Latvian, the official language of the Republic of Latvia, is spoken by about 1.7 million people as a first language, though most Latvians speak two or even three languages. In the eastern part of Latvia, the population also speaks Russian. Both Russian and Lithuanian are spoken along the southern border; Russian and Polish in the eastern parts of the country; and Estonian close to the northern border. Latvia has been annexed by a number of countries over the years including Russia, Sweden, Poland, and Germany and their various languages have all had an influence on the formation of the Latvian langauge. The oldest known evidence of written Latvian dates to the thirteenth century and the earliest texts to the sixteenth century. The majority of early Latvian works were religious manuscripts and sermons. The oldest surviving book printed in the Latvian language is a Catholic catechism.