
Country Overview
The middle of the three Baltic nations is the country of Latvia, located in northeastern Europe.
Â
On August 21, 1991, Latvia, which had been invaded and occupied by the USSR since June 1940, proclaimed its independence. On September 6, the USSR acknowledged its sovereignty; soon after that, it was admitted to the UN. In 2004, Latvia was granted membership in the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Riga is the country’s capital and largest city.