Portuguese in Latvia

Latvian Portuguese

Luso-letões  (Portuguese) Portugāļi Latvijā  (Latvian)
Latvia Portugal
Singer-songwriter Laura Rizzotto, probably the best known Latvian of Portuguese descent
Total population
67
Languages
Latvian, Portuguese
Religion
Predominantly Christianity (Roman Catholicism), Irreligion
Related ethnic groups
Other Portuguese people, Portuguese in Estonia, Portuguese in Lithuania

Portuguese in Latvia (Latvian: Portugāļi Latvijā) are citizens and residents of Latvia who are of Portuguese descent.

Portuguese in Latvia (also known as Portuguese Latvians/ Latvian-Portuguese Community or, in Portuguese, known as Portugueses na Letónia / Comunidade portuguesa na Letónia / Luso-letões) are the citizens or residents of Latvia whose ethnic origins lie in Portugal.

Portuguese Latvians are Portuguese-born citizens with a Latvian citizenship or Latvian-born citizens of Portuguese ancestry or citizenship.

There were 67 Portuguese-born people residing in Latvia in 2022. Moreover, it is worth noting that 12 Portuguese have acquired Latvian citizenship since 2008. The Portuguese constitute approximately 0.004% of the country's population.

History

A Portuguese gathers his chute and gear after landing into Adazi Base, Latvia, after conducting a high-altitude low-opening (HALO) jump during Saber Strike.

The history of the Portuguese community in Latvia is very recent. Both countries are EU as well as NATO members. They also share a common currency. Many Portuguese reside temporarily in Latvia because of NATO operations in the country or for business. The two countries enjoy friendly relationships and mutual trust, witnessing increasing trade as well

Footballers

 In recent years some Portuguese international footballers have moved to Latvia to play for Latvian clubs. For instance, in 2023 Portuguese-Brazilian Matheus Clemente played in the country for FK Auda.

Remittances

Romanian and Portuguese F-16s patrol help shielding the skies over Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania as part of NATO's Baltic Air Policing (BAP)

The Portuguese community in Latvia retains strong ties with its homeland and, between 2000 and 2021, it has sent approximately €3.52 million to Portugal in remittances. In the same timeframe, Latvians in Portugal (numbering around 750 individuals) have sent approximately €19.41 million to Latvia.

Portuguese language

As of today, the Portuguese are part of a wider Portuguese-speaking community in Latvia, comprising around 10 people from PALOP countries (the majority being from Angola), Timor-Leste or Macau and around 200 Brazilians. People from CPLP countries thus number around 280 people, accounting for 0.01% of the population of Latvia.

It is worth noting that, based on the 2012 Eurobarometer survey, around 0.1% of the population of Latvia spoke Portuguese, meaning that the country may host as many as 2,000 Portuguese speakers, and interest towards the language in the country remains active.

Notable people

• Laura de Carvalho Rizzotto (1994): Latvian-Brazilian singer, songwriter, pianist and guitarist of Portuguese descent. She represented Latvia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 in Lisbon

See also

• Estonia–Portugal relations
• Latvia–Portugal relations
• Lithuania–Portugal relations
• Portuguese in Estonia
• Portuguese in Lithuania

References

This article "Portuguese in Latvia" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Portuguese in Latvia. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

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