Editing Latvia (section)

=== Administrative divisions ===
[[File:Historical regions of Latvia.svg|thumb|Historical regions:<br /> {{Color box|#ffe8c2ff}} [[Courland]]<br /> {{Color box|#c8f8d5ff}} [[Semigallia]]<br /> {{Color box|#fdd6c3ff}} [[Vidzeme]]<br /> {{Color box|#dbdbf9ff}} [[Latgale]]<br /> {{Color box|#e0f8d2ff}} [[Selonia]]]]
[[File:Latvijas novadi 2021.png|thumb|Administrative divisions of Latvia]]
{{Main|Administrative divisions of Latvia}}
{{See also|List of cities in Latvia|Planning regions of Latvia|Statistical regions of Latvia|Historical regions of Latvia}}
Latvia is a [[unitary state]], currently divided into 43 local government units consisting of 36 municipalities ({{langx|lv|novadi}}) and 7 state cities ({{langx|lv|valstspilsētas}}) with their own city council and administration: [[Daugavpils]], [[Jelgava]], [[Jūrmala]], [[Liepāja]], [[Rēzekne]], [[Riga]], and [[Ventspils]]. There are four [[Cultural regions of Latvia|historical and cultural regions in Latvia]]&nbsp;– [[Courland]], [[Latgale]], [[Vidzeme]], [[Zemgale]], which are recognised in the [[Constitution of Latvia]]. [[Selonia]], a part of Zemgale, is sometimes considered culturally distinct region, but it is not part of any formal division. The borders of historical and cultural regions usually are not explicitly defined and in several sources may vary. In formal divisions, Riga region, which includes the capital and parts of other regions that have a strong relationship with the capital, is also often included in regional divisions; e.g., there are five [[planning regions of Latvia]] ({{langx|lv|plānošanas reģioni}}), which were created in 2009 to promote balanced development of all regions. Under this division Riga region includes large parts of what traditionally is considered Vidzeme, Courland, and Zemgale. [[Statistical regions of Latvia]], established in accordance with the EU [[Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics]], duplicate this division.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://likumi.lv/ta/id/328252-par-latvijas-republikas-statistiskajiem-regioniem-un-tajos-ietilpstosajam-administrativajam-vienibam |title=Par Latvijas Republikas statistiskajiem reģioniem un tajos ietilpstošajām administratīvajām vienībām |publisher=[[Latvijas Vēstnesis]] |language=lv |access-date=9 December 2024}}</ref>

The largest city in Latvia is Riga, the second largest city is Daugavpils and the third largest city is Liepaja.