Latvia

Latvia (Latvija in Latvian) is a country in the Baltic region of northern Europe, between Estonia and Lithuania, and its capital is Riga. It declared independence from the Russian Empire on November 18, 1918. However, in August 1939 the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany signed the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, which placed Latvia in the Soviet sphere of influence, and the Soviets incorporated it as the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic on August 5, 1940. After the German occupation of 1941, the Soviets returned in 1944, and Latvia remained a Soviet republic for the next 45 years.

The peaceful Singing Revolution started in 1987 among the Baltic Soviet republics, and the first large demonstrations in Latvia were held that summer in Riga at the Freedom Monument – a symbol of independence. Pro-independence candidates won a two-thirds majority in the Supreme Council in the March 1990 elections, and on May 4, 1990, the council adopted the Declaration on the Restoration of Independence. However, Moscow still regarded Latvia as a Soviet republic, and in January 1991 Soviet forces tried unsuccessfully to overthrow the Latvian authorities.

Full independence was restored on August 21, 1991, after the failed Soviet coup attempt, and Latvia considers it to be continuous with the declaration of 1918. Russia completed its troop withdrawal in 1994. Since then, Latvia has joined NATO and the European Union in 2004, and it adopted the euro on January 1, 2014.

Note

As I’ve said a few times, I don’t like this flag and coin series. I do like the designs used for the endangered animals series. They’re well done, without being photos or obnoxious colors.

Contains 12 spots: own 12 – 12 unused, 0 used.
Page is finished.

Stamp Details

The table below lists information about the stamps shown on this page of Lighthouse’s stamp album. For more details about a particular stamp, click on its description. That will take you to the related web page of Colnect.

spot

own

catalog

subject

description

comment

Flags & Coins

1.1	✓	421a	Poland Flag & 5 Zloty Coin	0.65 (may 2008) comm., multicolor
1.2	✓	421b	Latvia Flag & 1 Lats Coin	0.65 (may 2008) comm., multicolor
1.3	✓	421e	Sweden Flag & 1 Krona Coin	0.65 (may 2008) comm., multicolor
1.4	✓	421f	Cyprus Flag & 1 Euro Coin	0.65 (may 2008) comm., multicolor
2.1	✓	421c	Portugal Flag & 1 Euro Coin	0.65 (may 2008) comm., multicolor
2.2	✓	421d	Armenia Flag & 500 Dram Coin	0.65 (may 2008) comm., multicolor
2.3	✓	421g	Slovakia Flag & 1 Koruna Coin	0.65 (may 2008) comm., multicolor
2.4	✓	421h	Qatar Flag & 50 Dirham Coin	0.65 (may 2008) comm., multicolor

Endangered Species

3.1	✓	417	Northern Elephant Seal	0.65 (mar 2008) comm., multicolor
3.2	✓	418	Sea Ginger	0.65 (mar 2008) comm., multicolor
4.1	✓	419	Spiny Seahorse	0.65 (mar 2008) comm., multicolor
4.2	✓	420	Sperm Whale	0.65 (mar 2008) comm., multicolor

Footnotes

Spot refers to the postion of the stamp on the album page (e.g., 3.2 indicates row 3, position 2).
Amt. is an abbreviation for the face amount of the stamp.
Own indicates the stamp status: ✓ for unused; ✗ for used or canceled; ⭑ signifies I ordered one; ; ✨ indicates it was bought recently; ✠ means an auction bid is pending; and ◎ is used, and it costs too much for unused.
To search by catalog number, go to the search box and enter it in the catalog number box. However, it’s a bit broken; I need to fix it.

No Covers Found.