Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, situated in Northern Europe is a member state of the European Union since May 1st 2004.
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Latvia shares land borders with two fellow Baltic States
Estonia to the north and
Lithuania to the south and both
Russia and
Belarus to the east. In the west,
Latvia shares a maritime border with
Sweden and the capital of
Latvia is
Riga.
Latvia has been successively dominated by Germany, Poland, and Russia in the early 13th century, becoming an independent country in 1918 together with its neighbouring countries;
Estonia and
Lithuania. These three countries became known as
The Baltic States.
Large parts of
Latvia are covered by forests, and the country has over 12,000 small rivers and over 3,000 lakes. Most of the country consists of fertile, low-lying plains with some hills in the east, the highest point being the
Gaiziņkalns at 311.6 m. Ethnic Latvians constitute a slight majority of the population, while Russians make up the largest minority group.
An inlet of the
Baltic Sea, the shallow
Gulf of Riga is situated in the northwest of the country. The capital city
Riga is located on the shores of this inlet, where the
River Daugava flows into it. Other major cities include
Daugavpils further upriver and
Liepaja along the Baltic coast. The Latvian climate is maritime and temperate in nature, with cool summers and wet, moderate winters.
Latvia has many opportunities for boating and walking and just enjoying the outdoors, there are many small medieval towns, country castles, museums and folk parks to be visited.
Riga is a city that has come to life with superb architecture, from the medieval to the Art Nouveau, an old city that rivals Prague, operas and concerts, an active artistic life, smart shops and intimate restaurants, all testify to her being once again a major European capital.
Latvia is one of Europe's great
"get-away-from-it-all" discoveries. In whichever direction you strike out from
Riga, the capital, you will rapidly discover new facets of the country.
Head north east and within an hour you're at the medieval town of
Sigulda, a base for exploring the
Gauja National Park, with a castle, hotels, restaurants and a host of sporting activities. Nearby is
Turaida Castle, set on a hill that was an ancient fortress of the Liv people. Near the centre of the park is
Cesis, a town of cobbled streets and wooden houses almost unaltered by the Soviets and rated a national treasure, with one of Latvia's finest historical museums.
Head south from
Riga and explore the 18th century grandeur of the
Rundale Palace, summer residence of the Duke of Courland and designed by the architect of the St. Petersburg Winter Palace. Thanks to restoration you would hardly believe that the Germans used it as a granary in World War 2!
In fact Latvia is a country waiting to be discovered!
