Portal:Latvia
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The Latvia Portal![]() ![]() Latvia(/ˈlætviə/ⓘLAT-vee-ə,sometimes/ˈlɑːtviə/LAHT-vee-ə;Latvian:LatvijaLatvian pronunciation:[ˈlatvija]), officially theRepublic of Latvia,is a country in theBaltic regionofNorthern Europe.It is one of the threeBaltic states,along withEstoniato the north andLithuaniato the south. It bordersRussiato the east,Belarusto the southeast, and shares amaritime borderwith Sweden to the west. Latvia covers an area of 64,589 km2(24,938 sq mi), with a population of 1.9 million. The country has atemperate seasonal climate.Its capital andlargest cityisRiga.Latviansbelong to theethnolinguistic groupof theBaltsand speakLatvian,one of the only two survivingBaltic languages,a branch of theIndo-European language family.Russiansare the most prominent minority in the country, at almost a quarter of the population. After centuries ofTeutonic,Swedish,Polish-Lithuanian,andRussianrule, which was mainly implemented through the localBaltic Germanaristocracy,the independent Republic of Latvia was established on 18 November 1918 after breaking away from theGerman Empirein the aftermath ofWorld War I.The country became increasinglyautocraticafter thecoup in 1934established the dictatorship ofKārlis Ulmanis.Latvia'sde factoindependence was interrupted at the outset ofWorld War II,beginning with Latvia'sforcible incorporationinto theSoviet Union,followed by theinvasion and occupationbyNazi Germanyin 1941 and there-occupation by the Sovietsin 1944, which formed theLatvian SSRfor the next 45 years. As a result of extensive immigration during the Soviet occupation, ethnicRussiansbecame the most prominent minority in the country. The peacefulSinging Revolutionstarted in 1987 among the Baltic Soviet republics and ended with the restoration of bothde factoand officiallyindependenceon 21 August 1991. Latvia has since been a democraticunitaryparliamentary republic. Latvia is adeveloped countrywith ahigh-income,advanced economyranking 39th in theHuman Development Index.It is a member of theEuropean Union,Eurozone,NATO,theCouncil of Europe,theUnited Nations,theCouncil of the Baltic Sea States,theInternational Monetary Fund,theNordic-Baltic Eight,theNordic Investment Bank,theOrganisation for Economic Co-operation and Development,theOrganization for Security and Co-operation in Europe,and theWorld Trade Organization.(Full article...) Selected article -show anotherOperation Priboi(Russian:Операция «Прибой»– Operation "Tidal Wave" ) was the code name for the biggestStalin-eraSoviet mass deportationfrom theBaltic stateson 25–28 March 1949. Also known as theMarch deportation(Estonian:Märtsiküüditamine;Latvian:Marta deportācijas;Russian:Мартовская депортация). More than 90,000Estonians,LatviansandLithuanians,labeled as "enemies of the state",were deported toforced settlementsin inhospitableSiberianareas of theSoviet Union.Over 70% of the deportees were either women or children under the age of 16. Portrayed as a "dekulakization"campaign, the operation was intended to facilitatecollectivisationand to eliminate the support base for the armed resistance of theForest Brothersagainst the illegalSoviet occupation.The deportation fulfilled its purposes: by the end of 1949, 93% of farms in Latvia and 80% of the farms in Estonia were collectivized. In Lithuania, progress was slower and the Soviets organized another large deportation known asOperation Osenin late 1951. The deportations were for "eternity" with no way to return. During thede-StalinizationandKhrushchev Thaw,deportees were gradually released and some of them managed to return, though many of their descendants still live in Siberian towns and villages to this day. (Full article...)Selected weekly pictureRelated portalsLatvia Dates
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