Latvia

7 Facts about Latvia

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• published: 01 Aug 2015
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Learn, Share, Subscribe ------------------------------------------------ Watch the entire series here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbZJ71IJGFRTa_XMM9a4hDh2Yo9CsZzOR Follow: https://plus.google.com/+blinder00 https://twitter.com/Sebastian2Go https://www.facebook.com/official7facts ------------------------------------------------ In this brief video you can find seven little known facts about Latvia. More information about the video content bellow: 1. Latvia is the smallest nation to ever become a colonial power, as the Duchy of Courland set up a number of colonies in Tobago, Trinidad and Gambia in the 17th century. 2. A Latvian-Jewish tailor named Jākobs Jufess invented the jeans (Levi Strauss backed him financially). 3. Jāņi & Līgo are the celebration of midsummer, Latvians celebrate by staying up and partying until sunrise the following day. The largely pagan celebration is one of the main days in any Latvians calendar. 4. Once every 5 years, Riga plays host to the Latvian Song and Dance festival, a massive spectacle that sees more than 50,000 participants performing over 3 days. On the final day 20,000 singers all take to the stage in Mežaparks and sing in unison, a truly spine tingling experience. Tickets for this event sell out fast, and people will queue for hours to secure their place. 5. As with the other Baltic states, Latvia has been ruled by all sorts of foreign powers, from Sweden to Germany to Russia, declaring independence after World War I (after seven centuries), but falling under Soviet, then Nazi, then Soviet rule until it once again declared independence in 1991. 6. The history of Riga, the capital of Latvia, in its 800 years of existence has been diverse. Believe it or not, Riga used to be the largest Swedish city and the industrial centre of the Russian Empire. The so-called Old Town of Riga is the city's historic and geographic centre, located on the right bank of the Daugava River. Only remnants of the fortification wall remain that enclosed the city from the 13th to 18th century. But the narrow streets of cobblestone, and a multitude of Medieval architectural wonders are still standing, first and foremost being the churches and their steeples – making for a solely unique skyline. 7. The Baltic Way, or Baltic Chain, was a peaceful demonstration across all three states: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. It occurred on August 23rd, 1989, with approximately two million people forming a human chain, which stretched over 419 miles or 675 kilometers. These ‘protests’ were in memory of the 50th anniversary of unwanted occupation of the Baltic States by foreign powers, as a result of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. More Info: http://imgur.com/gallery/TrvCa http://www.travel2riga.com/10-things-about-riga http://snarkynomad.com/fun-facts-about-latvia/ http://www.latvia.travel/en/sight/old-riga http://www.top10archive.net/top-10-fascinating-facts-about-latvia/ Music: Ryan Cross – Tough Nut http://freemusicarchive.org/ Images: http://i.imgur.com/kKtmWPc.jpg http://latvianhistory.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/rigas-pils-1938_jek.jpg http://globe-views.com/dcim/dreams/jeans/jeans-06.jpg https://d2pnn7clgn6qxc.cloudfront.net/assets/slider/washed-jeans-stack-ba914286bd29f71f44a879705faefd3e.jpg http://i.bestriga.com/uploads/photo/large/2008/07/29/dancing.jpg http://www.bright.lv/sites/default/files/front_page/virtuala-360-ture-dziesmusvetki.jpg http://www.layoverguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Quay-of-Daugava-river-in-Riga-Latvia.jpg http://mylastdestination.eu/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Latvian-flags.jpg http://www.nightlife-cityguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/vita-notturna-Riga-Latvia-night.jpg http://www.tunliweb.no/Bilder_SM/_album_Riga/a4.JPG http://www.britishestonianassociation.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Baltic_Way.jpg http://manpatinkalietuva.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/p1000720.jpg