thumb|350x350px|Map of the Historical Latvian Lands with cities and towns (since 2021)
Historical Latvian Lands () or formerly Cultural regions of Latvia () are several areas within Latvia formally recognised as distinct from the rest of the country. These are: Kurzeme (Courland), Zemgale (Semigallia), Latgale (Latgalia), Vidzeme, and Sēlija (Selonia). While some of these regions are seen purely as culturally distinct, others have historically been parts of different countries and have been used to divide the country for administrative and other purposes.
On 16 June 2021, the Saeima adopted the which aims to create the necessary preconditions for strengthening the common identity of the population and for the preservation and sustainable development of the cultural and historical environment and cultural spaces of the historical Latvian lands. The Law assigns each parish and town in Latvia to one of the five historical Latvian regions: Vidzeme, Latgale, Kurzeme, Zemgale, and Sēlija. The state city of Riga, a Baltic metropolis, is a historical part of Vidzeme and the special identity and the particularities of the cultural and historical environment of Riga should be supported and promoted.
Historical Latvian Lands
The Latvian nation was formed from the cultures of peoples that inhabited the Historical Latvian Lands: Livonians, Curonians, Latgalians (ancient and modern), Selonians, and Semigalians, under the influence of the Baltic German culture.
See also
- Administrative divisions of Latvia
- Planning regions of Latvia
- Statistical regions of Latvia