Latvia

• Country name: Republic of Latvia.
• Year founded: The territory of Latvia has been populated since 9000 BC, after the Ice Age glaciers retreated. Around the beginnng of the third millennium BC (3000 BC) the proto-Baltic ancestors of the Latvian people settled on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea.
• Population: January 2009 estimate: 2,261,700 
• Primary Language: Latvian (official) Russian. 
• Ethnic Make-up: 
• 59.2% Latvians,
• 28% Russians,
• 3.7% Belarusians,
• 2.5%Ukrainians,
• 6.6% others
• Political System: The politics of Latvia takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. The President holds a primarily ceremonial role as Head of State. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament, the Saeima. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. 
• Year Entered the European Union: 2004.
• Representative of the European Union (include party): United Kingdom
• Type of Economy: Until the middle of 2008 Latvia had the fastest growing economy in Europe. It has had high GDP growth since 2000. In 2003, GDP growth was 7.5% and inflation was 2.9%. Unemployment was 8.8% in 2003, almost unchanged compared to the previous two years. Privatization is mostly complete, except for some of the large state-owned utilities. 
• Currency: lats. 
• Current Exchange rate for American Currency: 1 US Dollar = 0.52544 Latvian Lats 
  1 Latvian Lats (LVL) = 1.90317 US Dollar (USD)
• GDP: 7.5%
• Percentage of Trade within the European Union: 1%
• Unemployment Rate: 8.5%
• Chief exports: Wood and wood products, machinery and equipment, metals, textiles, foodstuffs.
• Key imports: Machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels.
• Major religions: Christianity, (Protestant, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox). 
• Surrounding countries: Estonia , Russia , Belarus, Lithuania, and the Baltic Sea.
• Litearcy rate: 99.7%
• One Interesting Fact: Latvians are reserved and have a preference for formality in public.