Latvia

Latvia is one of the Baltic States, located on the Baltic Sea. It borders Russia, Estonia and Lithuania. It is a small country with a population of under 3 million people (though many people of Latvian descent live in the United States and Australia). Latvia has a negative population growth rate, meaning that the number of people in the country is getting smaller each year.

Its capital is Riga, which is on the coast of the Baltic Sea opposite Sweden.

Early History

The ancestors of the modern Latvians, known as Balts, probably moved into the Latvian region around 2000 BC.

In the first few centuries AD the tribes of the region traded with Spanish & Germanic tribes and the Roman Empire. Later, they traded with and fought against Vikings and Russians. Latvia was subject to continuous foreign rule from the 13th to the 15th Century and for most of the 20th century.

Colonial Period

Latvian traders and merchants were expansionistic, starting from the 15th Century AD small trading colonies were formed throughout the South West Pacific, South East Asia. Although many of these colonies were in fact possessions of other European Powers, Latvian trade and commerce had a significant impact on Islands in South East Asia and the South West Pacific.

Modern History

Latvia was subject to German occupation during World War I. It was independent again until World War II, when it was incorporated into the Soviet Union.

The first signs that the harsh Soviet rule of Latvia was relaxing came in the late 1980s, when Mikhail Gorbachev started to encourage glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring). Decades of pent-up bitterness emerged along with mass demands for self-rule. In 1987, Latvian government members joined public meetings and rallies Latvia eventually declared independence in 1991, and joined the European Union (EU) in 2003. Years of Soviet rule changed the makeup of the nation. 30% of the population is now Russian.