latvia
Military of Latvia
- Command
- Forces
- Military history of Latvia
- Military ranks of Latvia
Local government in Latvia
History of Latvia
- Main article: History of Latvia, Timeline of the history of Latvia, and Current events 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
- People of Latvia
- Prostitution in Latvia
- Public holidays in Latvia
- Records of Latvia
- Religion 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
- Economic rank, by nominal GDP (2007): 82nd (eighty-second)
- Agriculture in Latvia
- Banking in Latvia
- Communications in Latvia
- Companies of Latvia
- Currency of Latvia: Euro
- ISO 4217: EUR
- Energy in Latvia
- Health care in Latvia
- Mining in Latvia
- Latvian Real Estate (needs fixing)
- Riga Stock Exchange
- Tourism in Latvia
- Transport in Latvia
Education in Latvia
See also
- Index of Latvia-related articles
- List of international rankings
- List of Latvia-related topics
- 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
- ^ a b "Latvia". The World Factbook. United States Central Intelligence Agency. July 2, 2009. Retrieved July 23, 2009.
External links
- The President of Latvia
- National Statistics Agency — Statistical information on economical, 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