🗺️ Sotry Telling with Data
❓ Ever wonder how long a typical company in Latvia survives? I was curious too! What can the lifecycle of over 400,000 companies tell us about a country’s 33-year journey (1991-2024) from a post-Soviet state to a modern European Union member? This notebook seeks to demonstrate how raw data from Latvia’s Commercial Register hides a compelling narrative of over three decades of national development. This project particularly emphasizes the power of data storytelling to bring these hidden economic, legislative, and even behavioral stories to light.
Using Python programming language for data manipulation and Seaborn for rich, visualizations, we dive deep into the register to uncover the fascinating evolution of Latvia’s business landscape since its renewed independence.
📊 Data as Art: A Word Cloud of 470,000 Latvian Company Names
As the first visual in our exploration, this word cloud acts as a unique “fingerprint” of Latvia’s business landscape. It was generated from the names of over 470,000 companies registered since 1991.
After filtering out common legal terms (like SIA, sabiedrība, individuālais uzņēmums) and connector words, the remaining words are displayed in the shape of Latvia. The size of each word is proportional to how frequently it appears in a company’s name.
Look closely, and you’ll see a tapestry of common Latvian surnames, locations, and thematic words related to industry and trade. It’s a fun and insightful first look into the linguistic DNA of the nation’s commerce.
