The Flag of Latvia
The location of Latvia

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Latvia:

Latviasovereign country located in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. Latvia is bordered to the north by Estonia (343km), to the south by Lithuania (588km), and to the east both by Belarus (141km) and the Russian Federation (276km). Across the Baltic Sea to the west lies Sweden. The territory of Latvia covers 64,589km2 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

Geography of Latvia

Lithuania 576 km Estonia 343 km Russia 292 km Belarus 171 km Coastline: Baltic Sea 498 km

Environment of Latvia

An enlargeable satellite image of Latvia

Natural geographic features of Latvia

Ecoregions of Latvia

List of ecoregions in Latvia

  • Ecoregions in Latvia

Administrative divisions of Latvia

Administrative divisions 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

Districts of Latvia

Subdivisions of Latvia

Subdivisions of Latvia

Municipalities of Latvia

Demography of Latvia

Demographics of Latvia

Government and politics of Latvia

Politics of Latvia

Branches of the government of Latvia

Government of Latvia

Executive branch of the government of Latvia

Legislative branch of the government of Latvia

Judicial branch of the government of Latvia

Court system of Latvia

Foreign relations of Latvia

Foreign relations of Latvia

International organization membership

The Republic of Latvia is a member of:

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) Zangger Committee (ZC) (permanent observer)

Law and order in Latvia

Law of Latvia

Military of Latvia

Military of Latvia

Local government in Latvia

Local government in Latvia

History of Latvia

History of Latvia

Culture of Latvia

Culture of Latvia

Art in Latvia

Sports in Latvia

Sports in Latvia

Economy and infrastructure of Latvia

Economy of Latvia

Education in Latvia

Education in Latvia

Civil society organisations in Latvia

See also

Latvia

External links

Wikimedia Atlas of Latvia

  • — Statistical information on economic, demographic, social, and environmental phenomena and processes of Latvia
  • from The World Factbook
  • — Publications on Latvian society, economy, culture and history