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Latvia (Republic of Latvia) is a small country in northeastern Europe,
Around the 10th century it is inhabited by several Baltic tribes.
In 1054, the Germans arrived, beginning a period of Germanic influence, and the area was renamed Livonia.
In 1201, Riga, the capital of Latvia today, was founded by the German bishop Alberto de Livonia, and joined the Hanseatic League in 1285, assuming important economic and cultural relations with the rest of Europe.
Wars and treaties led to the division of Livonia for centuries.
In 1721, Russia takes control of Latvia,
In the 1860s, the Latvian youth movement was formed to counter Russification.
The beginning of the First World War brought the German occupation of the coastal province of Kurzeme, whose defense highlighted the feeling of independence and on November 18, 1918, the country’s independence was declared.
On August 5, 1940, the German-Soviet Pact of 1939 annexed Latvia to the Soviet Union.
After the Second World War, the USSR subjected Latvia to a social and economic reorganization that quickly changed the economy, transformed the predominantly Latvian population into a multi-ethnic one, and promoted urbanization.
In 1989, Latvia claimed independence, which took place on August 21, 1991.