From top, left to right: Rēzekne Castle ruins with Sacred Heart Cathedral, Rēzekne in background
Krāslava New Palace
Daugavpils
Krustpils Castle
Flag
Coat of arms
Location of Latgale in Latvia
Country
Latvia
Largest city
Daugavpils
Area
• Total
14,547 km2 (5,617 sq mi)
Population
(2020)[1]
• Total
255,968
• Density
18/km2 (46/sq mi)
Time zone
UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)
UTC+3 (EEST)
HDI (2018)
0.810[2] very high · 6th
Latgale (Latgalian: Latgola; Latvian: Latgale; Russian: Латгалия, romanized: Latgaliya; Polish: Łatgalia; German: Lettgallen; Belarusian: Латгалія, romanized: Lathalija; Belarusian Latin: Łathalija; Latin: Lettgallia), also known as Latgalia or Latgallia, is one of the Historical Latvian Lands. It is the easternmost region of the country and lies north of the Daugava River. While most of Latvia is historically Lutheran, Latgale is predominantly Roman Catholic: 65.3% according to a 2011 survey.[3] After the Counter-Reformation it was the northernmost predominantly Catholic province or region in Europe. There is a considerable Eastern Orthodox minority (23.8%), of which 13.8% are Russian Orthodox Christians and 10.0% are Old Believers.[3] As of 2020, the region's population was 255,968.[1]
The region has a large population of ethnic Russians, especially in Daugavpils, the largest city in the region and the location of the region's only public university, the University of Daugavpils. Many of the Russians who lived in Latgale before Soviet rule are Old Believers. Rēzekne, often called the heart of Latgale, Krāslava, and Ludza are other large towns in the region, which also has a Belarusian minority. There is also a significant Polish minority. As part of the Polotsk and Vitebsk guberniyas, the region was part of the Pale of Settlement and had a very large Jewish population – but many of the Jews were killed in WW2 and most of the remainder emigrated. Other than in Daugavpils, the Baltic German presence in Latgale was less sizable than in other regions of Latvia.
Average incomes in the region are lower than in other parts of the country.
^ ab"ISG020. Population number and its change by statistical region, city, town, 21 development centres and county". Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia. 1 January 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
^"Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
^ abIannaccaro, Gabriele (2011). "Sociolinguistica: language and Religion": 102. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
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