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Fun facts about Latvia

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Turaida Castle near Sigulda, built in 1214 under Albert of Riga
country

The name Latvija is derived from the ancient Latgalians, one of four Indo-European Baltic tribes.

Latvia
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country

Latvia

Population
1.8M
Area
64,589 km²
Capital
Riga
Continent
Europe
149th most populous country in the world

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.

From the “Etymology” section

Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Photo: Nikater · CC BY-SA 3.0

Fact 1 permalink
Turaida Castle near Sigulda, built in 1214 under Albert of Riga
country

Latvia has the fifth highest proportion of land covered by forests in the European Union.

Latvia
Tap to learn more
country

Latvia

Population
1.8M
Area
64,589 km²
Capital
Riga
Continent
Europe
149th most populous country in the world

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.

From the “Geography” section

Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Photo: Nikater · CC BY-SA 3.0

Fact 2 permalink
Turaida Castle near Sigulda, built in 1214 under Albert of Riga
country

30,000 Jews were shot in Latvia in the autumn of 1941 under German occupation.

Latvia
Tap to learn more
country

Latvia

Population
1.8M
Area
64,589 km²
Capital
Riga
Continent
Europe
149th most populous country in the world

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.

From the “History” section

Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Photo: Nikater · CC BY-SA 3.0

Fact 3 permalink
Turaida Castle near Sigulda, built in 1214 under Albert of Riga
country

Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga was the first female head of state in the former Soviet bloc state.

Latvia
Tap to learn more
country

Latvia

Population
1.8M
Area
64,589 km²
Capital
Riga
Continent
Europe
149th most populous country in the world

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.

From the “History” section

Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Photo: Nikater · CC BY-SA 3.0

Fact 4 permalink
Turaida Castle near Sigulda, built in 1214 under Albert of Riga
country

In May 2023, Edgars Rinkēvičs became the European Union's first openly gay head of state.

Latvia
Tap to learn more
country

Latvia

Population
1.8M
Area
64,589 km²
Capital
Riga
Continent
Europe
149th most populous country in the world

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.

From the “History” section

Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Photo: Nikater · CC BY-SA 3.0

Fact 5 permalink