Facts & Figures
Latvia
Latvia is a North Eastern European Country on the Baltic Sea which borders Estonia, Russia, Belarus, and Lithuania. The capital of Latvia is Riga, which is known for its beautiful Art Nouveau architecture. Latvia is famous for it's UNESCO World Heritage Sites that include Riga's old city centre, unique cuisine like Rupjmaize, medieval towns, and one of the fastest WiFi speeds in the world.
Latvians
The population of Latvia today is around 2.0 million. The ethnic composition is around 62% Latvian, 28% Russian, 3.4% Belarusian, 2.3% Ukrainian, 2.2% Polish and 1.5% Lithuanian. The diverse ethnic mix of the population of Latvia is largely the result of massive post-war immigration, which resulted in a decline in the share of ethnic Latvians from 77% in 1935 to around 62% today. There are more than 1.65 million ethnic Latvians in the world, and approximately 450,000 live outside Latvia. Latvians can be found in the USA, the UK, Australia, Canada, Germany, as well as Brazil, Lithuania, Sweden, Estonia, Ireland and Russia. In fact, there is hardly a country in the world where Latvians have not made their presence felt. Even if you have not yet visited Latvia, you stand a good chance of meeting a Latvian somewhere else. Almost 95,000 people of Latvian descent live in the U.S. today, the largest concentration being in the North-East and Mid-West States.
Latvia. The Only Video You Need to Watch
Notable Latvians
Inessa Galante
Born in Riga in 1954, she became a soloist at the Latvian National Opera at the age of 23. Galante has been toured and performed all over the world, performing at such prominent theatres such as La Scala in Milan, Royal Albert Hall in London, and the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. Galante’s beauty of tone, nuanced pianissimos, and sensitive command of dynamics and color have made her a sought after Soprano in the Opera world.
Mikhail Baryshnikov
Baryshnikov is a Latvian-born (Riga) Russian-American dancer, choreographer, and actor. He is considered to be one of the greatest Ballet dancers of the 20th century. He worked for the American Ballet Theatre until 1978 before becoming the Artistic Director in the 80’s. Baryshnikov has won two Emmy awards and was nominated for an Academy Award for his work in The Turning Point.
Jacob W. Davis
Born in Riga in 1831, Davis emigrated to the United States in 1954 at the age of 23. He became famous for inventing and patenting trousers with rivet-reinforced pocket openings which later became known as jeans.
Elina Garanca
Elīna Garanča is a Latvian mezzo-soprano. She began to study singing in her hometown of Riga in 1996 and continued her studies in Vienna and in the United States. By 1999 she had won first place in a significant competition in Finland and had begun a career in Europe. Since then she has become one of the most sought after voices in Opera, appearing regularly at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, Wiener Staatsoper in Vienna, and Covent Garden in London.
Juris Upatnieks
Upatnieks is a Latvian-American physicist and inventor, and pioneer in the field of holography. Upatnieks fled the Soviet occupation of Latvia with his parents at the close of World War II, seeking asylum in Germany. He later became a University of Michigan scientist and helped to lay the foundations of holography, a photography technique that recreates the recorded objects with all of their three-dimensional optical properties.
Mariss Jansons
Born in Riga in 1943, Jansons was a world renowned conductor, known for his interpretations of Antonin Dvorak, Bela Bartok, Johannes Brahms, Igor Stravinsky, and Dmitry Shostakovich. Jansons was awarded various international honors for his achievements, including Commander of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit from King Harald of Norway and memberships in the Royal Academy of Music in London and the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde (Society of Music Friends) in Vienna.
Wilhelm Ostnald
Ostwald was a Nobel Prize winning Chemist born in Riga in 1853. He is credited with being one of the founders of the field of physical chemistry. Following his 1906 retirement from academic life, Ostwald became much involved in philosophy, art, and politics. He made significant contributions to each of these fields.
Dr. Ernst von Bergmann
Born in Latvia in 1860, Ernst von Bergmann earned his Doctorate at the University of Dorpat in Estonia. Bergmann was the first physician to introduce heat sterilization of surgical instruments, thus greatly reducing the number of infections in surgery. He also used steam sterilized dressing material, demonstrating its superiority to chemical antisepsis. He was also an early adopter of the "white coat".