Query: The Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic is also known as Soviet Latvia since 2016.

Relevant passages:
Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic <=SEP=> The Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic ( Latvian SSR ; Latvijas Padomju Sociālistiskā Republika Латвийская Советская Социалистическая Республика , Latviyskaya Sovetskaya Sotsialisticheskaya Respublika ) , also known as Soviet Latvia or Latvia , was a republic of the Soviet Union .   It was established on 21 July 1940 , during World War II , as a Soviet puppet state in the territory of the previously independent Republic of Latvia after it had been occupied on June 17 , 1940 by the Soviet Army , in conformity with the terms of the 23 August 1939 Molotov -- Ribbentrop Pact .   Following the Welles Declaration of July 23 , 1940 , the annexation of Latvia into the Soviet Union ( USSR ) on 5 August 1940 was not recognized as legitimate by the United States , the European Community , and recognition of it as the nominal fifteenth constituent republic of the USSR was withheld for five decades . Its territory was subsequently conquered by Nazi Germany in June -- July 1941 , before being retaken by the Soviets in 1944 -- 1945 . Nevertheless , Latvia continued to exist as an de jure independent country with a number of countries continued to recognize Latvian diplomats and consuls who still functioned in the name of their former governments .   Soviet rule came to the end during the dissolution of the Soviet Union . The first freely elected parliament of the Latvian SSR passed a declaration `` On the Renewal of the Independence of the Republic of Latvia '' on May 4 , 1990 , restoring the official name of the State of Latvia as the Republic of Latvia . and restoring its former state symbols - flag and anthem . The full independence of the Republic of Latvia was restored on 21 August 1991 , during the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt and fully recognized by the Soviet Union on 6 September 1991 .

Latvia <=SEP=> Latvia ( -LSB- ˈlætviə -RSB- Latvija -LSB- ˈlatvija -RSB- ) , officially the Republic of Latvia ( -LSB- Latvijas Republika , links = no -RSB- ) , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe , one of the three Baltic states . It is bordered by Estonia to the north , Lithuania to the south , Russia to the east , and Belarus to the southeast , as well as a maritime border to the west alongside Sweden . Latvia has 1,957,200 inhabitants and a territory of 64589 km2 . The country has a temperate seasonal climate .   Latvia is a democratic parliamentary republic established in 1918 . The capital city is Riga , the European Capital of Culture 2014 . Latvian is the official language . Latvia is a unitary state , divided into 119 administrative divisions , of which 110 are municipalities and 9 are cities .   Latvians and Livs are the indigenous people of Latvia . Latvian and Lithuanian are the only two surviving Baltic languages . Despite foreign rule from the 13th to 20th centuries , the Latvian nation maintained its identity throughout the generations via the language and musical traditions . Latvia and Estonia share a long common history . As a consequence of centuries of Russian rule ( 1710-1918 ) and later Soviet occupation , both countries are home to a large number of ethnic Russians ( 26.9 % in Latvia and 25.5 % in Estonia ) , some of whom ( 14.1 % of Latvian residents ) have not gained citizenship , leaving them with no citizenship at all . Until World War II , Latvia also had significant minorities of ethnic Germans and Jews .   Latvia is historically predominantly Protestant Lutheran , except for the Latgale region in the southeast , which has historically been predominantly Roman Catholic . The Russian population has also brought a significant portion of Eastern Orthodox Christians .   The Republic of Latvia was founded on 18 November 1918 . However , its de facto independence was interrupted at the outset of World War II . 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 . The peaceful Singing Revolution , starting in 1987 , called for Baltic emancipation of Soviet rule . It ended with the Declaration on the Restoration of Independence of the Republic of Latvia on 4 May 1990 , and restoring de facto independence on 21 August 1991 .   Latvia is a democratic and developed country and member of the European Union , NATO , the Council of Europe , the United Nations , CBSS , the IMF , NB8 , NIB , OECD , OSCE , and WTO . 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 .