The flag of Latvia
The coat of arms of Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe . It is one of the three Baltic states , along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to the southeast, and shares a maritime border with Sweden to the west. Latvia covers an area of 64,589 km2 (24,938 sq mi), with a population of 1.9 million. The country has a temperate seasonal climate . Its capital and largest city is Riga . Latvians , who are the titular nation and comprise 63.0% of the country's population, belong to the ethnolinguistic group of the Balts and speak Latvian . Russians are the most prominent minority in the country, at almost a quarter of the population; 37.7% of the population speak Russian as their native tongue.
After centuries of Teutonic , Swedish , Polish-Lithuanian , and Russian rule, the independent Republic of Latvia was established on 18 November 1918 after breaking away from the German Empire in the aftermath of World War I . The country became increasingly autocratic after the coup in 1934 established the dictatorship of Kārlis Ulmanis . Latvia's de facto independence was interrupted at the outset of World War II , beginning with Latvia's forcible incorporation into the Soviet Union , followed by the invasion and occupation by Nazi Germany in 1941 and the re-occupation by the Soviets in 1944, which formed the Latvian SSR for the next 45 years. As a result of extensive immigration during the Soviet occupation, ethnic Russians became the most prominent minority in the country. The peaceful Singing Revolution started in 1987 among the Baltic Soviet republics and ended with the restoration of both de facto and official independence on 21 August 1991. Latvia has since been a democratic unitary parliamentary republic .
Latvia is a developed country with a high-income , advanced economy ranking 39th in the Human Development Index . It is a member of the European Union , Eurozone , NATO , the Council of Europe , the United Nations , the Council of the Baltic Sea States , the International Monetary Fund , the Nordic-Baltic Eight , the Nordic Investment Bank , the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development , the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe , and the World Trade Organization . (Full article... )
Sandis Ozoliņš (born 3 August 1972), commonly spelled Sandis Ozolinsh in North America}, is a Latvian former professional ice hockey player and coach. During his career in North America, Ozoliņš was a seven-time NHL All-Star , Stanley Cup champion (as a member of the 1995–96 Colorado Avalanche ), and James Norris Memorial Trophy finalist. He is also the all-time leader for goals, assists, points, and games played by a Latvian in the NHL and holds several Colorado Avalanche and San Jose Sharks franchise records. Ozoliņš was also the highest-paid sportsman in Latvian history, before NBA basketball player Andris Biedriņš succeeded him in 2008. He became the head coach of Dinamo in 2017.
Ozoliņš was drafted in the 1991 NHL entry draft by the San Jose Sharks as the 8th pick of the second round, 30th overall. He played for the Sharks, Colorado Avalanche , Carolina Hurricanes , Florida Panthers , Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and New York Rangers . He is often considered a prototype "offensive defenceman," becoming heavily involved in his team's offense and scoring opportunities. (Full article... )
The following are images from various Latvia-related articles on Wikipedia.
Image 2 May 1, 1919 celebrations in Soviet Riga (from
History of Latvia )
Image 3 Corded Ware culture area included Latvia (from
History of Latvia )
Image 4 Baltic tribes (purple) in 7–8th centuries (from
History of Latvia )
Image 5 Valka Town Hall, where December 2, 1917 Declaration of Autonomy was issued. Now
Valga in Estonia. (from
History of Latvia )
Image 6 Latvian peasant couple working, 18–19th century (from
History of Latvia )
Image 7 Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (from
History of Latvia )
Image 8 Iskolat flag (from
History of Latvia )
Image 9 British Navy ships in Liepāja port, December 1918 (from
History of Latvia )
Image 10 Baltic Tribes, circa 1200 CE. (from
History of Latvia )
Image 11 Map of Riga and Reval Lieutenancies, 1783 (from
History of Latvia )
Image 13 Neolithic bone tools (from
History of Latvia )
Image 14 Church of Ikšķile, the first stone building in Latvia built by
Saint Meinhard in 1185 (from
History of Latvia )
Image 15 Comb pottery example from Estonia, 4000–2000 BC (from
History of Latvia )
Image 16 Winnig's note of November 26, 1918 (from
History of Latvia )
Image 17 Estimated territories under Jersika rule (from
History of Latvia )
Image 18 Swedish Baltic possessions, with Polish Livonia (from
History of Latvia )
Image 19 Āraiši lake dwelling site dates back to the late Iron Age (from
History of Latvia )
Image 20 Nicholas gate of Daugavpils fortress (from
History of Latvia )
Image 21 Maximum reach of Muscovite occupation, 1577 (from
History of Latvia )
Image 22 Krišjānis Barons, 1910 (from
History of Latvia )
Image 24 Latvian Song Festival, 2008 (from
History of Latvia )
Image 25 According to the 1939
Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact "
the Baltic States (Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) " were divided into German and Soviet "spheres of influence" (German copy) (from
History of Latvia )
Image 26 Baltic bronze necklace from the village of
Aizkraukle , Latvia dating to 12th century AD now in the British Museum. (from
History of Latvia )
Image 27 Flag of the Republic of Latvia. (from
History of Latvia )
Image 29 Divisions of Livonia, 1560–85 (from
History of Latvia )
Image 30 Local counteroffensives, 1919–1920 (from
History of Latvia )
Image 31 Soviet offensive, 1918–1919 (from
History of Latvia )
Image 32 Barricade in Riga to prevent the Soviet Army from reaching the Latvian Parliament, July 1991. (from
History of Latvia )
Image 33 Hard times for the fatherland, sons, sons, help! A patriotic postcard, 1916. (from
History of Latvia )
Image 34 All of Livonia was occupied by Sweden during the
Second Northern War (from
History of Latvia )
Image 35 Soviet Latvia's 5 ruble note (from
History of Latvia )
Image 36 Duchy of Courland and Semigallia in 1740 (from
History of Latvia )
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