40+ Interesting Facts About Latvia

1. Latvia is a country in northeastern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic States, located in the middle of the other two (Estonia and Lithuania).
2. Alongside the two Baltic States, Latvia shares land borders with Russia and Belarus and a maritime border with Sweden.
3. Latvian is the sole official language of Latvia. It is one of the two surviving Baltic languages (a group of Indo-European languages) alongside the Lithuanian language.
4. Russian is the most learned foreign language in Latvia due to its Soviet past. It is the mother tongue of nearly 38% of Latvians. However, the country banned teaching Russian in schools in 2023 due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. From 2026, children can adopt one of the languages of the EU (European Union) or EEA (European Economic Area) as a foreign language in place of the Russian language. (Source)
5. Humans started to inhabit Latvia in 9,000 B.C. Finns settled here around 3,000 B.C., and the pre-Baltic tribes arrived nearly a thousand years later.
6. Germans introduced Christianity in Latvia during the 12^th Century. In later centuries, Latvia came under the rule of Lithuanians, Poles, Swedes, and Russians.
7. The Three Brothers are three historical buildings in Old Town Riga, constructed between the 15^th and 17^th centuries by three men of the same family. These are considered the oldest medieval dwellings in the city.
8. The Duchy of Courland, consisting of two western provinces of modern Latvia on the shores of the Baltic Sea, was a fief of Poland and Lithuania. Courland colonized Tobago during the 17^th Century, which was one of the two colonies of Latvia ever. (Source)
9. The climate of Latvia is humid and cloudy due to the influence of southwesterly winds from the Atlantic Ocean. The country enjoys only 30 to 40 days of sunshine annually.
10. There are over 3,000 small lakes and 12,000 rivers in Latvia. However, only 17 rivers are longer than 60 miles. Latvia is also named after an ancient “Latve River.”
11. Latvia primarily has a flat lowland surface, and over 98% of its area has an elevation of less than 200m (640 feet). The eastern part is more elevated than the remaining territory. Over 53% of the land area in Latvia has forest cover and other green areas, such as meadows, swamps, and pastures. It is one of the six European countries with a forest cover of more than half its size. 
    
    
    
12. The Venta Rapid, having a width of 650-820 feet, is the widest waterfall in Europe. But unlike other famous waterfalls, its height is nearly 6 feet. It is also the only place in Europe where fish are caught in the air. (Source)
13. Latvia is famous for its hardy breed of blue cows that can remain outdoors even during frosty winters. These blue-colored cows are born beige but turn blue after some time and become darker as they age. They came close to extinction due to Soviet policies as they favored cows that produced more milk (blue cows produce 5,000 liters of milk annually compared to 8,000 kg by other local breeds). However, a theater play in the 1970s made these cows Latvia’s national symbol. There were 18 blue cows in Latvia in 2000 but their numbers increased to nearly 1,500 in 2022. These mammals are originally from the coastal Kurzeme region but are now present also in the country’s central areas. (Source)
14. Latvian National Council declared independence after WW1 in 1918. It followed the Latvian War of Independence (December 1918-August 1920) against the supporters of Soviet Russia and Germany. Latvia received support from Western allies and remained successful in this war.
15. Latvia came under the Soviet rule in 1940 during WW2. Soviets deported a large number of Latvians and people from other Baltic States to Siberia and Central Asia.
16. Nazi Germany took Latvia from USSR in 1941. They killed nearly 70,000 Latvian Jews during their occupation. Soviet military re-captured Latvia in 1944, resulting in more deportations and other atrocities. 
17. Karosta Prison remained a notorious jail for several decades in the 20^th Century during the eras of Nazi and Soviet occupation. However, it has now become a tourist attraction and volunteers can book an overnight stay from 9 pm to 9 am after signing a disclaimer and following its prison-like rules.
18. Mark Rothko was a famous American painter who played a vital role in the emergence of color-field painting in the 20^th Century. He was a Latvian Jew who later moved to the USA with his family due to fear of pogroms.
19. Aleksandrs Laime, a Latvian explorer, was the first European to reach the base of the Angel Falls in 1946. He was also the first to reach its upper side in 1950 after climbing it from a relatively easier back side. In 1955, he recommended naming this fall after Gauja, a Latvian river. (Source)
20. KGB (former Soviet security agency) recruited nearly 24,000 Latvians between 1953 and 1992. Unlike other ex-Soviet republics, Latvia protected the list of these Soviet collaborators and agents after independence. The country released the files in 2018, which included Latvia’s Supreme Court chief justice, former prime minister, and Roman Catholic Cardinal. (Source)
21. The Latvian national flag was initially used by a Latvian militia in 1279. This factor makes it one of the oldest national flags still in use. The red and white flag became Latvia’s national flag as an independent country from 1918 to 1940 and currently since 1991.
22. Minox B Camera, a portable spy camera, was widely used during the 1930s and 1940s due to its small size and high-quality pictures. A Latvian engineer developed this subminiature camera in Riga. Its original material from 1937 was steel, but later an aluminum shell replaced it from 1958 to 1972. Infamous Soviet spy John Walker Junior, a former U.S. Navy officer, also used a later version of this camera (Minox C) during his spy mission. (Source)
23. Latvians voted in favor of independence during a referendum in 1991 and the parliament restored full independence. Independence was restored practically when all Russian troops left in 1994.
24. In 1999, Vaira Vike-Freiberga became the first female president in Eastern Europe. She remained the president of Latvia from 1999 to 2007.
25. Edgars Rinkevics became the president of Latvia in 2023. He is the first openly homosexual head of state in any EU country. (Source)
26. In 2013, a supermarket roof collapsed in the capital Riga, resulting in 54 deaths. It was the worst post-independence disaster in the country. Previously, the deadliest incident was a nursing home fire that took the lives of 27 people. (Source)
27. Latvia has the second-highest female-to-male ratio in the world after Moldova. Females constitute around 53.68% of the Latvian population. (Source)
28. Women in Latvia are the tallest in the world. The average height of Latvian females born in 1996 is 5 feet 7 inches (169.8 cm). Genetic factors and living standards play a vital role in determining a person’s height. (Source)
29. Latvia is one of the 14 countries with full equal rights to women. Like the other 13 countries, the index score for equality by law in Latvia is 100.
30. Latvian women hold 44% of the top jobs in the country, the highest ratio in any EU nation. However, women earn 14.4% less on average than men. (Source)
31. Riga International Airport is the busiest in the Baltic States. It serves nearly 45% of air traffic in the region.
32. Jacob Davis, a Latvian-born tailor, invented jeans in 1871. He did so while trying to make durable pants for miners in Reno, Nevada. He received a patent for this idea in 1873. Even after 150 years, jeans nowadays are almost similar to the original ones. (Source) 

