The name "Latvia" originates from the ancient Latgalians, one of four eastern Baltic tribes that formed the ethnic core of the Latvian people. The region subsequently came under the control of Germans, Poles, Swedes, and finally, Russians. A Latvian republic emerged following World War I, but it was annexed by the USSR in 1940--an action never recognized by the US and many other countries. Latvia reestablished its independence in 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union. Although the last Russian troops left in 1994, the status of the Russian minority, who make up 30% of the population, remains of concern to Moscow. Latvia joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004.

The broadcast media in Latvia consists of several national and regional commercial TV stations. Many stations are foreign-owned, however two national TV stations are publicly-owned. These are supplemented by privately-owned regional and local TV stations. Cable and satellite multichannel TV services with domestic and foreign broadcasts are available. The publicly-owned broadcaster operates four radio networks with dozens of stations throughout the country. Dozens of private broadcasters also operate radio stations in the country.

There are approximately 240 newspapers in Latvia. Most of these are small local media outlets. There are 20 dailies, 12 in Latvian and eight in Russian. The most important Latvian language dailies are Diena, Neatkariga Rita Avize, and Latvijas Avize. In the Russian language, the most important papers are Vesti Segodniya, Chas, and Telegraf.