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Structure
Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 20 general entries.
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 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 Latvia
| Latvia's flag, which is red-white-red, is often confused with the flag of another country, even though the red in Latvia's flag is much darker. Which is the other country? | About Latvia
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| A Latvian is the DJ for a popular American musical group. Which one? | About Latvia
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Riga. It is also the largest city in the Baltic States, with a population of nearly 900,000.
| Which two major beauty pageants have been won by Latvian women? | About Latvia
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Miss USA and Mrs Globe. Marite Ozere became Miss USA in 1963, and Ieva Bondare won Mrs Globe in 1998.
A church. The oldest parts of the magnificent church date back to the 13th century.
| The man who was Latvia's president (some would say dictator) in the years preceding World War II held a university degree from a university in the United States. In which state was the university? | About Latvia
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Nebraska. His name was Karlis Ulmanis, and he became a relevantly benevolent dictator in 1934, when he dismissed Parliament. Ulmanis ruled until the Soviet invasion in 1940.
| Part of Latvia's coastline is on the Baltic, and most of the remainder is on the Gulf of ...? | Latvia
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Riga. The Gulf of Riga is an inlet of the Baltic Sea. The Gulf of Bothnia separates Sweden from Finland - and the other two gulfs don't exist.
| Ethnic minorities make up over a third of the population of Latvia. Which is the largest minority? | Latvia
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Russians. The Russian minority makes up just over 30 per cent of the population. The Belorussian minority is about four per cent and the Ukrainian minority just under three per cent. (Until 1944-45 there was also a relatively small but influential German minority too).
| What is the capital of Latvia? | Latvia
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Riga. Riga, with a population of about 875,000 is the country's main port. The old city center shows signs of German architectural influence.
| What is the approximate area of Latvia? | Latvia
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24,600 sq miles. It's smaller than Lithuania and slightly larger than Estonia.
| What is the main river traversing Latvia? | Latvia
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The Daugava (Dvina). The Latvian name is the Daugava. This river is also known as the Dvina River, which is sometimes called the West Dvina. It rises to the west of Moscow and flows through Russia, Belarus and Latvia before reaching the Gulf of Riga. It should *not* be confused with the North Dvina, which is wholly in Russia and flows into the White Sea at Archangel.
| What is the approximate population of Latvia? | Latvia
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2.4 million. By European standards, the country is sparsely populated.
| Before 1918 Latvia has been known by various other names. One widely used name was Livonia, which covered the northern part of the country. What other name was widely used, at least for a large part of Latvia? | Latvia
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Courland. In the Middle Ages the area was colonized by the Livonian Teutonic Knights. In the second half of the sixteenth century it was ruled by Russia, then from 1629-1721 by Sweden. In 1721 it reverted to Russia, which governed the country till 1918. Independent from 1918-40, it was annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940 (together with the other Baltic Republics). From 1941-44 it was under German rule and was re-Incorporated into the Soviet Union at the end of WWII. The country has had a turbulent history.
| When did Latvia gain independence from the Soviet Union? | Latvia
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1991. The last Russian troops didn't leave the country till 1994 and for many years after that Latvia was still economically dependent on Russia - for example, for its electricity supply. Overcoming such dependence was a very high priority of the newly independent Latvia. The country was admitted to the European Union in 2004.
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