Latvia is found on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea. During the eighteenth century Latvia was incorporated into the Russian Empire. However, in 1918 it declared its independence which was confirmed the following year by the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. After the Soviet Union proclaimed it to be one of its Soviet Socialist Republics in 1940, the Germans occupied Latvia during the Second World War. However, the Soviet Union quickly recaptured the territory and once more staked claim to it. The rise of nationalism within Latvia during the 1980s culminated in the declaration of independence in 1991, which the Soviet Union later recognised. Most of the people are Evangelican Luthereans although there are minorities who follow Roman Catholicism and Orthodoxy. Latvian is the official language. The country is well developed both agriculturally and industrially.
