Latvia

Borders Estonia to the north, Russia and Belarus to the east, Lithuania to the south and the Baltic Sea to the west... The name "Latvia" comes from the ancient Latgalians, one of four eastern Baltic tribes that formed the core of the Latvian people around the 8th to 12th centuries... The region would eventually fall under the control of the Germans, Poles, Swedes and Russians... A Latvian republic declared its independence on November 18, 1918 but was annexed by the USSR in 1940... On May 4, 1990, Latvia declared a renewal of its independence but it was not fully established until August 21, 1991 following the Soviet Union's breakup.