!!!Latvia %%image_right [{LeafletMap script='/scripts/leaflet/story-map.js' width='500' height='400' initmap('/storymap/latvia.geojson','Latvia','57.000000','25.000000',contId,3); }] %% ''In 1940, the country was forcibly incorporated into the Soviet Union, invaded and occupied by Nazi Germany in 1941, and re-occupied by the Soviets in 1944 to form the Latvian SSR for the next fifty years. For 2014, Latvia was listed 46th on the Human Development Index and as a high income country on 1 July 2014. It used the Latvian lats as its currency until it was replaced by the euro on 1 January 2014. Latvia is a democratic parliamentary republic established in 1918. The capital city is Riga, the European Capital of Culture 2014. The Republic of Latvia was founded on 18 November 1918.'' *Latvia has largest boundary with Lithuania which is approximately 576 km. *Latvia has shortest boundary with Belarus which is approximately 171 km. *The largest river in Latvia is Western Dvina which is 1020 km. *The largest export partner of Latvia is Russia. *The largest import partner of Latvia is Lithuania. *There are 11 seaports in Latvia. !!Special facts about Nobel Prize winners *Latvia has only 1 Nobel Prize winner Wilhelm Ostwald. (Counting winners if born in Latvia) !!Tourist Attraction [In Riga, the spires of the Russian Orthodox Cathedral reflect centuries of Russian rule.|http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/latvia-guide] !!National Facts *The national bird of Latvia is White wagtail. *Oxeye Daisy is the national flower of Latvia. * The national sports of Latvia are Basketball and Icehockey. * The famous dish of Latvia is Latke. !References #Text marked as italic is taken from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latvia unter [CC|http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/at]