Latvia Capital

The Latvian language is the primary and official language in Latvia. The Latvian language was granted status as the official language of Latvia in 1918. The language, however, lost its status in 1940 during the Soviet Union as most people spoke Russian. The language regained its status as the official language of Latvia in 1988. After the language regained the status as the official language, the Latvian language became highly standardized.

Throughout the time that Latvia was a part of the Soviet Union, Russian was predominantly spoken. Today, the majority, or 80%, of the population speaks Latvian.

Latvia is as at least as old as its first printed text, which dates back to 1525. However, it is most likely older than that. Latvian is said to have had Germanic influences in the 19th century, but the language was originally spoken by the ancient Latgalian tribes before it got lost as a consolidation process into a broader language. The Latvian language has been called unique because of its verb mood as it is noted by linguists and translators to have a debitive mood to express obligation, a quotative mood to make uncertain utterances and indications. The Latvian language's first dictionary was published in 1638 with the 1st grammar book published in 1644. The Bible was translated to Latvian in 1685. There are languages that are spoken inside Latvian such as the Latgalian and New Curonian. There have been arguments on whether these languages should be classified as a variation of Latvian language or as different languages.

Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Polish, and Lithuanian are common minority languages spoken in Latvia. Latvia has a language policy where Latvian is the official language. However, the government will protect and develop the languages of Latvia's minorities. Because of the Soviet Union, Latvia was Russianized. Therefore, from the 1990s to 2008, programmes were run by the government to teach Latvian.

This page was last modified on May 1st, 2018

More on Graphicmaps

Published on 2019-11-06


Capital	Riga
Languages	Latvian (official) 56.3%, Russian 33.8%, other 0.6% (includes Polish, Ukrainian, and Belarusian), unspecified 9.4%
Ethnic Groups	Latvian 61.8%, Russian 25.6%, Belarusian 3.4%, Ukrainian 2.3%, Polish 2.1%, Lithuanian 1.2%, other 3.6% (2016 est.)
Religion	Lutheran 19.6%, Orthodox 15.3%, other Christian 1%, other 0.4%, unspecified 63.7% (2006)
Government	Parliamentary republic
Independance	4 May 1990 (declared); 6 September 1991 (recognized by the Soviet Union)
Area	64,589.00 km²
Water Area	2,340.00 km²
Land Area	62,249.00 km²
Population	1,965,686.00 Largest concentration of people is found in and around the port and capital city of Riga; small agglomerations are scattered throughout the country
Location	Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Estonia and Lithuania
No. Bordering Countries	4
Bordering Countries	Belarus 161 km, Estonia 333 km, Lithuania 544 km, Russia 332 km
GDP(PPP)	$50,650,000,000.00 (USD)
GDP (Per Capita)	$25,700.00 (USD)
Export Partners	Its major export partners are Lithuania, Russia, and Estonia.
Export Commodities	Its main exports are foodstuffs, wood and wood products, and metals.
Import Partners	Its major import partners are Lithuania, Germany, and Poland.
Import Commodities	Its major imports include machinery and equipment, consumer goods, chemicals, and fuels.
Climate	Maritime; wet, moderate winters
Terrain	Low plain
Learn More	Latvia

Latvia Capital

More on Graphicmaps

What is a Trade Embargo?

Which Two Countries Used to Have the Same Flag?

What Is the Only Two-Sided State Flag?

Which Country Flag Looks Like the Texas Flag?

Flags That Resemble the US Flag

What is Demography?