Administrative divisions of Latvia (2009–2021)

On 1 July 2009 the former districts of Latvia were divided into 109 municipalities (Latvian: novadi, sg. novads), and nine republic cities (republikas pilsētas, sg. republikas pilsēta) with their own city council and administration. Many of the municipalities also featured parishes (pagasti, sg. pagasts) which were dissolved from 1949 to 1990, during the Soviet occupation of Latvia. In 2010, acting upon the request of the local populace, Mērsrags Municipality was split off from Roja Municipality, bringing the total to 110 municipalities.

The law that specified the new divisions (Law on Administrative Territories and Populated Places) was adopted in the Saeima on 18 December 2008. The law originally specified that municipalities and republic cities would have been coupled into an unspecified number of superior units – counties (apriņķi, sg. apriņķis), named after first-level units from interwar independent Latvia (e.g. Riga county). However, mostly due to the 2008–2011 economic crisis, the counties and the reform itself was not fully implemented.

The previous administrative reform had been enacted in 1990 upon the restoration of the independence of Latvia. For the current administrative divisions since 1st of July 2021, see Administrative divisions of Latvia.

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