Latgale

Latgale (Latgalian: Latgola, Russian: Латгалия) officially known as the Republic of Latgale is a country located in Eastern Europe, bordering Latvia, Russia, and Belarus. It is known for its rich history, being occupied by Livonia, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, and Latvia.

History
The Latgalians, a Baltic ethnic group native to the region, demanded cultural autonomy in Latvia in 2039. The Latvian government gave them their rights in 2041, declaring the Latgalian a separate language from Latvian, instead of it being considered a "historical variety of the Latvian language". The Latgalians were happy with their autonomy and they did not bother the government further more. However, in 2046, a Latgalian rebel group known as the "Latgalian Liberators" (Latvian: Latgales Atbrīvotāji) took half of Latgale from Latvia, and the government could not do much to stop the rebels. There were protests from both ethnic Latgalians and Russians for a new Latgalian nation. Eventually, war broke between the ethnic Latgalians and the Latvian government and the Latvian Civil War began. The Latgalian rebels were funded by Russia, and the Latvian government was unfortunately too weak to stop the rebels. As a result, Latgale became an independent nation on November 6, 2048. Latvia refuses to recognize the nation, and a majority of the UN doesn't recognize it either.

Recognition
Most UN members do not recognize Latgale as an independent nation. In fact, all do not recognize Latgale except for Armenia, Belarus, China (PRC), Cuba, Ethania, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Venezuela. The remaining countries are neutral and/or are against the independence.

Population
The 2048 Census of Latgale states that the population is 302,000. However, by 2060, the population is estimated to increase to 306,000.

Ethnic groups
The majority of the population is ethnic Latgalian, who take 67% of the population. However, there is a significant minority of ethnic Russians, who reside primarily in urban areas and take 23% of the population (ethnic Russians take 53% of Daugavpils). Other minorities include Latvians, Lithuanians, Poles, Belarusians, and Germans.

Religion
The majority of Latgalians are Christians, specifically, most of them are Catholic. The Christian population makes almost 95% of the population, though there is a small minority of atheists and Muslims. Pie chart of religion is below: To be continued...