Flag of Latvia
Officially Republic of Latvia
Locally Latvija
What the flag looks like
A dark carmine-red field divided by a narrow white horizontal stripe in the middle, in the ratio 2:1:2.
What it means
Legend tells of a wounded leader wrapped in a white sheet whose blood stained its edges; the dark red stands for readiness to give one's life for freedom.
How to remember it
Latvia's
'Latvian red' is nearly maroon and its white stripe is thin; Austria's
is bright red with three equal stripes.
Fun facts
- A red-white-red banner is mentioned in the 13th-century Livonian Rhymed Chronicle, making it one of the oldest flag designs in the world.
- Banned under Soviet rule, the flag was officially restored in February 1990.
Latvia at a glance
- Capital
- Riga
- Region
- Northern Europe
- Population
- 1.9 million
- Area
- 64,559 km²
- Languages
- Latvian
- Currency
- Euro (€)
- Flag adopted
- 1990
Flags often confused with Latvia
- Austria: Austria and Latvia are both red-white-red horizontal stripes. Latvia's red is dark maroon and its white stripe is narrow; Austria's red is bright and the three stripes are equal.