Latvia

Quick Facts

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Capital

Riga

Population

2,345,000

Government

Parliamentary Democracy

Religions

Christianity (Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox)

Languages

Latvian, Russian, Lithuanian

Calling Code

+371

Nationality

Latvian

Local name

Latvija

Introduction

Riga - the house of Blackheads

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A child of the collapse of the USSR in the early 90s, Latvia is unique among its Soviet-siblings for the large proportion of Russians in its population (estimated around 30%). This state of affairs creates an undercurrent of tension in Latvia, as the country struggles to emerge into the world market; it is worsened by a strong trend of emigration by Latvians.

It is not surprising, then, that Latvian tourism has been relatively slow to pick up. Latvia does not boast breathtaking scenery; the charm of Latvia is more subtle than that. It is at Riga, the bustling capital dotted with architectural delights and the chilling World War II ghetto. It is at Sigulda, where medieval castles are set against the lovely Gauja valley. And it is at Kuldiga, a town rich with historic interest and blessed with a waterfall: true, the waterfall may only be 2 meters high, but it measures a remarkably disproportionate width of 275 meters.

Brief History

Geography

Latvia shares international borders with Lithuania, Estonia, Russia and Belarus.

Regions

• Kurzeme (Courland) lies in the west
• Zemgale (Semigallia) is in the centre
• Vidzeme (Middle land), also known as Livland is in the north
• Latgale (Latgallia) lies in the east

Cities

• Riga
• Daugavpils
• Liepaya
• Ventspils
• Jelgava

Getting there

Plane

Air Baltic is the national airline of Latvia and its hub is at Riga International Airport (RIX). It has flights to most countries in Europe. Other airlines, among others, serving Riga are KLM to Amsterdam, Lufthansa to Frankfurt and LOT to Warsaw.
Lowcost airline easyJet has budget flights to and from Berlin. Ryanair has more flights operating to several cities in Ireland and the United Kingdom as well as Stockholm and Milan.

Red Tape

If you are a European Union (EU) citizen, you may enter without any restriction as per your EU citizenship rights. If you are not an EU citizen, you will need to obtain a Schengen Visa. This visa is valid for any country in the Schengen zone.