Planning regions of Latvia (from 2021)
There are five planning regions of Latvia (Latvian: Latvijas plānošanas reģioni) after a 2021 reform: Kurzeme Planning Region, Latgale Planning Region, Riga Planning Region, Vidzeme Planning Region and Zemgale Planning Region. The boundaries of the regions align with the boundaries of the municipalities of Latvia following the municipality reform of 1 July 2009. The planning regions of Latvia are not administrative territorial divisions, since they are not mentioned in the law that prescribes the administrative territorial divisions of Latvia.[1]
After the 2021 reform some Riga Region's lands were incorporated into Kurzeme and Vidzeme. Until then, the planning regions were identical in area to the statistical regions, except with different names and the city of Riga being separate from the rest of the Riga Planning Region.
List[edit]
| Regions | Largest city | Population[2] | Area (km2) | Density (per km2) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riga Planning Region | Riga | 860,142 | 3,158 | 272.37 |
| Kurzeme Planning Region | Liepāja | 276,317 | 16,046 | 17.22 |
| Vidzeme Planning Region | Valmiera | 276,449 | 19,770 | 13.98 |
| Latgale Planning Region | Daugavpils | 245,053 | 14,549 | 16.84 |
| Zemgale Planning Region | Jelgava | 225,047 | 10,733 | 20.97 |
| Latvia | Riga | 1,883,008 | 64,256 | 29.30 |
History[edit]
Regional institutions have been formed since 1997, following the initiatives of local governments for joint development planning. Following legislation on regional development, the five planning regions were created according to the 5 May 2009 decision No. 391 of the Latvian Cabinet of Ministers: "Decisions on Territories of the Planning Regions.[3][4]
The 2021 reformed territories of the planning region are determined by the Cabinet of Ministers' regulations of 22 June 2021 No. 418: "Rules on the Territories of the Planning Region".[5]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Administratīvo teritoriju un apdzīvoto vietu likums" (in Latvian). likumi.lv. 2008-12-08. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
- ^ "Population by ethnicity in regions, State cities and municipalities at the beginning of year 2012 - 2023". Oficiālās statistikas portāls.
- ^ "Plānošanas reģioni" (in Latvian). Ministry of Regional Development and Local Governments. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
- ^ "Noteikumi par plānošanas reģionu teritorijām" (in Latvian). Cabinet of Ministers of Latvia. 2009-05-05. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
- ^ "Plānošanas reģioni | Vides aizsardzības un reģionālās attīstības ministrija". www.varam.gov.lv.