Latvia

Area study centers (academic and research)

• Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies - The University of Texas at Austin
• Baltic Studies in the US (a page from the Estonian Embassy with a few links to places to study Lithuanian in the US)

Basic country information

• US Library of Congress Country Study- Latvia (excellent starting point for learning about the country; includes facts-at-a-glance and sections on ethnicity, religion, and culture; early to modern history; geography, government, and the economy)
• US Department of State Background Notes- Latvia (basic facts about Latvia: geography, population, history, economy, etc.)
• Country Reports- Latvia (an online introduction to Latvia, with basic facts on its economy, defence, geography, government, history and people)
• World Factbook- Latvia (by CIA; covers geographical data, information on population, government, economy, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues)
• Latvian Embassy in Washington DC (the web page offers general information on the country's geography, history, culture, natural resources, education, business and economy, etc.)
• Wikipedia-Latvia (A good general introduction to Latvia)
• Infoplease-Latvia (basic data on geography, government and history plus basic statistics)
• Flags of the World- Latvia (the site contains graphics and descriptions of the flags used in Estonia as well as its coat of arms)
• Daily Latvia (A portal website for all things Latvian)

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Current events and media

• The Baltic Times (News from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, in English)
• Latvia News (General news site from Latvia, in English, powered by World News)

Economics (incl. business and finances)

• Economic Overview of Latvia (A brief guide to Latvia economy, Latvia economy overview, Inflation rates GDP and other economic indicators in Latvia.
• Latvia Economy (An overview of the Latvia economy from Economy Watch)
• Economic Overview for Investors (from Property Frontiers)
• World 66 Economic Overview of Latvia (more detailed than the others)
• The American Chamber of Commerce in Latvia (Info for investors)
• Latvia Invest (Official site containing news and info for those interested in investing in Latvia)

Education

• Institute of Baltic Studies
• Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies (A non-profit organization for the promotion of Baltic study)

Geography and travel (incl. cities, maps, transportation, etc.)

• Latvia - Consular Information Sheet (from the U. S. State Department; contains the essential information on the country for travellers)
• Lonely Planet World Guide: Destination Latvia (an excellent source of information for travellers)
• Latvia Maps (from the Perry-Castaneda Library Map Collection, The University of Texas at Austin; political and other maps)
• Official Latvia Tourism Portal (Official Latvian tourism site, in several languages)
• Official Tourism Site of Riga (A guide to the capital city of Latvia)

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Government

• Cabinet of Ministers (The official page, in Latvian or English)
• Latvian Parliament (The official page, in Latvian or English)
• President of Latvia (The official page, in Latvian or English)
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs (The official page, in Latvian or English)
• Constitution of Latvia (The 1922 Latvian Constitution, from the organization "Human Rights in Latvia"; in English)

Grants

• Fulbright Scholarship Program

Health and fitness (incl. medicine, sports, etc.)

• World Health Organization - Latvia (an overview of Latvian health care system, including its legislation, statistics and personnel issues)
• Profile of the Latvia Red Cross (this page from the web site of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies contains information on the local chapter's history, activities, resources, etc.)

History (incl. genealogy, etc.)

• Museum of the Occupation of Latvia (A Riga museum dedicated to the history of the Soviet occupation of Latvia)
• Timeline of Latvian History (From City Paper, a Baltic area news source)
• Jewish History in Latvia (Detailing the history of Judaism in Latvia, including information about the Holocaust in Latvia)

Language (incl. dictionaries and teaching)

• Language Helpers- Latvian (A great site for learning how to pronounce Latvian and learn some basic words and phrases)
• Latvian Dictionaries (A Listing of available online Latvian dictionaries)
• Ethnologue -Latvia (A report detailing the languages spoken in Latvia and the language minority populations)

Law

• Latvia Index (at the International Constitutional Law (ICL) web site; contains brief overview of the constitutional background, political parties and recent history)
• Guide to Law Online: Latvia (a resource guide from the Law Library of Congress)
• The Supreme Court of the Republic of Latvia (Official site, in Latvian, English, and Russian)

Libraries and archives

• World Directory of National Parliamentary Libraries - Latvia (this page contains description of the National Library of Latvia and a bibliography of publications by and about the Library.)

Literature (incl. books online and book vendors)

• Latvian Literature Center (A Good Portal for those interested in Latvian writers and literature)
• HIstory of Latvian Literature

People (biography)

Politics (incl. international relations, military affairs and US policies)

Religions

• Catholic Church in Latvia (In Latvian only)
• Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia (In Latvian and English)
• Latvia- Religious Freedom Report (an 2001 report from the U. S. Department of State)

Science and technology (incl. environmental issues)

• Maps of the Mineral Industry of Latvia (from Europe and Central Eurasia : minerals information, by U.S. Geological Survey)
• European Nature Conservation Organizations (search by choosing "Latvia" from the menu; the search produces governmental and research organizations and NGOs)

Society (incl. human rights, women issues, etc.)

• 2004 Country Report on Human Rights Practices: Latvia (Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, U.S. Department of State)
• UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees)(Information and statistics on refugee populations in Latvia)

Statistics

• UNICEF Statistics: Latvia (basic children-related statistics)
• UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) Statistics (as of 2005)

© 2005 Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies;
College of Liberal Arts;
University of Texas at Austin.
Contact: REENIC Coordinator.