They have never qualified for the FIFA World Cup, however, they qualified for the European Championship in 2004 under head coach Aleksandrs Starkovs. By 2011, more than half of non-citizens had taken naturalization exams and received Latvian citizenship. UEFA European Championship qualification record, Latvia national football team results (2020–present), Progression of Latvia association football caps record, Progression of Latvia association football goalscoring record, "1938 FIFA World Cup France ™ Preliminaries", "Vitalijs Astafjevs – Century of International Appearances", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Latvia_national_football_team&oldid=992667771, European national association football teams, Pages using infobox national football team with unknown parameters, Articles containing Latvian-language text, Articles with Latvian-language sources (lv), Pages using national squad without sport or team link, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 6 December 2020, at 13:50. By the spring of 1919, there were actually three governments: the Provisional government headed by Kārlis Ulmanis, supported by Tautas padome and the Inter-Allied Commission of Control; the Latvian Soviet government led by Pēteris Stučka, supported by the Red Army; and the Provisional government headed by Andrievs Niedra and supported by the Baltische Landeswehr and the German Freikorps unit Iron Division. In 1282, Riga, and later the cities of Cēsis, Limbaži, Koknese and Valmiera, became part of the Hanseatic League. Mires occupy 9.9% of Latvia's territory. ; Fortrolighedspolitik; Om Wiktionary; Forbehold; Mobilvisning Citizenship was not automatically extended to former Soviet citizens who settled during the Soviet occupation, or to their offspring. ecb.europa.eu. Creator and editor of PopulationData.net. [9] This meant they qualified for the play-offs, where they were drawn against Turkey. Over 100,000 English translations of French words and phrases. Latvia is a member of the United Nations, European Union, Council of Europe, NATO, OECD, OSCE, IMF, and WTO. [86][93], Latvia has the 5th highest proportion of land covered by forests in the European Union, after Sweden, Finland, Estonia and Slovenia. [104], Several nature reserves protect unspoiled landscapes with a variety of large animals. A full member of the Eurozone, it began using the euro as its currency on 1 January 2014, replacing the Latvian lats. [210], Latvian cuisine typically consists of agricultural products, with meat featuring in most main meal dishes. There are 2,256 lakes that are bigger than 1 ha (2.5 acres), with a collective area of 1,000 km2 (390 sq mi). All of the minority schools (Jewish, Polish, Belarusian, Estonian, Lithuanian) were closed down leaving only two media of instructions in the schools: Latvian and Russian. [154] In November 2012, the three countries agreed to create a joint military staff in 2013. [56]:128 There was a pause in fighting, apart from partisan activity, until after the siege of Leningrad ended in January 1944 and the Soviet troops advanced, entering Latvia in July and eventually capturing Riga on 13 October 1944. Source: CIA. [109][110][111], Since the early 1990s, Latvia has been involved in active trilateral Baltic states co-operation with its neighbours Estonia and Lithuania, and Nordic-Baltic co-operation with the Nordic countries. [37] The local people, however, did not convert to Christianity as readily as the Church had hoped. [13] Latvia faced Czech Republic in their opening match on 15 June 2004, with Verpakovskis scoring before half-time. [153] In January 2011, the Baltic states were invited to join NORDEFCO, the defence framework of the Nordic countries. As an anonymous user, you can only add new data. The unemployment rate has receded from its peak of more than 20 percent in 2010 to around 9.3 percent in 2014. After eight qualifying matches, Latvia were level on points with their next opponent, second-placed Greece, but a 5–2 defeat virtually ended all hopes of qualification and Latvia finished third in UEFA Group 2. The NATO Summit 2006 was held in Riga. 03:18. [122] Latvia held the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2015. [130], The country has a large ethnic Russian community, which was guaranteed basic rights under the constitution and international human rights laws ratified by the Latvian government. After centuries of Swedish, Polish-Lithuanian and Russian rule, a rule mainly executed by the Baltic German aristocracy, the Republic of Latvia was established on 18 November 1918 when it broke away from the Russian Empire and declared independence in the aftermath of World War I. [46], The capitulation of Estonia and Livonia in 1710 and the Treaty of Nystad, ending the Great Northern War in 1721, gave Vidzeme to Russia (it became part of the Riga Governorate). Selonia, a part of Zemgale, is sometimes considered culturally distinct region, but it is not part of any formal division. [53] Latvian soldiers fought on both sides of the conflict, mainly on the German side, with 140,000 men in the Latvian Legion of the Waffen-SS,[63] The 308th Latvian Rifle Division was formed by the Red Army in 1944. Latvia were placed in Group 8, alongside Austria and Lithuania. [47] Half the residents of Riga were killed by plague in 1710–1711. They promoted Latvian culture and encouraged Latvians to take part in cultural activities. The Latvia national football team (Latvian: Latvijas futbola izlase) represents Latvia in international football and is controlled by the Latvian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Latvia. Vilhelms Purvītis - Spring Waters (Maestoso) - Google Art Project.jpg 5,645 × 4,001; 8.24 MB. Latvia has ratified the international Washington, Bern, and Ramsare conventions. The national account deficit for 2007, for example, represented more than 22% of the GDP for the year while inflation was running at 10%. Latvia is a developed country with an advanced, high-income economy [27][28] and ranks 39th in the Human Development Index. Country code: LVA Centre code: 43. In 2016, Latvia had 8.5 global hectares[99] of biocapacity per person within its territory, much more than the world average of 1.6 global hectares per