Latvia
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</p><p>Republic of Latvia is situated amidst the three former Soviet Baltic nations, Estonia, Lithuania and Belarus, separated from Sweden by the Baltic sea in the west; having a area of 64,589 square kilometer. Riga is the capital city of Latvia. Population is approx.265, 7099 lakh. Comprising mainly58% ethnic Russians called as Latvian, besides others like Belarusians, Ukrainians, Poles, Lithuanians, Estonians and Jewish. The Baltic group language Latvian is the official language mainly spoken in Latvia besides Livonian and Latgalian languages. Christianity is the largest religion followed by majority of the people and Islam, by a meager population.</p><p> ‘Pagan’ is the most distinct and local cultural heritage, partly merging with Christian traditions is preserved and Latvians celebrate a popular festival called ‘Jani’ in June every year to celebrate the summer solstice as a part of Pagan, on the feast day of St.John, The Baptist.</p><p> After independence from the slavery USSR, Scenography and theatre have become the most dominant parts of Latvian culture and Latvian arts often reflect the influence of other European cultures over it. </p><p> Latvian economy is fast growing owing to its flat tax, Privatization of most of the industries and growth in domestic consumption. Latvia has one of the highest GDP growth rates in Europe since 2000. There was 11.9% annual growth in 2006. Latvia is a member of European Union and the World Trade Organization.</p><p>