Latgale, also known as Latgalia 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. 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. As of 2020, the region's population was 255,968.
Image: Rēzeknes pilsdrupas. Rezekne castle ruins panoramio
Image: Krāslava Palace
Image: Rīgas iela Daugavpilī
Image: Krustpils pils un luterāņu baznīcas apbūve (2)
Latgalian is an Eastern Baltic language, although it is sometimes considered a dialect of Latvian. The Latvian language law classifies it as a "historical form of Latvian". It is mostly spoken in Latgale, the eastern part of Latvia. The 2011 Latvian census established that 8.8% of Latvia's inhabitants, or 164,500 people, speak Latgalian daily. 97,600 of them live in Latgale, 29,400 in Riga and 14,400 in the Riga Planning Region.
Bilingual direction signs in Latgalian and Latvian in Salnava Parish, Ludza Municipality in 2016
