OVERVIEW OF LATVIA
For travellers, the best thing about Latvia is that it is so compact. Its 500 km of sandy beaches are easily reached from historical towns, where medieval hanseatic foundations support baroque and art nouveau buildings, that become venues for cultural festivals during the summer. Families of storks happily give their seal of approval to the unspoilt nature, fresh air and clean water around them. In addition to Riga, its spectacular gateway, there are 6 other UNESCO world heritage listed sites. A trading hub for over 800 years, it is well versed in welcome. With such a variety, Latvia is best enjoyed slowly.
Time zone: GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) +2, from April to November – GMT +3
International country abbreviation: LV
Foundation: 18 November 1918
National symbols: Red-White-Red Flag, small coat of arm, big coat of arms.
For travellers, the best thing about Latvia is that it is so compact. Its 500 km of sandy beaches are easily reached from historical towns, where medieval hanseatic foundations support baroque and art nouveau buildings, that become venues for cultural festivals during the summer. Families of storks happily give their seal of approval to the unspoilt nature, fresh air and clean water around them. In addition to Riga, its spectacular gateway, there are 6 other UNESCO world heritage listed sites. A trading hub for over 800 years, it is well versed in welcome. With such a variety, Latvia is best enjoyed slowly.
Time zone: GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) +2, from April to November – GMT +3
International country abbreviation: LV
Foundation: 18 November 1918
National symbols: Red-White-Red Flag, small coat of arm, big coat of arms.
Location: Latvia is located in the north-western part of Europe by the Baltic Sea
Territory: 64 589 sq km or 24 938 sq m
National anthem: "Dievs, svētī Latviju!" (God, Bless Latvia!)
Government: Parliamentary republic
Parliament: Saeima with 100 members elected by the people
President: Andris Bērziņš (since 8 July 2011)
Population and Territory Official language: Latvian
Population: 2011 census 2,070,371
Capital: Rīga (population –723 931)
Administrative division: 109 counties and 9 republican cities
Cultural-historical division: 4 regions – Vidzeme, Kurzeme, Zemgale and Latgale
Largest cities: Rīga, Daugavpils, Jelgava, Jūrmala, Liepāja, Rēzekne, Ventspils
Biggest port cities: Ventspils, Rīga , Liepāja
Ethnic groups: Latvians -–59.0 % (1 348 344), Russians – 28.3 % (646 567), Byelorussians – 3.7 % (85 434), Ukrainians – 2.5 % (57 794), Poles – 2.4 % (54 831), Lithuanians – 1.4 % (31 034), other – 2.1 % (as of 01.04.2007)
Territory: 64 589 sq km or 24 938 sq m
National anthem: "Dievs, svētī Latviju!" (God, Bless Latvia!)
Government: Parliamentary republic
Parliament: Saeima with 100 members elected by the people
President: Andris Bērziņš (since 8 July 2011)
Population and Territory Official language: Latvian
Population: 2011 census 2,070,371
Capital: Rīga (population –723 931)
Administrative division: 109 counties and 9 republican cities
Cultural-historical division: 4 regions – Vidzeme, Kurzeme, Zemgale and Latgale
Largest cities: Rīga, Daugavpils, Jelgava, Jūrmala, Liepāja, Rēzekne, Ventspils
Biggest port cities: Ventspils, Rīga , Liepāja
Ethnic groups: Latvians -–59.0 % (1 348 344), Russians – 28.3 % (646 567), Byelorussians – 3.7 % (85 434), Ukrainians – 2.5 % (57 794), Poles – 2.4 % (54 831), Lithuanians – 1.4 % (31 034), other – 2.1 % (as of 01.04.2007)