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Latvia - 24.603189 56.879635

Latvia Latvian Flag - Three horizontal bands of maroon (top), white (half-width), and maroon.

Weather
Maritime; wet, moderate winters.

Terrain
Low plain.

Currency
Latvian Lat (LVL)

Languages
Latvian (official), Lithuanian, Russian, other

Religion
Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox

Ethnic groups
Latvian 57.7%, Russian 29.6%, Belarusian 4.1%, Ukrainian 2.7%, Polish 2.5%, Lithuanian 1.4%, other 2% (2002)

History
After a brief period of independence between the two World Wars, Latvia was annexed by the USSR in 1940. It reestablished its independence in 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union. Although the last Russian troops left in 1994, the status of the Russian minority (some 30% of the population) remains of concern to Moscow. Latvia joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004.