LETT (let)
A
member of a Baltic people constituting the main population of
Latvia
Common clues: Riga
resident; Baltic native; Latvian; Native of Riga; Baryshnikov, by
birth; Tolerant Latvian?
Crossword
puzzle frequency:
2 times a year
Video: Sounds
Like Latvia
Latvia (historically Lettonia, or Lettland), officially the Republic of Latvia (Latvian: Latvija or Latvijas Republika, Livonian: Lețmō), is a country in Northern Europe. Latvia shares land borders with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south — and both Russia and Belarus to the east. It is separated from Sweden in the west by the Baltic Sea. The capital of Latvia is Riga (Latvian: Rīga). Latvia has been a member state of the European Union since May 1, 2004 and a member of NATO since March 29, 2004
Location
of Latvia (orange)
Latvia's population has been multiethnic for centuries, though the demographics shifted dramatically in the twentieth century due to the World Wars, the emigration and removal of Baltic Germans, the Holocaust, and occupation by the Soviet Union.
Latvians and Livonians, the indigenous peoples of Latvia, now form about 60% of the population; 28% of the inhabitants are Russian. Approximately 56% of the ethnic Russians living in Latvia are citizens of Latvia. In 2005 there were even fewer Latvians than in 1989, though their share of the population was larger — 1,357,099 (58.8% of the inhabitants).
The
statue of Liberty atop the Freedom Monument in Riga
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Latvia".
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