Northern Europe · LVA

Latvia

The story · 11 chapters

How it was drawn

Lands of Baltic peoples conquered by crusaders, divided among Poland-Lithuania, Sweden and Courland, absorbed by Russia and first united as a state in 1918.

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Through the ages

Rivals in history

The kingdoms, empires and states Latvia fought or stood against, from the first to today.

Livonian Brothers of the Sword1202 to 1236
The crusading order founded at Riga in 1202 conquers the Livs and Latgalians. The Semigallians and Curonians resist, and the order is destroyed at Saule in 1236.
Livonian Order1237 to 1290
The Livonian branch of the Teutonic Order takes over the conquest. The Curonians and Semigallians fight on for half a century; the last Semigallian strongholds fall in 1290.
Tsardom of Russia1558 to 1583
Ivan the Terrible invades Livonia in 1558, starting the Livonian War. The old Livonian states collapse and seek protection from Poland-Lithuania, Sweden and Denmark. Russia is pushed back by 1583.
Swedish Empire1600 to 1660
Sweden fights Poland-Lithuania for Livonia, takes Riga in 1621 and keeps Vidzeme in 1629. In 1658 Swedish troops seize Courland and its duke.
Tsardom of Russia1700 to 1721
In the Great Northern War Peter the Great besieges Riga, which surrenders in 1710 after a plague. The Treaty of Nystad in 1721 hands Vidzeme to Russia.
Soviet Russia1918 to 1920
The Red Army takes Riga in January 1919 and sets up a Soviet Latvia. Latvian forces, helped by Estonia and Poland, drive it out of Latgale in 1920, and Soviet Russia recognises Latvia in August 1920.
German Freikorps and Landeswehr1919
German volunteer units and the Baltic German Landeswehr take Riga in May 1919 but are beaten by Estonian and Latvian forces at Cesis in June. Bermondt-Avalov's army attacks Riga in October and is repulsed in November.
Soviet Union1940 to 1991
The Soviet Union occupies Latvia in 1940 and again from 1944, deports tens of thousands in 1941 and 1949, and settles Russian speakers. Latvia restores independence in August 1991.
Nazi Germany1941 to 1945
Germany occupies Latvia from July 1941 and murders most of its Jews. German forces hold out in the Courland Pocket until the surrender of May 1945.
Russian Federation1991 to 2007
Latvia's 1920 borders included Abrene, which Soviet authorities gave to Russia in 1944. After independence Latvia raises the claim, then accepts the existing line in a border treaty signed in 2007.
BelarusSince 2021Still open
In 2021 migrants flown to Minsk are pushed toward the Latvian border, which Riga calls a hybrid attack by the Lukashenko government. Latvia declares an emergency in the border area and builds a fence.

Today

Latvia now

Several eastern Baltic tribes merged in medieval times to form the ethnic core of the Latvian people (ca. ). The region subsequently came under the control of Germans, Poles, Swedes, and finally Russians. A Latvian republic emerged following World War I, but the USSR annexed it in 1940 -- an action never recognized by the US and many other countries. Latvia reestablished its independence in 1991 after the breakup of the Soviet Union.

Capital: Riga
Government: parliamentary republic
Head of government: Andris Kulbergs
Head of state: Edgars Rinkēvičs
Languages: Latvian
Area: 64,590 km²

Through time

Then and now

Population1.9 million2023 · 1.9 million in 1950
Life expectancy76.2 years2023 · 64.6 years in 1950
GDP per person$27,2202022
Living in cities69%2025 · 46% in 1950
Literacy100%2011
Political regimeLiberal democracy2025 · Closed autocracy in 1950
Military alliancesNATO2024 · None of these in 1950
Military spending3.6% of GDP2025
War deathsNone2025

Population: HYDE 3.3, Gapminder and UN WPP. GDP per capita: Maddison Project Database 2023. Urban share: UN WPP. Life expectancy: Riley, HMD, UN WPP. Literacy: OWID historical estimates, World Bank, UNESCO. Military spending: SIPRI. War deaths: UCDP. Political regime: V-Dem, Regimes of the World. All via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0). Alliances and organization memberships: compiled by Atlas. Satellites in orbit: CelesTrak SATCAT. Modern borders, backcast.

Relations

Close partners and tensions

Close partners

United States
United Kingdom
Poland
France
Germany

Summarised from World Bank and Wikipedia data, updated 23 October 2026.

Rivals in history

The kingdoms, empires and states Latvia fought or stood against, from the first to today.

Livonian Brothers of the Sword1202 to 1236

The crusading order founded at Riga in 1202 conquers the Livs and Latgalians. The Semigallians and Curonians resist, and the order is destroyed at Saule in 1236.

Livonian Order1237 to 1290

The Livonian branch of the Teutonic Order takes over the conquest. The Curonians and Semigallians fight on for half a century; the last Semigallian strongholds fall in 1290.

Tsardom of Russia1558 to 1583

Ivan the Terrible invades Livonia in 1558, starting the Livonian War. The old Livonian states collapse and seek protection from Poland-Lithuania, Sweden and Denmark. Russia is pushed back by 1583.

Swedish Empire1600 to 1660

Sweden fights Poland-Lithuania for Livonia, takes Riga in 1621 and keeps Vidzeme in 1629. In 1658 Swedish troops seize Courland and its duke.

Tsardom of Russia1700 to 1721

In the Great Northern War Peter the Great besieges Riga, which surrenders in 1710 after a plague. The Treaty of Nystad in 1721 hands Vidzeme to Russia.

Soviet Russia1918 to 1920

The Red Army takes Riga in January 1919 and sets up a Soviet Latvia. Latvian forces, helped by Estonia and Poland, drive it out of Latgale in 1920, and Soviet Russia recognises Latvia in August 1920.

German Freikorps and Landeswehr1919

German volunteer units and the Baltic German Landeswehr take Riga in May 1919 but are beaten by Estonian and Latvian forces at Cesis in June. Bermondt-Avalov's army attacks Riga in October and is repulsed in November.

Soviet Union1940 to 1991

The Soviet Union occupies Latvia in 1940 and again from 1944, deports tens of thousands in 1941 and 1949, and settles Russian speakers. Latvia restores independence in August 1991.

Nazi Germany1941 to 1945

Germany occupies Latvia from July 1941 and murders most of its Jews. German forces hold out in the Courland Pocket until the surrender of May 1945.

Russian Federation1991 to 2007

Latvia's 1920 borders included Abrene, which Soviet authorities gave to Russia in 1944. After independence Latvia raises the claim, then accepts the existing line in a border treaty signed in 2007.

BelarusSince 2021Still open

In 2021 migrants flown to Minsk are pushed toward the Latvian border, which Riga calls a hybrid attack by the Lukashenko government. Latvia declares an emergency in the border area and builds a fence.

Latvia now

Capital

Riga

Government

parliamentary republic

Head of government

Andris Kulbergs

Head of state

Edgars Rinkēvičs

Languages

Latvian

Area

64,590 km²

Then and now

Population1.9 million2023 · 1.9 million in 1950

Life expectancy76.2 years2023 · 64.6 years in 1950

GDP per person$27,2202022

Living in cities69%2025 · 46% in 1950

Literacy100%2011

Political regimeLiberal democracy2025 · Closed autocracy in 1950

Military alliancesNATO2024 · None of these in 1950

Military spending3.6% of GDP2025

War deathsNone2025