• Situated in Eastern Europe on the Baltic Sea, Latvia borders on Estonia, Lithuania, Russia and Belarus.
• First proclaimed independence in 1919, was forced into the Soviet Union in 1940, reclaimed independence in 1991.
• May 2004 Latvia joined the European Union.
• Ethnic groups - 58% Latvian, the remainder mainly Russians, Belarussians and Ukrainians
• Language - Latvian is the main and official language. Russian is the second most used.
• Population - approximately 2.3 million and decreasing (deaths outnumber live births).
• Riga, founded in 1201 A.D., is the capital with a population of approximately 735,000.

Statistics from July 2006, as reported on www.rigathisweek.lv