Latvia in the spotlight

The nation of inventors, creators, and performers

Latvia’s turbulent history has shaped a unique set of values, traits, and characteristics for the Latvian nation that takes pride in being resilient, hard-working, and creative.

Thus, the history of Latvia has long shown that its most valuable resource is creative, bold, and hardworking people. Latvians have never been afraid to take up daunting challenges and exceed expectations of success.

The nation has been well-known for being passionate about exploration, adventure, and innovation – we’ve gifted dozens of inventions and discoveries to the world. Some of the most well-known technical and scientific inventors from Latvia include:

• Wilhelm Ostwald, a Nobel Prize winner for Chemistry, who discovered the fundamental laws of homogenous catalysis of acids and bases
• Friedrich Zander, inventor of the liquid-fueled rocket for interplanetary flight
• Konstantīns Počs, a leading designer of meteorological rockets and one of the creators of the airborne warning and control system, AWACS

Global sports stars from a 1.83M nation

Other than inventors and academic music stars, Latvia is also world-famous for great sports talent. Located in Northern Europe, the country has all four seasons of the year, and the nation is proud to have both summer and winter sports athletes representing Latvia and demonstrating excellence.

Latvia’s name has made a status in the global basketball field with several outstanding basketball players and team achievements:

• In 1935, the Latvia men’s national basketball team was the first-ever European champion in basketball. The team is often referred to as the Dream Team 1935.
• Uljana Semjonova was the world’s leading women’s basketball player in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1993, she became the first non-US woman accepted to the Basketball Hall of Fame, and in 2007 was enshrined in the FIBA Hall of Fame.
• Kristaps Porzingis is an NBA star from Latvia known for his precise 3-pointers, deep game knowledge, and sharp eye for detail.
• Latvia men’s national 3×3 basketball team won the first-ever Olympic men’s tournament in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Besides that, the team holds several European and World championship medals and is among the FIBA 3×3 World Tour leaders.

Thanks to Latvia’s weather diversity, winter sports have secured a special place in the hearts of Latvians, resulting in many world-renowned winter sports stars.

The perfect place for creative introverts

When sharing what Latvia is known for, one cannot overlook the famous Latvian introversion. While Latvians don’t always perceive it as an asset, introversion could be the key to the nation’s many innovators and artistic excellence, as some studies show a link between creativity and a preference for solitude.

Latvians are known to love moments of solitude and quiet, preferably in nature’s realm. Getaways to forests, quiet seaside, or bog trails away from the crowds are a common way Latvians spend their weekends.

Being creative introverts, Latvians aren’t big talkers, and it especially applies to small talk and striking up a conversation with a stranger. Even though this characteristic may indicate that Latvians are cold, they’re not. Once you’ve earned their trust and sympathy, know – you’ve made friends for life.

Latvians won’t perceive not maintaining a conversation or not making small talk as rude. Excessive and loud talking in public, however, can be frowned upon.