| Mission1: | Embassy of Latvia, Washington, D.C. |
| Mission2: | Embassy of the United States, Riga |
| Filetype: | svg |
The United States established diplomatic relations with Latvia on July 28, 1922. The U.S. Legation in Riga was officially established on November 13, 1922, and served as the headquarters for U.S. representation in the Baltics during the interwar era. The Soviet invasion forced the closure of the legation on September 5, 1940, but Latvian representation in the United States has continued uninterrupted for 85 years. The United States never recognized the forcible incorporation of Latvia into the U.S.S.R. and views the present government of Latvia as a legal continuation of the interwar republic.
Latvia and the United States have signed treaties on investment, trade, intellectual property protection, extradition, mutual legal assistance, and avoidance of double taxation. Latvia has enjoyed most-favored-nation treatment with the United States since December 1991.
According to the 2012 U.S. Global Leadership Report, 30% of Latvians approve of U.S. leadership, with 30% disapproving and 39% uncertain.[1]
Principal U.S. Embassy Officials include:
The U.S. Embassy in Latvia is located in Riga.
| Latvia | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Flag | |||
| Coat of Arms | |||
| Population | 1,953,200[2] | ||
| Area | 64589km² | 9526468km² [3] | |
| Population density | 34.3/km2 (88.9/sq mi) | 31/km2 (80/sq mi) | |
| Capital | Riga | Washington, D.C. | |
| Largest city | Riga - 641,423 (1,018,295 Metro) | New York City – 8,175,133 (19,006,798 Metro) | |
| Government | Unitary parliamentary constitutional republic | Federal presidential constitutional republic | |
| First Leader | Jānis Čakste | George Washington | |
| Current Leader | Edgars Rinkēvičs | Joe Biden | |
| Official languages | Latvian | English (de facto) | |
| Main religions | 80% Christianity (34.3% Lutheranism, 25.1% Catholicism, 19.4% Eastern Orthodoxy/Old Believers, 1.2% other Christian), 20% non-Religious | 70.6% Christianity (46.5% Protestantism, 20.8% Catholicism, 1.6% Mormonism, 1.7% Other Christianity), 22.8% non-Religious, 1.9% Judaism, 0.9% Islam, 0.7% Buddhism, 0.7% Hinduism[4] | |
| Ethnic groups | 62% Latvian, 25.4% Russian, 3.3% Belarusian, 2.2% Ukrainian, 2.1% Polish, 1.2% Lithuanian, 3.8% other[5] | 74% White American, 13.4% African American, 6.5% Some other race, 4.4% Asian American, 2% Two or more races, 0.7% Native American or Native Alaskan, 0.14% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander | |
| GDP (nominal) | $30.176 billion ($15,403 per capita) | $14.4 trillion ($47,440 per capita) | |
| GDP (PPP) | $53.467 billion ($27,291 per capita) | $18.558 trillion ($57,220 per capita) | |
| Real GDP growth rate | 2.00% | 1.60% |