Republic of Latvia (1919–1940)

Republic of Latvia Latvijas Republika  (Latvian)
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem:  Dievs, svētī Latviju! God Bless Latvia!
Location of  Latvia  (dark green) – in Europe  (green & dark grey) – in the European Union  (green)  –  [Legend]
Capital and largest city	Riga 56°57′N 24°6′E / 56.950°N 24.100°E / 56.950; 24.100
Official languages	Latviana
Ethnic groups (2017)	62.0% Latvians 25.4% Russians 3.3% Belarusians 2.2% Ukrainians 2.1% Poles 1.2% Lithuanians 4.8% others / unspecified
Demonym	Latvian
Government	Unitary semi-presidential parliamentary constitutional republic
• President	Raimonds Vējonis
• Prime Minister	Māris Kučinskis
Legislature	Saeima
Independence
• Declaredb	18 November 1918
• Recognised	26 January 1921
• Soviet occupation	5 August 1940
• Nazi German occupation	10 July 1941
• Soviet re-occupation	1944
• Announced independence	4 May 1990
• Restored independence	21 August 1991
• Independence recognized by the Soviet Union	6 September 1991
• Admitted to the United Nations	17 September 1991
• Joined the European Union	1 May 2004
Area
• Total	64,589 km2 (24,938 sq mi) (122nd)
• Water (%)	1.57% (1,014 km2)
Population
• 2016 estimate	1,953,200 (148th)
• 2011 census	2,070,371
• Density	34.3/km2 (88.8/sq mi) (166th)
GDP (PPP)	2017 estimate
• Total	$53.268 billion
• Per capita	$27,189
GDP (nominal)	2017 estimate
• Total	$27.795 billion
• Per capita	$14,187
Gini (2013)	35.2 medium
HDI (2015)	0.830 very high · 44th
Currency	Euro (€) (EUR)
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Drives on the	right
Calling code	+371
ISO 3166 code	LV
Internet TLD	.lvc
Latvian is the sole official language.Livonian is considered an indigenous language and has special legal status.Latgalian written language and Latvian Sign Language also have special legal status. Latvia is de jure continuous with its declaration of 18 November 1918. The .eu domain is also used, as it is shared with other European Union member states.

– in Europe  (green & dark grey)
– in the European Union  (green)  –  [Legend]

Latvia, /ˈlætviə/; Latvian: Latvija [ˈlatvija]), officially the Republic of Latvia (Latvian: Latvijas Republika), is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe, one of the three Baltic states. It is bordered by Estonia to the north, Lithuania to the south, Russia to the east, and Belarus to the southeast, as well as sharing a maritime border with Sweden to the west. Latvia has 1,957,200 inhabitants and a territory of 64,589 km² (24,938 sq mi). The country has a temperate seasonal climate.

After centuries of Swedish, Livonian, Polish and Russian rule, a rule mainly executed by the privileged Baltic German , the Republic of Latvia was established on 18 November 1918 after declaring independence from Russia in the aftermath of World War I. However, by the 1930s, the country became increasingly autocratic after the coup in 1934 establishing an authoritarian regime under Kārlis Ulmanis. The country'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 to form the Latvian SSR for the next fifty years. The peaceful Singing Revolution, starting in 1987, called for Baltic emancipation from Soviet rule and condemning the "Stalinist" regime's illegal takeover. It ended with the Declaration on the Restoration of Independence of the Republic of Latvia on 4 May 1990, and restoring de facto independence on 21 August 1991.