Latvia (Latvian: Latvija, Livonian: Lețmō), officially known as the Republic of Latvia
(Latvian: Latvijas Republika, Livonian: Lețmō Vabāmō), is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. Since its independence, Latvia has been
referred to as one of the Baltic states. It is bordered by Estonia to the north, Lithuania to the south, Russia to the east, Belarus to the southeast, and shares a maritime border with Sweden to the west. Latvia has 1,957,200 inhabitants and a
territory of 64,589 km2 (24,938 sq mi). The country
has a temperate seasonal climate.
The Baltic Sea moderates climate, although it has four distinct seasons and
snowy winters.
After centuries of Swedish, Polish and Russian rule, a rule mainly executed by the Baltic German aristocracy, the Republic of Latvia was established on 18
November 1918 when it broke away from the Russian Empire and declared
independence in the aftermath of World War I. However, by the 1930s the country became
increasingly autocratic after the coup in 1934 establishing
an authoritarian regime under Kārlis Ulmanis. The country's de facto independence was
interrupted at the outset of World War II, beginning with Latvia's forcible
incorporation into the Soviet Union, followed by the invasion
and occupation by Nazi Germany in 1941, and the re-occupation by
the Soviets in 1944 (Courland Pocket in 1945) to form the Latvian SSR for the
next 45 years.
The peaceful Singing Revolution,
starting in 1987, called for Baltic emancipation from Soviet rule and
condemning the Communist regime's illegal takeover. It
ended with the Declaration on the Restoration of Independence of the Republic of Latvia
on 4 May 1990 and restoring de facto independence
on 21 August 1991. Latvia is a democratic sovereign state, parliamentary republic and
performs well in the United Nations Human Development Index.
Its capital Riga served as the European Capital of Culture
in 2014. Latvian is the official
language. Latvia is a unitary state, divided into 119 administrative divisions,
of which 110 are municipalities and nine are cities. Latvians and Livonians are the indigenous people of
Latvia. Latvian and Lithuanian are the only
two surviving Baltic languages.
Latvia's national parks are Gauja National Park in Vidzeme (since 1973), Ķemeri National Park in Zemgale (1997), Slītere National Park in Kurzeme (1999), and Rāzna National Park in Latgale (2007). Approximately 30,000 species of flora and
fauna have been registered in Latvia. Common species of wildlife in Latvia
include deer, wild boar, moose,
lynx, bear, fox, beaver and wolves. Non-marine
molluscs of Latvia include 159 species. Species that are
endangered in other European countries but common in Latvia include: black
stork (Ciconia nigra), corncrake (Crex crex), lesser spotted eagle (Aquila pomarina), white-backed woodpecker (Picoides leucotos), Eurasian crane (Grus grus), Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber), Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra), European wolf (Canis lupus) and European lynx (Felis lynx). Phytogeographically, Latvia is shared between the Central
European and Northern European provinces of the Circumboreal Region within
the Boreal Kingdom. According
to the WWF, the territory
of Latvia belongs to the ecoregion of Sarmatic mixed forests. 56
percent of Latvia's territory is covered by forests, mostly
Scots pine, birch, and Norway spruce. Several species of flora and fauna are
considered national symbols. Oak (Quercus robur, Latvian: ozols), and linden
(Tilia cordata, Latvian: liepa) are
Latvia's national trees and the daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare, Latvian: pīpene) its
national flower. The white wagtail (Motacilla alba, Latvian: baltā
cielava) is Latvia's national bird. Its national
insect is the two-spot ladybird (Adalia bipunctata, Latvian: divpunktu
mārīte). Amber,
fossilized tree resin, is one of Latvia's most important cultural symbols. In
ancient times, amber found along the Baltic Sea coast was sought by Vikings as
well as traders from Egypt, Greece and the Roman Empire. This led to the
development of the Amber Road. Several nature reserves
protect unspoiled landscapes with a variety of large animals. At Pape Nature Reserve, where
European bison, wild horses, and recreated aurochs have been reintroduced, there is now an
almost complete Holocene megafauna also including moose, deer, and wolf.
Postal history in the territory that now
constitutes Latvia began during the 13th century, when the Archbishopric of Riga was
included to the area of postal operations of the Monastic state
of the Teutonic Knights and the Hanseatic League. In 1580 the Hanseatic League issued their
first known regulations on courier work and payroll (German: Botenordnung), regulations that also were active in the
territory that now constitutes Latvia. From 1581 to 1621, when Riga
was under the rule of the Duchy of Livonia, and also from 1621 to 1710, when it was a
part of Swedish Livonia, postal
services were used only for governmental purposes. In the 16th century several
postal organisations existed — for governmental purposes, as well as for clerics, universities, cities
and merchants. In 1632 the Postmaster General of Prussia and Livonia, Jacob Becker, who was appointed
in Swedish Livonia by the King of Sweden, organised
the first regular public postal service.
Initially, the postal service was the private property of the Postmaster
General, who also received annual funding from the Riga City Council and the Governors of Swedish Livonia. In
1644 the Livonian Postal Service was linked to the Stockholm Postal Service
routes in Finland. In 1685 the Duke of Courland Friedrich Casimir
initiated his own postal service and asked the Swedish authorities to cease
their postal operations within his territory, but King Charles XI of Sweden
ignored his request and stood for his rights in Courland. On 5 July 1710, Russian troops under the command of
Tsar Peter I of Russia took
over Riga and made it a part of the Russian Empire. During World War I, Latvia was occupied by Germany, and used German stamps overprinted by the Ober Ost. In 1919,
German stamps were handstamped "LIBAU", but it was unclear whether
they were officially issued; all used copies are cancelled to order.
Latvia proclaimed its
independence on 18 November 1918, and issued its first stamps on 18 December.
The design was a depiction of the country's Coat of Arms. Unusually, since
paper was in short supply, the first printings were on the backs of leftover
German military maps; by 1919, paper with ruled lines was in use. Latvia issued a variety of definitive and
commemorative stamps through the 1920s and 1930s. Definitives used variations
on a design featuring the arms, surmounted by three stars, representing Vidzeme, Courland, and Latgale.
As part of the Soviet
occupation of Latvia in 1940, a series of 13 stamps were issued,
depicting the arms of Soviet Latvia and inscribed "Latvijas // PSR". These
were shortly superseded by the occupation of
Latvia by Nazi Germany. At first existing stocks of Soviet stamps
were used, overprinted "LATVIJA // 1941 // 1. VII", then the stamps
for the Reichskommissariat Ostland
and regular German stamps came into use, in October 1941.
In April 1945, Germans stamps were overprinted "KURLAND" and
used in Courland. Post-war, Latvia reverted to the use of Soviet stamps. With the restoration of independence, Latvia
resumed its own stamp program.
VAS Latvijas Pasts
(English: Latvian Post) is
the main state-owned postal service
provider in Latvia headquartered in Riga.
It was founded on 2 January 1992, following shortly after the restoration of independence
of the country. Latvia Post was founded on 2 January 1992 as a state-owned
company, prior to which multiple postal companies had already existed in the
territory. On 1 November 2004, Latvia Post was re-registered simply as a state joint-stock company
instead of having the status of a nonprofit organization
state stock company.
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