person. [56]:326 Between 136,000 and 190,000 Latvians, depending on the sources, were imprisoned or deported to Soviet concentration camps (the Gulag) in the post war years, from 1945 to 1952. Latvia played their first match in 1922, a game against Estonia, which finished in a 1–1 draw. [71] An influx of new colonists, including laborers, administrators, military personnel and their dependents from Russia and other Soviet republics started. proper noun. [173], Latvian Railway's main network consists of 1,860 km of which 1,826 km is 1,520 mm Russian gauge railway of which 251 km are electrified, making it the longest railway network in the Baltic States. The pact contained a secret protocol, revealed only after Germany's defeat in 1945, according to which the states of Northern and Eastern Europe were divided into German and Soviet "spheres of influence". The second most popular sport is basketball. [80], Language and citizenship laws have been opposed by many Russophones. 28 mars 2017 - Découvrez le tableau "National Football Team Logo" de Sport Renaissance sur Pinterest. [149] Per capita, Latvia is one of the largest contributors to international military operations. On 18 November 1918, in Riga, the People's Council of Latvia proclaimed the independence of the new country, with Kārlis Ulmanis becoming the head of the provisional government. [119] In 2013 Riga hosted the annual Northern Future Forum, a two-day informal meeting of the prime ministers of the Nordic-Baltic countries and the UK. [183], The share of ethnic Latvians had fallen from 77% (1,467,035) in 1935 to 52% (1,387,757) in 1989. [96], Latvia has a long tradition of conservation. [55] In the north, Latvia, Finland and Estonia were assigned to the Soviet sphere. The national tournament is the Latvian Hockey Higher League, held since 1931. More-detailed discussion in Daina Stukuls Eglitis, "Baltic Thaw, Aegean freeze", The Economist, 27 February 2010, p59, Declaration on the Restoration of Independence of the Republic of Latvia, a crusade against pagans in Northern Europe, Learn how and when to remove this template message, German occupation of Latvia during World War II, Latvian anti-Nazi resistance movement 1941–45, Occupation of Latvia by Soviet Union 1944–1945, On the Restoration of Independence of the Republic of Latvia, historical and cultural regions in Latvia, Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics, Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications, Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Inčukalns underground gas storage facility, Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, "Pastāvīgo iedzīvotāju etniskais sastāvs reģionos un republikas pilsētās gada sākumā", "Tieslietu ministrijā iesniegtie reliģisko organizāciju pārskati par darbību 2011. gadā", Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, https://www.csb.gov.lv/en/statistics/statistics-by-theme/population/number-and-change/key-indicator/population-number-its-changes-and-density, "Population Census 2011 – Key Indicators", "Gini coefficient of equivalised disposable income – EU-SILC survey", "The Constitution of the Republic of Latvia, Chapter 1 (Article 4)", "Official Language Law, Section 3 (Article 1)", "Official Language Law, Sections 4, 5 and 18 (Article 4)", "Official Language Law, Section 3 (Articles 3 and 4)", "Composition of macro geographical (continental) regions, geographical sub-regions, and selected economic and other groupings", https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/th-concept/-/resource/eurovoc/911?uri=http://eurovoc.europa.eu/911, https://www.kyivpost.com/world/un-classifies-latvia-lithuania-estonia-northern-europe.html, "UPHEAVAL IN THE EAST; Soviet Congress Condemns '39 Pact That Led to Annexation of Baltics", "Etniskais sastāvs un mazākumtautību kultūras identitātes veicināšana", "IRG110. [37] Together with southern Estonia, these conquered areas formed the crusader state that became known as Terra Mariana or Livonia. [8], In September 2003, Latvia surprisingly finished second, ahead of Poland, in their qualifying group for Euro 2004. Demands for self-determination were initially confined to autonomy, until a power vacuum was created by the Russian Revolution in 1917, followed by the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk between Russia and Germany in March 1918, then the Allied armistice with Germany on 11 November 1918. Summers are usually warm and sunny, with cool evenings and nights. [87], Latvia has four pronounced seasons of near-equal length. After the Polish–Swedish War, northern Livonia (including Vidzeme) came under Swedish rule. Latvia's national parks are Gauja National Park in Vidzeme (since 1973), Ķemeri National Park in Zemgale (1997), Slītere National Park in Kurzeme (1999), and Rāzna National Park in Latgale (2007). While it is now required that all school students learn Latvian, schools also include English, German, French and Russian in their curricula. [188], Beginning in 2019, instruction in Russian language will be gradually discontinued in private colleges and universities in Latvia, as well as general instruction in Latvian public high schools,[189][190] except for subjects related to culture and history of the Russian minority, such as Russian language and literature classes.[191]. © footballdatabase.eu 2007-2020 - All rights reserved. [56]:271, More than 200,000 Latvian citizens died during World War II, including approximately 75,000 Latvian Jews murdered during the Nazi occupation. In the summer of 1987, the first large demonstrations were held in Riga at the Freedom Monument—a symbol of independence. It is bordered by Estonia to the north, Lithuania to the south, Russia to the east, Belarus to the southeast, and shares a maritime border with Sweden to the west. See also. [15][16][17] Since Latvia's independence in 1918, it has been referred to as one of the Baltic states. Despite foreign rule from the 13th to 20th centuries, the Latvian nation maintained its identity throughout the generations via the language and musical traditions. The Latvian national football team's only major FIFA tournament participation has been the 2004 UEFA European Championship. Sorrel soup (skābeņu zupa) is also consumed by Latvians.