    

    A Latvian-born tailor invented jeans

    
    
33. The InAukalns underground gas storage facility in Latvia is the only natural gas storage facility for the Baltic States and Finland. However, it currently stores only 55% of its capacity, the lowest in Europe. (Source)
34. Over 60% of the population are ethnic Latvians, while nearly 25% are Russians. The ethnic Latvian population comprised around 75% before the Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940. A large number of Russians settled during the Soviet occupation of Latvia. Therefore, Russian is now the second most spoken language in the country, with around 33% of speakers, while other minority languages are Romani and Yiddish.
35. Nearly 62% of Latvians follow Christianity (Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Lutheran), while the majority of the remaining citizens are either nonreligious or atheists.
36. Tennis player Jelena Ostapenko became the first unseeded player in the open era to win the French Open Women’s Singles title in 2017
37. The first written record of a “Christmas Tree” is from the Latvian capital Riga, in 1510. It shows that local men decorated a tree with artificial roses and burned it later after dancing around it. (Source)
38. Latvians commemorate their dead through a ritual named Cemetery Festival, held annually between May and September. During this pre-Christian festival, families and friends initially pay tribute to their departed loved ones and then enjoy a family reunion in their homes. Unlike many other countries, Latvians decorate their graveyards like gardens.
39. Thousands of amateur performers participate in the Latvian Song and Dance Festival, held every five years since 1873. It is the second-oldest such festival after a similar celebration in Estonia (started in 1869).
40. Riga, the capital of Latvia, has the finest concentration of Art Nouveau buildings in the world. More than one-third of all buildings in the city center are of Art Nouveau style, the largest such concentration in the world. (Source)
41. Latvians celebrate the Midsummer festival from the night of June 23 to June 24 each year. They enjoy this celebration through joyful activities, such as dancing to folk songs, eating the traditional Midsummer cheese, drinking beer by the bonfire, decorating homes with seasonal wildflowers, etc.
42. Sabile is a town in western Latvia. Its most notable part is the Sabile Wine Hill, which was once listed as the northernmost open-air vineyard in the world.
43. Latvia gives more significance to cultural activities than most other European countries. Its government expenditure on cultural services in 2022 (0/9% of GDP) was the second-highest in Europe after Hungary (1.1%of GDP). (Source)