Page 61 - The Baltic Capitals & St. Petersburg

of Estonia’s most powerful acts of resistance was entirely peaceful—a song festival held in
protest 1988, which drew international attention to the plight of the Baltics. Finally in 1991,
Estonia gained its independence from Russia for the second time.

Modern Independence

Modern, post-independence Estonia has largely focused on undoing the economic damage of
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stable enough to join both NATO and European Union. The expansive economic growth from
2000 to 2007 was curtailed somewhat by the economic downturn in 2008, but the country was
still able to meet the goal of switching to the Euro, which it did in 2011.

Latvia

Facts & Figures
• Area: 24,938 square miles

• Capital: Riga

• Languages: 7L_aTLY T^ _SP ZʯNTLW WLYR`LRP& =`^^TLY LYO 7T_S`LYTLY L]P LW^Z ^[ZVPY

• Ethnicities: Latvian 56.3%, Russian 33.8%, Belarusian 3.5%, Ukrainian 2.3%, Polish
2.2%, Lithuanian 1.3%, other 3.4%

• Location: Latvia is bordered by Estonia, Lithuania, Russia, Belarus, and the Baltic Sea.

• Geography: Riga, the Latvian capital, is often described as a cultural capital for the entire
Baltic region and is home to some of the most elegant and continental architecture in the
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is arable. Perhaps this explains why nearly 2/3 of the Latvian population is urban.

• Population: 2,165, 165 (July 2014 Estimate)

• Religions: Lutheran 19.6%, Orthodox 15.3%, other Christian 1%, other 0.4%,
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• Time Zone: Latvia is seven hours ahead of U.S. EST. When it is 6am in Washington D.C.,
it is 1pm in Riga.

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