Republic of Latvia
Northern Europe
Baltic · Forested · Singing
Latvia (officially Republic of Latvia) is a country located in Northern Europe. Its capital city is Riga, with other major cities including Daugavpils and Liepāja. With a population of approximately 1.8M, the main language spoken is Latvian. The country covers an area of 64,559 km². The official currency is the euro (€). Traffic drives on the right side.
Riga's Old Town contains the world's highest concentration of Art Nouveau architecture — over a third of all its buildings, around 750 structures, are built in this style, more than any other city on Earth.
Riga serves as the political, cultural and economic heart of Latvia, positioned in Northern Europe. As the seat of government and often the most populous city, it concentrates the country's main institutions, universities and cultural landmarks. Beyond the capital, major cities include Daugavpils, Liepāja, Jelgava — each a hub of regional culture, economy and history. Riga's Art Nouveau district contains the highest concentration of Art Nouveau buildings of any city in the world — 750 buildings designed primarily between 1896 and 1913 in a stylistic range from floral Jugendstil to the National Romantic movement that used Latvian folk motifs as modern architectural decoration, creating an early 20th century cityscape of extraordinary visual consistency.
With a population of approximately 1.8M, Latvia is a vibrant society with a rich mix of traditions and communities. The official language is Latvian, which reflects the country's cultural heritage and connects it with a wide international community. Internationally, Latvia is reached via the dialling code +371. Latvians maintained national identity during 50 years of Soviet occupation through the dainas — traditional folk songs whose 1.2 million verses represent one of the world's largest oral literary traditions, catalogued in the 19th century by Krišjānis Barons whose collection directly inspired the national awakening, and whose performance in the Song and Dance Festival brings 30,000 singers to Riga every five years.
Latvia spans 64,559 km², in the Northern Europe subregion of Europe. Geographically centred around 57.0°N, 25.0°E, the country offers a diverse range of landscapes shaped by its location, climate and geology. Road traffic follows the right-hand rule, in line with surrounding Europe convention.
The official currency is the euro (€), used for everyday transactions and commerce throughout the country. Latvia's economy is shaped by its geography, natural resources and trade relationships. Business and daily life operate under UTC+02:00, aligning the country with its regional neighbours.
Ice Hockey / Basketball holds a special place in the heart of Latvia's national identity. Ice hockey is Latvia's premier competitive sport and the focus of national sporting pride — the Latvian national team's performances at World Championships and occasional Olympic upsets against Russia and Canada generate the most intense national celebrations of any sport in a country that produced multiple NHL players including Artūrs Irbe and Sandis Ozoliņš.
The highest point in Latvia is Gaiziņkalns, rising to 312 metres above sea level. Latvia's Gauja National Park contains the deepest river valley in the Baltic states — the Gauja River cutting through red sandstone cliffs that glow in evening light while the surrounding forest shelters lynx, wolves, and beavers in one of the last relatively undisturbed temperate forest ecosystems in the eastern Baltic region.