Latvia

Where the name comes from

Latvia comes from the Latvians’ name, related to the earlier Latgalians; suggested links to Baltic river names are uncertain.

First people

Baltic tribes settled here thousands of years ago; Latvian is a Baltic language, while neighbouring Livonian is Finnic.¹

Known for

Latvia is known for its Song and Dance Festival, which gathers tens of thousands of singers, and for Riga’s Art Nouveau buildings.²

Outside contact

German crusaders conquered the land in the 1200s, and Russia later took Latvian lands in 1710, 1772 and 1795.³

The modern country

Independence in 1918 was interrupted by Soviet annexation in 1940 and German occupation in 1941–1944. On 23 August 1989, the Baltic Way human chain linked Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and independence was restored in 1991.⁴