Latvia

Latvia is situated on the eastern shore of the Baltic sea, sharing borders with Lithuania to the south, Estonia to the north and Russia to the east and Belarus to the southeast. The area of Latvia totals 64,000 square kilometers with 500 kilometers of coastline. The population is about 2 million people, of which 61,4% are Latvians. The capital of Latvia is Riga. Latvia is divided into four historical regions: Vidzeme, Kurzeme, Latgale and Zemgale. The official language is Latvian.

Latvia is a democratic republic. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President of the Republic and is the head of the government. The President of Latvia is elected by the Parliament for four year term. The President has more like representative function especially as regards to state`s foreign policy, although he has rights to initiate new legislation acts and block some parliamentary decisions.

After the restoration of independence in September 1991, Latvia has sought to join various international organizations. In April of 2004 Latvia became a member of NATO and in May of 2004, a member of the European Union. Latvia is also a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO). From 2014 the currency is EUR.

The legislation regulating shipping in Latvia, and ships registration in particular, is the following:

·         Civil Law from 1937

·         Maritime Code from 2003

·         Cabinet Regulations on registration of ships in Latvian Ship Register from 06 June 2006

and other bylaws adopted by Government