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Latvia Facts & Worksheets

One of the countries located in the Baltic region (countries surrounding the Baltic Sea) in Northern Europe is Latvia.

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One of the countries located in the Baltic region (countries surrounding the Baltic Sea) in Northern Europe is Latvia. Its official name is the Republic of Latvia. The Latvian territory spans 64,589 square kilometers. Latvia declared independence in 1918, and has been one of the Baltic states ever since.

See the fact file below for more information on the Latvia or alternatively, you can download our 27-page Latvia worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

GENERAL FACTS

  • The capital and largest city in Latvia is Riga.
  • As of 2020, Riga is home to 627,487 inhabitants, a third of Latvia’s total population.
  • The city of Riga is located on the Gulf of Riga, at the entrance of the Daugava River connected to the Baltic Sea.
  • Riga, the largest city in Latvia, covers an area of 307.17 square kilometers and has an elevation of 1-10 miles above sea level.
  • The flag of Latvia features a red-white-red design, adopted on November 18, 1918 (on declaring Latvia’s independence) and was restored on February 27, 1990.
  • The red shade of the Latvian flag is called carmine red, but is also referred to as Latvian red. It is a dark shade of red that is attained by mixing brown and purple.
  • The Latvian flag features carmine red with a white strip in the middle. The red color symbolizes the readiness of Latvians to give blood to defend their freedom.
  • However, the white sheet may come from an alternative interpretation that involved a legend about a Latvian leader being wounded in battle and the white sheet being stained by his blood.
  • The official language of Latvia is Latvian, an Eastern Baltic language spoken in the Baltic region. It is also known as Lettish.
  • Latvia is governed through a unitary, parliamentary, constitutional republic.

DEMOGRAPHICS

  • The citizens of Latvia are referred to as Latvians.
  • As of 2019, the Republic of Latvia had a recorded population of 1,919,968.
  • As of 2019, there were eight notable ethnic groups inhabiting Latvia:
    • Latvians, who make up 3% of the population
    • Russians; 24.9%
    • Belarusians; 3.2%
    • Ukrainians; 2.2%
    • Poles; 2.0%
    • Lithuanians; 1.2%
    • Jews; 0.2%
    • Unspecified ethnic groups make up 3.6% of the Latvian populace
  • 80% of the Latvian populace subscribe to Christianity. 18.3% has no religion while the remaining 1.7% belongs to other religions.

GEOGRAPHY

  • Latvia is located in the northern part of Europe, east of the Baltic Sea, on the northwestern part of the East European Craton (EEC).
  • Latvia has a total area of 64,559 square kilometers or 24,926 square miles.
  • 62,157 square kilometers of Latvia is land.
  • 18,159 square kilometers is agricultural land.
  • 34,964 square kilometers is forest land.
  • 2,402 square kilometers is inland water.
  • Latvia is bordered by Estonia to the north, Lithuania to the south, Russia to the east, Belarus to the southeast, and Sweden to the west.

ETYMOLOGY

  • Latvia or Latvija comes from the name of the Latgalians, an ancient Baltic tribe that belongs to the four ancient Indo-European tribes.
  • The Latgalians, together with the Finnic Livonians, formed the ethnic group of native Latvians.

HISTORY

  • Over 5,000 years ago, proto-Baltic people settled on the eastern coasts of the Baltic Sea.
  • The Baltic people established trade routes to Rome and Byzantium. They mainly traded amber and other metals.
  • Around 1,500 years ago, the Curonians, Latgalians, Selonians, and Semigallians—four ancient Baltic tribes—inhabited the Latvian territory, including the Finnic tribe of Livonians inhabited the Latvian land as well.
  • In the 12th century, Latvia was divided into 14 lands with their corresponding rulers: Vanema, Ventava, Bandava, Piemare, Duvzare, Ceklis, Megava, Pilsāts, Upmale, Sēlija, Koknese, Jersika, Tālava, and Adzele.
  • In the late 12th century, the first missionaries in Latvia were sent by the Pope and assailed the Daugava leader. The locals did not readily convert to Christianity, so German crusaders were sent.
  • 1184: Saint Meinhard of Segeberg arrived in Ikskile, Latvia to convert pagans into Christianity.
  • 1193: A crusade against pagans was executed in Northern Europe. Saint Meinhard resorted to force to convert Livonians into Christianity.
  • 13th Century: Germans ruled the majority of Latvian territory, along with Southern Estonia and formed the crusader state known as Mariana or Livonia.
  • 1558-1583: The Livonian war was fought between the Tsardom of Russia and the Livonian Confederation. Livonia (Latvia) was defeated and ruled by Polish and Lithuanian forces.
  • 1795-1917: Latvia fell under the rule of the Russian Empire.
  • Latvia declared independence on November 18, 1918.
  • The Republic of Latvia was recognised on January 26, 1921.
  • Latvia’s constitution was adopted on November 7, 1922.
  • The Latvian SSR was formed in 1940 and lasted until 1991.
  • Latvia restored independence on August 21, 1991.
  • The Soviet Union recognized Latvia’s Independence on September 6, 1991.
  • Latvia was admitted to the United Nations on September 17, 1991.
  • Latvia joined the European Union on May 1, 2004.

CULTURE

  • More than 1.2 million texts and 30,000 folk song melodies of traditional Latvian culture have been retrieved and identified.
  • Ice hockey is the most popular sport in Latvia.
  • Socialist realism in art was practiced in Latvia as it was a member of the Soviet Union.
  • The tradition of choir music is prominent in Latvia where professional and amateur choirs exist.
  • National Song and Dance festivals occur in Latvia every five years where 20,000 singers participate.
  • Traditional Latvian dance portrays everyday life in the rural area, and has originated from the Baltic tradition.

LANDMARKS

  • Birini Palace — Located in Vidzeme; a manor house. The palace was built in Neo-renaissance style in 1860.
  • Dom Cathedral — Located in Riga, built in 1211. It is the largest medieval church in the Baltic region.
  • Freedom Monument — Also in Vidzeme, Riga; built in 1935. A monument to commemorate Latvia’s independence.
  • Jelgava Palace — Located in Zemgale; built in 1738-1772. It is the largest palace in Latvia.
  • Kaive Oak — The tree with the largest girth in Latvia and the Baltic region.

Latvia Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Latvia across 27 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Latvia worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Latvia which is one of the countries located in the Baltic region (countries surrounding the Baltic Sea) in Northern Europe. Its official name is the Republic of Latvia. The Latvian territory spans 64,589 square kilometers. Latvia declared independence in 1918, and has been one of the Baltic states ever since.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Latvia Facts
  • The Land of Latvia
  • Flag Features
  • True or False?
  • Period Sequencing
  • Latvian Cities
  • Culture Sketch
  • Dates to Remember
  • Ethnic Group Checklist
  • Mapping Latvia
  • Loving Latvia

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Link will appear as Latvia Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, September 21, 2020

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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