country info

Latvian belongs to the Baltic language group which scholars believe to preserve many features of the archaic Indo-European dialects from which most European languages have descended. Although Latvia harbours a large Russian minority, and although in Riga you might hear more Russian than Latvian in the streets, it is wisest to write your commercial letters only in Latvian, and use only Latvian in your communication towards the authorities. 50 years of Russification attempts have left scarves that do not heal without difficulty. Latvia has recurrent disputes with its big Russian neighbour about the cultural rights of its Russian population. It is recommended not to take any side in this dispute and thus use Latvian.