Country
The national flag of Latvia is a triband featuring two wide horizontal stripes of red at the top and bottom, separated by a twice narrower white centre stripe. It was used as the national flag after Latvia became an independent country in 1918. After the Soviet Union invaded and occupied Latvia in 1940, its use was suppressed by the Soviet government. On 27 February 1990, shortly before Latvia regained independence, the government re-adopted the traditional red-white-red flag.
The Coat of arms of the Republic of Latvia was officially adopted by the Constitutional Assembly of Latvia on 15 June 1921, and entered official use starting on 19 August 1921. It was created using new national symbols, as well as elements of the coats of arms of Polish-Lithuanian and Swedish Livonia and of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia. Thus, the coat of arms combines symbols of Latvian national statehood, as well as symbols of its historical regions. The Latvian national coat of arms was designed by Latvian artists Vilhelms Krūmiņš and Rihards Zariņš.
Beyond the national coat of arms, Latvia is divided into regions and provinces, each carrying its own heraldic identity. Click on Latvia on the interactive map to explore its administrative subdivisions and discover the coats of arms of each region, province, and territory.