Latvia is located in Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Estonia and Lithuania.
Latvia has borders with Belarus for 141km, Estonia for 339km, Lithuania for 453km and Russia for 217km.
Land in Latvia is low plain.
Latvian land covers an area of 64589 square kilometers which is slightly larger than West Virginia
As for the Latvian climate; maritime; wet, moderate winters.
Latvian(s) speak Latvian (official) 58.2%, Russian 37.5%, Lithuanian and other 4.3% (2000 census).
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.
Latvia's transitional economy recovered from the 1998 Russian financial crisis, largely due to the government's budget stringency and a gradual reorientation of exports toward EU countries, lessening Latvia's trade dependency on Russia. The majority of companies, banks, and real estate have been privatized, although the state still holds sizable stakes in a few large enterprises. Latvia officially joined the World Trade Organization in February 1999. EU membership, a top foreign policy goal, came in May 2004. The current account and internal government deficits remain major concerns, but the government's efforts to increase efficiency in revenue collection may lessen the budget deficit. A growing perception that many of Latvia's banks facilitate illicit activity could damage the country's vibrant financial sector.
Latvian natural resources include peat, limestone, dolomite, amber, hydropower, wood, arable land
most of the country is composed of fertile, low-lying plains, with some hills in the east
Latvian religion is Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox.
Natural hazards in Latvia include NA.