With its area of 64,589 square kilometers, Latvia is today slightly larger than the Republic of Croatia, but has a much smaller population (only about 2,000,000).
The Baltic Republic of Latvia, then part of the Soviet Union, declared independence on August 21, 1990. The Latvians called the declaration a restoration of independence, referring to the fact that the Soviet annexation of that state in 1940 was not constitutional and was against the will of the population. That date is marked as a national holiday.
With its area of 64,589 square kilometers, Latvia is today slightly larger than the Republic of Croatia, but has a much smaller population (only about 2,000,000). The Latvian capital – Riga – is also the largest city in all three Baltic states (Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia), and it is home to more than a third of Latvia’s total population. Of the other Latvian cities, the historically significant Jelgava (Mitau), which was once the capital of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia, can still be seen as a huge castle, the largest Baroque castle in the three Baltic states.
The first president of Latvia after its declaration of independence was Guntis Ulmanis, and the first prime minister was Ivars Godmanis.
